Serenity Guest House in Tucson

Our home in Tucson is the Serenity Guest House. It is a small, comfortable bungalow near the Saguaro National Park; in fact, it is only minutes to the Park's entrance.






Most roads in this area are unpaved and subject to washouts during rains. The neighbourhood itself is known as The Notch, because a property of one square mile was notched out the north-west corner of Saguaro National Park. Most lots within The Notch are four or more acres in size (1.5 ha or more). It is a somewhat secluded, and because of the absence of street lights, amazingly dark at night.



We've seen a bobcat near the house, some coyotes and many birds, including hummingbirds. So far no sightings of snakes or javelinas (a collared peccary), though they are here. Somewhere.

Two Welsh Corgi pups live in the big house nearby, along with their owners, and our hosts, Claudia and Ken. They are all well socialised and love people as much as they love digging and chewing. That last bit might refer more to the dogs than to Claudia and Ken.




It's a wonderful sanctuary, close to town but away from the traffic and noise of the city. The sky is truly brilliant and the sound of the desert is a wonderful constant. I could get used to this place.

Photos by Jim Murray.
Copyright 2013.

Ben's Bells ~ Intentional Acts of Kindness

Downtown Tucson is not a thriving community. Much of the commerce one would expect to see in a central business district has left for malls outside the downtown core. Those malls seem to be everywhere, one after the other, replicating themselves again and again on the streets and avenues that lead to the suburbs. All of that is a shame, because downtown Tucson is not especially unattractive.

In a slightly more depressed part of the downtown of Tucson is a small storefront belonging to Ben's Bells. It offers a small studio and store, staffed by energetic young people.









Ben's Bells came about after a three year old named Ben fell ill on March 29, 2002. It seemed to be a cough and cold, but it was much worse and Ben passed away, all too suddenly and all too soon. His parents were devastated. They tried a variety of coping strategies and eventually designed and made bells in their backyard studio with friends. It was good to share a common goal, talk and reflect upon their grief.

Eventually they made hundreds of bells, and on the first anniversary of their little boy's death, they hung those hundreds of Ben's Bells randomly in Tucson, in trees, along bike paths and in parks, always with a handwritten note saying simply to take the bell home and pass on the kindness.


The effect on the community was amazing. People finding the bells had stories to tell of their own, about grief and healing and hope. Ultimately hundreds of people of all ages were crafting Ben's Bells. The story spread across America. It is a story told in the loving memory of one little boy. It symbolizes kindness and its power in healing, and in the sense of community created, both in making and giving the bells, and in finding them too.

Photos by Jim Murray.   Copyright 2013.

Arrival in the Excited State of Arizona

On Boxing Day we set off for the Excited States. First we had to clear US Customs for our flight to Arizona, and when the Homeland Security Officer asked me when was the last time I visited the land of the free, I answered "I don't know." That seemed to surprise him to no end, though it was an honest answer. It has been years since I ventured south of the 49th.

"You don't know when you were last in the United States? Just what exactly is the purpose of your visit?" It might have gone easier if I had answered in a one word answer, like say, "Shopping." That sounds Canadian, eh?

Arizona is one of those few places in the world where people can carry guns, openly and not so openly too. This is a state where there are few limitations on the ownership of weapons, including assault weapons. The 6.5 million who live in Arizona are proud to be independent and free.

In the 1860 census Arizona had a population of 6,482 of which 4,040 were defined as "Indian." There were 21 "free colored" people and the rest, 2421, were "white."  Times have changed. Today there are 6.5 million living in Arizona with 73% classed as white and only 4.6% from First Nations. Hispanics, of any racial group, make up 30% of the population.

So here we are, in the Excited State of Arizona. Guns, snakes and shopping malls everywhere. And wide open skies, desert, and a beauty beyond words.

Photos by Jim Murray.  Copyright 2013.

Acacia Fillo Bar & Cafe ~ Vancouver Coffee Shops Part 9

In the West End, along busy Denman, is a coffee shop and cafe with its origins in the highlands of Bulgaria. It is a small place and if you aren't careful you might miss it, and that would be a mistake. Located between Delany's Cafe and that wonderful culinary delight called Fatburger, is Acacia Fillo Bar and Cafe, and it's a neighbourhood gem.




Family owned and operated by Vera Eftovska-Ivanov and Ziggy Ivanov, this is an inviting place, with excellent service, good coffee and some interesting dishes from Bulgaria, including the fillo based concoctions called banitza and burek. The Ivanovs started Acacia in 2006, after the successful start up of Urban Catering five years earlier.


The orange juice is freshly squeezed by hand and well worth the price, as are most other things. Much of the cafe's appeal for me is the sense of community it offers; this is a place where people get to know each other, where regulars are greeted and appreciated.

Photos by Jim Murray.

Copyright 2013.

Festival of Lights ~ too many lights

The night before snow fell in Vancouver, we went to the Festival of Lights. Along with thousands of other people. It was cold, crisp, dry and crowded.














Every year, more and more are attracted to what seems to be becoming an increasingly commercialised event. Not that there's anything terribly wrong with that, though it isn't quite what I have in mind when I think of VanDusen Garden.

The lights are a spectacle and if a person can get away from the crowd, it can be quite breathtaking, though sometimes the brightest lights are reserved for the merchants of donuts, hot chocolate and more.















Hand warming devices are provided throughout the venue as this friendly visitor discovered. That would be the visitor on the left.

The spectacle that is the Festival of Lights has ventured into a tacky, tawdry kind of place. It doesn't reflect the peace and natural beauty the Garden offers throughout the rest of the year, the tranquillity that exists in simply spending time in quiet reflection. At this time of year, with crowds and noise everywhere, with the frantic hum of consumer spending imposed upon us at every turn, we could all use a little bit more of what the Garden really represents.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2013.