Friday I had some work to do grading assignments and I was the designated chef for dinner with Maxine and Carol that evening so Chris, Margaret, Julie, and Linda went off to the Tucson Rodeo. I tried to interview them about the experience, but, while they all agreed they were glad they went, they didn’t have a lot to say about it. They sat in the bleachers section so it was very hot in the sun (even though the temperature that day was in the low 60s). They commented that it was one of the more diverse crowds they’d seen in Tucson so far which surprised them. The contradiction between admiration for the athleticism of the cowboys and cowgirls and the suffering of the animals was hard for them to reconcile. They were glad to have gone, but also ready to leave after a couple of hours.
They did come back with some pictures:
Friday night was dinner for 7 when Max and Carol joined us. Carol told some fascinating stories of her recent work as a poll-watcher in Ukraine and Bosnia. Of the poll-watching in Ukraine, during the election of President Zelensky, she said that a number of people thanked her for being there because they believed that their presence alone was a deterrent to election fraud.
She and Max had been out to the Tohono O’odham reservation that day and had reflections to share about that day too. Tohono O’odham means people of the desert. Their reservation is about the size of Connecticut, including land in 3 counties in AZ and extending into the Mexican state of Sonora. Carol also spoke about issues the Mexican tribal members have in trying to stay connected with a huge wall between them now. The fact that it has historically been a relatively easy place to cross the border also means that they are subject to a Border Patrol presence and surveillance that is not welcome. There remains a lot of poverty on the reservation though the tribal leaders are trying to improve conditions using money from the casino on their land to create a health center, a community college, and several recreation centers, all of which provide jobs as well as supportive services.
Saturday was a laid back day. Julie, Chris, and I went off to check out the local YMCA pool and gym - lovely facility and only 3 minutes away. The charge for a day pass was only $10 (in contrast to the usual $20-30 back home) and for the pool use only $3.
That night we tried again to see the Milky Way. Our local sources thought that perhaps it would be dark enough in the Western Saguaro National Park. It was indeed dark and the stars were lovely, but the moon was also by then a waxing crescent. We could perhaps imagine that we saw a suggestion of the Milky Way flowing from Orion, but we couldn’t be sure. We did see a bit more of the Orion nebula though which is rarely visible from our usual spots at home and Jupiter and Venus were very clear.