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3 Things to do in Tucson

So you are visiting Tucson for the weekend and want to know the must-sees in town. Here is a list of three things to do to make your stay special.

1. Nature. Head up Mount Lemmon on East Catalina Highway to witness the amazing tall pine trees and Mountain views. Visit Rose Canyon Lake for a chance to experience water in the desert. You might even want to spend the night at the Rose Canyon Campground to enjoy a bonfire at one of their well maintained campsites. Stop at Windy Point for the climactic sunset and view of the city lights.

2. Saint Philips Square Farmers Market is an excellent place to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning sampling local foods, perusing fresh vegetables, and shopping local handcrafted goods. Sit by a fountain and enjoy a tamale or vegan bbq sandwich or just people and dog watch.

3. Dance. Move your body to the waves of 5 Rhythms at one of the weekend freestyle dance classes held at the Square Dance Center, 613 East Delano Street. Surrounded by community and no talking on the dance floor creates an environment of free expression and release as well as an excellent workout. Dances are held Friday nights at 7:30 and Sunday mornings at 10:30.

Whatever you choose to do in Tucson, welcome to our city!🌵

I Made It to Tucson

I bet some of you wondered where the heck I have been. Traveling across the country was way more intense than I expected. There was a lot of shedding and growth that I had to go through to get here, and with all the bumps in the road I decided to take a lot of space from social media and blogging.

I will catch you up on what happened along the way in the coming days, but for now I am excited to announce that I am now settled in my new home!

Tucson Arizona is the place James and I decided to live. The constant sunshine and vibrant way of life feels comfortable and healing. Being surrounded by mountains and national parks means we can go hiking at any time! The views are breathtaking, especially during golden hour right before sunset when the mountains look purple and pink.

We are currently renting a house in a cute neighborhood right near a small park. Every morning I see my neighbors walk or bike by with their dogs and children and it makes me feel safe to have this community around me. After living in an RV for two months it is so nice to have space to move around and a kitchen to cook in, a backyard to hang around in our hammocks, and a real bed to stretch out in. The cats are happy to have more room to run around and outdoor space to feel wild in.

Tucson is home to a wide variety of food and restaurants which keeps me entertained. My recent accomplishment of becoming a yelp elite for 2017 gives me a purpose to my hobby of checking in, posting pictures and leaving reviews.

One of things I was most excited to do once settled was start gardening again. I am so thankful to have a raised bed in the backyard and lots of space to experiment with. Currently I am growing strawberries, silver mint, tomatillos, tomatoes, cabbage, brussel sprouts, two kinds of lettuce, two kinds of kale, lavender, parsley, Serrano peppers, and a dwarf pomegranate tree. I also received a huge box worth of aloe from a generous craigslist connection. My travel herb garden that came with me from CT is still producing basil and oregano. I have a compost bin working its magic to supplement the soil and I fell in love with the nursery and garden center called Green Things here in town.

That’s all for now, check back soon!

✨

Unifier 2017

Unifier.

Home.

Freedom.

Love.

Two years ago I went out on a limb attending Unifier festival, a first of many experiences. I met my husband while canoeing to Blueberry Island. *romantic sigh*

Unifier 2017 was a unique experience, more of a roots gathering than a festival. The event was intimately capped at 500 guests and was held at a smaller location, a one time decision while leadership finalized the purchase of Timber Trails in Tolland Massachusetts, Unifier’s now permanent land!

The limited guests meant that the consistent most core group of Unifier family was present. As if our gathering wasn’t sweet enough, this year there was a new closeness. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with some of my favorite people!

Since James and I and cats arrived via RV we did not camp but instead set up a space for our hammocks by the pond and used it to recharge, relax, and meet with friends.

The grounds were well kept and spotted with beautiful flower gardens and wooded areas. A beaver lived in the pond and would spend its days swimming around collecting rocks and sticks

The music was amazing, my faves were Kai Altair and Moon Hooch. Whether bopping with vendors or sneaking a dip in the pond, hearing the music echo over the land is my favorite part of festivals.

Shout out to Unalome Designs for having amazing hemp naturally dyed clothing. Your clothes are comfy and sexy, keep it coming.

ec7d90c4-f3fa-465f-8e16-da302651adf9 — Hemp top by Unalome Designs

Hosting in the RV was quite fun as many of our friends wanted to come play with the cats and check out our mini home. James loves to cook for people so we walked around with a plate of tempeh dogs at one point.

And finally, one of the best surprises of all was playing with baby ducks. Yes, only at unifier.💛

#Firefly2017

This year we decided to go to Firefly on Friday and Sunday with Saturday being a rest day at the campground.

We arrived later in the day on Friday just as Weezer was finishing their set. I was surprised by how old they seemed as I had a reality check about the passing of time (okay). It was nice to hear their classic songs as everyone easily sang along.

Next Benny Benassi wowed us with his famous beats as we bounced under the colorful lights and giant balloons (obsessed).

The next band was 21 Pilots. They put on a show of red white and black colors with loud shocking noises, twice what sounded like gunshots. Although I enjoyed hearing their music, I thought that they could improve their live performance skills and I thought the gunshot noises were unnecessary and could trigger someone, not cool.

We finished up the night bopping to Flume. James did a tour of the food booths before we headed back to camp for the night.

We returned again on Sunday for our favorite artist, Nahko and Medicine for the People.

While waiting for Nahko to finish his sound check we watched tweets scroll by on the giant screen. I figured I would tweet something, even though they were mostly showing tweets from the day before, and guess what: they showed my tweet. I did not get a picture of the screen as it went by quickly and I spent most of the time trying to tell the guy behind us that he was on the screen too.

Nahko played twice at Firefly this year. The first show was mid day on the Backyard stage. James and I knew we wanted to be front and center. With the sun blazing we rocked out to the medicine.

The evening show was a more acoustic set at the intimate treehouse stage. We had a laid back spot this time just chilling next to a tree.

We had the honor of visiting with our friend Max Ribner, the trumpet player for Nahko’s band, and he had a chance to meet James’ parents. We took a photo, still trying to get my paws on it.

Finally we ended with a great show from Muse. They were professionals at live performance and keeping the flow going between songs with riffs and solos. The crowd really showed up for them and even still there was plenty of room on the lawn to sit close to the main stage.

All in love I had a lovely time at Firefly festival. I’m not sure if I would go again unless my favorite artist were there, not because it was unpleasant but I tend to prefer more intentional gatherings with less garbage on the ground.