Out and About: Walking Through Tucson

Downtown Tucson boasts a myriad of visual delights, starting with the vintage Fox Theatre sign near Hotel Congress.

Next up: an old building. I can tell because of the historical designation plaque on the side. I don't know what it says though, I'm afraid. Sorry, folks, I know you were dying to know.

Even the new architecture conforms to the traditional style of the Southwest: bold colors, stucco and tile work.

The St. Augustine Cathedral on South Stone Avenue is located in the heart of downtown. The Spanish Colonial exterior is striking against the desert sky.

There is something special about the desert sky. It seems so very vibrant, or maybe it's just dry. The jury's still out on that one.

Notice how the bottom of the adobe building bows out. This building is white, but it's not uncommon to see places painted all the colors of the rainbow and even some that aren't, like pink or teal.

The blue and white details are charming against the blue sky and passing clouds.

The area is still in mixed stages of renovation. Directly across the street, this building that has yet to be updated, but it still exudes the Southwestern style with the flat-sided architecture and painted doors.

I adore the balcony on this house. I can just imagine sitting up there and watching the sun set across the desert. Oh, and having a glass of wine, or being in a hammock, or both. Nothing says desert living like a wine or hammock. Okay, neither of those really say desert, but they should.

I think this wagon wheel window is so clever, if it was possible for a window to be clever, of course.

This house doesn't have colored adobe, but it still displays the bright colors that are often associated with this area, like pink and purple and teal. The exposed adobe bricks add additional character. And character = goodness.

Along the streets you'll stumble upon El Tiradito (The Wishing Shrine). The placard reads as follows:

This is the only shrine in the United States dedicated to the soul of a sinner buried in unconsecrated ground. It is affectionately called "El Tiradito"-the castaway. The many legends about its origin all involve a tragic triangle love affair in the early 1870s. The mysterious powers of "El Tiradito" are still an important part of local Mexican lore and culture. This site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The legends about the origin of the shrine vary, but no matter the history, the message is still the same: this is a place where miracles come true.

The plaque mentions a love triangle but doesn’t elaborate on any details. According to one legend, a rancher and his wife invited a Mexican shepherd to come live with them in Tucson. (You can probably imagine where this story is going.) One day the rancher arrived home to find his wife and the shepherd in, um, well, a compromising position. So the husband murdered his wife’s lover in a crime of passion, subsequently burying the body in the house.

When the neighborhood found out about the murder, they brought candles near the grave in order to free the soul of the fallen man to heaven. Some people speculated that the shepherd did not have an affair and was murdered senselessly.

Another version of the story tells of a young man who fell in love with his wife’s mother. When his father-in-law found out, the young man was killed. Because of his adulterous nature, the man was cast away from the Catholic Church and not allowed to be buried in the cemetery.

The castaway was supposedly buried at this site and his lover frequented to weep at his grave. As the story goes, when the monsoon rain storms blow through Tucson, you can hear the cries of his lover at the shrine.

Can you see the holes in the wall?

Visitors tuck in notes and wishes and prayers into these spaces.

Even many years later, people are still visiting the shrine, bringing candles, small tokens or photographs and colorful flowers. Some claim that if you bring a tall votive candle and say a prayer, that prayer will come true if the candle burns to the ground. It is also said that if you light the candle at night and it is still burning in the morning, your wish will come true.

I think it would be nice to revisit someday with my own candle in hand. And I will relight the ones that have been extinguished because I would want someone to do that for me.

And then just a few blocks over, working in the "sinner" spirit, is the drive-through liquor store. Nothing says "drunk driving" like a drive-through liquor store.

And I leave you all with the Labor Temple, since tomorrow is Monday and all. Time to labor! Have a fabulous day and night and every time in between.