Ryn Gargulinski

Creativity on Fire

odd pueblo

How to Update Your Tucson Home in 8 Letters or Less

The desert is downright amazing when it bursts with color – especially when it comes to Tucson homes. Check out the before and after version of this charming guest house in the historic Blenman-Elm neighborhood.

The home’s owner had long wanted to add a darling touch to the darling abode, and a pop of La Casita whimsy and color did it. This project was tons of fun, and, as the owner said: “Transformed a Saltine-boring house into a spicy jalapeno” (or something cool to that effect).

Two more cool tidbits: 

  • You can spruce up your own home with its own personalized lettering
  • La Casita is regularly for rent

Before and After: Tucson La Casita

SALTINE
JALAPENO!

Email ryngargulinski@hotmail.com for more details on custom home detailing or renting La Casita.

Arizona camping is paradise – as long as you plan ahead (and know how to deal with rattlesnakes)

Paradise comes from happy hounds, good pizza and camping in Arizona — not necessarily all at once.

The hounds and the camping make a magnificent mix, but you’d be hard-pressed to get the crust of a DiGiorno frozen pizza to properly rise on a campsite grill. And to make sure the hounds-and-camping mix stays more like paradise than hell, make sure your planning consists of more than simply grabbing a tent and heading for the hills.

You should at least bring some water. Lots of water. It’s amazing how much water it takes to wash your hands, wash your face, brush your teeth, boil rice, hydrate two big dogs and have a sip or two left over for yourself.

Bring plenty of food. This includes dog food. For future reference, please note that the only dog food for sale anywhere near Roosevelt Lake consisted of three cans (count them) at the marina, or your choice of Old Roy or Purina several miles from the campsite.

Other amenities depend on how much or how little you feel like truly roughing it. Those who want the really rough can go as far as forgetting about luxury items, such as toilet paper. Those who like a bit of comfort in their lives will want to include fluffy sleeping bags, air mattresses and pillows—and dog treats to lure the dogs off the air mattresses and pillows.

Comfort items are especially important, so that you don’t end up being cranky, which can lead to becoming rude and obnoxious and starting fights with your significant other. Crankiness can also result in a devil-may-care attitude that makes you forget the rules of camping etiquette. There are several. [Read more…] about Arizona camping is paradise – as long as you plan ahead (and know how to deal with rattlesnakes)

Tucson mail service going to hell in a hand basket (via Phoenix) with planned Cherrybell mail center closure

People often peg one of Tucson’s greatest charms as being a fairly sizable city that has not lost its small town feel. Well, that small town feel is going to get even smaller when the planned U.S. Postal Service closure of the Tucson mail processing center goes through.

No closure date is yet set, but the plan to shutter the Cherrybell Postal Processing and Distribution Center is well underway. Our mail processing will move just up the road a bit to a Phoenix facility. We can wave goodbye to next-day first class delivery, for sure. We can also probably end up driving or even walking a piece of mail across town quicker than the mail service would be able to do it.

And we can kiss the Tucson postmark au revoir and have all our mail instead stamped with Phoenix. This may be the saddest development of all, since those not familiar with Arizona often have trouble spelling Tucson. The postmark at least ensured the spelling was reinforced every time we sent someone a cheery postcard or other piece of mail.

But it shall be no more. [Read more…] about Tucson mail service going to hell in a hand basket (via Phoenix) with planned Cherrybell mail center closure

Sneak peek at Tucson Weekly art box project – Coming soon to a sidewalk near you!

A lifelong goal of many artists is to blanket the world with their creations. While many of us have gotten a leg up on this endeavor by painting rocks, designing art for our cars or even creating the occasional mural on the side of building (with owner permission, of course), most of us don’t have the cash to blanket larger things like Times Square billboards.

But who needs Times Square billboards when we got the Tucson Weekly Art Box Project.

Now in its second go-around, the Tucson Weekly Art Box Project consists of transforming the plain red, metal newspaper boxes into veritable works of art. Artists are allowed to use any medium they wish to create any design they wish, although we were duly warned that boxes that end up with nudity or profanity will get stuck in a “less desirable” location.

“Is that a Tucson Weekly newspaper box in those weeds behind the saguaro?”

[Read more…] about Sneak peek at Tucson Weekly art box project – Coming soon to a sidewalk near you!