A Rainy Afternoon at Tohono Chul Park

Rain in our Tucson desert is often a site to behold. I especially enjoy the monsoon season, but sometimes, it’s the surprise rains- like those April showers, that amaze and delight unsuspecting Tucsonans… It’s not often that I am in the right place at the right time to experience the splendor of our desert rains. Last Saturday, I went to a wedding at Tohono Chul Park, a beautiful desert botanical garden on Tucson’s Northwest side. The lucky couple was not very happy to have rain on their wedding day, and the whole wedding ended up getting moved from an elegant outdoor venue to underneath a small ramada. Everyone was stacked up together, standing, and huddling together to fit under the small space. Even though you couldn’t see the wedding party very well, you could hear and sense the excitement, which was dramatically accentuated by the sweet sounds and smells of the desert rain. Of course, as soon as the ceremony was over, it stopped raining! Murphy’s law? Incidentally, the couple who got married are named Murphy. Small coincidence? It makes one wonder, indeed…

The overhang of the ramada at Tohono Chul Park where the wedding took place, Saturday April 11th

Upon completion of the ceremony, I got some terrific shots of the park, in all of its “post storm” splendor. Including a few feasting birds! Being an Arizona native, there is nothing more grand and intoxicating (to me) then the smell of creosote bushes after it rains. Watching the desert critters come out of their hiding places to frolic and shake off the storm only added to the delight that this storm brought me.

Incidentally, if you’re searching for desert plants to decorate your own digs, 0ne of the things that’s very practical and user friendly about Tohono Chul is that each plant species is labeled. Go figure! You can do a nature walk and check out all of the different desert plants. It’s sort of like, “Desert Plants for Dummies!” If you go, you may want to consider bringing a notebook, so you can jot down all of the plants that are to your liking. Then you can go to your local desert nursery to stock up. The nice thing about most of these plants is that they will grow naturally in the desert, without needing a lot of water. This will not only spruce up your landscaping, but will also add value to your home.  Best of all, because they are native species, they will save you money on your water bill, and save our precious water supply too.  Just think of how envious your neighbors will be!

A trip to Tohono Chul would not be complete without dining in the tea room/restaurant. I have enjoyed some nice, leisurely lunches here, and the courtyard is so pleasant on sunny spring afternoons, you could linger for hours! The restaurant is constructed of beautiful burnt adobe brick, of the Joesler era, and you’ll feel you’ve been uplifted to a simpler, more carefree era, when cell phones and blackberries didn’t dominate our days.