Amazing Urban Compound

300 North Sierra Vista Drive in the coveted Catalina Vista neighborhood near Grant Road and Campbell Avenue in Central Tucson. 

Stunningly beautiful, Joesler-style home near the historic Arizona Inn. Quintessential Mid-Century Tucson: sophisticated and high-quality, yet comfortable and inviting. Soaring beamed ceilings, vintage built-ins, decorative concrete tile floors. 

Western red cedar kitchen cabinet fronts with soapstone counters. Two ovens, including working vintage Thermodor. 

Wood-burning fireplaces in the dining room, living room and patio. 

Lovely pool and spa with water feature. 

Poolside ramada and bar with sink, refrigerator and corrugated roof.  

Almost half an acre of urban privacy and bliss. 

Extraordinary upgraded guesthouse has been a thriving Airbnb for years. Heated and cooled workshop/workout room adjacent to guesthouse. Contributing property to Catalina Vista National Historic District. Significant property tax reduction for owner-occupant.

Three bedrooms, two baths, living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room in the 2,371 square foot main house. Basement storage room. One bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room in the 1,073 square foot guest house. 

Sold for $1,090,323 on April 4, 2024. Seller paid for a new roof. 

Stunning Home In Dunbar Spring

Exquisite, well-maintained home on a lovely street in historic Dunbar Spring. Extensive repairs after a 2004 fire resulted in many upgraded systems. 

Charming mature desert landscaping. Relaxing porches face east and west. 

Two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Primary bedroom has two closets and a beautiful bathroom with glass-walled corner shower. 

Bonus room with adjacent full bath between the bedrooms could be den, office or dining room. 

Concrete counter tops in the gorgeous kitchen. Laundry room and storage adjacent to the kitchen. 

Attached carport with storage room. House is 1,071 square feet and lot is 5,280 square feet.  A mile to University of Arizona, downtown and I-10. Outstanding!

Offered at $410,000. We had three offers and sold for $420,000 on November 28, 2023.

Urban Seclusion Near the Arizona Inn

Stunningly beautiful, Joesler-style home near the historic Arizona Inn. 

Quintessential Mid-Century Tucson: sophisticated and high-quality, yet comfortable and inviting. Soaring beamed ceilings, vintage built-ins, decorative concrete tile floors. 

Western red cedar kitchen cabinet fronts with soapstone counters, two ovens, including a working vintage Thermodor. 

Wood-burning fireplaces in the dining room, living room and patio. 

The "encaustic" tile floors are in perfect condition and just fascinating. 

Lovely pool and spa with water feature. 

Poolside ramada and bar with sink, refrigerator and corrugated roof. 

Almost half an acre of urban privacy and bliss. Whispering palm trees and fruity citrus trees. 

Extraordinary upgraded guesthouse has been a thriving Airbnb, easily generating $15,000 per year. Potential for more. Heated and cooled workshop/workout room adjacent to guesthouse. The floor plan is here.

Catalina Vista National Historic District. Significant property tax reduction possible for owner-occupant.

Here is the virtual tour:

https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=duc2KzEg99u

This property is currently off the market. When it will return to the market is unknown at this time. Seller requests no contact from buyers and agents. 

Armory Park Perfection

This enchanting 19-unit Armory Park compound has no equal. Some of the homes in this walled downtown oasis were built over 100 years ago. Your condo is the largest of the free-standing units. 

Modern amenities in the 2007 addition: travertine floors, upgraded kitchen/bath, central AC/heat, double pane windows, wooden Venetian blinds, washer hook-up. 

Vintage charm in the 1924 original home: wooden floors, built-in cabinets, French doors w/ rusted shutters leading to the north patio, Ionic columns on the east porch entrance. 

Night blooming cereus, rosemary & hummingbird-attracting agaves at the west porch. Orange, lemon & shade trees. Fenced yard to the north is common area. HOA covers landscape maintenance, garbage/recycling collection, structural insurance. A few blocks to Rialto and Fox Theaters, Club Congress, Cup Cafe, Johnny Gibson's Market, Tucson Children's Museum, Cafe Desta and Five Points Market and Restaurant, where you will want to have brunch every weekend. 

One bedroom, one bath, 575 square feet. The floor plan is here. 

Sold for $20,000 over asking price for $250,000 on April 1, 2022. No fooling! 

The common area.

Sunbeam Has Spring Fever

Yesterday before she'd had her breakfast, Sunbeam appeared at Steve's back door with a ground squirrel in her mouth and wanted to come in. When Steve told me this I said, "Bad girl!" Then he said he told her she wasn't coming in the house with that thing in her mouth. She went to the edge of the porch and released the ground squirrel. It ran away. She returned to the back door and indicated she still wanted to come in. I said, "Good girl!"

Update: a week or so after this charming incident, Sunbeam was lethargic and not eating. We couldn't get her into her usual vet, so I took her to Valley Animal Hospital. We had to wait in the car for two hours before they came out to get her, and after I waited another 90 minutes, I was informed that Sunbeam had a puncture wound on her throat and it had abscessed. I had noticed gunk on her throat, but I thought she was so depressed, she had gotten food on her chin and didn't feel like cleaning it. 

The vet anesthetized her and cleaned her wound and sent me home with narcotics and antibiotics to shoot into her mouth at 12 hour intervals, an ointment to put on her wound, and, worst from Sunbeam's perspective, a "cone of shame" around her neck to prevent her from scratching her wound, which she definitely wanted to do. She didn't want to drink, so twice Steve took her to the vet for subcutaneous electrolyte injections. 

Twelve days later, her wound has healed, the cone is off, and she doesn't seem to be scratching her wound as we feared. She has spent most of her time cleaning herself, which she was unable to do for twelve days. 

We're pretty sure the infected puncture wound occurred when she released the ground squirrel. Now Steve is wondering if it's safe to let her outside by herself. I never thought it was, surrounded as her house is by snakes, bobcats, coyotes, hawks and vicious rodents. Now maybe he'll be convinced, too. 

Snow in Tucson

OK, it's not much, but it's still thrilling when it snows in the city as it did this morning. A few days ago, we had hail. The last time we had snow here was February 22, 2019.  My cousin was visiting from Chicago, where the frigid wind and sleet off Lake Michigan had caused her to flee to sunny Arizona. I opened my shades and shrieked "It's snowing!" Linda said dryly, "Imagine my excitement." This was the desert behind my house two years ago:

Not a Unicorn

The first time I saw this mule deer in my yard, I thought he was a unicorn. I asked him where his other antler was, and he just glared at me. Then I got a better look at him a few months later when he was at my wildlife bubbler, and I realized that his left horn is growing out of the side of his head. His black forehead is also unusual. 

Usually, the deer come to my bubbler in a small herd of three to eight deer. He is always by himself. I wonder if he prefers it that way, or if the other deer have ostracized him like poor Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. 
 

 

I stopped by Green Things when walking along the Rillito with my hiking buddies today. The poinsettias were stunning.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is my favorite holiday. In 2015, I had the privilege of experiencing this quintessential Mexican holiday in Patzcuaro, Michoacan. It was beautiful, spiritual and very moving. 

Tucson's All Souls Procession had to be cancelled like everything else this year, so we went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens to see the eight-foot tall catrinas. We wore calavera pandemic masks. 

Mid-Century Modern in Mid-Central Tucson

Villa Catalina Apartments is one of Tucson's most beloved examples of Mid-Century Modern architecture. Located in the tranquil center of the highly desirable Sam Hughes neighborhood, you're close to groceries and casual dining at Rincon Market. Watch ballgames and meet the neighbors at Bob Dobb's. Enjoy upscale vegetarian Mexican cuisine at Tumerico. Get to the movies at El Con Mall in minutes. Have a Zen-like tea experience at Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas and for something completely different, dine at Tucson's first Ethiopian restaurant, Zeman's. 

This second floor condo is in one of the best locations in this lovely complex, which is in the National Register of Historic Places because of its architectural significance. A lift chair is available in an interior stairwell if you need a little help.  

Huge windows create a sunny living room. Perched on your spacious north-facing covered front balcony above the beautifully manicured landscaping, you'll enjoy a stunning view of the Catalina Mountains. 

The interior is recently spruced up, preserving the original '50s character. You'll be one of the few owners with two garage spaces, which you can see from your enormous covered back balcony. 

HOA fee covers property tax, utilities, heat, AC, trash pick up, two pools, one of them heated, laundry room, pest control, exterior maintenance, most plumbing and electrical, and beautiful Mediterranean-style landscaping with grass and oranges trees. Age restricted community: owner must be at least 55 years old. 

Two bedrooms and two baths. The floor plan is here. Offered at $160,000.

Tucson #1 of Dog-Friendly Cities

SmartAsset has declared Tucson the most dog-friendly city in the county. They ranked cities based on number of dog parks, dog-friendly restaurants, home prices, weather and other criteria. One more reason to love our Sweet Desert Home.

Solar Art on the Santa Cruz

The street car bridge over the Santa Cruz at Cushing Street has been open for six years (!) and I finally went to see the solar art last week.

The bridge has rusted metal arcs with patterns cut into them. The side walk on both sides of the bridge has scenes from Tucson's history incised into them. A certain moments through out the year, the sun shines through an arc just right to complete an image on the sidewalk.

Last Friday at 10:30 AM, I went with some of my hiking buddies to see the symbol for Mars encircle the Phoenix Mars Lander. It happened to be the tenth anniversary of the Mars landing. The principal investigator of the landing worked at the University of Arizona.

On June 1 at noon, this article in Zocalo says the street car will be the illuminated image, but I'm not sure about that. As I recall, the Tucson Pressed Brick Company on the south side of the bridge will be featured this Friday.

Anyway, it's fun to think of the math and precision engineering and art that all combined to make this happen.

It's also fun to have brunch at Seis in the Mercado San Agustin after experiencing the solar art.