We were invited to Dora and Barry B.’s house in Singing Valley, near Sonoita, Arizona. David wanted to make an early start, so Sue swam early again; we only had coffee after our big dinner the night before. We were at their place at 9:30. We drove through some of the old neighborhoods around the university and then headed for Sonoita. The drive takes you through a pass to the east of the Santa Rita Mountains. It is a gorgeous drive; the landscape changes dramatically as we rose out of the Sonoran Desert and into the high desert chaparral at the foot of Mount Wrightson (9458 feet). At its high point, the plateau around Sonoita is at 5000 feet, and looks very much like Tuscany.
Around ten years ago David and Patti bought a little home on top of a hill with extraordinary views all around; Patti has remodeled it, and it really is lovely. Sue and I both loved the Acacia flooring.
The panoramic views are extraordinary.
We couldn‘t linger because we were due at Dora and Barry‘s house at noon; they live five minutes away. The house is interesting; David supervised a crew of friends who worked together to build a stone house to Dora‘s design in the late 1970‘s. Thom and Michelle soon joined us, and we did a bit of indoor group portrait work.
We had a movable feast, moving from Barry’s music studio (where he played “Long Time Comin'”) to the house and garden, and then back for cold cuts and cheese in the studio. Conversation was lively, and before we knew it it was 6 PM and we headed back to Tucson.
We had a late dinner at Ignite, and this time it was pretty good: excellent burgers.