A chilly day and a surprisingly cool museum

Tuesday evening, while we were waiting for Ian and Laura to arrive, I saw a shadow out the kitchen window. I had finally gotten a glimpse of the javelina! We were told that they were wild in the neighborhood but this is the first one I've seen. I've been told over and over that they aren't pigs. To me they look like a wild boar but people around here are adamant that these are unique creatures. As long as I don't have to get up close and personal with one, they can be whatever they want to be. But glad to have checked another Tucson box.

​The weather was chilly yesterday, about 50F for a high and then it rained in the afternoon. 
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All three of the new guests arrived on time and without incident. We gathered around 8:30 yesterday morning for another hike in the Sabino Canyon recreation Area. Ian is healing from a calf muscle tear so this hike didn't have as much elevation as the Monday hike, although it was still about 5 miles. This is a saguaro blooming out a new arm bud.
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This saguaro is one of the one of the most mature ones that I've seen. 
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In the back of that last photo is this beautiful rock dam. They didn't get much rain this part year so it's dry right now. But in the afternoon we actually got a good bit of rain so maybe there's a little water in the stream today.
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In the afternoon, and on a whim, Laura and I decided to visit the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. What we expected was a dusty little storefront museum with a few miniatures, no other visitors and a bored docent keeping a close eye on us. You know the type: a little place with someone's beloved small collection and no money to properly keep it up.

What we found was a legitimate, big and popular museum in a custom built building and a parking lot full of cars. It was astounding and absolutely overwhelming. I took a few photos to share but you should click on the link and read about the history of the museum and the founder. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of miniatures in this museum that were mostly collected (and made) by one woman. The items date as early as the 1700's. 
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The doll houses date from the late 1700's to contemporary times. This one was called The Yellow Rose of Texas, The Wedding Day. The gallery below had a photo of each section. This had to have taken years to build.

This is the work of a Waterford crystal master cutter. When he retired he decided to make miniatures of the pieces that he used to cut in the factory.
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There is a massive display of Department 56 Christmas Village pieces, including a display set into the floor!
In the commercial realm there was also collections of kewpie dolls and a Halloween set similar to Department 56. 

I had seen the pencil lead carvings from Salavat Fidai online before but it was very cool to see 3 of them in person along with videos of him making each one.
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There was even a special exhibit of ships made by Gregory Baumgartner.  They are 4 models of a collection of 11 model ships he made of the Union Navy ships that were destroyed at the Gosport Navy Yard. These models are all about to be acquired by the US Navy for exhibition in museums around the country. They are beautifully made and there are great photos and videos on the webpage.

We went there expecting to spend about 30 minutes but stayed 2 hours and we could go again and see different things. You can't absorb it in one visit. 

If you like miniatures and are ever in Tucson, don't miss this museum.

The weather starts to improve and warm up today. We will head to the Saguaro National Park East so Ian and Laura can see more of the area. Starting tomorrow we should be able to spend some time at the pool. We also have our falconry adventure tomorrow.