One mystery solved?

I promised (sort of) Ms. Anon of AV that I'd report back when I found out what those pink ties on the alley guy lines were all about. After today's short stroll, I may have figured it out. (Everything but this coil, which remains a mystery. Does cable always come complete with pink ties already attached?)

So -- as you see, a post has been installed to hold the line higher than its previous position. If you look closely, it is evident that there is a driveway next the shed.

Peer down that driveway: lo and behold, a major project involving trucks to-ing and fro-ing, loaded with decades-old siding, fixtures and such. Obviously, it was necessary to lift the guy line to let the vehicles through. Though I note that there are still pink ties on the lower end of the support line. How come???

Another view of the big project from a side alley.

And from the front, on Park Avenue. It is quite rare to see so a major a gentrification project in this neighborhood. As a finale, a peek through the upstairs window into a bedroom.

Not so incidentally, this vintage vehicle appears to be part of the new arrangements at this address.

Sycamores in Winter

Ariaona sycamores may well be the most beautiful trees in the state. Their press, though, doesn't compare to, say, cottonwood/willows or aspens or any evergreen. On the other hand, they were well appreciated by earlier Prescott residents and city fathers. Take a look around the Sharlot Hall Museum grounds or Mt. Vernon Street or Park Avenue to see some of the city's wonderful, huge old sycamores. Here's an example, along the street in front of Lincoln School (above.)

Did you notice that the trees still retain some of their rust-colored leaves? That's one distinguishing feature of sycamores in winter. I noticed another on a recent walk -- there were some very white splotches on the trunks, visible roots (above), and limbs (below.)

I suppose that there must have been a lot of peeling bark recently, to produce those white patches. (But I didn't see any bark on the ground -- wonder where it went and when...)

Another distinguishing feature of the winter sycamore: plenty of pom-pom seed balls that resemble Christmas tree ornaments.

Apparently the Lincoln School sycamores have a history. The plaque above is modest in size and easy to miss. However, it suggests a civic battle between the road builders, with visions of widening a major thoroughfare, and neighborhood preservationists, led by one Herschel Linsky. (No, The Google has never heard of Mr. Linsky. I enquired.)

The trees stretch from the south end of the school ground along Park Avenue...

...north to the Beach Street intersection, where the buses load and unload school kids.

This view, looking north, shows how one group of trees was rescued by creating a special lane for what my daughter calls the "Mommy brigade" of cars waiting for children every afternoon. Note the resulting jog in Park Avenue at this point. By the way, I believe that Coronado Street used to go through what is now the middle of the school yard. So: yes, changes are made -- but once in a while, a few handsome trees are saved from the planners' zeal.

Welcome, visitors from the Festival of the Trees. We have some wonderful trees here in the mountains of Arizona; I've written about several of the different kinds at one time and another. For a look, just click on the label "trees" below.

Stone Fences Make...

...good neighbor-hoods.

My late husband and I moved to the Prescott area in the early 80s. A Chicago native, my husband was smitten by the mountains, the scenery -- and, of course, the ROCKS!

You have to understand that the rocks you find in the Chicago region are small, few and far between, left behind when the Ice Age glaciers receded. There are a couple of limestone outcroppings in the city, rare and important enough as landmarks to actually bear names, such as Stony Island. By far the exception for a city that is sitting on a couple hundred feet of clay.

So, when LH arrived in AZ, he couldn't resist picking up pretty rocks, interesting rocks, or everyday rocks each time we went on an excursion. I had lived in the state as a youngster in the 30s and again in the 40s, so I was a little more picky. Needless to say, backpacks, the car floor and the yard were quickly weighted down by collections. Rocks of all sorts.


And whenever we had a guest from Illinois, it was rocks, rocks & more rocks -- until it was time to pack for the airplane, when reality set in. We, of course, were saddled with a bunch more rocks.

But all by way of introduction.


Because it's obvious that earlier Prescott people were also into rocks, for a more practical reason -- damn fine building material, right at hand. When you walk or drive around the town and older summer resort areas, such as Mountain Club or Walker, keep your eyes open for the wonderful stone cottages, outbuildings and fences.

For a great display of stone fences of various stripes and materials, I recommend a walk along Park Avenue. Because this street was carved into a hilly area full of granites, most houses starting at Gurley Street, heading south, feature a rock fence or retaining wall. Styles vary and in some cases, shaped blocks of granite are used. (As for the granite, I presume it's of local origin, though I've never been able to locate a one-time granite quarry on any of the area USGS topo quads.)


A problem: not all of those "retaining walls" that bound a front yard a few feet above the sidewalk were built as such. So I learned one day from an elderly mason. He was repairing one of those stone walls, which had suffered a breach after the water load in the soil uphill proved too heavy.

He researched old records and pictures, which showed that, when built, many of the walls were actually fences (to keep the local kids out -- Lincoln School is nearby.) The yards behind some of the fences sloped up to the houses. It was only later that people decided that level -- or less sloped yards were the Thing to Do (and easier to mow.)

Of course, some of the walls front yards that are high -- because the site is higher than street level. These are likely to incorporate boulders which were already there.

But take a look for yourself. The variety is to great to include here.