Wednesday March 5

Rode down to the Colorado Rockies spring training camp
and watched the morning workouts. The major leaguers
had a game so they took batting practice in the
stadium. I was watching the hopefuls. And they
looked so young. It was fun seeing what goes on after
hearing about all these years. Watching batting
practice with the big team before the game was a
revelation after seeing the wannabees. The hitting
power was amazing and the throwing accuracy was
unerring.

The Rockies' spring training stadium is the oldest in
the leagues. They are threatening to move to Phoenix
if Tucson doesn't build them a new palace. If the
Rockies leave, then the White Sox and Diamondbacks can
opt out of their contract in the new stadium built for
them 2 years ago because there won't be 3 teams in the
area. The major leaguers, apparently, hate being in
Tucson because there's no night life and the golf
courses are better in Phoenix. The Tucson city
council is debating whether to create a special taxing
district to pay for a new stadium.

I didn't stay for the game, climbed on the bike and
rode to S. Tucson to visit the Tucson Rodeo Parade
Museum. Frank Mazza wrote me that he and Deb saw the
parade a few years ago and there are no motorized
floats or vehicles. The museum has hundreds of old
horse drawn wagons, stage coaches, surreys with and
without fringe on top that are in the parade every
year. The parade is financed partially by the fees
companies pay to hang their shingles on the museums
wagons. There are ore wagons, hearses, milk carts,
calliopes and the winning wagon from this year, a
prairie schooner decorated to look like a Rose Bowl
float. The parade's been going on for 80 years or so
but the pictures of the recent ones look so much like
ones from the 50's.

Had dinner at the Taqueria Pico de Gallo. Dan, the
trailer park owner, said it was his favorite place.
There's a small walk-up counter to order from and a
series of 5 or six little dining rooms. Dan said the
restaurant was originally a wagon but it has done so
well over the years they've added on a new eating area
every so often. I had chicken tacos to die for.
Stopped at the tortilla factory next door and bought
flour tortillas that were still warm to bring back
for breakfasts.

This evening I drove into downtown to hear an author,
Amy Irvine, talk about her new book which is about her
Mormon upbringing, militant enviromentalism in the
southwest, a father who committed suicide and a
questionable love affair. Sounds a bit weird but I
liked the excerpts she read.

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