Thursday, March 09, 2017

Steampunk and Arboretum

I had a special time at the the 6th Wild West Con Steampunk Festival in Tucson that ran from March 3-5. It took place at Old Tucson which is a famous movie studio built in 1939.   I only went one day but will definitely go for the entire time next year.  I have never understood why it is called anything to do with Punk.  Per Wikipedia, Steampunk is a sub genre of science fiction or fantasy that incorporates technology inspired by 19th century industrial steam powered machinery.  It is set in an alternative 19th century British Victorian Era or American Wild West in a post apocalyptic future during which steam power has maintained mainstream usage in a fantasy world that employs steam power.  Therefore Steampunk may be described as new-Victorian.  So if you saw Wild Wild West with Will Smith, you saw Steampunk. Let me show you some fashion that I saw.
     
     
     
This lady told me she was a steam engine mechanic.  That she was so small she could get in places the men could not.
I also went to a paint a parasol workshop      
They also had Steampunk belly dancers      
Since this took place I. old Tucson, there was a gunfight      
My favorite event was the teacup duel
Let me explain
Tea Duelling is an elegant sport for a more civilized. Instead of hacking away at each other with long, sharp wedges of metal or heaven forbid, shooting guns at one another, Major Thades Tinker and Dr. Geof Fetishman devised a way to test the mettle of an opponent through the use of a simple cup of tea and a biscuit.  
 
In tea duel like no, two duellists sit across from each other at a small table, each with a cup of tea at as near to 150 degrees as possible.  Each duelist also has a biscuit.  Both duellist dunk their biscuit into their tea.  The biscuit are to be held submerged in tea for a count of five seconds, and then they are removed.   
 
The goal of a tea duel is to put the biscuit in your mouth and bite it without having lost any pieces. This sounds easy, but the first person that has to eat their cookie before losing it loses the match.  The one who waited the long before eating their biscuit is declared the winner.      
Quite fun.
 
My friend Melanie invited me to meet her at Boyce Thompson Arboretum on Highway 60 in Superior. What a marvelous place.  I could have spent the day.  I was shocked at the wide variety of plants and trees.  There are short hiking trails.  The main trail is 1.5 miles. There is a high trail which is more rugged and takes you to the Upper Arboretum area.  The Sonoran Desert trail will take you along  a trail where you will see medicinal and edible plants.  The Chihuahuan Desert trail exhibits plants from the Chihuahuan Desert of North America in Mexico, Texas and southern New Mexico. The South American Desert trail showcases plants from Cuyo, Monte and Chaco regions of Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia.  
 
Some of the terrain is uneven so you may want to take a hiking stick.      
     
     
Octopus Aloe
 
I will be go back again
I just finished another Navajo inspired woven piece and turned it into an IPad case
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