Tucson, Arizona - November 3 - 8, 2016 - All Souls Procession Weekend

I recently misplaced my journal and lost some of these details before making time to share my journey. I traveled independently to meet up with my friends in Tucson, Arizona. My old coworker moved back home a few years ago and I always wished to see her and spend some time together again being silly and passionate about art.

This year's election coincided with the All Souls Procession celebration in Tucson, Arizona.

We made it happen! I set the dates and booked my flights. Arrive Thursday night 11/3 to relax and sleep after several hours of travel. I flew IAD - LAX - TUS. Friday morning we woke up to get the most amazing brunch ever! We went to Baja Cafe and the craziest stack of Apple Pie Pancakes. I ordered a Construction Burro with everything in it and an additional daily special.
Here is the link to their menu - everything looks good! Baja Cafe Menu.

I really enjoyed spending time with good friends. Between our adventures, we would stop to check in with the puppy. I enjoyed spending time in the dog park in the back yard with Sonora. It was fun to run up and down the street with her trying to wear her out.

After a visit to the dog parks, we went to visit Ted DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun  and spent some time in the chapel. Late after, we decided to visit the Frida Khalo: Art, Garden, Life Exhibit in the Tucson Botanical Gardens. We arrived at sunset and freaked out when we first saw Frida's art supplies. This exhibit was different from the original New York show. I was looking for her paintings. We saw the installation and experienced the pyramid but It was dark and I did not know where the gallery space would be. We wandered along the safety of the dark paths knowing we were on a secured property. I would not have wandered in the dark in the wild. We eventually came across a collection of intimate portraits of Frida taken by Nickolas Muray!

We ended our night at Boca Tacos & Tequila. Their sauces were hot! So good and delicious!

On Saturday, we decided to go visit Mission San Xavier del Bac. We started our morning with frybread! We had frybread with honey and powdered sugar and frybread with red chili. We explored the mission. I decide to climb the small hill next to the mission afterwards.

We rewarded ourselves with lunch at Ermanos Bar. The Grilled Cheese was super yummy. I tried avocado fries for the very first time! We wandered down 4th Avenue to check out their weird shops. A lot of really great costumes were for sale in the thrift store. I picked up a few things at Antigone book store and picked up artifacts from Olytata Art & Gift mexican store.

We rested before we went out to the Night of the Living Fest to see King Khan & BBQ Show and Big Freedia perform. For dinner that night, I tried a Sonoran Dog from a really great taco bar.

Sunday was the day of the procession. We would need energy. We had brunch with mama and completed a small mural walk near the Mercado San Agustin. We were in search of the new Frida  & Diego Day of the Dead Mural that Rock had just painted. The site was getting prepared for the All Souls Procession. We asked a photographer who did not know but advised that we ask the artist who had just past by us in that moment. We had a small exchange, my friend offered her services towards helping with future murals in their community. It was very exciting, happy moment.

After playing with my hoop and jumping in air a few times, we returned to the house to get ready for the procession. I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I over packed and brought a lot of fun things to share. Most importantly was my led hula hoop to use as a totem in the dark and in the crowds. The experience was amazing. Many people had their faces painted. I am afraid of masks so it was a bit of a welcome relief to see painted faces instead. Some people were dressed up. Some people made totems and altars to carry through the processions. There were musicians and artists and mostly people in remembrance. We walked from one side of the city through to the performance space by the Mercado San Agustin. It took a long time. We were in the midst of the procession. I carried my hoop up above as a marker to keep our group together if we got separated for what ever reason.

Eventually we arrived at the performance space. It felt very much like a festival. There were food trucks around and interactive installations of art. A large stage was in the corner of a fields. There were a few temples constructed around. Once the sun set, the stage came alive with performers dressed as wild animals. This year's theme was hunter and hunted. SORNE performed on stage and blew our minds. It was spectacular. Flam Chen acrobats were hanging up above the stage.

We stood through the entire event. They burned the urn filled with prayers and wishes. It was special. It was amazing. After the performance was over we made our way to Welcome Diner. I had a really delicious Big Jim Biscuit sandwich with Fried Chicken, country gravy, cheddar and bacon. I saved part of it for breakfast the next day. We got back home pretty late.

We were exhausted the next day. We had a late lazy day. We met at Pionic Pizza for lunch with mama. You choose your toppings and they put in the oven for you. I was able to get half hawaiian - half veggie supreme! It was the best of both worlds. I love it! Oh! and they give out free temporary tattoos! After lunch we settled to rest and relax before attempting to watch the sunset on A Mountain. We arrived when the sky was getting dark. There is something magical about the quality off light as it hits the mountains late in the day with its warm tones. The desert is beautiful! I actually became homesick for the Andes in Chile after spending a few days in the valley basin that Tucson is in. we ended our night at La Botana Mexican Grill & Bar .  They were sweet. I tried their Tortilla Soup.

I left early in the morning for a trip TUS - IAH - DCA. It was a really great trip.