Even in Kyoto

Yesterday we wound up driving over to Patagonia, AZ, for some low-key Fourth of July festivities, the best kind of festivities. I was in the backseat so I can't show you any photos of the scenic back route we took to get there and you'll just have to believe me.

Before we left, I baked and assembled a Fourth of July Cake. This is in honor of all the years our family went to Ennis, MT for the Fourth of July. Also simply because Fourth of July Cake is delicious. It is a basic 4-egg yellow cake out of the newer Joy of Cooking, topped with whipped cream and the berries seen here.



We went to a place called the Patagonia Lumber Company for beer, local live cover music (The Porch Rockers), and a community benefit barbecue.

These ladies were barbecue champs. It was generally hot out and even hotter behind the grills. I would have wilted after about 5 minutes back there. Proceeds from the barbecue all went towards next year's fireworks, which is also a fantastic system:


The scene:


The beer and food:


Behind the mesquite tree and pomegranate bush, the live music:


We wound up sitting next to random strangers who were perfectly happy to converse about art and photography and dogs and fascinating insects. The people who are attracted to live in Patagonia tend to be into exactly these kinds of things, art and natural history. That said, the town is currently experiencing major changes because of efforts to scale up a nearby zinc mine, which will be used to produce zinc for things like electric vehicles. We learned that the incoming mine has already negatively affected tourism to the town. It will undoubtedly have substantial environmental impacts as well, most especially on local water.

This is a good small-scale example of the duality of what it's like to live in Arizona. It is a state with a mining legacy, while also being a place with incredible biodiversity and wonderful arts culture.

After all these years, there's still a lot to love.

We also watched most of the local fireworks show, where I had a chance to compare Panasonic versus iPhone strategies for fireworks photography.

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