Tucson Comic-Con and other things

We made it back to Tucson at the end of last summer in time for Comic-Con.  It's a small-scale version of the San Diego conference and a nice way to experience the geekiness without quite as much craziness.  There were plenty of costumes and booths and a few famous people.

And a captain's chair, along with its science officer Spock Bear:

We got to see Doug Jones give a talk!  He's always great for telling stories, answering fan questions, and making us laugh.  I apologize, Doug, for not getting a better photo:

Someone we had not seen in person before - John Ratzenberger!  He has voiced many characters in animated movies, and of course it was great to meet someone from the cast of Cheers:

A view down onto the convention floor - lots going on!

Mario characters on the Star Wars set:

Spiderman and (... ?) up on the balcony:

A new version of a game I've played in person and online many times over the years:

Hey, it's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow!

Who you gonna call?

It was John's turn to command the ship:

An assortment of superheroes (Deadpool was particularly "in character"):

If you ignore the rope sitting on the floor, the rest of this photo is believable:

Hi BB8!  It even moved authentically, quite impressive:

Well that was fun!  Also a good indoor activity, as it was early September and still plenty warm in southern Arizona.

But we did get outside several times.  Here's a roadrunner welcoming me back to town:

John and I did a fun hike to both of the Twin Peaks (Safford and Panther) one morning:

Saguaros also welcoming us back:

On top of the world!  Or... Safford Peak:

The view to the other Twin:

This is back when the ocotillos had green leaves but no red flowers:

Hello from the top of Panther Peak!

Vibrant flowers on the barrel cactus:

John could use new shoes, but I don't think this one fits:

Thank you John Muir, always good for an excellent nature quote:

A very careful flower inspection:

I believe this Rivian meeting happened up in the Catalina Mountains when we were there for an orienteering event (escaping the heat for a few hours):

Don't touch these teddy bears, no matter how soft and cuddly they might appear!

Another thing in the "don't touch" category, and it's a good thing I don't see tarantulas very often:

I'd been wanting to attempt to climb Cat Mountain (not far from our home) and John was game for helping me up the one challenging section.  Thank you for the belay, very handy.  I like the view from the top and didn't know that there's a radio repeater (shaped like a rock) up there:

Tucson Mountain Park hills, with the city and then the Catalinas in the background:

One last indoor activity, a visit to the DeGrazia Gallery.  It's a neat and rather quirky little place, highly recommend.  

Lots of stone and well-insulated walls:

My favorite piece on display at the time:

Driving up I-10 on our way to Phoenix to fly to our next destination... and they fixed the Buc-ees sign!  It originally pointed ahead toward a non-existent Buc-ees location in California.  I love the correction:

Up next, the last part of our 2024 summer vacation.