Santa Landing
Pima Air & Space Museum
6000 E. Valencia Rd.
Tucson, Arizona 85756

Lat. 32.141441, Long. -110.864386 (in case you’re flying in as well)

520-574-0462
520-574-9238

December 1
9AM – 12AM

The Pima Air & Space Museum is proud to have Santa visit the museum again this year on Saturday, December 1. The museum opens at 9:00 AM and Santa is expected to land by helicopter at 10:30 AM. Flight Grill will be offering breakfast specials and there will be Holiday art and crafts for the kids. Make sure to bring your camera to capture the special visit with Santa!

Regular daily admission to this event applies. Children 6 and under are FREE.

Adults $15.50
Pima Co. Residents $12.75
Seniors & Military $12.75
Children (7-12) $ 9.00
Children 6 & under  Free

Email: info@pimaair.org
More info: http://www.pimaair.org/index.php

While at Tucson Meet Yourself back in October I met the daughter of Chef Natasha who is opening a new Russian restaurant in Tucson, named Kalina, “a taste of Russian luxuries”.

She has named the restaurant after her father, who just passed away on November 18. The Grand Opening was originally planned for November but is now set for December 5.

In Chef Natasha’s own words:

“Kalina” is my family last name from Ukraine. It is a beautiful tree with red berries that are very healthy and can be eaten by people. Berries stay on the tree over the winter to help birds through cold time with food. I make homemade tasting Russian and European food. Many recipes are my grandmothers and my family.

They are located at 8969 E. Tanque Verde Road #209, website: www.kalinarestaurant.com. Open for regular hours 9:30am – 9:30pm on Dec. 5 with “free samplings and offerings and discounts”. Please call 520-360-4040 to make a reservation due to the small but cozy dinning room. Lunch/dinner menu below.

OPEN HOURS:
Tuesday through Saturday 9:30am – 9:30 pm
Lunch
High Tea all day
Dinner
Closed Sunday and Monday
Will have Sunday brunch very soon with omelet and blintzes bar.

Lunch/Dinner

Siberian Pelmeni
meat dumplings served with creme fraiche
small 7 large 9

Poltava’s Vareniki
mashed potato dumplings served with mushroom consomme
small 6 large 8

Stuffed Bell Pepper
rice, carrots and onions stuffed bell pepper with tomato sauce
meat 9 vegetarian 7

St. Petersburg Beef Stroganoff
thin slices of top sirloin, challots, cremini mushrooms and sour cream
served over homemade egg noodles
10

Chicken Kiev
served with roasted potatoes and mushrooms
10

NY Steak
served with root vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes
12

Borscht (Soup)
Ukrainian beet Borscht and fried cabbage Piroshki
6

Olivier (Salad)
kielbasa, potato, peas, carrots, pickles, saffron mayo,eggs
served with black bread
8

Venigret (Salad)
red beets, potato, red onions, cornichons,sour cabbage, shredded carrots
served with black bread

I know people in the Russian & Slavic Studies Dept. at the U of A who will be very happy to hear this news. Enjoy these Russian delicacies.

University Distinguished Professor Albrecht Classen, photo taken by Carolyn Classen

I honestly don’t like to brag which is why I didn’t inform our readers that my husband, University of Arizona Distinguished Professor Albrecht Classen was named Arizona Professor of the Year by the national Carnegie Foundation on November 15. But then after 3 articles in other news sources, I figured I better post it as well:

Arizona Daily Wildcat, 11/14/12: http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2012/11/classen-awards-teacher-arizona-111412

UA News, 11/21/12: http://uanews.org/story/uas-albrecht-classen-named-arizona-professor-year

Arizona Daily Star, 11/26/12: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/education/college/ua-s-classen-named-state-s-top-prof-awarded-carnegie/article_90515173-0bfc-5d8b-8b40-43ed42769e2a.html

There were 30 state winners of this 2012 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching honor, plus in the District of Columbia: http://www.usprofessorsoftheyear.org/Documents/POY/2012/POY12_StateWinners_PG8.pdf

All I can add to these articles is that my husband is an international scholar in medieval studies, and that he does have a profound passion for teaching college students. He spends a LOT of time planning his teaching, advising undergraduate students in the German Studies Dept., and he has even led summer study abroad medieval tours to Europe since 2004.

More here at his website: http://aclassen.faculty.arizona.edu/. He was even mentioned twice on the popular nationwide Jeopardy TV show this year (the answer is below, the clue to the question is on his website).

He will be interviewed on the Buckmaster Show on Wednesday December 5, so listen to KVOI 1030 AM on the radio then, starting at 12:30 p.m.

One of the nicest things he received due to this award (which touched his heart) was a personalized cake from the honor students at the Yuma residence hall last week, where he serves as Faculty Fellow (adviser/mentor). Photo above courtesy of Resident Assistant Bradley Shane.

P.S. We’ve been married 28 years so I do completely understand his passion for teaching, as we met while he was a struggling grad student at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. He got his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia (Cavaliers) and then we moved here to the University of Arizona.