This gorgeous goat may greet you at Triangle L Ranch

Take a trek less than 50 miles yet a world away to Triangle L Ranch in Oracle.

Oracle happens to resemble Tucumcari, N.M., so it’s something you definitely don’t want to miss.

I found a groovy write-up in our archives about the ranch and added a few notes of my own.

Mark your calendars for June 13 when the Carnivaleros will be in concert at the ranch with a CD release party. Cost is $10.

Other stuff is free.

Triangle L Ranch

Oracle’s Triangle L Ranch Bed and Breakfast, 2805 N. Triangle L Ranch Road, features art, goats and surprises.

With buildings dating from the 1880s, the 50-plus acre Triangle L is at an elevation of 4,500 feet in the high foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Besides being a bed and breakfast and a ranch, it hosts weddings, retreats, reunions and workshops.

William Ladd, a cattle and sheep rancher, homesteaded Triangle L Ranch in the 1890s and its Web site claims Wild West buffalo hunter and showman William “Buffalo Bill” Cody was a regular visitor. It also claims to be southern Arizona’s first guest ranch.

Artist and gallery owner Sharon Holnback has owned the ranch since 2001 and hopes to make the property a haven for artists.

Ryn note: The gift shop is already fully stocked with fine, kitschy and wacky art from regional artists.

Where to eat

Try Nonna Maria’s Pizza, 2161 N. Rockcliff Blvd. (520-896-3522, http://nonnamarias.com), owned by Frank and Angelina Palazzolo. He’s the chef and also an artist, going by the name Papuni.

The menu has strong influences from traditional Sicilian family recipes and includes vegetarian and vegan options. It does not have a formal kids’ menu but the staff will accommodate.

Kid-friendly?

Ryn note: Visiting the pygmy goats are a must for both children and adults.

Farmers market

Check out The Station, 1395 W. American Ave. (896-9005), a small market owned by Megan Hartman. Besides local produce it sells coffee and espresso beverages and, 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays hosts a farmers market. The store is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends.

The drive

Head north on Oracle Road, which turns into State Route 77. Past the turnoff for Oracle (between mile markers 100 and 101), take the next left onto Rockcliff Boulevard, then the first right onto Oracle Ranch Road. Continue down it about 1/4 mile and go left on Triangle L Ranch Road. Follow it to its end. The main house is on the left.

To learn more

623-6732, www.trianglelranch.com

Travelers wait to show passport proof in this 2008 photo in Cancun.

Long gone are the days of simply telling the guards at the borders you are a U.S. citizen while they merrily wave you through.

Now you’ll need proof.

Starting Monday, a passport will be required to get back into the U.S. if you’ve been traveling in foreign lands, according to a report at KOVA.com.

Passport soon required to re-enter US

New travel laws…require citizens to show a passport or passport card to get back into the US by land and sea from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

The rule change is part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

It’s a 2004 law that’s part of recommendations from the 9-11 commission.

The rules apply to everyone, including children. Read story: www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=10442531

The change may have taken five years, but it’s a positive change just the same.

Passports are wonderful pieces of documentation for several reasons:

• How else can you flit off to France at the drop of a hat?

• They are easier to keep track of than the tattered, dog-eared birth certificate

• They serve as a little scrapbook of all the exotic places you’ve been

• The photos always look better than those that end up on the driver’s license

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Do you care about this new travel requirement?

Do you and your children have passports?

If so, is your photo better than the one on your driver’s license?

If you start to get a lot of knocks on your door, just be aware a Jehovah’s Witnesses conference is in town.

Jehovah’s Witnesses hold conventions here, Arizona Daily Star

The first of seven weekend conferences for Jehovah’s Witnesses begins today (Friday) at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave.

About 45,000 people are expected to attend the three-day “Keep on the Watch” conferences, Tucson spokesman Robert Soler said.

The gatherings will be held at the Convention Center each weekend in June, with Spanish-only programs offered the weekends of June 12, June 19 and June 26. The final two weekend conferences are scheduled for the end of July.

Program sessions, which are free and open to the public, are the same each weekend. Sessions will begin at 9:20 a.m. each day. No collections will be taken. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/metro/294880

I’m all for freedom of religion. That’s kind of what this country was founded on, no?

Holding free conferences where people can learn more is a great idea.

Knocking on people’s doors, shoving pamphlets in people’s bags or telling folks they will rot in Satan’s clutch unless they follow your religion is not.

I’m not saying anyone from these conferences would do such things – they’ll probably be too busy with their sessions – but it has happened in the past.

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How do you react if someone tries to “convert” you to their religion?

We’ve already established being a Tucson cop can be tough.

But try being one in New York City.

One off-duty cop, who was chasing a guy he found trying to rob his car, was shot and killed by a fellow officer, according to The Associated Press.

Off-duty NYPD cop fatally shot by fellow officer, The Associated Press

NEW YORK — A plainclothes policeman who drew his gun while chasing someone he had found rummaging through his car was shot and killed by a fellow officer who was driving by and saw the pursuit, the police commissioner said.

Commissioner Raymond Kelly said 25-year-old Omar J. Edwards died after being shot late Thursday within blocks of the Harlem police station where he worked….

The shooter was white and Edwards was black, a fact that could raise questions about police use of deadly force in a minority community.

In the past three years in the New York City area, there have been two other cases of off-duty policemen being shot and killed by other officers. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294922.php

During my time in New York City, several very helpful Brooklyn police detectives came to my rescue when I was being stalked.

Yet I also had some less-than-stellar experience with New York City cops.

So did Abner Louima.

Anyone not familiar with the Louima case needs simply Google: plunger and NYPD.

Two black bears recently paid a visit to some Foothills backyards. While it was not reported whether or not the bears used any area pools, Arizona Game and Fish officials did say folks should take caution.

Wildlife officials ask those in north Tucson to be ‘Bear Aware,’ Arizona Game and Fish news release

Tucson Regional Supervisor Leonard Ordway said the north Tucson area adjacent to the foothills of the Catalina Mountains is not typically bear country, but is within a short distance away from more typical bear country in the Catalinas. Bears can cover vast distances in a short period of time.

Ordway explained that biologists recognize that it is not possible to simply capture and relocate an animal that presents a public safety threat, such as an adult male bear. “If it is a threat in Tucson, it will still be a threat wherever else we might place the animal. We just don’t have vast areas of black bear habitat devoid of humans or other bears – it simply doesn’t exist,” he said.

More info: www.gf.state.az.us/

DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING ARE FICTIONAL TIPS THAT MAY GET YOU KILLED.

Some quick tips will insure mauling, mutilation, future visits and possible death from the burly beasts:

• Leave your yard strewn with rotting garbage, open food containers and deer carcasses

• Walk alone, at night, and through areas where you know bears are sure to roam

• Feed them. Better yet, hand feed them bloody raw meat

• If confronted by a bear, scream like a wounded animal and start to run

• Position yourself between a female bear and her cubs

ANOTHER DISCLAIMER Seriously, please know the above tips are a joke. If you try them and get killed, we will not be held responsible.

The real tips appear below.

Wildlife safety tips

• Never intentionally feed wildlife. Even birds feeders can become attractants for larger unwanted animals if they are not handled properly to prevent spillage on the ground.

• Secure all garbage.

• Walk or jog in groups. Pay attention to your surroundings when hiking, jogging or bicycling.

• Supervise your children (especially toddlers) and keep them in sight at all times.

• Keep your pets on a leash – don’t allow them to be free roaming. Pets can easily get into conflicts with a wide range of wildlife from skunks to coyotes.

• Don’t leave pet food out where wild animals can get at it.

• If you have fruit or citrus trees, harvest ripened fruit and don’t let fruit collect on the ground.

• Trim the vegetation around your home to eliminate hiding cover for all wildlife.

What to do if you encounter a bear

• Don’t run. Running elicits what is called a predator-prey response – if you run, the animal might instinctively want to chase and catch you. Despite their imposing size, bears are quick and can reach speeds of 40 mph.

• Stay calm.

• Continue facing it, and slowly back away.

• Try making yourself look as big and imposing as possible; put young children on your shoulders.

• Speak loudly or yell and let it know you are human (don’t scream).

• Make loud noises by clanging pans, using air horns, or whatever is available.

• If attacked, fight back.

• Never get between a female bear and her cubs.

Sawyer has been to known to have his own fashion blunders.

Tucson is not a fashion capital of the world for good reason.

The often oppressive heat and laid-back attitude insure not many people care what others are wearing, at least to a degree. And that’s quite alright.

It’s awesome living in a place where pretty much anything goes.

But no matter how laid back the Old Pueblo may be, certain styles should still be kept in the closet.

Before I proceed, I must warn you are reading fashion tips from someone who owns leopard print shorts, a faux fur leopard hat trimmed with a feathered brim and patent leather leopard shoes.

I’ve also been accused of wearing pajamas to work.

Yet faux fur is a far cry from some other fashion faux pas.

Like wearing socks with sandals. Sandals are meant to keep your feet light and airy. Pulling on a pair of socks underneath defeats the purpose, kind of like wearing a sweater beneath a tank top.

Or wearing sandals all year long. One well-respected fashionista, who asked to remain anonymous lest she lose her job, said she can immediately tell when someone just moved to the desert.

“They’ll be wearing sandals, shorts or sunbathing when it’s February and 50 degrees,” she said. After all, they think, it’s Arizona. It’s supposed to be hot.

She also noted how newcomers have a penchant for buying cowboy hats, boots, bolo ties and other “authentic” finds from roadside markets.

“It would be great if they were buying legitimate Navajo jewelry,” she said. “But they’re buying junk. Turquoise that’s not really turquoise and coral that’s not really coral.”

Rather than a striking sterling silver bolo, they end up with some chintzy plastic thing. She’s seen couples fresh from the Midwest sporting giant rodeo belt buckles, bizarre cowboy boots and even chaps.

“Gee, did you just move here?” she asks them.

She also has an issue with certain sundresses.

“Sundresses that the women should have stopped wearing 70 pounds ago,” she said. “Or older women who wear those sandals with little flowers.”

Another sundress faux pas is when the bra straps stick out. Some of the slinkier summery styles scream for equally slinky underwear. Yet we’ll still see the strap or full outline of the bra beneath the sheer, light fabrics. Even sweaters look better beneath a tank top than a chunky, obvious bra.

At least the butt crack fad passed. Low-rise jeans coupled with a peek-a-boo thong was a trend for far too long. It was as if some chicks were taking fashion cues from repairmen or plumbers.

Guys had a version of the butt crack fashion, too, with the prison-inspired baggy jeans with the waist that hung near their knees. That, too, has petered out in many circles.

But another trend won’t go away.

We still have the mullet. This hairstyle, which features a cropped top and sides coupled with long tresses in the back, was the rage in the 1980s. It continues to haunt us, in Tucson and beyond. As proudly proclaimed in the introduction to the site mulletjunky.com: “To a true mullet connoisseur, the mullet is not viewed as just a haircut. It’s a phenomenon…a culture…a rare breed that can transform interest and curiosity into an obsession.”

It’s also something I lost count of when I tried to tally the number of mullets I saw at the Pima County Fair. To be fair, at least most folks had their bra straps tucked in, their sandals sans socks and their pants pulled up and fastened at the waist.

Ryn Gargulinski is a poet, artist and performer who would wear pajamas everywhere if she could. Listen to a preview of her column at 8:10 a.m. Thursdays on KLPX 96.1 FM. Listen to her webcast at 4 p.m. Fridays at www.party934.com. E-mail rynski@tucsoncitrizen.com

Tucson police dog Sam is shown with Officer Quinton Gleason in this 2006 photo.

Tucson cops go through a lot. They get yelled at, fled from and shot at.

They find dead bodies under overpasses.

Don’t forget they are also stuck wearing stifling uniforms in the searing Tucson heat.

Next Tuesday provides a chance to say thank you.

Tucson Police Foundation and M&I Bank invite community to honor officers on “Thank a Cop Day” June 2

Bring a thank you card to participating bank branches, sign an oversized card set up at the branch or have kids color special cards for the officers.

More info and locations: www.tucsonpolicefoundation.org/thankacopday.htm

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Have you had a particularly helpful or horrible experience with a Tucson police officer?

Are there any officers in particular you think need special thanks?

Yes, this is a baseball, not a softball, but you get the point.

Anyone wanting to help a kid while they take in a ballgame can do so Saturday.

The second annual KLPX Us n Them Softball Tournament to Benefit La Paloma Kids hits Hi Corbett Field, 3400 E. Camino Campestre, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each of the four tournament teams consists of one KLPX radio station DJ backed by listeners chosen over the last few weeks.

There’s no admittance fee, but folks are asked to come armed with new or slightly used sporting goods that will be donated to La Paloma.

The event also offers live music from Tucson band Crosscut Saw, food, drinks, game booths and most likely some hilarious antics on the field.

More info: www.klpx.com/events.php

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Do you know of other charity events to benefit non-profit Tucson organizations?

Post them below or e-mail rynski@tucsoncitizen.com (rynski@tucsoncitizen.com)

Sherrif’s deputies made an arrest in the shooting that left Francisco Antonio Calvillo dead and another man wounded at a South Side car wash last month.

Arturo Martin Flores, 21, is being charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder and aggravated assault, according to a report in the Arizona Daily Star.

See original story and video released by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department: www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/114960.php

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Read post at Day of the Dead: www.tucsoncitizen.com/blog/view/1467

A Thursday morning e-mail from Lila Sorensen said shooting victim Francisco Calvillo and his brother were friends with her daughter.

“I used to pick them up and take them to my house to swim,” she wrote. “He and Adrian were nice boys. I never knew of anything bad that they did.”

Sorensen added that her daughter is devastated.

“This is the third young man she has been friends with whom have lost their lives to guns,” she said.

She said the first was Alfred Valenzuela Jr., who was accidentally shot at Lincoln Park in December 2006.

She did not mention the second death.

More than pork fried rice was on the menu at one Chinese restaurant when one worker attacked another with a cleaver, according to the Associated Press.

Restaurant worker hospitalized after kitchen fight, The Associated Press

PALO ALTO, Calif. — An employee of a Palo Alto Chinese restaurant is hospitalized and a second employee on the run from the police after a kitchen scuffle turned violent.

Palo Alto police say during the scuffle Wednesday evening one man suffered wounds to the face and torso after being attacked by a second man with a cleaver in the kitchen of the Jade Palace restaurant. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294775.php

Like in the story about the 2-year-old shooting and killing her 3-year-old brother, a rule or two of common sense may have avoided this incident altogether:

1. Don’t get in a fight with anyone who is wielding a cleaver.

2. Don’t get in a fight with anyone in a kitchen. From the blender to the shish kabob skewer, there are way too many weapons in there.

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What was the worst fight you had with a coworker?

Did either of you end up in the hospital?

A 3-year-old girl shot and killed her 2-year-old brother with a gun she found beneath their parents’ bed, according to The Associated Press.

3-year-old kills brother in accidental shooting, The Associated Press

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Police in central California say a 2-year-old boy has died after being accidentally shot by his 3-year-old sister.

Bakersfield police Sgt. Greg Terry says the girl apparently found a .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun under her parents’ bed….

Police say the children’s mother was in another area of the apartment at the time of the shooting. Their father was at work. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294774.php

Sad. Very sad. One has to wonder how many more stories like these we need before people take even the simplest precautions.

I’m no gun expert, but I would think certain rules, or at least one, would be common sense:

1. Don’t leave a loaded gun lying around in a place where kids can find it and accidentally kill each other.

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How do you safeguard your gun against children?

How do you safeguard your children against guns?

Time for another checkpoint alert, with the purpose of deterring folks from driving under the influence.

Next one up is on Saturday.

If you happen to drive through one, you also get a snazzy little informational pamphlet that outlines the dangers of driving while drunk or hopped up on drugs.

What: Sobriety checkpoint

Who: Tucson Police Department

When: Saturday evening

Where: “Within the city limits”

Why: “Our goal is to reduce the number of collisions that involve impaired drivers and lower the injuries and deaths associated with these types of collisions.

“By conducting the checkpoint, we will be able to increase the awareness of motorists about the dangers of impaired driving, deter those who may be impaired from driving, and detect and investigate DUI offenses at the checkpoint.”

All quoted info herein from a Tucson Police Department news release.

I happen to be a fan of sobriety checkpoints. It aims to nip the problem in the bud by hopefully deterring impaired driving in the first place.

Before anyone cries about tax-payer money being wasted, it must be noted that checkpoints are paid for by grants awarded specifically for that purpose.

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What do you think?

Do folks hate checkpoints as much as some hate photo enforcement cameras?

Get out your wallets, for the tax man cometh.

With a healthy hike in taxes, the city is planning to increase the cost of utilities, phones, gym memberships and even using a tanning salon.

Why we have tanning salons in a place where it rarely rains is another issue altogether.

Get ready to pay more in city taxes, Arizona Daily Star

Tucsonans can look forward to a jolt from pretty much all their monthly utility bills after the City Council informally gave the go-ahead to a wide array of tax increases on Wednesday aimed at balancing a proposed $1.3 billion budget for next year.

The list includes 2 percent more on home and cell-phone bills and electric and gas bills. Water bills will go up 10 percent, garbage pickup fees 3.5 percent, and bus fares will be hiked as well.

Other new taxes include a new levy on gym memberships and tanning salons, and visitors will pay an extra $1 a night to stay in city hotels and motels. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/metro/294724

Some of these hikes – like a 10 percent increase on the water bill – are fairly steep.

This is also painful at a time when money is tight for pretty much everyone.

It’s always frustrating when we are forced to pay more for services that have not been improved or otherwise merit a higher cost.

The Beatles, Taxman:

If you drive a car,

I’ll tax the street.

If you drive to city,

I’ll tax your seat.

If you get too cold,

I’ll tax the heat.

If you take a walk,

I’ll tax your feet.

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Is raising taxes across the board an ideal way to deal with the city budget crunch?

What are other ways the city could instead generate money?

Using a tie-out for a dog is illegal in Pima County. But apparently some school employees thought it was OK to use the same concept on a special-needs student.

Student routinely restrained to fence

Five Tucson Unified School District employees were put on notice after an investigation revealed that a special-needs student at Sabino High School routinely was left restrained to a fence by his backpack from when the bus dropped him off for school to when teachers came to take him to class.

The bus monitor involved said the exceptional-education student, whose feet remained on the ground, was attached to the spoke of the fence so he wouldn’t fall over or wander away while he waited for his escort…..

In a written explanation in the district’s investigative file, monitor Thomas Giacoma noted that for most of the school year he had used the fence and nobody voiced disapproval, adding it was done in full sight of everyone at the bus bay, from teachers to bus drivers, supervisors and students. Read story: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/294757

Using the monitor’s logic, anything we do, no matter how atrocious, is OK if it’s in “full sight” of others.

Don’t forget Kitty Genovese was reported as murdered in “full sight” of New Yorkers peeking out their windows when they heard her blood-curling screams for help

Nobody did a thing to help.

Skeleton crew

Here at TucsonCitizen.com we try to honor reader requests – as long as the requests don’t involve sticking sharp objects in our eyes or playing in traffic.

The term “skeleton crew” has been kicking around for some reason, with several folks pointing out such a concept was right up my alley.

Then this request popped up:

“Time for some artwork of the skeleton crew, Ryn Gargulinski?”

I couldn’t resist.

The use of the word “skeleton” to mean “bare outline” was first recorded in 1607, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.

Terms using this meaning popped up soon after, such as skeleton key and skeleton crew.

I’d hate to meet someone with a skeleton brain.

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Have you ever worked on a skeleton crew? Did you enjoy it? Did it creep you out?

What are the benefits and drawbacks?