Turquoise doors and pink walls in old Tucson

OMG, I was in color heaven yesterday on a walk through some 19th century neighborhoods of adobe homes on the outskirts of downtown Tucson! Pink, turquoise, lime, lavender, cobalt, coral!!! I only wish I could paint my house like that, but my HOA only allows a pathetic palette of boring beiges.

I went with Joyce, my Feet & Forks friend who was visiting from Gig Harbor. It was her last day and it was her idea to visit the barrios, for which I am extremely grateful. The color combinations are so happy!

Turquoise window and door frames are believed in some cultures to keep away evil. I'd LOVE to put turquoise around my windows.

 

The sign on this door in Barrio Viejo 

is for the Adobe Whisperer.

 

Some of these homes are in Barrio Viejo, which is Spanish for Old Neighborhood. Here's a mural from the neighborhood. Others are in another area of downtown, but I don't know its name.

The adobe buildings come right up to the sidewalk. They probably have colorful, lush courtyards in back, but we couldn't see them.

We did see this open air room in the front of one home. Wonderful! In another home, we could see a screaming lime green hallway. 

I love this coral wall lined with desert plants.

We took a break for some iced tea and a matcha cookie in a little place called Exo. We sat outside in a sunny courtyard and then explored an inside room filled with old typewriters for sale and other paraphernalia. I'm a lover of typewriters because of my journalism background. I still have the one my parents gave me for high school graduation in 1973.

Later, we had lunch at El Charro, sitting right under this mural of the restaurant. El Charro has been under continuous family operation for 100 years, and they definitely have perfected their dishes in that time! I had delicious enchiladas with green and red sauce. For dessert we split a to-die-for flan, which is a creamy Mexican caramel custard. El Charro has been on some of the cooking shows.

And now it's back to catching up after almost two weeks of company. (More on our explorations in future posts.)

Have a colorful day