Robert Thoresen
After four years the PCQC made a return trip to the Barrio Viejo for a doors and window photo shoot on January 7. The Barrio is the third oldest barrio in the city dating back to the 1800s. In reality it comprises three smaller barrios, El Libra, El Hoya and El Merribrillo, and extends south of Cushing Street to 18th Avenue with South Stone Avenue to the east and I-10 to the west. The northern part of the barrio was demolished during Urban Renewal and construction of the Tucson Convention Center in the 1960s.
The bright colored Sonoran style adobe row houses and multicolored doors are the barrio’s most distinguishable traits. It is one of the largest concentrations of adobe buildings in the United States. Part of the neighborhood is going through gentrification with numerous newly remodeled homes and businesses, most commonly law offices. A lot of the owners do show their sense of color and humor more than any other Tucson barrio.
The club members do respond to a positive photo shoot experience with a follow up group lunch. The top eatery in the barrio is El Minuto Café which has been family run since 1939. According to Ruth T. from San Jose, California, “The chili rellento is hands down the best of its kind I have every tasted, anywhere.” PCQC members heartily agree!
PCQC’s next photo shoot will be a return walking shoot of the El Presidio Barrio on February 7. The area is the site of Tucson’s original Spanish presidio and is considered the historical origin of Tucson. On February 24 club members will be traveling to Phoenix to do a photo shoot of Chihuly in the Garden at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.
The Photography Club of Quail Creek schedules periodic field trips and monthly photo contests for its members. Monthly meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at the Madera Clubhouse at 6:30 p.m., usually in the Gold Room. There are no meetings in June and July. Guests and those interested in becoming members are always welcomed to the meetings.