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Loving - The Movie. A beautiful portrayal of a forgotten civil rights story

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Ruth Negga (2 nd from right) stars as Mildred and Joel Edgerton (right) stars as Richard in Jeff Nichols LOVING, a Focus Features release. Credit : Ben Rothstein / Focus Features   Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up in the rural unincorporated town of Central Point, Virginia. They met in high school, spent time together, and eventually, when Mildred became pregnant, decided to marry. But this was the 1950’s and Mildred was African American and Richard was white. Virginia had anti-miscegenation laws which made their marriage illegal. How did these two young people get beyond Jim Crow and fall in love? Well that had a lot to with Central Point VA. Central Point was and is still a very rural area. At a distance of about 90 miles south east from Washington DC it was community with a history of poor farmers, black and white, ignoring the rules of segregation, living together. According to a 2012 article in the Washington Post , Central Point and Caroline Count...

Saguaro National Park. Tucson, Arizona

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  Tucson, Arizona, sits right in the middle of the United States range of one of our most iconic plants - the saguaro cactus. It is also where you will find one of four national parks that is dedicated to a plant. On the road to Saguaro NP, you can buy dried pappers The saguaro cactus is probably what you picture in you mind when you think of a cactus. It is tall, straight and often has “arms” that branch out from its sides. Saguaro can grow up to 40 feet (12m) tall, and can live up to 150 years. If they grow branches, those usually appear when the plant is between 75 and 100 years old. Saguaro cacti are “keystone” plants. They provide food, homes and other important resources to their biological communities. The view in Gates Pass Saguaro National Park is has two sections, Rincon Mountain is on the eastern side of Tucson , and Red Hills is about 10 miles west of the city. I decided to head to the Red Hills district of the park, which has a higher concentration of cacti. As I have ...

Explore Tucson Arizona walking its Turquoise Trail

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  I have always enjoy walking through cities, exploring their history and enjoying the way they are today. In Tucson, Arizona, the Presidio Museum and Visit Tucson have put together an excellent self-guided walking tour of the city’s historic downtown area. The Turquoise Trail is a 2.5 mile loop through several neighborhood’s in the center of Tucson. The guide map for the tour is available for $2 at several locations in the area. The route is mostly flat and fully wheelchair/ADA accessible.  The first stop on the tour is the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum. In 1775, the Spanish Army founded a fort (presidio) near the Santa Cruz River. When construction was finished the fort covered about 450,00 Sq Ft (40,000 m2) with adobe walls that were 10 feet high. The Presidio San Agustín marked the western edge of Spain’s control in Arizona, and it played an active role until the U.S. took control of the area in 1856, when it was torn down. Seguaro Cacti innards line the ceiling ...