Achievement 16: Final Image Unlocked!

You did it! The comments you and other SummerQuest heroes wrote have unlocked the complete image created for this year's Summer Reading program from Pima County Public Library!

The last two pieces of the image are from northern Arizona, with a united concept of being about trees.

The lower blue picture shows a bank of pines standing in snow near Flagstaff. People who have never been to Arizona find it hard to imagine we have wide tracts of pine forests, much less that we have whole regions of the state that get snow every year.

The upper red picture shows a scene from the Petrified Forest National Park. You are looking at segments of gigantic redwoods that died over three millenia ago, then slowly petrified by the same mechanism that creates the many fossils being uncovered and studied by researchers at the park. Paleontologists and geologists come to the park, adding to the scientific knowledge to be gleaned from this globally-important site.

To learn more about Flagstaff -- its history and prehistory, geology, as well as opportunities for biking and birding (or just to find a fun hike in the north country), have a look at the selection of books and information we can offer: http://bit.ly/about-Flagstaff

For more about the Petrified Forest, see what interests you here: http://bit.ly/Petrified-Forest

The image of the pines outside Flagstaff was made available courtesy of photographer Patrick Nouhailler through a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrick_nouhailler/5716904358/

 

Achievement 15: Image Unlocked!

 

Two more images linked by the concepts behind them: mining!

The town of Jerome began as an old mining town that truly epitomized "the wild and wooly west" in its heyday. Then the price of metals being taken from the mines fell, and even the new technology of extraction could not keep the town alive after World War II ended. Nearly a ghost town in the middle of the last century, Jerome has been reborn as a thiving destination for tourism and art lovers of all kinds.

The cookstove is a relic from a gold mining camp that did not fare as well. The Kentucky Camp in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson became a ghost town after being abandoned in 1912. Today it is slowly being restored by the National Park Service that aquired the property in 1989.

Arizona's ghost towns have a lot of myth and story told about them, and often the truth is stranger than the fiction. Check out these possibilities:  http://bit.ly/ghost-towns

The image of the post office sign in Jerome was made available courtesy of photographer Mediafury through a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mediafury/4181380155/

The campstove picture is courtesy of Lisa Waite Bunker.

(Just one more piece of the image to unlock when you comment on the final quest of SummerQuest!)

SummerQuest 16 Hint

The hint is to understand more about what people have learned in their lives by reading a biography or looking at our Biography Databases.

Achievement 14: Image Unlocked!

Two more pieces unlocked together!

In the upper right you see Dan Akee, a veteran of WWII and one of the celebrated Navajo code talkers. This photo was taken when he was appearing at the Grand Canyon National Park celebration of Native American Heritage Month (2010). The events are held in honor of the many accomplishments, contributions and sacrifices of the indigenous peoples of North America.




In the lower margin is an iconic Navajo squash blossom necklace, unusual in having three strands of silver. Some people look no deeper than stones and metal in jewelry like this, not recognizing the weight of history that goes into making such pieces.

To learn more about the indigenous nations of the southwest, http://bit.ly/Native-Americans

Discover how important the code talkers were to American efforts in WWII: http://bit.ly/code-talkers


If you want to understand more about Indian jewelry and adornment, both modern and ancient, we have a variety of resources for you to explore: http://bit.ly/indian-jewelry

The image of Dan Akee was made available courtesy of the Grand Canyon National Park Service, through a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/5188445257/

SummerQuest 16

Being a hero does not mean you don't make mistakes. Being heroic means you learn from your mistakes. Your quest is to finish this sentence: "If only I'd known...." Your challenge is to communicate something you've learned on your epic journey. Perhaps you should write a letter to someone, or put your insights into words with a story, a song or a poem, or into a journal. If appropriate, you could put it on Twitter, Facebook, or simply write a few words in the comments below. Five comments on this final post will unlock the whole picture!

SummerQuest 15 Hint

Hint: From the library's home page, click on Music From Freegal, enter your library card and pin number, then click on the blue "See All Genres" button. From there, scroll down the list on the left and pick something new you'd like to try.

SummerQuest 15

You'll find treasure at the end of this musical quest. Download a song to keep from the library's website using Freegal. Your challenge is to download a song from a group you don't know or from a type of music you've never tried before. Give it a shot and tell us in the comments what the song was and what you thought about it. As usual, it takes five comments to unlock another piece of the picture.

Achievement 13: Image Unlocked!

Did you notice we unlocked two separate pieces in today's SummerQuest picture? It seemed like a good idea because both are about road travel in the state.

Before the huge and impersonal interstate highway system was built, before high-speed travel by car or plane was easy and comfortable, Americans still wanted to pick up and move -- and the great "Mother Road" of Route 66 was how we could get from the more heavily-populated midwest out to the promised land that was California. Route 66 brought the Dust Bowl migrants westward in search of a better life, and it introduced Arizona to the countless thousands who passed though. Some visitors stayed, falling in love with the wonders of the southwest.

If you travel away from the main urban centers and leave the interstate behind, then you'll be familiar with the windy roads and the warning signs like the 15 MPH road sign in the upper right of the image. Switchbacks can still separate careless drivers from those who proceed more carefully!

Route 66 has been the subject of countless books, movies, and even a TV show from the 1960s. Find out more at this link: http://bit.ly/about-Route66

Route 66 was also called the Will Rogers Highway. Do you know who he was? If not, you should really learn more about this remarkably clever and insightful man! Try one of the books or movies in this list: http://bit.ly/about-Will-Rogers

And if you are looking for ideas for day trips around the state, hunt up one of these books from our collection. Just be careful on those switchbacks! http://bit.ly/Arizona-day-trips

Achievement 12: Image Unlocked!

Sabino Canyon, just north of Tucson, has offered welcome relief and recreation for local residents ever since humans first lived in the area. Escaping to the mountains and cool canyons during our most blisteringly hot days in the depths of summer made life much nicer. This was even more true back in the days before air conditioning! 

A trek into the Catalina Mountains to get out of the city for the day might be just the ticket to fulfill one of your 100 Activities for this year's Summer Reading Program. If you take a look under "Explore," item #3 is "Go on a hike!" http://1.usa.gov/100-Activities

Pick up a field guide to Sabino, and find out about the animals, plants, geology and ecology of the canyon, or discover something about its history or the ancient people who also walked the stones and played in the streams: http://bit.ly/sabino-canyon

Who are the young women wearing gun holsters? They were part of a group of University of Arizona students who traveled to Sabino Canyon in 1914 by car. According to Julia R. Waite, their car broke down on the way back so they didn't arrive home until 3:00am. Image graciously provided by Lisa Waite Bunker from her family's photographs.

Achievement 11: Image Unlocked!

  

Visitors to Arizona -- if they come at the right season -- always seem surprised and awed by the amazing beauty and vigor of Arizona's plant life. Our spring and summer may be different and much warmer than those seasons found in other climates, but local residents still thrill to the vibrant colors of cactus blooms and the fiery explosion of the red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) commonly seen through the region.

Explore our Seed Library for plants you can add to your garden or landscape: http://www.library.pima.gov/seed-library/

After the cactus flowers, the fruits grow fat and just as colorful as the blossoms that preceeded them. They make great jams and candy, among other things too! If cooking with native plants (harvested legally, please!) appeals to you, look at some of these books for ideas of what is possible: http://bit.ly/cooking-desert-plants

Achievement 10: Image Unlocked!

The picture in the upper left of the SummerQuest image was taken in Antelope Canyon, considered one of the most picturesque places in Arizona. Located near Page, Arizona, the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park is administered by Navajo Parks and Recreation and includes the trail to the famous Rainbow Bridge.

To find out more about the remarkable and varied geology throughout Arizona, try some of these suggestions: http://bit.ly/Arizona-geology

Achievement 9: Image Unlocked!

In the Cold War era, a top secret missile base housing multi-megaton Titan missiles aimed at the USSR lay beneath Arizona sands. Today, the Titan Missile Museum near Sahuarita is a National Historic Landmark that tells the story of those dark and fear-filled days.

We have just a little bit about the Titan Missile Museum and the nearby Pima Air and Space Museum, but if you go to Joel D Valdez Main Library in downtown Tucson, you can look at their catalogs here: http://bit.ly/Arizona-Aerospace

Even better, take a day trip out of Tucson and go see these museums for yourself! Make it a Summer Reading activity, or just to understand more about how the world used to be.

If the Cold War history intrigues you, there is a lot to learn from these resources: http://bit.ly/Cold-War

The image of the Titan warhead was made available courtesy of photographer Sam Howzit through a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/6110164118/

Achievement 8: Image Unlocked!

Their pretty white dresses ... with guns on their hips!

While the building over the roadrunner's shoulder may be a little hard to see, Tucsonans can see the original building still standing on the University of Arizona campus. Built to house the library of the state's first university, it has had many additions and changes to its façade in the intervening years. The library served students and faculty until 1976, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

How could we put together the SummerQuest and not have a nod to a library in there somewhere??

To find out some interesting stories about the University of Arizona, have a look at some of these possibilities: http://bit.ly/University-of-Arizona

Both images graciously provided by Lisa Waite Bunker from her family's photographs.

SummerQuest 14

Today, your quest is more creative. Create a piece of book art or book sculpture. Your challenge is to anonymously leave your creation at your favorite library. You do not have to stick to the public libraries! Yes, this was inspired by the mysterious book sculptures left in libraries around Edinburgh. Go ahead. Google it. Then post us a hint where you left it. (Please do not use a library book!)

SummerQuest 13 Hint

Hint: Try out the World Almanac Online - Search: Invention (Section: Science and Technology). Start here at the library's Encyclopedia and Almanac database page.

SummerQuest 13

As you journey through the quest of life, imagine all the amazing things that make your day "that much easier."  Toasters. Curling irons. E-mail. Calculators. Your challenge is to pick one object that you can't imagine living without, put on your detective cap, and do a little research. Who invented it? When did they unveil it to the world? Once you have done this, post a comment to the blog thanking the person/group who created your treasured object, along with any facts you discovered.

SummerQuest 12 Hint

Hint: Did you read a book at the library? Did you listen to an audiobook? Did you discover the library database Mango Languages for an interactive experience?

SummerQuest 12

Today's quest is to learn 10 words in a new language. Your challenge is to share what language you chose and why. In the comments, also list the 10 words that you felt were the most important to learn. Remember, five comments will unlock the next piece of the picture.