parilous recounted in a manner friendly to non-Tucsonans who wonder what the big deal is. I didn't feel like braving the AC-less confines of Old Red to drive down Oracle for a peek, but resolved that I would make the trip in New Silver once Kim and Skylar came home. By the time they were situated, though, my urge to nest was strong. Luckily, my adventurous side persevered. After picking up various necessaries and a DVD of the Miami Vice television show with which to relive some of the happier moments of my unhappy high school years, I crossed the bridge on Stone and pulled into the Tucson Mall's lot, parking as close to the Rillito as I could. There were dozens of people doing the same thing all along the normally empty rift -- "river" comes from the Latin ripa, but shares an Indo-European root with all those "r" words describing places that water can run through -- with the same festive attention that you might see at a Fourth of July fireworks display. The sight of that much flowing water is a real treat in the desert. It transforms the landscape.
