ARIZONIQUES

A Guide to Places, Events, and People The Mortal Moon Hath Her Eclipse Endured....

This month, Arizonans will have an opportunity to observe a total eclipse of the moon. It happens August 16. When the moon rises in the southeastern corner of the state at 6:53 P.M., the earth's shadow will already have sliced off a bite of Yeats' silver apple. Boaters on Lake Mead, in the state's far northwestern corner, will have to wait another 29 minutes for the moon to come up, and by then it will be fully masked by the earth's umbra, the darkest part of the shadow. A lunar eclipse can be quietly spectacular. The normally platinum orb may radiate a coppery orange light or glow a deep brick red. How, you might wonder, does the moon continue to shine while the earth blocks the sun's light to it? The faint illumination is a product of our atmosphere. As sunlight passes through the air, it is refracted-bent slightly into the earth's otherwise black shadow. The atmosphere also scatters blue light, allowing only the longer wavelengths of red to pass through. So the earth's umbra is not so much a complete shadow as a cone of dim reddish light projecting some 900,000 miles into space opposite the sun. The exact hue and intensity of this light-and hence the color of the shaded moon-is affected by conditions of the atmosphere that creates it. Large cloud systems, pollutants, and volcanic ash all add their lightscattering signatures to the earth's shadow. The total part of the eclipse begins at 7:20 P.M. The moon reaches the deepest point in the earth's shadow at 8:08, and by 8:56 the totality ends as a sliver of direct sunlight again hits the lunar surface. To catch a glimpse of a moonrise in eclipse, choose a location with a clear view of the eastern horizon. About 10 minutes before sunset, face east and visualize a line extending through your shadow to a point on the horizon. Watch this area of the sky carefully, for this is where the moon will soon ascend. Use a pair of binoculars; their light-gathering power and slight magnification will help you detect the dimly lit sphere against the brighter background sky. -Frank Zullo (OPPOSITE PAGE) The Equine Trust Foundation finds homes for many breeds of horses. PETER ENSENBERGER

Unique to Arizona and the Southwest. Cowboy Poets

It began as a grass roots get-together at Elko, Nevada, in January, 1985.

Called a Cowboy Poets Gathering, it was instantly successful. All kinds of cowboys and cowgirls came from their home ranges to read, recite, and sing their verses to enthusiastic audiences. Listeners could relate: they nodded their heads, broke into broad smiles when cow-camp humor was metered and rhymed, and set their jaws when someone told of death or drought or a love lost to the city.

The American cowboy has always contributed to our music, art, and literature. Many waddies and a few wagon bosses scribbled some lines with a pencil, but few of their efforts ever came to the eyes and ears of the public. Wellknown cowboy poets such as Badger Clark, Bruce Kiskaddon, and Gail Gardner were considered a rare breed. But then, encouraged by folklorists and hungering for the same recognition the cowboy artist has achieved, the cowboy poet came out from behind the chuckwagon.

From Elko, the movement covered the country like a chuck line rider. Elko had its fifth gathering in January, 1989. Alpine, Texas, had a successful gathering, and last September in Prescott the first Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering drew a colorful crowd.

Under the direction of Warren E. Miller of the Sharlot Hall Museum, the setting and ambience of this initial reading impressed both audience and poets. Now the second annual Arizona event has been scheduled for August 25, 26, and 27 at Prescott's Sheraton Resort and Conference Center. For further information, telephone the Sharlot Hall Museum, 445-3122.

Homes for Horses

About four years ago, a slump in the market for Arabian horses created a surplus of the elegant animals. Some breeders who could not afford to keep and feed large numbers of horses needed to reduce their stock. The problem: the animals' once-inflated value had fallen so far, sellers couldn't even give away the Arabians to good homes, let alone find paying customers.

Scottsdale veterinarian Janice Young saw the need and met it. She founded the Equine Trust Foundation and asked horse owners to donate unwanted steeds to the nonprofit organization. Owners could claim a tax deduction, and Young would find homes for the animals. Recently, Dr. Young was succeeded as director by Dory Berger.

When she makes a successful match between a colt and a prospective owner, Berger donates the profits to the Equine Colic Research Project at the University of Georgia and to the osteochrondritis dissecans (OCD) project at Colorado State University. Although still a small organization, the Equine Trust Foundation has so far donated more than $15,000 to equine research.

The foundation does not confine its interest to Arabians. It acts as an adoption agency for registered horses of any breed. Prospective buyers are rigorously screened and asked why they want the horse and how they intend to use it. Each donated horse is examined to see that it is sound, and colts are gelded.

For more information, telephone Dory Berger at 483-2307.

Friends' Travel

For a preview of travel events sponsored by the Friends of Arizona Highways, see page 3.

Calendar

August 1 to mid-August, Tucson. Tucson Summer Arts Festival includes theater, opera, dance, film, poetry, children's programs, exhibits, and lectures at the University of Arizona and around town. Telephone 624-1817.

August 4-6, Flagstaff. The seventh annual Festival in the Pines features arts and crafts, continuous entertainment, culinary treats, and (on Saturday) an old-fashioned barn dance. Telephone 967-4877.

August 5-6, Prescott. The Mountain Artists Guild's arts and crafts show, on the Plaza, runs the same weekend as Prescott's annual Smoki Ceremonials, in which Anglo admirers of Native American tradition perform Indian dances. Telephone 445-2510.

August 5-6 and 12-13, Phoenix. Venture Up Mountain Expeditions presents survival courses for children (first session, ages 7 to 9; second, ages 10 to 12). Kids learn to handle emergencies in desert and pine wilderness and what to do if they lose their way. Telephone 957-9351.

August 11-13, Tombstone. The Wild West comes alive during Vigilante Days-street shows and dances, hangings, bar fights, shoot-outs, and stagecoach rides. Telephone 457-3335.

August 26-27, Lake Havasu City. Two competitions for the light-hearted vacationer at the Nautical Inn Resort: a sand castle contest and the Sunkist Suntan Contest. Telephone 855-1051.

August 27, Tucson. Fiesta de San Agustin celebrates the birthday of Tucson's patron saint with music and dancing. Telephone 628-5774.

For a more complete calendar of events, free of charge, write to Arizona Office of Tourism, 1100 W. Washington St., Phoenix 85007. Unless otherwise noted, all telephone numbers are within area code 602.