By Kathy Montgomery | Photograph by Paul Markow In the late-afternoon sun, Tubac..
In the late-afternoon sun, Tubac Country Inn glows like butterscotch, making a rich background for the chile ristras hung along its facade and the French doors painted the vibrant blue of Mexican tile.
Along the wash that fronts the long wooden porch, mesquite trees cast speckled shade on blue agaves and towering prickly pear cactuses. Goldfinches hop from branch to branch while the sun makes pinpricks of light on the trees' spindly leaves, illuminating the spines of golden barrel cactuses as pale and yellow as beaten egg yolks. Near the outdoor fireplace, a miniature St. Francis maintains a silent vigil.
Despite being within walking distance of Tubac's shops and restaurants, the setting is remarkably tranquil, the soft burble of a fountain providing a backdrop to the mournful hoo-hoo-hoo of doves and the distant horn of a passing train.
