(upbeat music) Tom - This week on Arizona Illustrated, the inspiring story of the blind bandit.

Angel - As soon as I got on a horse, I was like, this is what I'm gonna do.

Like this is why I'm still here.

Tom - Escaped a hustle and bustle of city life at Rose Canyon Lake.

Patricia - A nice, easy drive from Tucson to just come up, cool off and enjoy.

Tom - The process and paintings of Tucson master Jim Wade.

Paul - My father's paintings make me feel closer to nature because even though they're not exact representations, he's using how nature's put together constantly.

Tom - And a primer on an insect that's been on earth for 300 million years.

Jeff - Realize how spectacular these insects are.

(upbeat music) Tom - Hello and welcome to another all new episode of Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara and this here is my buddy, Trooper.

Now we're over on the East side and Trooper lives here at the Heart of the Horse Ranch, which is a very special and beautiful place.

This place is dedicated to providing a quote, "unique form of equine facilitated psychotherapy with an emphasis on compassion and trust."

Next, we'll introduce you to the blind bandit who trained here.

His name is Angel Garcia Nunez and he lost his sight in a suicide attempt.

Then Angel used horses to help find peace and purpose.

He realized he loved the rodeo and he wanted to become the first ever blind professional saddle bronc rider.

This story contains discussion of suicide that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Viewer discretion is advised.

[Classical Guitar Music Plays] (crowd chattering) My name's Angel Garcia Nunez.

I'm 100% blind, but I'm trying to be the first PRCA saddle bronc rider.

I grew up here in Tucson, Arizona.

Didn't have a real stable household growing up.

Uh, it's always just been me and my mom never met my dad, so my mom was always kind of just bouncing around.

So.

The first time I got on the horse, I was, uh, with my mom, just, like, sitting on her lap.

I began riding horses when I was eight.

I lived on the reservation.

My grandpa put me on one of this horses bareback and taught me how to ride.

And for the next few years.

I, you know, went out and went hunting with my uncles and killed whatever we did and tied them on to the back of the saddle.

And, you know, that's how I rode.

I am nervous and worried, but, you know, I am praying for Angel because I know he's following his heart and dream.

And so that's important.

And, you know, I love him and I'll support him.

Come on, Peanut.

What's up, buddy?

You ready to have some fun?

Went to high school, graduated in 2015.

I had this buddy.

He was one of my one of my best friends.

He frickin I guess he was just ready to check out.

And he climbed up a crane and on his way up he slipped because it was raining and yeah, he died.

But yeah, he was he was going up there to jump off the crane to commit suicide.

It it really just, like, ripped me apart.

Went a while kind of just hiding everything and faking like everything was okay.

I started having these dreams and I would follow him outside.

He would point and I would look and it would just be bodies of like, people that I knew.

And they were just like, they'd just be dead, just laying there.

And I'd be like, shaken up and I'd look back for him and he'd be gone.

And so, like, I had, I had dreams like that.

And more gnarly ones too.

But May fifth comes and I get up.

It's like any other day I go to work.

The second I got in my truck to drive home, I wasn't feeling myself.

And so I started drinking.

Just like every other day.

I ended up blacking out.

I FaceTime... She was my ex, but we are still kind of like, you know, talking like we still had a relationship.

I was like, bawling my eyes out and just telling her, like I'm I'm sick of feeling this way.

Like, I don't want to do this no more.

And I was playing with a gun, I guess I put the gun to my head and I pulled the trigger and then she heard the gun go off.

Yeah, it was kind of just nothing after that for about four weeks.

And I remember I was like, in heaven, like I could see the gates and I remember them opening.

And he he pointed like something pointed at me and said, Go back.

And I remember like, I like turn my head.

And then that's when I like and started like, trying to rip out the IVs and stuff.

There's two choices you got.

You're either going to accept this for what it is and grow, grow from it, or you could use this as an excuse to be nothing and get more depressed all over again.

And so as soon as they told me, like, Yeah, you're blind, I was like, all right, I might as well just start adjusting to this life that I got to live.

So I came out of the hospital.

I had days where I was like, Am I going to be anything in my life?

Like like, what am I going to do?

And so my friend Allie, she got in contact with my mom and she was she just kind of told her, like, when Angels ready, I would like him to come over to the horses because I feel like it would be super beneficial and therapeutic for him.

And so my mom ran, ran the idea of buying me.

And I was like, heck yeah, like, get me out there!

Shoot.

Like, let's go.

Even just like the smallest things of just brushing the horse, you know, just help me gain confidence in like, my hand eye coordination of getting back into, you know, doing things regularly and like knowing, yeah, I can still do this even though I can't see With, say, a person with sight.

You can see when a horse is starting to act weird just by just looking at them like you'll know.

But for me, I got to really feel that horse and get in tune with that horse and connect with it.

My progress just Oh, it just blossomed, man.

Like I went from not knowing what I was going to do to as soon as I got on the horse, I was like, like this.

This is this is this is what I'm going to do.

Like, this is why I'm still here.

You ready?

It was just like all over from when I was little.

It was just like, I'm on the horse.

I, I know this feeling I can't see, but I got to trust this horse that is going to take care of me.

Whoa!

Yeah, I can ride a horse.

I can ride anything.

Run it under me, I'll saddle it.

Heck, yeah.

He got that one.

I've always loved the rodeo.

My mom always used to take me to it.

I wanted to be the first blind PRCA saddle bronc rider, and my goal was to get to a school and I did that.

Like, I'm gonna drive 15 hours just to learn.

Name?

Angel Nunez.

Yeah.

Let me get your receipt.

I'm gonna apply for my PRCA permit.

When I get my permit, I'll be in a circuit which is Arizona and New Mexico.

So once you have a certain amount of points that qualifies you for like the big rodeos.

I got a very strong support system.

You know, they all want to help me out with whatever it is any time, even if it's just talking to them, saying I had a bad day.

It's time to prove everyone that's been doubting me that I can freaking do this.

This is what it's like to be on the back of the chutes.

Like this is something I've always dreamed of doing.

It was like, and as soon as I heard that latch crack, I was like, Oh, boys about to make history.

No one's perfect.

No one's ever going to be perfect.

We all got issues and don't feel like you're weak for asking for help because you're not.

And that's that's one thing I will I wish I would have done more is, you know, reached out and talked about how I really felt and what I was going through because if I it probably would have helped me.

There's been a lot of people that I've came across are telling me like, Oh, you're crazy.

Why are you doing that?

Like, like, that's not a good idea.

And I'm like, it helps me like, these horses saved my life.

It was like the best feeling I've ever felt.

This is just the beginning.

Tom - If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

If you're feeling stressed, you need to take a little break from reality, but you're lucky to be in Tucson where a short drive up Mount Lemmon can really help change your perspective.

And while you're there, check out Rose Canyon Lake, which is a perfect place for trout fishing, camping, or just taking in the beauty.

[MUSIC] We're here at Rose Canyon Lake, which is located at about 6,900 foot elevation.

Rose Canyon Lake is part of the Santa Catalina Ranger District and our district is one of five districts that make up the Coronado National Forest.

Rose Canyon Lake is particularly popular due to it being the only lake on our district.

Folks know that water is special in the desert and they wanna come up and experience that.

And so it's very popular for people that like to fish.

But we also have a 73 site campground located just up the hill from the lake.

So people love to camp here, they love to hike around the lake.

This is one of our lowest elevation sites that has a lot of tree cover.

So it's a nice escape from the heat.

Patricia - It's just a really nice lake to get out of the heat, come up for the day, lots of squirrels, lots of frog, fish, birds.

We generally just bring our lunch up with us and do a little picnic.

And it's just a nice way to come up and see all the animals and cool off in the heat of the summer.

Neil - My name is Neil Dutt.

I am the district biologist for the Santa Catalina Ranger District here in the Coronado National Forest.

It is a man-made lake that does kind of introduce a different sort of ecosystem that would normally be here.

It's a permanent source of water, which isn't something that's guaranteed in a lot of places in Arizona.

So the wildlife come to depend on this as a valuable water source for the hotter months.

Some species you can expect to see here, possibly, at least.

We've got black bear, mountain lions, white-tailed deer.

Those are the big mammals that people like to see.

They'll come down here typically in the evenings, early mornings, or at night when there's fewer people around to drink from the lake.

Arizona Game and Fish stocks this lake on an almost monthly basis.

It's kind of not as often in the summertime.

So unfortunately, as the lake warms, it's not as good of habitat for trout.

They like very cold water.

So the trout in the summertime are likely going to go very deep in this lake and just kind of hunker down.

Some of the non-native species that we do have here, unfortunately, we do have a pretty large population of bullfrogs.

They are non-native invasive species here in Arizona.

There are likely some crawfish in the lake as well, though their numbers have been down recently.

We haven't seen many of them.

We do have cattails in this lake that aren't native to this area.

They're likely brought in by migrating waterfowl, something like that.

We don't do anything to try to control them because they can only exist in so many areas, and they are good habitat for a lot of species that are in this lake as well.

Water is extra special here in the desert.

I love to come out here on weekdays if I can because the crowds aren't as big.

It's a really special place, and to me, if you can find it in a moment of solitude, it makes it extra special.

There's a nice path on the north side of the lake that is accessible and goes out to a popular dock that can also be accessible by wheelchair.

So it's great for everyone.

I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, so I came up here when I was younger with my parents to recreate, go fishing, go camping.

It's really kind of special to me to be able to manage this lake as much as we can.

It's just a beautiful lake and a beautiful experience and a nice, easy drive from Tucson to just come up, cool off and enjoy.

It allows me to come up and reset and enjoy the water and the sound of nature.

So it is a big deal.

Tom - Jim Waid is a Tucson artist whose works hang in major museums like New York's Museum of Modern Art.

He's celebrating a 40 year career.

Now his paintings are visceral, though filled with life and bursting with energy and light.

Jim says his paintings are enactments of the world around him.

[Nature sounds] [♪ Upbeat guitar music ] (Jim) Being a gardener, you know, your hands and your knees, you're digging in the earth, that sort of thing.

So you start talking about what's growing under the earth and the process of making that.

So a lot of times I think those first steps in the painting, those are the seeds planted and then the piece grows to whatever its size it's supposed to be or image it's supposed to be.

What I'm trying to do is create light filled spaces with energy in them.

I was born in Oklahoma, the youngest of three boys, and both of my parents were teachers.

And from the time I can remember, I had a pencil in my hand and was drawing.

(Julie) I've known Jim Waid actually since the 1980s.

While I didn't know him personally.

I knew about his work and I followed his paintings.

He is never afraid to experiment and to change and grow and take those risks.

Any big show that focused on the Southwest, he was in it.

He was considered one of the top ten and remains so today.

(Jim) “Where is that one brush?

” “That clumsy old brush I use.

” (Paul) He wakes up and the first thing he does is wants to go out to the studio works, you know, morning, afternoon, night and his approach to it, to, you know, always he loves art.

It's inspiring.

[♪ Soft guitar music ] (Laura) I've been familiar with Jim's art for over 40 years.

It's hard to be in Tucson and not be familiar with his work.

I would go to auctions at places like Dinnerware Gallery and Tucson Museum of Art, and he was always generous and donating a piece to whatever fundraiser, and that's when I first became familiar with his work.

(Dan) He has his own completely unique style and approach to color.

And of course, you know, he's in the Metropolitan Museum and other pretty major museums.

(Jim) I had a cousin who was taking art classes, and so he taught me, gave me some lessons when I was in grade school, but it was sort of like how to draw Porky Pig and those kinds of things.

When I was 11, we moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico, and then I went up to Albuquerque to go to a much larger school to study painting.

I mean, by this time I that's what I wanted to do.

Graduated there in 1965 and moved to New York and was there for three years and working at a job and also painting when I could on the weekends and nights and that kind of thing.

I think I learned as much about art there as I did anywhere.

(Paul) My father's paintings make me feel closer to nature even though they're not exact representations he's using, how nature is put together constantly.

they make me feel like life, the joy of life.

[♪ Guitar music continues ♪ ] Growing up, we would go to openings and see other things.

You know, as kids, you're not usually as interested in it, but it grows on you after a while.

He liked me being interested, especially since when I started doing it.

I enjoyed it so much.

So he saw that and said, you know, encouraged that.

When I have the blank canvas, I usually use a big brush and thin down paint with thinner and just get something going on, all of it and movement and generally sometimes I have an idea I want to explore.

Other times it's just the images that start coming up suggest something, and then I bring that out a lot of times as I'm trying something and then destroying it and trying something else and destroying, you know, it's always creation.

Right now I'm exploring just similar concepts, you know, space, light, pattern, growth.

It's a beautiful world.

Show that and enjoy that as opposed to the negative thing.

[♪ Pensive music ] “White, white, white, white.

” “I need white.

” (Jim) So I'm teaching at Pima college And we really didn't have a room that was conducive to drawing in.

So I started taking students out in the desert right there and I'm realizing like, Whoa, this stuff is incredible.

And I and that's what sort of got me started with some of the imagery I've been using, you know, since then.

And so it's very much Sonoran Desert inspired at first that it turns into an overall interest in nature and processes.

And then how can I adapt some of the ideas about processes?

Is there any way to make a painting that sort of echoes that or deals with the same kinds of issues?

trying to create a work of art that seems to have a sense of real life to it?

(Julie) Ultimately, what you end up seeing is the same from the very beginning of his work, which is the essence of nature, the vibrancy, the sense of crackling, of movement and growth.

And I love that about him.

It's not just a replication of nature or a picture of nature.

It's more of the experience of nature.

I just find it exuberant and colorful and exciting.

(Jim) I'm interested in forms that just hover right on the edge of recognition so the mind can read them in different ways.

[♪ Soft piano music ends ♪ ] [Brush on canvas] (Jim) I usually start on the painting with a colored ground.

I will use another color on top of it, usually dark or frequently black, and lay it all across and then scrape away while it's still wet and sort of like a reverse drawing or maybe a I might even call it a glorified scratch board art.

Then when I get that layer, it's sort of like a structure.

The bones of the piece or the black say, overlaying the other under grit.

Then I start changing those black colors and other colors, usually, unless it ends up being a black painting, which occasionally happens.

And I'm always trying to surprise myself and learn new things.

I feel like every day I go out there to the studio and I go almost every day is I'm trying to learn how to paint.

I do not understand the process.

I don't question it.

That's the way I'm driven.

That's the way I'm made.

[♪ Soft pensive music fades slowly ♪] Tom - Dragonflies have been around for, ooh, about 300 million years now.

In fact, one of the first insects to inhabit the planet.

And they're extraordinary.

They're known for their hunting ability, their reproductive cycle, even their lifespan.

This next story tags us along with expert Jeff Babson on Dragonfly Day at Mission Gardens.

(Jeff) You're at a pond or a river and you see all kinds of dragonflies and I wanted to identify what I was looking at and then as I got more into it, realized how spectacular these insects are.

I might try to catch some of these guys and if nothing else it'll be good humor for you all.

(Attendee) I think he got it.

Yup, he got it.

(Jeff) So here's your blue darner, big eyes, green, blue and black abdomen, fantastic bug.

So common green darner, its scientific name is Anax junius, which means king of June, which is a pretty cool name.

In the last decade or so people have been able to put little devices on them and track them.

And these things migrate folks.

At least some of their populations do.

They've been documented going from Cape May, New Jersey to Florida.

And then the batteries die.

Today is our fifth annual dragonfly day along the Santa Cruz River and I'm here at Mission Gardens.

As every year goes by, the river gets better as far as habitat goes.

Michael Bogan, from the University of Arizona, who's actually doing trips up in Marana today, he was there when they started to release the water and something like within an hour there was nine species of dragonflies and damselflies flying around.

So they're very good at finding the water.

And the reason that we're having a dragonfly day is because of the water.

You have no water, you're not going to have any dragonflies because the babies live in the water.

And they do this remarkable thing where they start off life as these little animals that usually are in the sediment, they could be crawling around amongst the vegetation.

Their exoskeleton gets tight as they grow, so they have to shed it.

They shed, they get bigger, and then they get big enough to come out of the water.

Melissa has a table over there that's got some of the larvae.

We're going to focus more on the adults that are flying around.

Dragonflies are ancient.

They've been around for about 300 million years, if not longer than that.

They have not changed much in that time, so that was clearly a winning design.

There are about 6,300 species of dragonfly and damselfly around the world.

(Attendee) There you go, come on up, but you're going to get a lot of the weeds.

(Jeff) There are predators throughout their lives.

They can be found at almost every type of freshwater body.

They can beat all four wings independently of each other.

Whereas if you see a butterfly fly around, the wings on each side are basically one unit, so it's almost like one wing.

These things don't do that.

There's an orange skimmer or a flame skimmer over here.

I call him the flying carrot because he's kind of that carrot orange.

Just appreciate these phenomenal animals for what they are.

They've been around a really long time and they do things that are just kind of mind-blowing.

Thank you everybody.

Thank you very much for coming out.

Really appreciate you being here.

[Clapping] Tom - Thank you for joining us and Trooper from Heart of the Horse Ranch here on Tucson's East Side.

I'm Tom McNamara.

We'll see you next week for another all new episode of Arizona Illustrated.

(Music)