Ya ever wander into the office on a Monday more exhausted than you were when you left on Friday?

This morning, I am feeling your pain.

Don't get me wrong; it's a good pain. This was one of the most fun and event-filled weekends I have ever experienced.

First, I was privileged enough to attend a good chunk of this weekend's Tucson Culinary Festival. The food (from Tucson Originals restaurants) and the wine (from, well, almost everybody imaginable) was consistently great. The highlight of the weekend, however, had to be Sunday's first-ever Copper Chef Challenge, which pitted Doug Levy (Feast) vs. Mitch Levy (Cuvee) with the secret ingredient being beefalo (a beef/buffalo hybrid). The event was a debacle—and I mean that in a good way—with Doug edging out his brother.

But the Culinary Festival offered only part of the weekend's activities. Friday night, we attended the First Friday Shorts monthly contest at the Loft, which is always a hoot (although host Max Cannon was absent due to his act of breeding having come to fruition last week—congrats, Max and Ginny!!!). On Sunday night, we attended the reception for the opening of Butterfly Magic at the Gardens, leaving the Tucson Botanical Gardens just before a fierce cloudburst. It was a splendid event, and I look forward to seeing the butterflies again when the exhibit opens in earnest tomorrow (Oct. 10).

And of course, there was Fall Club Crawl on Saturday night, which was—if we do say so ourselves—fantastic, as always.

It was a splendid weekend. If anyone complains to you that there's nothing to do in Tucson, please—lovingly—smack them.