The good old days

More than 300 westerns and TV segments were filmed at Old Tucson Studios west of Tucson, but that was before a fire in 1995 destroyed about 40 percent of the set. These days, the complex serves mainly as a western theme park. While my wife and I were staying at a nearby RV campground, we visited the place and spotted this coyote in the parking lot. Although it was there to scrounge a free meal from tourists, I got the image of an old bit-part actor just hanging around, reminiscing about the western movie heyday when he played the symbol of the West, hoping for another such role in one of the occasional shows still shot there.