I soaked my keyboard overnight to no avail. The F, R, 4 & F4 key are busted and gone like yesterday. I probably won't be blogging the trip very much because of this. I will drop some pictures here and there though. As you won't be able to read my incessant nattering for a spell, try to enjoy this one as much as you can. Get ready. This is another big old post. I am no longer blogging a little at a time. Instead, I am going to mash as much as I can in because the days are numbered and chunks of time are hard to come by. Hold on to your hats...
Things I Love About Phoenix by The JH
Hummers! - Arizona is visited by 18 different species of hummingbirds. They are as follows:
Black-chinned
Broad-billed
Anna's
Magnificent
Rufous
Broad-tailed
Allen's
Blue-throated
Costa's
Calliope
Violet-crowned
Berylline
Lucifer
White-eared
Plain-capped Starthroat
Cinnamon
Ruby-throated
Bumblebee
As you all know, I cannot get enough of these little guys! I hope KY has hummingbirds in abundance. I am going to make as many feeders as I can and lure them in once we are there. It's going to be fantastic...
Bees - These busy little pollinators are not in the "abnormal bug exposure list because a.) If you don't bother them, they don't bother you and b.) without them, there is no flowering desert. Without the flowering plant life, let's face it, this place is basically the fucking moon. Which brings us to:
The landscape - To this day, I still occasionally almost cause drivers to rear end me because I cannot believe what I seeing and let off the gas. The plants are like alien life forms. The foliage itself is mind blowing and then everything flowers and it's just spectacular. The severe cacti become blazed with color. The spiky little who cares agave sprout the most amazing thick stems that can grow ten feet easy adorned with the most interesting flower stalks.
Here are some of the pictures I have caught with my camera. Thrilling.
As we are on a little nature kick here, I thought the sky worth mention. I had never seen such shows until I came here. Sunsets that would blow your puny little human mind... They are so fabulous that most times, I end up standing still awash with wonder until they have passed. Then I immediately think, damn, I should have captured that with my camera. But you know, the times I have, it just wasn't the same. It never is.
This was taken from my backyard and I'm rather proud of it. I have two others, same tree, different night but this is my favorite...
This is actually the sunrise at the greenbelt. I couldn't believe it's beauty, the fact that I was up early enough to take it, or that I had my camera with me...
We went to Lake Pleasant last Wed and this is what we were met with as the day died down. I have way more pictures of the day but those will have to come later I suppose...
Lake Pleasant was... dare I say it? Pleasant. I wondered how refreshing the water was going to be and it was perfect. Pleasantly so. Ha. But that made me think of another thing I will miss. There is no such thing as cold water coming from your faucet! It's always the perfect PLEASANT temperature for my delicate hands. It's the little thing don't you know...
Los Betos - One Carne Asada Burrito and a medium Horchata to go please!!
Storms - Holy crap, the storms out here are frighteningly awesome. We have a monsoon season. We had a storm the other night that actually set records for the most lightening strikes in a minute. WITNESS! I have video of it and as soon as I figure out how to get them on here, you'll see what I mean. It was the scariest weather incident I have ever been in. We also get dust storms and as much as it's gross and makes everything gritty with sand (think eyeballs and mouth), watching them approach is overwhelming. My favorite though, is when it pours and to begin with the sidewalk is so hot, the water immediately evaporates. So it's pouring rain but the ground is bone dry. You'll often see rain storms that do not even reach the ground, it'll just be raining half way to the ground. It's called virga and it's bizarre. I have seen the most scary and violent storms while here. I have been trying to take pictures of the lightening. Here are some of the decent shots I have gotten:
This is a dust storm coming in. See the blue sky to the left? See the lack of blue sky to the right? Dust. I will attempt to get a better picture before we go to KY.
WINTER - I know it seems obvious after all my endless bitching, but still. That's how much I love the winter here. It is perfect weather no matter what you are doing. Summer clothes all year round is a bonus. A big one.
Male Species - Also rather obvious, but not mentioning Mr. F while professing love for the big AZ seems absurd.
Driving Etiquette - I'm from Boston. You drive as angrily and aggressively as possible and never ever let anyone know where you are going, because they are just as angry and will do everything they can to keep you from reaching your destination without a good healthy fight. I was trying to merge onto the packed highway a while back and I was bitching about how people don't let you in, figures, all that. Mr. F looks at me and says, "Put on your blinker". A blinker parts traffic here like Moses parting the Red Sea. People aren't out to get you and they are okay with sharing the road. It's heart warming. Over it, onward.
Signage - Roadways here are... get this... clearly marked. There is no guessing if the ramp you just barreled past is the one you were looking for. Highway going to be closed? You know weeks in advance. The main surface streets are broadcasted before you get to them. There is no guess work. There is no stress. It's boring, but way efficient.
APBT - Every back yard has at least 2 dogs. Minimum. Sometimes there is up to five dogs. Big dogs. I would say every other yard has a pit bull or pit bull mix. Jimmy and Tabitha get smiles, compliments and pets all the time. I watched one chick put her hands into my car while they waited for me. For one, that's balls man. For two, come on, if you need a two, you should grow a fucking heart.
And that's that. I'll leave you with my favorite picture taken up at Mr. C's last weekend.
OH! I almost forgot!! I grabbed the scorpion finding black light and camera and we drove around the untamed (4 wheel drive untamed) desert late Saturday night and stopped to look for scorpions. After what we heard I thought they would be everywhere. NOT ONE! I was in the bushes, kicking rocks over... I mean, I threw my back into it. Not one scorpion. MYTH BUSTED!
We leave to finish my trip Monday morning. I am PUMPED!!!
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