Arizona Monsoons

Today we welcome new followers: Traveler, Box Canyon Blogger and RV Travelers in Search of Adventures.  We're happy to have you aboard but I doubt this blog will be about RV lifestyle any more, at least for the present. Maybe I should blog about moving out of an RV and into a house. Well, there isn't much furniture to move, none to be precise, just the minimal belongings we carried with us. It's a lot like moving into your very first place when you finished college or moved out of your parents house. Although we miss some of our old things it's fun to start fresh and fill the house a little at a time. We enjoy scouring thrift stores, estate sales, Craig's list and yard sales which seems to fill all our spare time. We've splurged on a couple new purchases but for the most part we've furnished about half the house with used things as well as a few pieces I built. I'll post some photos if anyone is interested.

I really wanted to blog about the monsoons today. This photo illustrates how the Catalinas look much of the time lately, in sharp contrast to the usual bright sunny blue skies throughout the rest of the year. Having only spent winters in Southern Arizona we are amazed how humid and rainy it is here. The humidity and clouds seem to keep the temperatures lower however, which is a benefit.  Whereas most of June was around 100 degrees everyday, most of July has been between 85 and 90 degrees, unless it's actually raining when the temperature will plummet 25 degrees in a matter of minutes. And, everything is really green, especially all the brown dry grass you see here in the wintertime.

There must be about 30 of these barrel cacti on our property and they're all blooming for the second time.  We went to a plant sale at The Tohono Chul Park yesterday and learned that they blossom 3 times a year and have an edible fruit.

Look at all the fruit on this amazing Prickly Pear cactus.

The pool passed the pre-gunite inspection today so we hope to get the shotcrete in tomorrow if it doesn't rain. This will be a relief as I've had to shovel mud out of the hole 3 times due to the rain storms. The privacy wall is now done, complete with the stucco finish.  Now I have to paint the whole thing.