The time in July we spent in Phoenix visiting my brother and sister in law was great. J&M have a very nice house – spacious guest rooms well separated from the action of the master suite; vertical walls; air conditioning; copious use of ceiling fans; two vehicles in the garage full o' gas - you get the idea: much different from the boatin' life. Too bad that in July, Phoenix is like 6 inches from the sun. Yeah, sure; it's a dry heat as opposed to the 97% humidity of Mazatlan. But, what's the difference, really, between being roasted alive, and boiled alive? Answer: Mazatlan may average 20 degrees cooler, but Phoenix has more A/C in more places. No matter; in both places, we're totally wiped by noon.
Anyway, in addition to having daytime temps well above 100F, Phoenix in July also experiences a few thunderstorms and flash floods. Like the one on July 9 that dumped almost 2 inches of rain in about 3 hours. Spectacular.
There are enough greenbelts and protected areas around my brother & sister in law's house that they regularly get critters strolling through their yard. We're talking quail so desperate for shade that they send their 11 peeps into my brother's garage – when he's in there working. White-winged dove, hummingbirds of all types, grackles and mockingbirds, various insects and arachnids. As just two small examples, check out this lizard & the cute cottontail bunny down here, who are quotidian visitors to Casa de Smith:
And on the way back from a visit to Ma and Sis in El Paso, we swung by Casas Grandes just south of Phoenix for a quick glimpse of some Native ruins:
There's lots to see in and around Phoenix. And hopefully next time we'll rent a car & get to do more tourism and less errand-running. Everybody would like that.
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