Tuesday's Take on Mesa

My sister Jan and her husband Lanny moved from Gold Canyon to Mesa last fall.  They wanted to be in the midst of a 55 and older community where everything they needed is within 15-20 minutes drive on the side roads and off of the busy highways.  Their community/association has 2400 houses, with many amenities available including church services on Sunday. It is like a small town of 5,000 but with no grocery stores....they do have a restaurant and golf courses though.

flowering bush

blooming saguaro

The vegetation in the desert is so beautiful.  Flowers, cacti and even a few desert trees grace the area.  The quail and morning doves are everywhere.....on the roofs, running across the roads, and in the desert yards.  Joel had a great time watching the quail while sitting outside or riding his recumbent bike.  Speaking of that, Joel rode over 150 miles while in AZ.  He biked a few times in the area, a few more in Gold Canyon, and a few along the canals in Mesa.  He came home with a good tan!

barrel cactus

flowers 

pipe (?) cactus

oleander

palms and barrel cacti

desert pines

I was able to walk most every day for 15-20 minutes.  The first day we arrived in was 100 degrees but after that it dropped down to the 70's and low 80's.  In the 7% humidity, it did not require the A/C to run much, if at all.  We experienced one front come in with high winds, lots of dust, and a few minutes of rain which left the cars dirty.  Interesting.  Dust is everywhere and of course so is sunshine!

The desert has it's own beauty for sure, and Mesa likes to show off with all the flowering cacti this time of year.  Orange, grapefruit, lime, and lemon trees grace the yards, eager to share their fruit with those who reach out their hands for the taking.  That season seemed to have passed by the time we arrived, but we can testify that my sister's lemon pies are amazing.....even more so when the lemons come from your own yard~!

another cactus

Gold Canyon still draws us both into it's own kind of rugged beauty with the mountains so close and the many washes filled with desert vegetation.  It is quieter, greener, and boasts more animals...those you enjoy and those you would prefer did not come around.  It is spendy in that corner of the world, as it is as far east as you can get from downtown Phoenix.  If you want to find clothing or organic stores you need to head west....doctors and pharmacies the same........  Now golf courses are numbering around 16 so if you like golf.................(which we do not) you are in luck.

We took in some open houses to "walk the land" and one realtor told us after I was mesmerized by the mountain view that he finds there are people who are just attracted to mountains and can't get enough of their views.  I am thinking I am one of those as I was always looking for the mountains no matter where we were or where we were going.  Maybe it goes back to my ancestors, or my early childhood days in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota.  I just know I would never become complacent with the view, and if I did, shame on me!