The weather again

We’ve been waiting..and waiting..for two warm days in a row and it’s not going to happen for another week. Here in Arizona, we snowbirds feel cheated when we have to wear sweatshirts and jackets for days on end.

There is so much to do here, even in a one- to two-hour drive but really only ideal on a warm weather day. Right here in Mesa with spectacular views of the Superstition Mountains, we have beautiful walking trails and parks. Most restaurants feature patio dining and on Saturdays there’s a sidewalk market and art fair.

Fifteen minutes south of Mesa is Queen Creek and the Olive Mill where you can tour the olive groves and learn how olive oil is made, shop for all-things-olive and have lunch on their beautiful outdoor grounds, most often complete with a guitarist strumming out tunes as you dine.

On the way back home, there is Schneff Farms that boasts the best peach 🍑 pie, not to be missed, with fruit from their own peach trees. To the north, we have Saguaro Lake and a bit further we can see wild horses running free. A bit further yet towards Payson, the mountain scenery has left us breathless. Or maybe it’s the windy curves in the road on the two-lane highway. Just a tad bit scary for me.

Phoenix is just to the west with cultural offerings galore. You name it, it’s there. A large botanical garden with Dale Chihuly glass sculptures, and a wonderful zoo are at the edge of Tempe and Phoenix. Tucson is two hours away, while just a little further is the artsy town of Tubac with high end art shops and an art museum. A must if you’re near here.

Then there’s the border crossing to the town of Los Algodones, Mexico, just over the border from Yuma, the Colorado River and Baja, California. It was a lovely weather day when we were there which I mention because there’s a lot of walking involved and nothing indoors, at least not that we saw. 

Hubby bought a beautiful blanket there similar to these. There are very persistent hawkers everywhere following you around to try to persuade you to buy their wares. They don’t easily give up and my husband didn’t easily give in, but he was intrigued by this blanket. Many, as in very many people make a day trip to Algodones for dental work, eye exams and glasses, drugs (as in medications), and liquor. All because those things are incredibly cheaper there. And pure vanilla which you can buy in a large bottle for $10 makes the trip worthwhile.

This is sounding like a travelogue that evolved all by itself as my words usually do. And I haven’t even mentioned the charming Old Town Scottsdale, or Fountain Hills with its famous fountain that shoots green water on St. Patrick’s Day, 560 feet in the air. 

The fountain of Fountain Hills

But I think what I love most here is the Sonoran desert, especially in springtime with the most interesting flowers blooming on the wide variety of cacti. So much exploring to do.

So getting back to the subject at hand, these activities aren’t very enjoyable during these cold and wet days. But…when it warms up, I may be off and running.

Hope your days are bright and sunny. 😎 

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts and whine about the weather.