Days of Rain

In the twenty years that I have been visiting the grand state of Arizona I have never seen it rain like it is today! I have often laughed at their “rivers” which are really little more than dry gullies or washes; their ditches through the center of streets which I have never seen with water in them...except for today! It has poured down rain all day long. At noon they had a half inch and the ditches were filled with running water. Puddles in the major streets, real water in the ‘Auga Fria’ and people walking around with umbrellas. An amazing sight. Apparently it hasn’t rained here since about October so I am witnessing a nature rarity! I would rather enjoy a balmy day like we had yesterday-blue sky and 70 degrees, but this is still better than snow! And in the spring, when I am long gone and back to toiling away, all the natives will enjoy a spectacular show of desert blooms. We hiked up the waterfall trail to, of all things, the waterfall, in the White Tank Mountains early in the week and there was precious little water running up there. So I imagine this is like the cup running over up there now. I have a picture in my mind of the dry ocotillo cactus starting to suck up some life giving water for the blooms it will produce come March or April. I only wish I was going to get to see them.
Well, soon enough it’s back to the snow. So I will enjoy even this day of rain.

Sunny Arizona

Weather, I have discovered, is all relative. Cold here would be considered balmy by Iowa
standards. The 70 degrees we enjoyed today was a nice winter day here. Spring time at
home! Flagstaff temps were in the 20's and snow still was on the ground.
Up there they are all excited about skiing season. I'm just looking for more
sunshine and warm. The Grand Canyon was wonderful. Not too many people.
No lines to wait in for anything. Could drive everywhere we wanted along
the rim. I took tons of pictures. (Can't share any of my own because I don't
have any way to upload any of them yet. Just wait!) Now, if I can just figure
out how to enjoy 70 degree days Arizona experiences, while I'm wintering in
Iowa! See you all soon.