The Seasons of Central Arizona

Fall-October 31-December 20

This place is heavenly! It's is amazing. Why isn't the entire world here? A little air pollution is no big deal.

Holiday Season December 21-January 1

Oh, it does get cool here, but it is better than shoveling snow. Who are all those people from Iowa and why can't they drive?

Winter January 2-January 28

I knew it would get cool this winter, but I didn't know it could get cold. Trees finally dropped their leaves. Would you mind looking up the definition of inversion and EPA pollution alert?

Early Spring January 29-March 10

That was a short winter. The trees are leafing out again. I think I'll plant a garden. This is perfect. Drove to Flagstaff for the first time. Didn't take a jacket, it's Arizona. It snowed. Missed 9 days work with pneumonia.

Middle Spring March 11-April 5

I didn't know it could get hot in March! I wonder how much a swimming pool costs. At least the lousy drivers have all gone back to Iowa.

Late Spring April 6-May 22

I'm glad I have air conditioning. If it's this hot now, what's it going to be like? Well, the mornings and the nights are cool. Dang, my air conditioning bill is over $150 already.

Early Summer-May 23-June 14

They said it was a dry heat, but 114 is ridiculous. At least I can go for a walk by 10:30 PM. I don't think I was so smart to move here. Maybe I can walk in the mall if I don't have heat stroking walking in from the parking lot. How can I get a handicapped plate?

Summer June 15-20

I don't think I was so smart to move here. My doctor is testing me for something called "Valley Fever." Missed three weeks of work. He said I could get a handicapped plate if the lung damage is bad enough, but I'd die by the time I'm 43.

HELL June 21-Forever (August 23) The monsoon storms will cool things down? It's 89% humid in my bedroom, 110 outside and raining! I'll bet San Diego is nice this time of year. I WANT TO MOVE!!!! At least in the winter you can put a coat on, or was winter just a figment of my imagination?

Late Summer or who left the oven on? August 23-September 15

San Diego just passed a law that they won't allow any more Arizonans to move there. Shoveling snow isn't as bad as I remembered. I wonder if my company has offices in Winnipeg. They just advertised $12 golf after three PM. Is that someone's attempt at humor? $375 for air conditioning last month.

Endless Summer September 15-October ?

This heat never ends. Rented a moving van just to see if it is possible. They play football in this? These people are nuts. The leaves have already turned at Notre Dame. My air conditioning went out. I paid extra for express service meaning they can come at the end of November.

The Big Break  Some Time in Late October

This doesn't last forever. It was only 96 today. Fall is in the air! Maybe I'll stay.

Butterflies!

A new exhibit, the Butterfly Wonderland has just opened in Scottsdale (101 and Via De Ventura). It is supposed to be the largest butterfly pavilion in the United States. It starts by offering a 3-D film on Monarch Butterflies. The film is very educational, but a bit dark. That didn't seem to bother some of the very young set who, at times, reached their hands out to touch the 3-D butterflies. The migrations of the Monarchs are impressive. They are tough little creatures.

After the film, one is escorted into a small room where butterflies in various stages of metamorphosis can be seen. This is the real deal and is quite impressive. Everyone wanted a close up view, so it was hard to see as much as desired. A little patience corrected that problem.

The pavilion itself is spectacular. There was one estimate of  3,600 butterflies in the pavilion when I walked in. They were all sizes, shapes and colors. I was impressed with the variety which came from all over the world. Parents and grandparents in the pavilion were all as excited as their young counterparts. We were warned not to touch the butterflies, but is was alright if they landed on us. Some two and three year olds couldn't resist. I had a hard time resisting myself. The pavilion was more humid than the surrounding desert air, but it was cool enough that the moisture was not a problem.

The ant exhibit is not impressive, but should attract those who have never had an ant farm. The honey bee exhibit was much more fascinating as glass cases enclosed a working hive and the various roles of honey bees could be viewed. Most interesting was the area where one could watch the bees "dance" as the communicated location for nectar for the other bees. I had seen that on film, but never in person until visiting the exhibit.

The hands on tank for petting sting rays is still a work in progress. I've seen these in other places (San Diego, Monterey), but Scottsdale's has a ways to go. There were only three to four very small sting rays in a large tank. More will be added soon. Surrounding the tank is the Amazon fish tanks. Of course, I was hoping to see piranhas, but there were a variety of other interesting fish. No piranhas.

The last stop was the gift shop. Butterfly items were all over. Butterfly hats, blown glass and coloring book were everywhere. This was a great place for a memento of the visit. I was disappointed that the gift shop did not have more books and videos on butterflies, but if one wants something for the kids or a glass butterfly for the desk, this is a great place to find it.

The Phoenix area has a great new attraction which, mercifully, can be viewed during summer months. The Butterfly Wonderland is open seven days a week and information can be found at http://www.butterflywonderland.com/. I confess to buying a year long grandparents pass. Butterfly Wonderland demands more than one visit!

Arizona Secrets #1

This will likely be a series of posts. In 1972, the first spring Brenda and I lived in Arizona, we jumped in our little red Mustang and made our way to the Grand Canyon and back in one day. Since that time we have explored every corner of the state, even some places the public can't go to now There is such variety here that we have found many surprises and have been amazed with what we have experienced. We've found alpine mountains with a Canadian climate, swamps, hidden canyons, a mini-Yosemite, lush arroyos, unique history and, of course, fascinating desert. Even if you are an Arizona native, I'm confident you will find something here you didn't know about.

Terrenate
In the 1770's, a small group of Spaniards tried to settle the SanPedro River Valley. Between the towns of Benson and Sierra Vista, west of the river from Tombstone is the remains of that settlement, Terrenate. To reach Terrenate, one must travel a few dirt roads which are easily accessible in a car. Then there is a hike of about a mile to reach the ruins. In 1776, the Apaches drove the Spaniards out and the settlement fell into ruins which remain today.

I've read varying stories about the settlement. The one I like the best is that the Apaches knew if the Spaniards could build a wall over five feet tall to protect the settlement that they would not be able to keep the Spanish from settling their homeland. In a series of attacks, the Spaniards were driven out and abandoned all plans to settle the San Pedro River Valley.

Terrenate is a best Arizona secret.

Ramsay Canyon
The Nature Conservancy owns Ramsay Canyon and it is protected as a nature preserve. In southern Arizona, the desert is dotted with what are called sky islands. Sky islands are mountains which rise from the desert floor to an elevation of 8,000 to 12,000 feet. Obviously, the ecology changes the further one goes up a sky island. The most famous of these is Mt. Lemon north of Tucson. There is a road to the top with the country's southernmost ski resort at the top.

Ramsay Canyon is located just southwest of Sierra Vista in the Huachuca (wa-chew-ka) Mountians. Ramsay has a limited number of people who can go in each day, but there are cabins available to rent. One advantage being that one can hike in the morning and evening when the canon is closed to other visitors. In the spring, it is a birders paradise as migrating humming birds travel through. Ramsay is a mecca for bird watchers and draws people from around the world. A short hike through Ramsay Canyon is like you being on display for the animals to view: a reverse zoo. We've seen numerous deer, a cheerful coati and, of course, countless birds.

Snakes and bears have been seen, so one must exercise a bit of caution at Ramsay.

Sandhill Cranes
Just east of Tombstone and south of Wilcox is a large playa or dry lake bed. Every winter this area plays hose to thousands of Sandhill Cranes who wisely winter in Arizona. They are noisy and interesting large birds. The town of Wilcox celebrates the arrival of these cranes and is a great place to obtain information about where to go for a look. Bring binoculars as it is not possible to get too close. There is also a rare beetle that lives on the playa, but I didn't try to find them!

If you enjoyed reading about these "Arizona secrets," there is more to come.

Nando's!

As promised, I am going to have more fun with this blog. I can't think of anything more fun than eating! Is my age showing?

Brenda and I have been hunting a great Mexican restaurant in Gilbert since we moved here. We like dives. Tia Rosa's is very good, a super, comfortable place to take guests. The have the best salsa ever, but it was not quite what we were after.

I had lunch at Nando's (corner of Val Vista and Baseline) before, but wanted to try a full scale, stuff yourself dinner.

Although it was prime time on a Friday evening, we were seated without much wait. The staff was attentive to Brenda's wheelchair needs and were very kind. It was loud.

Brenda ordered a taco and chile relleno. I asked for a chicken chimi. Just to top things off, I ordered a cheese crisp with veggies  and some guacamole to slather on anything I wanted. We both had a coke. One of us had diet. Chips and salsa were okay, but nothing special. The salsa seemed like a good quality institutional salsa, but the cheese crisp was exceptional. It was really crispy and the taste was fantastic. Brenda and I agreed that would could have had a cheese crisp and go home, but we are hungry Americans and so proceeded.

Brenda said her chile relleno was the best she's ever had. I had a small taste and thought it was one of the fine flavors ever. Her taco was a guacamole taco and that would have been hard to ruin even at Taco Bell. My chimi was heaven. I ordered a la carte and it still filled the plate. It was stuffed with generous amounts of white meat chicken. It was topped with all the sour cream and guacamole I could handle.

We've found our Mexican place in Gilbert(Okay, Mesa is just across the street.). Nando's is THE place. If any one thinks there is better Mexican food in Gilbert I'd like to know about it.

For Ryan!

Last week, our grandson, Hayden Dille left for a two year mission to Guatemala. Nephew Ryan Mangum was visiting and asked me if I was still writing. I said no and he told me he read my efforts. I guess I've stopped because I figured no one was reading. So this one is for you Ryan!

As I write anew, I am determined to make my entries more entertaining with more variety and to do double spell check. There will be fewer politics rants and more of what makes life good.

With Hayden's departure, I have been very reflective. It is impressive to think about what turns our lives. Whether you are a believer or not, my decision to become a member of the LDS Church 50 years ago has affected everything that has happened since. I thought I was "the" convert, but going on a mission myself, raising a family, having a son and now a grandson go on a mission, I didn't convert, I metaphorically planted a tree. One seed. A lot of fruit. Even if one feels the Church is not an attractive option, my decision to become a member has changed many things.

We all have points in our lives where things change. As some know, I lived with two alcoholics many years ago. The day they took their first drinks, things changed for them. A door opened. It happens in all kinds of directions. I'm so grateful mine was a happy direction.