What is it about Scottsdale, Arizona that keeps a nomadic spirit tethered to her soil for 32 years?
What magic do these desert arroyos and mountain vistas possess to hold a native's heart hostage?
The answers change daily.
Today's? Sunshine on my face.
With friends in town, I followed a long Saturday night with an early Sunday morning. An old college soccer buddy was in town for his wife to run in the PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon. Standing bleary eyed at the finish line (Sun Devil Stadium at ASU), my friend and I mainlined coffee and espresso as we waited for her to ultimately place 15th in the half marathon amongst all women. Unaccustomed to running in such warm, dry conditions, she managed to establish a new personal best as well.
By the time I made my way back home, in true Arizona splendor, the day had decided upon a glorious 67 degrees.
Exhausted, but content, I settled under the big ash tree in my yard. Atop a mattress of fallen leaves, the sun's warmth upon my cheeks, it wasn't long before I unexpectedly succumbed to sleep.
I have no idea how long I napped, but I recall dreaming.
I dreamed of a place without ice nor snow. Where sunshine is not scraped from windshields nor shoveled from driveways. Where leaves do not grudgingly fall from trees until the middle of January. Where blue skies are interrupted only by the occasional passage of migrating Canadian Geese. Where license plates on passing cars bear the insignias of far away states as often as not. Where only the people are sunnier than the weather. Where visitors come in droves and decide to stay awhile. Where children wear t-shirts and smiles year-round.
And grown men fall asleep under trees.
Tugged from my slumber by insistent, little hands, the dream is alive and well in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Funny thing, though. There wasn't anything about overdue diaper changes in my dream.
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Well done, Paul. 60s here today too...isn't it great!
p.s. Does that alarm clock come with a snooze button?
Life is good, Paul, life is good.
What a treat... Thank you for that, Paul... The sunshine we have plenty of here, but the leaves grudgingly hold on to the branches, and flat our refuse to either fall or turn any shade other than green.
A magical setting you paint:-)
Hey Paul,
Great photos, looks like life is good for you, and you're so right about Scottsdale!
Like Marlene(before me) said your friend's wife must be quite a runner to finish 15th overall. I've done the Rock-Roll in San Diego 3X myself, but I'm always bringing up the rear.
Our psyches would really benefit from spending more time gazing up at a canopy of branches from a bed of leaves. All the snowbirds googling "sunshine" are going to find treasure in Scottsdale.
If it does, Lisa, I have yet to find it. It does have a "here-you-go-honey" button, though ;)
I can't do 17 degrees, Julie. I would freeze to death with my thin desert blood. You can bet that I will keep these little ones right next to me so I don't miss anything along the way. Come see us if those temperatures don't start seeing the other side of freezing pretty soon!
A perfectly wonderful dream, Jennifer. Thanks for mentioning the boys. They keep me young even when they make me old. Sleeping at the foot of an old tree in the sun's warmth is something every man, woman and child should experience. Pure bliss. Of course, there is always the allure of getting pelted by the rain with arms outstretched as you alluded. Lying in nature's bed and receiving whatever she has to offer is rejuvenating.
"...I dreamed of a place without ice nor snow..." Come on, Paul. It's only -30. That's almost short sleeve weather. LOL
-30, Jesse? That's it? You might have to write your own one of these ;)
It is hotter than blazes in the summer, Adam, but much more bearable than the sticky heat you find elsewhere. I'll take 115 and dry as a bone over 95 degrees with 95% humidity. That's just brutal. Like throwing on a cotton sweatsuit and stepping into a sauna. For those with thick Eastern blood, such as yourself, escape is only an hour an a half away. Northern AZ rises about 7000 feet in elevation in that distance, making for temps that are often 25-35 degrees cooler. Don't fear the sun, Adam! It's your friend.
There's always room for one more, Rick. Hop on that plane and forget about the cold for awhile. Play some golf, climb a mountain, sleep under a tree ... whatever floats your boat!
That is a wild swing, Dan. I can only imagine that there will be a bunch of folks destined to be under the weather with such gyrations in the weather patterns. As for us, looks like another 67-68 degrees today.
Paul,
It's nice to see that you have returned to us from your place of ARGH! That was a great story. There are so many people that don't really appreciate a good nap under a big oak tree on a bed of leaves. I'm jealous as I just came in from snow blowing a foot of snow off the driveway.
Great to see you, William. Thanks for your kind thoughts. You know I consider you a friend as well, and it is always a pleasure to see your name pop up in my comments. I've got some catching up to do on your blog.
We'll see, Marlene. I think the biggest inhibitor to me ever running a marathon is knowing full well that I could do it. Seems like a lot of time committed to something that I know would be challenging, but not necessarily unobtainable. A little quirk of my personality is that I tend to ignore challenges that seem feasible in favor of spectacularly unrealistic pursuits.
You've always got a friendly place to visit when someday comes, Kelly. Let me know if you ever make it this way and I'll be an eager tour guide.
Thank you, Elizabeth. I love that picture, too. It's even better that my youngest is shrieking his head off. What a clear demonstration that even the most idyllic moments are fleeting and should be savored while they last. Thanks for always dropping in with nice things to say about my writing.
Hi, Martin. I am well far away from my place of Arrgh! A mellow moment under a big tree tends to do that to a person. If you ever feel like getting away from that snow for a few days, give me a buzz.
Brrr -gonna be below zero wind chill in NW IN this weekend :0 Great photos and post Paul ...and don't worry - the overdue diaper changes are a temporary situation LOL
Sincerely,
Grace
Paul, this is a great localism post. AND your little ones? Adorable! I think it's cool to share photos like this. It helps you get the google juice and helps people get to know you better.
Paul- I love this post! I especially love the grown men falling asleep under trees etc..I recently put my 5 yr plan on paper and it includes relocating to AZ. So..we might be closer someday...Muahahahahaha!
Not sure where in AZ yet, gonna do some looking around, might call you up and bend your ear a bit if it's ok?
Love the pic with the kids, beautiful!
Paul:
Great post! enjoyed the pictures and story. Scottsdale is a beautiful city.
Bend my ear anytime, Vanessa. The Southwest is ready for you to come home.
Alan, thank you, my man. It will always be home, regardless of where life takes me.
I can think of far worse places than The Princess, Chrissy. I'm about 10 minutes South via the Loop 101. I'd love to field that call if you ever feel like looking at some local investments. Of course, you can also look me up the next time you're in town just to grab a cup of coffee and say hello.
Paul...Loved the photos of your son playing in the leaves. Raising children in warm weather is a delight. I agree. My oldest was only 5 months old when we moved to Puerto Rico. We were there for four years and loved every minutes of it. Than on to Houston for a couple of years and than to Rome, Italy where the winters were certainly colder but not too bad at least compared to Alaska where I wound up some years later.
Right now we are experiencing our Virginia winter. Every once in a while we think of going away for a month or so in the winter but have yet to do it. We usually go down to one of the Caribbean islands for a week or two or on a cruise. A couple of winters ago I went to Antarctica while it was summer there.
It's wonderful when you live where you want to be. I'm a transplant to Virginia but it is definitely home.
Cheers,
Kathleen
P.S. Thanks for stirring up memories of when my children were young like yours.