Is it any surprise?!

10 July, 2019; Vail AZ

I succumb to the appeal of the Sonoran Desert!

I got the house keys on May 15

The desert is very beautiful in springtime!

I buy a house in the middle of it all

I knew that after 3 years of full-timing, my 'requirements' for a new home would be very different from my last home.  I need a feeling of space, privacy, desert views, and lots of outdoor living space; Also, an ice maker, full size bathroom and kitchen (my realtor laughed at these requests!).

I found it all on just under 1 acre of Sonoran Desert southeast of Tucson AZ.  Lots of projects - but at the end of the day I watch the sunset over the nearby Rincon Mountain Range; or, take a dip in the pool!  In the mornings, I drink coffee and watch bunnies, ground squirrels, quail, lizards, roadrunners etc wander around the front yard.

Currently, I'm 'camping out' in my new house.  I have projects to complete before I arrange for the contents of my storage unit in Oregon to be shipped down here (or I drive it down - haven't decided yet).  

Gila Monster in my driveway

I have several Spiny Lizards that share the property

The sunsets are lovely

Phoebe is getting the lay of the land

Roadrunners zoom thru on a regular basis

I think this big guy is a Palo Verde Bug

I'm getting to know some of my other 'neighbors'.  A huge coyote followed us for awhile on a walk recently - staring speculatively at Phoebe (I now carry a heavy walking stick on our evening walks).

As Phoebe takes care of business on her before-bedtime outing, I regularly commune with my resident wolf spider - outside of it's burrow every night.  I've watched several families of Gambel Quail as they herd their little one's around - from the tiny puff balls my friends call 'tater tots', to adolescents, they amuse me and frustrate Phoebe - they're always just out of reach.

So far, I've only seen one snake on my property - a good one hiding in the pack rat trap outside my fence.  It was re-homed a little further away from the fence.

I'm loving it here!

I still plan on traveling a bit - but I'll be reversing the timing.  I'll still winter in the southwest (in the house), but plan on traveling during the hottest months of the Tucson summer - I have some ideas for trips thru Canada and the northern states.  Who knows where the hot summer monsoons will blow me.