The Urban Desert At 110° F

Sun bearing down on patch of ground...

To experience it is to take a photowalk mid-afternoon.

Urban Desert Revival

Dust storm followed by rain changes the season...

Yesterday was quite the day for weather in Phoenix tipping the balance from hot urban heat island summer to cool winter. Simply put we only have two seasons here: very hot summer and temperate winter; for all practical purposes we skip the in between seasons. The leaves on deciduous trees don't turn and drop off until late November and then bud green and mature in late March. During four blasting months of summer we get cabin fever in the reverse of colder climates since June through September our temperatures are in triple digits ranging around 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius). We get some rain but due to the urban heat island effect most rainfall doesn't move into the city so we get dust storms instead.

Yesterday was a classic shift of weather in from one season to another that occurs with a transitioning storm. In the morning a balmy wind started blowing and the sky was overcast and appeared as if we were getting another mild dust storm. It turned out to be a full blown dust storm by midday slowing and even stopping freeways and enveloping the city obscuring buildings and distant mountains. After the storm blew through there was a brief period of weak sun but by late afternoon storm clouds were gathering. Around 17:30 from on top of my roof I could see rain falling in spot cells off in the distance. Then the unique tint that comes from the desert sky when weather is mixing cast over the desert floor in its beautiful way.

A little while later came steady rain washing summer's dust and grime off roofs, streets, trees and ground giving everything a good wash down. This storm brought with it cooler air from Alaska no less and we had turned the page from our long parched summer to the fair pleasant cool season starting our winter. All summer scorched time has stood still while we waited for salvation from the weather and now it is time for our winter revival.

Tucson AZ

Down and out in the boondocks...

Hit by the economic downturn and tragedy but not out for good.

The Old Pueblo is showing its age through this economic downturn. Tucson is a bit tarnished from the transition in the previous decade from a quaint small city with a university to a popular relocation destination with a lot of lookalike housing surrounding it. It once had a thriving film location business and attractions that suffered unfortunate fates both fueled by fire. The original Old Tucson movie studios and the community on top of Mt. Lemon both burned down and never restored to what they once were.

The natural beauty of the Sonoran desert around Tucson is still alive. The two rainy seasons, winter and summer, keeps the desert lush. Tucson and Pima County made wise decisions decades ago to reduce light pollution by having little street lighting due to the nearby observatories and preserving the desert landscaping by ordinance. It escaped the importation of plants and remaking the desert into a California-like city as Phoenix did. Due to its geography and these measures the urban heat island effect is limited.

For seven Biblically epic long years I lived in Oro Valley just north of the city. In those years I witnessed the town transform from a sleepy stable horse and ranch village to a suburb that rivaled those of Phoenix with seemingly endless miles of stucco and red tile roof houses most people could not really afford. I lived at the base of Pusch Ridge and my home was immune to the worst of it but Oracle Road, the main thoroughfare, became nearly impossible to navigate to get there. Worse, I lost three jobs due to companies disappearing from the area. Tucson metros major problem is employers such as AT&T, Lucent, IBM, Qwest, UPS and others departed to be replaced by low paying contract call centers. The remaining employers, defense contractors, military, aviation, Pima County and the University of Arizona have entrenched employees subject to frequent cutbacks and layoffs.

Tucson stands alone as a liberal political island surrounded even in its own county by a conservative constituency more aligned with the rest of the state. In my recent visit there it seems the tragic event of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords took away what confidence was left out of the area. The city itself  and the territory around it also appear worn down and bereft. Its close proximity to the border has taken its toll also. This once thriving alternative to Phoenix seems to have lost its way, unsure of what to do and where to go next. My estimation is that Tucson metro still has a lot going for it and although it will take time the region will pick itself up, dust off and revitalize into an even better place than it once was.