All about Tucson

Tucson is a really cool place. I have been so pleasantly surprised at how much I really like it here. When Aaron first started interviewing for his job here, I was extremely upset. At first I didn't think anything would come of it, but when they flew him down to see the area, I was upset that he would even entertain the idea. If we had to leave Reno, I wanted it to be somewhere close to family. We didn't know a soul in Tucson, nor had we ever been there before.

When he was offered the job here, I cried. I was mad at Aaron for moving us somewhere in oblivion, once again. He was so sweet and said to me, "I'm sorry, I didn't try to lose my job. This is the only offer that we have." So then I felt like a schmuck and decided to buck up and be a little more supportive. I was convinced I would hate it here. What was in Tucson anyway?

I've learned that when you expect the worst, it can't be any worse than that. In this case, it was far better. We fell in love with our neighborhood and the friendliness of the people here. Perhaps that is what truly makes it great is how friendly everyone is. Within a month Camden had made some good friends that he played with daily, and in turn, I made friends with their mothers.

I think Tucson is beautiful. We came here in May and I was surprised at how much vegetation there is here. Many of you may laugh at that, but it's true....especially after living in Reno. I love the desert flowers, the abundance of Mesquite trees, the aloe vera plants, the cactus, well all of it! Reno has one plant: sage brush. Tucson is a vast improvement from that.

As far as the landscape goes, it is dry and dusty with some really neat desert vegetation. But I like it. Tucson is surrounded by mountains which is just perfect for me. Perhaps the best known is Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina mountain range in Coronado National Forest. It takes us one hour to drive up to the summit from our house. It's elevation is 9157 ft. Why would you care about the elevation? I'll tell you. In one hour's time I go from saguaro cactus in a dusty desert to beautiful pine trees and cool mountain air. It's like driving from Mexico to Canada, in one hour. In the summer it is my saving grace. When it is scorching hot down here, it is about thirty degrees cooler up there. We go hiking and picnicking a lot to escape the heat. In the winter, there is snow there. It has the southernmost ski resort in the country so you can ski or sled or whatever you want.

Many people think they wouldn't be able to handle the heat of the Arizona summers. Well, I can't argue that it isn't hot. It does get hot. But most people think it is like Phoenix, but it is NOT as hot as Phoenix. We are at a higher elevation here so we don't get those crazy 117 degree temperatures. It does get over 100 often, and for a few months too. But I can live with that. That's why we have a swimming pool in the neighborhood and the mountains close by.

The biggest perk to the heat is obviously an awesome winter. There's nothing quite like riding bicycles in December to see the Christmas lights, or doing yard work on a seventy degree January day. I don't miss the snow, I don't need it, and Christmas still occurs whether or not there is snow on the ground. I especially love how the kids can play outside all year round without being cold. And if I have a need for snow, I can just drive up the mountain and there it is!

I mentioned in my previous post about the sunsets here. I am always amazed at how gorgeous they are. They are practically a daily occurrence, and yet they always take my breath away. I lived in Key West, FL, which is famous for their sunsets. In fact, in Key West there is a nightly festival at Mallory Square where the town comes to view the sunset and celebrate. Guess what? The sunsets here are better.

Then there's the wildlife. Our neighborhood is out in the boonies a bit so we get a lot of wildlife here. Javelina roam the neighborhood streets and in October they even ate a bunch of pumpkins in the neighborhood. I see road runners all the time and lots of bunny rabbits, and of course lizards. We hear the coyotes howl and I saw one in the neighborhood once, which I don't enjoy! There is some other wildlife that I have been blessed with not encountering but I'm sure I am bound to, such as rattle snakes and scorpions. I really don't want to run into those.

Tucson is also a very fit and green city. I have never seen so many cyclists or runners anywhere. One morning I counted how many cyclists I saw on my way to Target, which is about a 10 minute drive. I counted 43, one way. It's pretty cool and has inspired Aaron to get out riding more as well. There are several observatories here, so the city is very dark at night. There aren't very many street lights or any type of light pollution. Sometimes I wish I could see the twinkle of city lights at night like Vegas or Salt Lake has, but that doesn't happen here.

Perhaps one of the most attractive things here is the cost of living. I realize that's one of those things that is relative to where you currently live. For us, coming from Reno, the cost of living is so much less. Everything is much cheaper from housing to gas to airport parking to HOA dues.

So for all of you out there who has ever wondered what Tucson is like, now you know. I know it was lengthy, but I hope you enjoyed it.