Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore

I am a midwestern girl. Raised in Detroit, schooled in Ann Arbor, I've lived in our house on Michigan Avenue in Evanston, Illinois (which I LOVE and have no intention of leaving, btw) for 37 years. It's not that I haven't been around; it's just that my travels have always coincided with the school calendar: Wonderful summer trips to Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, houseboating in Kentucky and, yes, Europe. (ahhh, Provence. Sigh.) Winter trips were to resorts in the tropics during Winter Break. We'd join the hordes in Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Aruba, St. Maarten, Guadalupe where I'd pick up a quick sunburn (hello, basal cell carcinoma) and a few extra pounds from lounging by the pool and catching up on my reading.

As we wrap up week one of our Arizona adventure, I'm coming to appreciate so many things. First, it is an amazing treat to travel whenever the spirit moves us rather than lockstepping with the academic world. Second, there is a world of difference between vacationing somewhere and living there. Third, there are greater choices in winter than the two extremes I've experienced (winter slush and snow ... and palm-lined beaches)The desert climate of Tucson suits me suprisingly well. The lack of humidity means great hair days(yay!) and cranky contact lenses (boo!). The brisk, bright days are energizing, and the cool nights make for great sleeping.

I'm just knocked out by the uniqueness of the flora and fauna here. My expectation (wrong!) was that everything would look dead and parched. Where was the thrill in cactus, anyway? Actually, I find the varieties of cacti fascinating. We've got the full complement on our property. There are the tubby barrel cacti with their golden "Burger King" crowns, the Gumby-shaped saguaros, the garden variety prickly cactus, fuzzy "Teddy Bear" cactus, and my personal favorite, the purple cactus. You gotta love a cactus that matches your outfit! We also have fabulous agave plants and even a few palm trees. All the flora is sculptural; some are whimsical. Just gorgeous. I really don't miss the grassy lawns of home. Anyway, they're currently buried under dirty snow.

This morning we took a walk "around the block." That translates to an almost 2 mile loop through our 'hood. We have been seeing cotton -tailed bunnies, geckos, and quail (with their cute crested heads) on a fairly regular basis. We have been alerted that we can expect to see javelinas (like wild pigs, but uglier), bobcats (they don't bother humans), and probably some harmless snakes. (I watch each step I take, which is a good thing because they don't clean up their dog poop here.) We are always reminded that we are sharing the earth with nature's creatures.

So, we headed out this morning for a brisk walk, sticking close to home because of the dire weather predictions. (The most we got all day was a bit of a drizzle and some dark clouds.) Within our first 100 steps we encountered 3 well-fed coyotes in a neighbor's yard. They were gang-hunting a rabbit. I froze. Michael hollered at them. So macho. They ignored us and went about their chase. This reminds me of our first hike in Sabino Canyon earlier in the week. The rangers made a very big fuss about the danger of mountain lions there. We were instructed that should we encounter a mountain lion we would have no chance of outrunning it. We were to make ourselves look large and maintain constant eye contact with it. Michael nodded, agreeing. It's all his experience with the bears in Alaska, I assume. I informed him that while he made himself look large and maintained eye contact, I would be crouching and quivering, silently shitting myself alongside him. We make a great team.

We continued around the loop of Flecha Drive. Our rental home is in an area called the Flecha Caida. In Spanish it means "fallen arrow." All the mailboxes have arrowhead-shaped markers on them. This is one of the first planned communities in suburban Tucson. It's in what's called the Lower Foothills of the Catalina Mountains. Our home is more than 50 years old, made of burned adobe bricks. The homes are spread out on large acreage. It hardly feels suburban. More like a lovely rural area. In fact, on our walk we met some neighbors, Fran and Peter. Aside from their beautiful golden retriever, Jake, they have several horses. That's Lulu in the photo; isn't she a beauty? Apparently we live in an area where keeping horses is allowed. There are several other homes with corrals. Way cool. I want a pony.

Everyone we've met has been so friendly and welcoming. My impression is that everyone is always in a good mood. We hear, "Have a great day," on a regular basis. Store clerks, shop owners, and many locals we've run into have been so helpful and genuinely delighted to share their knowledge of the town. There is even a radio station that advertises itself as providing "encouraging programming." Given the horrific situation in Haiti and the upsetting Senate election in Massachusetts, I think I'll try tuning in. If all else fails, I can always just go for a walk.