There are many places I want to visit, want to spend a week or two exploring, but already know they are not candidates for long term residency. I want to go to Alaska a few years from now, but I know I don't want to stay there. I am planning a two month trip to Florida, but don't expect to settle in the Keys. New England and the Maritime Provinces call to me, but I know we will travel back to the Western U. S. in the long term.
As a blogger, I hope to be true to myself in my reactions to different parts of this great country. Some people are compelled to only write glowing reports of where they are what they are doing.
Someone wrote to us after we commented on the winds that "they never were bothered by wind in Phoenix." They said they had seen dust clouds on TV, but had none where they lived. This person said they hoped our house would close soon so we could go where we wanted to go. We already are! We wanted to come to Anza-Borrego. We may just be a little late in the spring. We enjoyed the desert outside of Palm Springs last year, but we were there in December. We were fascinated by Death Valley, but our visit there was in January.
Time of day also has a lot to do with enjoying the desert too. We are really not morning people. All winter we enjoyed late mornings in bed reading and sipping our coffee. Years ago, when I was a smoker, I was always up early so I could get my first hit of nicotine Then there were the dog years. With our last dog it was my job to get up early, let her out, wait for her to return, give her an injection of insulin and feed her. Then I would snuggle back into the warm bed and read the morning paper.
Now we naturally wake up about 7 AM, and by the time we do all our morning things at a leisurely pace, it can be 9 AM before we are both ready to do or go anywhere. This is not compatible with desert living. It seems to me that hiking might be best at 6-8 AM, and sitting outdoors is best after sunset.
We lived in the Dallas area for four years. I remember one year when it did not get below 100 degrees (at any time of day) for over 30 days. We went from our air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned stores, back to the air-conditioned house. We had a very nice pool, but it was too hot to swim during the day. I didn't mind. That was where we were and that was what the summers were like. We could not move on.
I wrote about this week's wind as an experience. It was real. The rocking of the coach as we lay in bed was not nearly as scary as listening to the wind in the trees that towered above us at Camp Driveway. We knew we were quite safe in Anza-Borrego. Someday I may write about seeking shelter in the cement block bathroom structure in a midwest park because of a tornado warning. It will be an experience, not an indication that we didn't want to be where were at that time. An adventure.
Some of my attitude yesterday might have also been because my physical endurance is also not up to par these days. After sitting around waiting for the house to close, I have gained a bit of weight again. I love to hike. I love to climb rocks, but the heat and my weakness makes things less exhilarating. I will get back into shape!
What a difference a day can make. On Friday, we woke to a cool morning with no wind. We went over to the Borrego Springs farmer's market, bought a few things, returned to the campground and hooked up for our short drive back to El Centro.
We had extended our stay by one day so that we could meet Nan and John Talley, and go to the Friday market. It was really a good thing we did, because we avoided the wind on the road.
The market was smaller than we expected, but everything was good quality and reasonable priced.
We are now back at Rio Bend in El Centro and have just had some very positive news about the house sale.
Life is good.
