We live on the very edge of Tucson, within a half mile of one of the National Parks that bookmark the city. Since Mrs. Dean and I met in Wisconsin, we’ve been migrating to warmer climates – Dallas, then West Texas, then Tucson. About the only place that’s warmer than Tucson is Yuma (also Phoenix, which runs a few degrees hotter than Tucson), so I think we’re done looking for ever warmer climes.
You can’t talk about living in Tucson without talking about the heat. But first, let’s talk about the lack of cold. It rarely gets even as cold as the mid-20s* here, and we get snow that sticks for more than a few minutes probably every other year. Its quite scenic when it happens – there’s something about snow on cactus that just . . . amuses.
The Santa Rita mountains are in the distance. There are jaguars there.
Note: all pics in this post are from our house or very nearby.
But, yeah, it gets hot. And stays hot for awhile. We generally get our first 100 degree day here around the first of May, and by mid-June you can really expect to see them start stringing together. We’re usually done with 100 degree days by, call it mid-October. The cliché, by the way, is true -it’s a dry heat, and having experienced more humid Texas heat, it’s a lot more tolerable, especially in the shade (the sun here will flay the hide right off you in mid-summer). The other benefit of the desert climate is that, as soon as the sun goes down, it cools off quite noticeably. You also get spectacular sunsets:
The big weather feature of summers here is the monsoon (which usually runs from early July through August, maybe into September). By monsoon, they mostly mean some of the more energetic thunderstorms I’ve ever seen, and I grew up in Tornado Alley. Oddly, tornados are unheard of in Southern Arizona. There’s thunderstorms, and then there’s microbursts, which is when a big ol’ thunderhead cloud just collapses on your head:
Along with the thunderstorms come rainbows:
I’ve never seen as many rainbows anywhere as I do here. And near our house, on very rare occasions, the flash flooding creates a no-kidding waterfall:
You can actually see this from the end of our driveway, although this picture was taken a lot closer than that. It was about a 10 minute walk.
Flash floods are definitely a thing here during the monsoon, although they are confined to the washes:
One of the really nice things about living where we do is the wildlife.
There’s mule deer:
Bobcats:
Yes, that’s our front porch.
Javelinas:
Not. A. Fan, on account of having some too-close encounters with feral hogs.
The javelinas here are huge, compared to the ones in West Texas. Easily twice the size of anything I saw there.
Also coyotes, Gila monsters, rattlesnakes, and a great variety of birds:
Tucson is a major birding destination.
The desert also has an unexpected number of flowers throughout the year. There’s generally something blooming, except in the winter.
Cactus rose. They come in other colors, too.
No idea what this is.
Ocotillo. This is one is probably 7 -8 feet high, which is typical.
Night-blooming cactus, which I caught at sunrise.
Its not for everybody, but we like it fine.
*All temperatures are in Americanheit.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
+1
Agreed, but you know…scorpions…ick.
Seriously.
Killed a striped bark scorpion in my house this morning. My hunter/killer tactical assault cat told me it was there.
I’m just here to say that you boomered one of the pictures.
I think it’s fixed.
I liked Phoenix well enough. But I was glad to get back to Iowa.
We had the good fortune on our one trip through Death Valley to catch the wildflower bloom, on a spectacular year no less. On another year I hiked with a friend on the east side of the San Diego mountains in the spring and got some other amazing desert blooms.
I meant to include a pic of a saguaro blooming. You just don’t expect a cactus the size of a tree to flower. They just started flowering now, as a matter of fact.
Also interesting bobcat, the ones I’ve seen are much stockier. That almost has the body of a downsized mountain lion.
Same, must be a regional thing.
Wikipedia says
Since the revision of cat taxonomy in 2017, only two subspecies are recognized as valid taxa:
L. r. rufus – east of the Great Plains
L. r. fasciatus – west of the Great Plains
Heh. One named after a famous hardworking muppet and the other after a foot condition.
That’s an unusually skinny one – probably a juvenile. We have pics of another one that is much more typically built.
RC, Mrs. MYB and I agree on the dry climate, but want something just a tad cooler, say around Sedona. Gotta get back there sometime.
Actually, I see I included it in the post.
And yeah, that big mulie was about 10 yards, maybe, from our front porch. You can see a post on the left.
The bobcat looks like he wants breakfast (hopefully, not one of your pets if you have them).
MYB: Take a look at Oracle, just north of the Catalinas. In range of Tucson and Phoenix, in the foothills of the Catalinas, about 10 degrees cooler than Tucson. Pretty country. Mrs. Dean are kinda sorta looking for property to build on there.
I don’t think the Dean Beasts would be on the menu, MYB.
I couldn’t figure out that one plant either.
I love the bobby cats. I miss them around here.
Those weather pics are unreal!!
That shit is far, far, far, far too hot for me. The few days I spent in Phoenix were…OMG ugh.
Same. I don’t care if it’s “dry”. Plus I burn easy.
I’ve experienced 122 in Phoenix (I rode my bike home from work that day). And I’ve experience -32 here in Iowa. The extreme heat is easier to deal with than the extreme cold. You can actually survive a couple of days in the desert without water. But you’ll be dead in a hour caught outdoors in a blizzard.
And yet, here I am in Iowa.
Well, probably not dead in a hour, but you’ll certainly start losing fingers and toes in those temps.
@ kinnath
It is easier to put more layers on than to take more layers off
/spoken as a fat fucker
My first week at work in Wichita, the temperature never got below 100 degF. I’m not built for that!
Tucson is drier and a little cooler than Phoenix – call it 5 degrees in the summer, which counts for a lot. We’ve had a mild May this year – not quite 100 degrees yet, and maybe not for another week. And the dry really makes a big difference, especially when the sun goes down – without humidity, it cools off immediately and the evenings and nights are pleasant.
Yeah, we’re in the pleasant-ish beginning of summer here (upstate NY) – near 90 during the day but low humidity and 60s at night.
In a few weeks the humidity will probably get worse but not as bad as the previous 25 years I lived in NYC knock on wood.
Did you bring your AC with you?
Not sure if this was for me… but no. I have central air now. 😮
Raise your hand if we need moar RC Dean photo essays…those pics are just amazing.
🤘🤘
This was pretty much the cream of the crop, I’m afraid. I don’t take many pictures, and doubt I could put together another set as good as this.
Can we get a check in from the Sconies? I see the at least one Hawkeye has checked in.
The storm front pass over us without problems. The bad stuff split and went around us.
Beer, Cheese, Beer Cheese Soup
Wisconsin Delicacies
I love cheese SO MUCH
Pud Paisley 05/21/24
Poet, activist, agitator, human rights educator
Need Joe to bad mouth cheese and he’ll be grilled in that important swing state.
Swiss will be waiting, wanting to put a few holes in Joe
He’ll melt under Swiss’s red hot gaze.
Yo, CPRM?
Beautiful pictures, thank you.
Those are great pictures.
The pictures are fantastic. The feral hogs make for good eating just FYI.
Those aren’t feral hogs. They’re javelinas – the biggest ones I’ve ever seen, by a lot – the adults could be 100 pounds. They reek – hence the nickname “skunk pig”. I’ve never heard of anyone eating them – I doubt I’d try, and I have them coming through the yard a couple of times a week.
https://honest-food.net/cooking-javelina/
https://georgiapellegrini.com/adobo-javelina-backstrap/
I got pulled over by the Big Bend park police for driving my motorcycle faster than the 40 mph speed limit in Big Bend, TX state park. Her reason was that a javelina could have jumped out in front of me.
Ma’am, you drove faster than I was going to catch up with with me: do javelinas not jump out in front of 3/4 ton Chevy Suburbans as well? I popped a wheelie as I drove away from her.
I want to take this opportunity to brag about my first ever attempt at cooking wild game:
https://drive.proton.me/urls/P6GFT6RGBR#DR0MNtUoPvbo
A venison back strap provided by my BIL. Extremely happy with the results.
Wow, that looks good. The few times I’ve cooked my own I sliced the meat thin, used a very small electric grill and just a little time. I just stood there and ate them about as fast as I cooked them.
Honda’s dropping the manual transmission from their nonperformance Civics, now if you want a run of the mill car with a manual you have to buy an upper trim Mazda3 hatchback:
https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2025-honda-civic-hatchback-manual-transmission.html
What. A. Drag. I realize it’s all a financial decision but I’d still like to say fuck you car companies, fuck you all including Mazda who I’m sure will drop their manual soon enough.
Blame FedGov.
EPA cycle certification and mileage is worse compared 8 plus speed and CVT autos.
I know, I know. I’m just a bit bummed I guess. Driving a small and cheap four cylinder like you’re at the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the few things that makes driving not drudgery.
^*4 cylinder with a manual*
I have fond memories of taking a rental Fiat Punto on the autostrada in Italy.
Two choices. Fourth gear and redline or fifth gear and slow down going up the mountains. Or just draft the trucks…
Everybody else on the trip had a BMW or Alfa rental…
This was great. We had friends that lived in Tempe, and yes that dry heat is different. But I do remember not sleeping at all there, because you can’t have your A/C low enough for my taste.
I was happy to have stayed in a hotel when I was visiting a friend in Phoenix. I just blasted the ever loving fuck out of the AC and didn’t have to worry about her electric bill.
You set the temp for 78 or 80 degrees and then use floor fans to move the air around. No humidity. All you need is a light breeze to be comfortable.
When we moved back, the movers commented on us having six floor fans.
I also didn’t mention – the pic of the wash running is behind our house. It’s downstream of the waterfall, taken the same day. It practically never has that much water in it. Some years it never runs at all.
Virga is the other cool thing about the desert. You watch it rain, but the rain doesn’t make it to the ground.
Just avoid escorting Russel Crowe to catch the 3:10 to Yuma.
That’s some sound advice right there,
You mean Glenn Ford.
Nice pictures, RC, thanks. Always enjoy seeing the wildlife.
It’s funny (odd, strange) how we decide on living in a particular place, even when the other opportunities avail themselves. I’ve lived in the heat of Madrid, the heat/humidity of Central Texas, (I had planned to retire there) and now back in Central Minnesoda where I grew up. I’ve lived in lots of other places as well, though not necessarily by choice.
There are times when winter seems too long, had -50 on the thermometer once, and lots of days of heavy snow. It makes a big difference when a person doesn’t have to make a living. A warm stove, a recliner and a good book sometimes fills the day.
Being a bit on the reclusive side I enjoyed ice fishing alone, 3-4-5 days a week, summer time was the same when the water was softer. Just to be outside in the garden now makes the days so much better. It’s good that we all like different places, city life and close neighbors are not in my play book.
With all those flowers I was thinking bees and distinctive flavored honey.
Most of the pollinating here is done by “sweat bees”, which are actually flies but look like bees. When the mesquites and palo verdes are “blooming” (also, right about now), the buzz of the sweat bees is quite audible in our back yard.
It’s funny, the pull of our childhood homes. I grew up in North Texas, visited New Mexico as a child, lived in Virginia, Boston, Wisconsin, Chicago (for a year), and then somehow wound up back in Texas and then back to the (highish) desert.
Thanks, Dean!
This brings back fond memories of the Nevada desert. Every sunrise and sunset were beautiful. I enjoyed my 1 hour drive from Pahrump to the Nevada test site 4 days a week. Beautiful scenery, very different from Oklahoma and Minnesota.
I could see moving back to Nevada someday. Just not Las Vegas.
On the dry heat, i will add that another huge advantage is the lack of mosquitoes.
Agree on the mosquitos. Most years I can count the total number of bites, for the year, on one hand. Certainly no more than two.
My experience with Arizona is colored by the fact that the vast majority of the time I spent there was at Fort Huachuca and I was taking mind-numbing training courses there. Did go up to Tucson a couple of times the I recall the *ahem* “scenery” around the U of A campus was quite pleasant.
Cool stuff RC. So very different from here in Michigan.
A friend of mine in Oklahoma adopted a sad stray Manx kitten in from the soaking rain.
Cat was happy and thrived. Grew and grew…and grew. A veterinarian confirmed his suspicions, so he went and got the training and paid for an exotic animal license so that he could keep his very sweet bobcat.
That’s a great story.
Nice photos, RC. The bobcat on your porch is adorable.
The one time we were in Tucson, we had just been out to see Saguaro National Park and when we got back to town our water pump went out. So glad it waited until we were in town. Oh, and we had a scorpion in our motel room.
nope nope nope
Mandatory music link: https://youtu.be/U56Ns66Qrb8
Thank you!
Great write up and great photos RC. I’m considering Tucson for my retirement.
I gotta say – this was done on the older editor, and the pics showed as being significantly bigger on the preview when I submitted it. The video of the mule deer in our backyard looks about the same, though.
Honestly, we don’t even know that Arizona exists.
Arizona by Kings of Leon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-yfyZJSBto&ab_channel=KingsOfLeon-Topic
Scorpions – Arizona (Official Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBTWoZzZ8B8&ab_channel=Scorpions
A 1970’s ballad to Tucson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaycaX5a70s
Good local photos to accompany it.
There can be no peace between Firster and human.
One of my earliest memories was from visiting my maternal grandparents in Flagstaff, AZ. We went for a walk. I (about 7 year old pistoffnick) found a fire ant mound. I proceeded to dance triumphantly upon said ant mound. A few moments later, I had shed my pants and was screaming for mercy.
Damn it RC! Now I am having a major homesickness for Tucson and Pima County. (Great photos by the way.)
My youngest brother and his wife recently moved back to Tucson after decades working in the “Penix” area. They purchased a house in the foothills with a view of Baboquivari Peak as well. They woke to a bobcat snoozing on their fence. Of course they sent me pictures of both.
Tucson is a great area and I am looking forward to someday moving back that way. You forgot to mention the extensive bike pathways running along the River and the Wash.
Former Ft Lowell Historic District resident.
Update on Iowa tornados: here are some photos of the aftermath of one about 10 miles from our house.
The photographer used to work for Mrs. Whiz when she was the editor for the Ames section of the Des Moines Register.
Wow. That’s bad – and too close for comfort for you, I’m sure. Glad you’re OK, sad that there are so many others who aren’t.
Whoa. Brick cladding does not a brick house make.
Great stuff, councilor. Thanks much.
Since I’m only on my phone for the AM Links, I’ll post it here:
Who comes up with these names?
I miss Baked Penguin’s Secret Nazi President cartoons.
I used to have a boss named Venu.
I was thinking about “streaming” again as I occasionally do when I remember how much sports I used to be able to watch on cable and the only real conclusion is whatever they’re doing, they’re not doing it for our own good. They’re doing it to gouge more money out of us and I’m sure this is no different.
Looks like it’s really a fancy name for a sportscentric streaming bundle. If you like to watch grown men throwing balls around it might not be a bad deal but if it’s too popular they will jack up the price as sure as night follows day.
Yup… I used to have ESPN+ until they doubled the price, against the contract I signed.
Been a bit sour on “streaming” shit ever since.
Venu – you sure it won’t be a streaming service dedicated to women’s sports, maybe with one men’s sport that you really, really like?
You have to watch a game from five different womens’ sports to unlock on game from a men’s league.
If the service suddenly starts making money, they’ll change its name (obviously) to parvenu.
So I’m the only person here who thought of Xenu?
Yes, you were.
Good morning all!
Today’s music is a ‘rerun’ of one I’ve shared before.
Two reasons: first and foremost, a celebration of WebDom’s efforts to drag the site into the brave new future.
Second, a celebration of the ‘cure’ for my IBS. For any sufferers of IBS-D, check out low dose amitryptiline hcl. I can now eat ‘real food’, which I never expected to happen.
So, The Byrds
Change is Now
Share and enjoy!
Makes sense, the tricyclics will plug up some people like you’ve been eating cement but if your problem’s the opposite of that they’ll make you “normal.” They’re great meds that are good for all kinds of stuff and cheap too.
Thanks, Beau, for the Old Guy music that a dad could enjoy with his kids, so many years ago.
As a 3.5score, +2 (soon to be +3), I can relate 😉 The Byrds had a significant impact during my adolescence. Still love them 😉
Happy Morrissey’s birthday.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vDdQcfz6pbo&pp
Happy national vanilla pudding day!
Not a euphemism. 😉🌄👀
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9F14ZuwC94
Totally rocking cover. FR.
🎶🎶
Shhhh, you’ll wake Ol’ Joe up and there won’t be enough left for the rest of us.
Morning, Glibs.
I hate that I had to put the AC in, but I appreciate that the AC is in. It’s only late May!
🥵
All of the forecasts for this week have been revised sharply upwards since I last checked.
Yup. It went from comfortable here to disgusting in about two weeks. Highs in the 90’s everyday for the next 5 months.
Tomorrow’s “relief” is now in the 80s. Ugh.
I hope this is not upstate normal cuz I didn’t sign up for this shit.
Nah, that’s July weather, we don’t normally get this in May.
Good morning, U, Sean, TO’G, Stinky, Beau, rhy, Ted’S., and TAFKAL, and good afternoon, Pie!
Whew! 😅
Morning
Mornin’.
Mornin, Red!
I think I will resume hibernation.
This was a beautiful photo essay. The Arizona board of tourism/immigration could borrow you for a day or two.
You are polluting the pristine environment of the desert with your presence you should move.
Good mid day ish glibbies.
“The Great ‘McFlation’: Bidenomics’ Failure Revealed In One Chart”
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/great-mcflation-bidenomics-failure-revealed-one-chart
Jeez, I didn’t realize that Grade Q meat (mostly circus animals, some filler) prices had gone that far through the roof. You can eat at a midlevel sit down place like Chili’s or Applebees for less than that.
I was waiting at a red light this morning, across from me was a burger king. Their ad sign was for a 2 for $5 breakfast sandwich deal. My thought was “How bad have things gotten that that sounds like a good deal?”
burger king in romania does not offer breakfast. a mcdonalds bacon egg mcmuffin is like 1.7$
I think those scare-prices are at captured locations like rest stops.
I can get Five Guys for less than that.
Trump was lucky the last time, he got out early before his phony money caught up to him. He won’t be so lucky this time. He likes to spend money and he’s not a Milei.
Doggone it! I still have the lingering cough from whatever upper respiratory yuck I had at the end of March, and now I’m pretty sure my seasonal plant allergies are kicking in! 😒🤧
Ugh.
I hate it when the linger is that long. I can at least empathize, since I still have a lingering cough from last week’s nightmare. Though I don’t have seasonal allergies, so for that you have my sympathies instead.
You have plenty of your preferred brand of facial tissues, I hope?
I do. Puffs, no lotions (or other additives,) please. (Fun-ish fact: a friend’s daughter found out the hard way that Puffs with Vicks is NOT an appropriate choice to offer guests at a funeral. 🤧😖)
Agreed. It may be crassly phrased, but tissues with lotion always feel pre-snotted to me. 😖
And why would you make tissues with Vicks in them? That’s just going to be all kinds of messy.
Having witnessed the Vicksed-up Puffs, I can verify that they were dry (dehydrated Vapo-Rub?) and they might be just the thing for a stuffed-up nose…but not for cryin’ eyes. 😭
an anti yuck vaccine is needed
The trouble with an anti yuck vaccine is that sometimes the vaccine itself is a yikes. 😳
Looking through an old PDR under the ‘Y. Hmmm, nothing for a case of of the yucks. I don’t know, GT, sorry I couldn’t help. I recommend a spoonful of honey and a cup of hot tea, your choice of flavor
Whatever I was having an allergic reaction to earlier this month seems to be past. Thankfully.
maybe you were allergic to the former site format, good think it changed.
Great photos! After 21 years in the desert, both Nevada and New Mexico I was done. Loved both of them though, especially southern New Mexico (White Sands area). Now time to enjoy the green.
Last time at White Sands the missus stole some of the sand, she has a little diorama with the little wooden African animals she brought back from another trip.