Welcome home to spring in Arizona

Nothing like leaving fall in South Africa and returning to spring in Arizona.  Temperatures changed from 25/15C (72/55F) with 82% humidity to 77/39F (25/4C) with 13% humidity.  Flowers are not only blooming in central Arizona they’re almost done blooming.  And there’s a bit of green in some of the trees burnt in the Yarnell Fire.

Aerial views east to west/left to right:  East coast, Pennsylvania, maybe Illinois River, Midwest farmlands, don’t know, mountains New Mexico

30 hours after leaving Johannesburg I arrived home.  The flights were fine but way too long.  Night flight for the first 15 hours then daylight across the diversity of the USA.

Slept in my own bed for the first time in 87 days.  Wow, is it every comfortable.  And after 78 out of 84 nights of camping and wandering bleary eyed to the communal bathrooms in camp I almost got lost finding my own toilet, not an easy thing to do in a RV.  The first morning at 6am—early for me—I tried to remember how to make coffee in my espresso machine.  I got really spoiled with Joan making the coffee every morning.

Then off to Prescott 30 miles away to restock the groceries, look for work shoes and at desktop computers.  I actually didn’t get lost and remembered how to drive on the right side of the road.  But I didn’t see any elephants in the brush or catch sight of dassies on the rocky outcrops.  Darn it.  I did however, see a golden eagle perched on a telephone pole on the drive-by back to home.

I rejoiced at the Ponderosa Pines heading in to Prescott.  My favorite tree to smell and see.

Soon I’ll be surrounded by the pine forest at the North Rim at Grand Canyon National Park.  And although I’ll start back to work April 28th, the North Rim doesn’t open to the public until May 15th baring a great snowfall.