Hey Sandi! And Mr. T., of course. There were times when I watched Free Solo that I thought that I was up there with him. The physical and mental achievements of that climb were, to me, simply staggering. Glad you both enjoyed it - just don't try this at home.
The monsoons continue! This past Thursday night we had a monster storm that raged through Tucson. The lightning flashes were so bright that they lit up the bedroom and woke us up. The flashes were followed by thunderclaps so loud they shook the house and set off Mr. Sandi's truck alarm. Fortunately we had no damage to our home or yard but many areas in and around Tucson had downed trees and were without power. Mr. Sandi, Ellie, and I went for a walk on the following morning (Friday) to see whether the normally dry and sandy-bottomed Rillito River was running. Boy, was it ever! Some of the water in the river is runoff from rain in the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north of us. All of it looks brown because it's just churning up dirt and sand. And this year, due to the Bighorn Fire in the Catalinas last year around this time, there's also fire debris and soot that comes down the mountains with the water. Our home is on the south bank of the river and we walk Ellie about 2-3 miles on the path each morning. This pedestrian / bicycle path is heavily used and is where we typically ride our bicycles. This bridge is about half a mile from our house so we realized very quickly that we'd be taking a detour today. Yesterday (Saturday) it rained steadily all day long which is incredibly rare for Tucson. No riding, no walking, just lots of hanging out watching the Olympics and reading and eating. And trying to get the Ellie to go out in the rain to "do her business". We've learned over the years that most boxers don't like rain, especially the girl dogs. Today (Sunday) we awoke to yet more rain and again it was coming down steadily. We could actually hear the river when we opened up our windows to let in some of the blissfully cool breeze. A little before noon the rain started to let up and provided a window of opportunity for a walk. We walked the opposite direction from last time to see what the path and river looked like to the west. The building across the river is the Rillito Park Racetrack grandstand. There's horse racing there each year in the late winter months--not the last two years due to Covid but we're looking forward to the racing season in 2022. There's a farmers market there also but it was pretty quiet today save for a few hard-core vendors who toughed it out in the rain. When you're used to summer temperatures around 100ºF or more, this feels downright chilly. The predicted temperatures for the upcoming week are looking downright balmy. I just read this report this evening. We are having a record setting monsoon season and it's not even over yet! Monsoon season is officially from June 15--September 30th. All this rain won't mitigate the severe drought we're in....but it will certainly help. 2020 was Tucson's driest year on record--we got a paltry 4.17 inches for the entire year. The 30-year annual average is 11.59 inches. After the storm! P.S. I haven't been on a motorcycle ride since last Wednesday. But I plan to get out for a bit of a spin tomorrow.
And this photo was taken at the end of the day yesterday in our backyard when the sun came out and the temperatures stayed blissfully cool. Desert plants are amazing! They plump up and green up and have grow like time-lapse photography when they get a little rain. And in the past week they've gotten way more than a little! We have our landscape and trees on drip irrigation but there's just something magical in rainwater and how the positive effects it has on the plants here in the desert.
Sandi T We all sent the Monsoon weather to you by doing the old rain dance. You were having such a whale of a time lately we were jealous as all we were getting was rain. But now we are really getting out there as the weather has changed and we are basking in the sun. Just got back from Cornwall my self and had a fantastic week with the Family. Joe.
Well, thanks for doing that rain dance for us, Joe! It certainly worked. We usually average 11.5 inches of rainfall for an entire year and we've had 7 inches so far just this past July. And there are two more days to go in the month (though no rain in the forecast). Now we're back to those crummy old blue skies and sunny days. Glad to hear you're basking in the sun and that you had a good week with your family in Cornwall!
Sandi T You can count on me to help or talk rubbish. It will keep those fire at bay for a while. Yes we had a great break. Not Orlando but appreciated. Brotherly Love & Hugs Joe
Camino del Rey (King's Pathway) is a walkway, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Ardales in the province of Málaga, Spain. The walkway had fallen into disrepair and was partially closed for over a decade. After four years of extensive repairs and renovations, the walkway re-opened in 2015. It has been known in the past as the "world's most dangerous walkway" following five deaths in 1999 and 2000.
Me neither - although it has since been repaired and, as can be seen in the video, has a "via ferrata" attachments. But still - NO!!
