I want some coffee!

 ... and it seems to happen that way consistently.  And this wasn't the real so-hot-you-can't-stand-it which can hammer us here at the gates to hell. This pseudo-cremation schedule is an iffy sort of thing and very dependent upon monsoons. The NWS says monsoons start  in June-July but in reality it's very much July and it's very dependent upon the weather phenomenon which drives it. Some years monsoon rains are an occasional inconvenience and other years they are consistent and strong. And 'strong'? That means a lot of rain arriving in T-storms. And in case you've led a sheltered life, T-storm = thunderstorm.  So in the mean time we wait and watch. And that means sunrise photos...   One more thing: a few months ago I was alarmed by a news report that they were building a new electrical power substation across the mountains which border our San Pedro Valley. I've heard it called the Willcox Basin.  We recently had a ride in that direction and discovered...

We've known this was coming for a long time but I wasn't prepared for what "pavement overlay" meant. But here it is, 'done and dusted' as Michael would say. I did my part to help by offering my opinion. Sadly no one paid any attention to my extensive insight... "blah-blah-blah!" Pavement overlay turns out to be a new layer of asphalt over the old. They started down at the bottom of our street, Agave Lane, then worked their way uphill to the top of our street opposite the Dumpsters. They started the previous day on Tamarisk Lane, then we were next. Agave Lane is on the right side of the map (North side of the park).   Getting started bright (?) and early, about 0700. They had workers here before that getting the equipment running so it was warmed-up when the workers arrived. Will & Patty managed to take their white van (above) out of the park  and on the road to San Diego pre-dawn  before  they  started on our street. Agave Lane- all done and dust...

 ... to sweat ! And complain. A lot.  It turned hot. Then this week it eased a bit. But it's coming back very soon! Hard to remember to check on sunrises and sunsets but here are what I managed to put together... Sunrise off to the Southeast... ... and a sunset off to the West (where else?!) The craziness in Washington DC has caused annual visitors to disappear from the park early as fuel prices climb to all-time highs. If you have a big 40'+ motor home or you're pulling a heavy 38'+ 5th wheel, either of which sucks up the diesel fuel, you need to take precautions to minimize fuel expense! Diesel was priced at $4.99/gal this week. 

This blog started as a place for me to talk about coffee. But it didn't take long till I realized I'd settled on a single coffee origin (the place where the beans are grown) which we both liked: the state of Chiapas in Mexico.  Chiapas is the most southern state in Mexico bordering the Central American country of Guatemala.    Chiapas State, Mexico- their highlands are home of some fantastic coffee! I eventually accepted there was really only one way to roast it for us to both enjoy our morning cup: a dark roast that goes into 2nd crack by about 29 seconds. A recent typical roast of greens from Chiapas, Mexico. Life has caught up with us. For a number of years we both have had to limit our intake of coffee ( bummer! ). And I suspect the medical professionals we see on a regular basis would just as soon we stopped drinking coffee altogether! I've been told tea is an alternative but sadly tea (other than herbal tea) has more caffeine than coffee-  who'd a thunk it?! ...

 ... time to start whining about how hot it is! But maybe not this week. It was in the 80s over the weekend and into Sunday which was a nice break from freezing temps. But the 80s will disappear and we'll see a more expected high in the 70s. Hopefully the over-nite freezes are done till late fall.  In the meantime we have some pics with a tiny bit less color at sunrise than I expected. I was a little too early for a proper red/orange sunrise... breakfast chores were calling me! Early sunrise on 1 Mar... off to the Southeast. A little early for the best sunrise color. The weather happened to coincide with a change in the calendar to 1 March. Nice way to start the month! I'll take that as an omen that over-night freezes are over for the year. And a complementary peek off to the Southwest. We're in the midst of snowbird season here at SKP Saguaro Co-op with a lot of seasonal faces to try to recall. Sadly that's not happening and they all look like people I've never se...

... and on and on!!  I'm whining cuz I like to complain and I'm good at it! But the various railroads lines that pass through San Pedro Valley are probably indifferent to my forte . They just keep coming and going and none of them stop to say "great whine dude!" They just keep moving thru town. What you see below is freight passing thru Benson and on to the East side of the San Pedro Valley. The hills in the distance are about 12 miles away.. We see a passenger train come thru daily (I think!)... AmTrak. They stop on the East side of Benson for passengers to get off or board.  Mid-morning freight train passing thru San Pedro Valley. The mass of trains, however, carry freight and are passing thru- they don't stop (except to allow other trains to pass). Like this freight train winding its way across the valley floor. The mountains on the horizon are apparently part of what are named the Galiuro Mountains (I've never heard that named mentioned by locals). There...

Sort of! Winter temps have actually been rather mild so my whines lack my usual, mmm... intensity! Even so, the temps have been getting down into the upper 20's most nites. And it has been clear so I had to be sure to grab this shot with a little moisture in the air. A little pre-dawn color. This is a pretty good time of year for me to catch a glimpse of dawn colors. In just a few weeks I'll have to be up before 0500 to see this... and that ain't gonna happen! And the Cactus Garden continues to be a nice pause on my morning walk. Always nice to take a short break on the provided bench and enjoy the shade of the mesquite tree. The cactus garden- a favorite stop on my morning walk. And just to confirm, yes- we did recently get a little of the white stuff. The park at about 3,600' elevation is at a sufficiently low elevation to miss the chance to look like Minnesota. Now they got hammered.   Pretty scant snowfall but we did get some this week. The last of some moisture he...