Arizona

Ah, Arizona. The retirement mecca. My grandparents lived there for many years. Also the site of »The Hike«. My brother wanted to hike down the mountain. So, Grandpa dropped us off at the top somewhere with maps and hiking gear. I forgot that in December there might be snow at the top. Well, we followed the trail down below the tree line. The snow disappeared and the sun warmed us and we had a great time until we lost track of the trail! So, back UP we went, stopping to camp when it got dark. Spaghetti-Os don't heat well up that high, but they sure did taste good! The next day we made it to the Ranger's station and a public pay phone. Grandpa wasn't too happy coming back up to get us, but I'm glad he did!

»...you’re sure to encounter Gila monsters, hummingbirds, boojums, and much more amidst the beautiful Tucson Mountains.«

...so says the home page of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

http://www.desertmuseum.org


Not to mention a grand variety of cacti!

I was born in Arizona. My granddad was a prospector when he wasn't working at the air force base as a mechanic to make money. The Sonoran desert was not a good place to walk--stickers everywhere. Looking down you would see ants, sand rubies and fallen cactus. The best way to look was up. There were the mountain ranges on all side and the sky that you could see for miles and miles. There would be thunderstorms a few miles away and a fresh smell in the air. At night the stars filled the sky with bright little pinpricks.

My grandmother had two little lap chihuahuas and a grove of citrus trees. Some of the trees were volunteers--mestizo trees, part orange, part lemon, part grapefruit. She had a big Seville orange tree. The fragance of lemon flowers and the sound of mourning doves at 4am...

In Arizona, they sail across the red sand in huge, flat-bottomed ships, looking for swimming pools that still contain water.

I live in Arizona, the Grand Canyon State.

We have red rocks, cowboys, indians, and coyotes here. Lots of them.

»What were the skies like when you were young?«

"They went on forever – they-
When I -we lived in Arizona,
And the skies always had these
Little fluffy clouds in 'em,
And they were long, clear, and
There were lots of stars, at night.
And when it would rain, they would all turn -
They were beautiful, the most beautiful skies
As a matter of fact.
Um, the sunsets were purple and red and yellow
And on fire,
And the clouds would catch the colors everywhere.
That's uh, neat cause I used to
Look at them all the time,
When I was little.
You don't see that-
You might still see it in the desert."

The name »Arizona« comes from the Indian »Arizonac«, meaning »little spring« or »young spring«.

The opposite of Arizona is Colorado. My friend aaron just moved from Arizona to Colorado. AZ has desert. CO has mountains and green forest. Colorado is the anti-Arizona