Monday, June 25, 2018

Back from a week in the desert...and it's still only June!

Maybe it's because the Garden Bloggers Fling was so early this year — taking place the first week of May, rather than the more typical late June.

Maybe it's because spring in Portland felt more like summer — with record setting dry and heat. We've had only 1.27″ of rain since the middle of April, proving it doesn't really "rain all the time" in Portland.

Or maybe it's because I've been traveling a lot this year.

Whatever the reason I can't believe we still have a whole week left in June! Summer feels like it's been underway for weeks and weeks, rather than just days. Color me very happy about that...

the back garden. photo taken before we left town for a week
 
We spent the last week traveling through the Southwest, flying into Phoenix and spending a few days there with my brother and his family. Then driving on to Tucson, and eventually to Las Cruces, NM — for a reunion of Andrew's mother's people — before flying out of El Paso, TX, yesterday afternoon. The fact I was in Texas for the second time this year got me to thinking about just how many Western states I've visited in the first six months of 2018. I made this artistic rendering for your viewing pleasure...

I know, try not to be too impressed with my skills
 
Starting with Washington state — I've spent time in both Seattle and Spokane. I went over to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for dinner with my parents (while in Spokane), so what the heck I'm counting Idaho too. Of course I've been all over the Portland metro area in my daily travels, but we also went down to Corvallis, OR, for a night, when I spoke to the Evening Garden Club. A Pacific Horticulture board meeting had me flying into Sacramento, CA, and then spending time in Davis, CA. The Garden Bloggers Fling took me to Austin, TX, for a fun week. Then, as I mentioned, we were just in Phoenix and Tucson, AZ, Las Cruces, NM, and then El Paso, TX. Of course the first trip of the year was to Paris, France, in January, but that didn't fit neatly into one image so you'll just have to picture France — off to the far right.

our casita in Tucson, at The Lodge on the Desert
 
I posted several of photos from our week-long SW travels on Instagram, but took many more with my camera, so there will be numerous posts to come. Not that I've yet finished talking about Davis, CA, or Austin, TX. Guess what...I'm staying home for the entire month of July...

Weather Diary, June 23: Hi 91, Low 57/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

27 comments:

  1. I think one reason why it feels like summer has been underway for weeks is because of the weather. When we moved here one of the first things we learned was the maxim "the rain stops on the day after the Fourth of July." That is no longer true, as climate change seems to be affecting us and turning our weather more and more like California's. So little rain in May and now June has made both months feel like summer to me.

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  2. Wow, you really racked up the miles. We leave tomorrow for a family get-together out East with all my sisters. That will take us through the usual 5 states that I've traveled back and forth through since I moved to Wisconsin from western NY years ago. We're stopping in Cleveland on the way just to visit the art museum which is spectacular. Looking forward to your future trip posts.

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    1. Hope you have a fun trip. I've always enjoyed road trips, but I know not everyone does.

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  3. This sounds like a lot of windshield time, fun none the less. I can't wait to read and see photos of all your stops.

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    1. "windshield time"...ha, true! I read an article recently that referred to the lack of bug splats on the windshield as proof of their overall declining population. The author clearly hasn't seen my windshield!

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  4. Glad to see each state marked with a smiley face! (It it was unintentional, even better)

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  5. That's a lot of travel. Summer is the best time to stay home in the PNW!
    Looking forward to the posts to come.

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    1. I was afraid I'd miss a lot of the flowering being gone a week in late June, thankfully most everything hung on to their blooms so I could enjoy the show.

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  6. Welcome home.
    I've had almost no exposure to the South West. "The Lodge on the Desert" looks like no lodge I've ever stayed at. It seem exotic and unusual; maybe it is typical to those parts.

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    1. The plantings there are exceptionally well done, and you walk through them to get to your room. All the parking is on the perimeter. It is exotic and unusual, and I love it.

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  7. You have been a gadabout! I'm glad you have plenty more of summer to enjoy. As you know, summer is NOT our favorite season down this way but, so far, it's been remarkably pleasant due to the ongoing presence of the morning marine layer (and I hope I'm not jinxing myself by repeatedly mentioning that).

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    1. Interesting that what's been unusually warm and dry here has been unusually pleasant here. Our weather patterns are obviously linked somehow.

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  8. AnonymousJune 25, 2018

    You must have felt right at home in your "casita". The way things are going, you may not need to move at all to get the climate you dream about.
    ricki

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    1. Oh I think we'll always have the rainy season...

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  9. After all that travel, I expect it'll be great just to chill in your own garden oasis for a month. You deserve a rest!

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  10. Wow, your travel map and your travels are impressive! Interesting: I was thinking the growing season was going by too fast--but you're right: so many beautiful weeks of gardening and mild weather ahead to enjoy! Bless you for your positive perspective. :)

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    1. I am so glad there are 31 days in both July and August!

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  11. I love that wavy periwinkle wall in the last picture. You've really done some traveling this year. And yes, when you start summer in Texas, you start it early!

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    1. I have to admit you threw me with "periwinkle"...either my monitor is off or yours is. It's actually a sort of sandy color.

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    2. Funny, it definitely has a pink tint on my laptop monitor. I'll have to check on my desktop. (Is the dress blue...?)

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    3. Yep, there's a pinky tone to the sand. I think of periwinkle as being a blue/violet. And hmm, as I recall the dress was blue...to my eyes...

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  12. Next time you are in Tucson maybe I will have my first desert gardens somewhat in tact? No matter what... I am thinking we are destined to meet one of these days!

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    1. I will definitely let you know the next time we're in town! It seemed a little too early this time (plus we were only there a little over 24 hrs).

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  13. So much travel! I can't wait to see some of these places through your lens.

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