Archives of Our Lives

{a narrow and broad look into the lives of people I love}

Monday, July 16, 2007

Sonoran ("suh-NORE-uhn") Living

A person has to have lived in the Great State of AZ to fully understand what I am about to say...

I propound that there is a scent unique to Arizona. I have been a lot of places in my day (I like to consider myself a traveler), and I have never smelled anything quite like it. In Southern AZ (that is, neither in the mountains nor the Grand Canyon), the smell is most easily described as dirt-y. I am not talking about filth and squalor--I mean genuine, true, kicking-around-in-the-Sonoran-desert earth.



Now, I know that South-Western Arizona doesn't lay claim to the only desert in the world, but trust me: it's the only one that smells like this! Our dirt, combined with the scent of Palo Verde trees and cactus fumes, is the only thing that really smells like home to me. I especially feel at peace when it rains--summer rain is the most fragrant (and warm). Some people may get sad or depressed when the sky is cloudy, but I, being the desert rat that I am, take rainy-day schedule as an opportunity to be thankful for the reprieve--no matter how short-lived--from the scorching sun and sweat.

So, can you tell? It's July, and that means monsoon season here in the Valley of the Sun! My second favourite time of year here! (Coming in at number one is Glorious Autumn, but that will have to wait a few more months...)

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

first of all... i L-O-V-E this post! it makes me wanna stand in the middle of the desert with rain coming down around me inhaling all of the sweet summer dirt! i love you for making me love arizona even more than i already do! also...i found some new fantasic blogs that you must view. the pictures are intense! jbroadbentphoto.blogspot.com and her website is www.jbroadbentphoto.com she also loves heather bailey just as much as we do!

July 19, 2007 at 11:24 AM  
Blogger Cristin said...

When I lived in AZ, monsoon season was my favorite time of year also. I loved how it flooded and how everyone freaked out about the rain. Seriously, monsoon season is the best!

July 20, 2007 at 11:03 AM  
Blogger Lindsey said...

Oh you are so right! We have a Monsoon like no body else! The smell, the feel, the joy... Oh I love it!

July 25, 2007 at 1:39 AM  

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