It started snowing overnight, and we woke to a light dusting. It quickly melted when the sun came up, and then just as quickly, thick wet snow fell again. This cycle continued all day. There is virtually no humidity here, even on a snowy day, so when the sun comes out the snow begins to evaporate instantly, and the air turns into a heavy mist, as clouds of steam rise from the cars, sidewalks, streets and other hard surfaces. I was glad to have a snow day, and hang out in our little house.
I caught up on my blogging. The window above the desk looks out into the side yard. On our first day here, there were a pair of Steller's Jays in the tree just outside the window. They have been here all week, even today in the snow.
I also got caught up in my piano playing. LOL. I started taking piano lessons in December, and couldn't bear the thought of not playing for six weeks while we were on The Road, so I bought a little keyboard and we have been dragging it with us all over the country. [Ron interjects: LITTLE?!} While we have been in the Flagstaff house, I haven't felt it necessary to use the headphones. I tell myself the birds and deer are nearby because they are enjoying the music!
We took lots of walks downtown today. Flagstaff doesn't really have a commercial district, or high rises, or even office buildings that we could see. Just old historic buildings and homes converted for business in quaint residential neighborhoods, like ours.
The snow came and went, the wind blew, and we walked. There is a beautiful church just down the street from us. Construction on the Church of the Nativity was started in 1888, but not completed until 1930.The gothic architecture is a curious choice, but somehow works in this town. Arizona has only been a state since 1912 (signs still abound on the highways celebrating its Centennial in 2012), but the city of Flagstaff was established long before that in 1882.
We spent our last afternoon here visiting with our neighbors, Dave and Debra. We met Dave on our first day, and Debra soon after. Dave is a recently retired college professor (but “still a hippy” he adds) and Debra a recently retired geologist. The four of us hit it off instantly. Like Ron and I they met late in life, and I noticed we seem to share a sense of fearlessness and maybe a little urgency in our approach to the new-found freedom of retirement. We sat on their front steps in the warm afternoon sun, sharing plans for the upcoming years, listening to the far-off thunder and watching the dark storm clouds approach. Then the sun was gone and the air temperature plummeted, and we said our farewells. Maybe we will meet again somewhere down The Road...
Car Talk
Distance: 10 miles
Driving Time: 44 minutes
Average mileage 20.2 mpg
Average speed: 13 mph
Trip total: 3,195.3 miles
[It was a snow day!]