It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.......... (Phoenix, Goodyear: apartment, house)

[cacto]

Originally Posted by Dezert Mtnz

I don't want to wish my life away, but I can't help hope that the next few years fly by so I can join all of you in telling others how great it is to live in the Phoenix area and experience all the great outdoor activities in the warm sunshine - all year long. And yes, I'll take the heat of summer over WI winters any day. It is supposed to reach 60 degrees here on Sunday, finally! The last time it was that warm was Halloween!

Come on out, desert life is good.

[Bondurant]

Went out for a walk to the Burton Barr library today. The weather was fantastic and I loved the breeze. In short time the high heat will return but it will be worth it. I love Phoenix. Absolutely love it.

Sitting back now while I watch Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and debating where I will walk to a bit later for a bite to eat.

[maverick974]

Originally Posted by cacto

I've lived in the Valley all my life and visited Florence during the summer a few years ago and couldn't believe how chilly it was on a sunny day in late summer. Then we went to the dunes at the beach and there was this fast moving cold fog that sat right over the water and I realized that this was about as different than the Sonoran as it gets. Really liked Oregon overall, one of the best states, but I'm not a cloudy day person so I'll visit again but couldn't hack living there.

I agree. Oregon is one of the best and most beautiful states in the nation. Absolutely gorgeous rain forests, the lakes and rivers are exceptional. Hundreds of miles of deserted sandy beaches and rocky coastlines.
Unfortunately, the weather made Oregon unbearable for me. It was ALWAYS cold and wet. Rarely would I see a day that hit 70 degrees. After my wife passed away and my 3 kids grew up, I couldn't hack the weather any longer so I decided to move to a sunny climate. I look all over the southern U.S. and nothing was a fit for me. I spent 4 years researching a place to live. For reasons I won't bother you folks with, I purposely overlooked the Phoenix area until I ran out of places to consider. As it turns out, the Phoenix area was a perfect fit. Affordable, a surprisingly large amount of lakes and water sports and in close proximity to things and areas that I'd frequent such as Lake Powell, Vegas, So. Cal., among others.
Before I launch into one of my 10 page essays, I'll just say that, while Oregon is beautiful, it lost it's luster for me because of the constant gloomy weather.
I moved to Arizona in June of 2011 and it was the best thing I could have done. My mother and brother ended up moving down here as well and after my daughter visited, she has also decided to move down from Oregon. Actually she already has left Oregon. She is attending a bible college in California but should be moving here in August and will be attending one of the local colleges.
Anyway, I love it here. I, honestly can't think of any place that I'd be happier living in.
I can understand why some people might not care for it here but, this is, at least for the foreseeable future, the best place to live "for me".

Originally Posted by cacto

Come on out, desert life is good.

Originally Posted by Bondurant

Went out for a walk to the Burton Barr library today. The weather was fantastic and I loved the breeze. In short time the high heat will return but it will be worth it. I love Phoenix. Absolutely love it.

Sitting back now while I watch Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and debating where I will walk to a bit later for a bite to eat.

I love this area as well. As cacto says above, desert life is good.
Personally, I'm waiting for the heat. It warms the lakes. I'm an avid fisherman but also a water skier. Nothing like water skiing in water that is 80+ degrees.
I live in east Mesa and the drive to Saguaro Lake is only about 20 minutes and Canyon is less than 30. There is nothing better than getting the boat on the water early and having my first cast hit the water while I'm watching the sun come up over the mountains in 75+ degree temps and I'm in shorts, flippy's and a T-shirt. After fishing for a few hours, I'll call up my friends and they come out to the lake for a few hours of water skiing. Then we have a late lunch and we are home by mid-afternoon.
It's a great day and that kind of stuff is only available here.
Needless to say, I love it here.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Dezert Mtnz

I don't want to wish my life away, but I can't help hope that the next few years fly by so I can join all of you in telling others how great it is to live in the Phoenix area and experience all the great outdoor activities in the warm sunshine - all year long. And yes, I'll take the heat of summer over WI winters any day. It is supposed to reach 60 degrees here on Sunday, finally! The last time it was that warm was Halloween!

No longer wanting to wish my life away is why I finally moved. I would wish away September-April, only truly happy in the summer (though summers have been cold in my home state as well! UGH)

Hopefully you can move sooner rather than later

[New Horizons]

Stepped outside this morning, 55 degrees and sunny, no clouds. It's surreal, like a cartoon.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by wit-nit

A rare occurrence that lasts for 2-3 hours. These normally happen Jul-Aug time frame.
Except for that rare afternoon Haboob it was clear sunny 87F, Yesterday was clear sunny 89F. Weather here has been nearly ideal since last November.

It was pretty yucky all day yesterday and the dust "fog" in March/April is an annual event as the weather patterns begin to change and strong storms move north of us. We rarely get anything but wind, a couple clouds and very nice cooler temps for a day - and of course the crappy air quality as the gusty winds kick up dust. The occasional dusty days will end in a few weeks though as the heat starts to get serious again. I generally enjoy spring around here but the wind storms are a downer. Aside from the dust, it is hard to handle the boat in this kind of stuff, so spring fishing is often curtailed.

I was in a business place yesterday and overheard a snowbird say to someone "we are leaving for home in the morning". That is the sound and the rite of spring that I love the most.

[maverick974]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

It was pretty yucky all day yesterday and the dust "fog" in March/April is an annual event as the weather patterns begin to change and strong storms move north of us. We rarely get anything but wind, a couple clouds and very nice cooler temps for a day - and of course the crappy air quality as the gusty winds kick up dust. The occasional dusty days will end in a few weeks though as the heat starts to get serious again. I generally enjoy spring around here but the wind storms are a downer. Aside from the dust, it is hard to handle the boat in this kind of stuff, so spring fishing is often curtailed.

I was in a business place yesterday and overheard a snowbird say to someone "we are leaving for home in the morning". That is the sound and the rite of spring that I love the most.

Well said Ponderosa.
I love how the snowbirds come here to get out of the weather of their home state and I welcome them. They are very interesting people, bring a lot of money to the area but what you wrote about the snowbirds leaving being a "rite of spring", cracked me up. It does kind of feel like a changing of the guards or something when you wake up one day and the snowbirds are all gone, the streets and parking lots are deserted and the eateries are desolate. Kind of a weird feeling when it happens all at once.
I'm not fond when the dust kicks up but it doesn't bother me much. Unfortunately, much like you, the wind does tend to keep me off the lakes. I wanted to go bass fishing this week since the spawn is on but the wind has kept me from doing that so far.
Next week??????

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by maverick974

Well said Ponderosa.
I love how the snowbirds come here to get out of the weather of their home state and I welcome them. They are very interesting people, bring a lot of money to the area but what you wrote about the snowbirds leaving being a "rite of spring", cracked me up. It does kind of feel like a changing of the guards or something when you wake up one day and the snowbirds are all gone, the streets and parking lots are deserted and the eateries are desolate. Kind of a weird feeling when it happens all at once.
I'm not fond when the dust kicks up but it doesn't bother me much. Unfortunately, much like you, the wind does tend to keep me off the lakes. I wanted to go bass fishing this week since the spawn is on but the wind has kept me from doing that so far.
Next week??????

I feel your pain. This is the best fishing of the year and a good time to catch a few of those big crappies too! You really have to play it by ear and be ready to go this time of year while working around the windy days. It's not the time of year when you can say "I'll go next Wednesday" and be sure the weather will cooperate. I guess that makes us like all the rest of the country that has to deal with washouts of their big plans - but on a year round basis. We have it only for a few weeks. We do have it good, huh?

What I do in terms of planning is to look at the temp forecast for the coming week. If there is a drop of a couple degrees on one day followed by an increase, then you know it is because of a frontal passage to the north. It will be windy on the day before the drop and breezy the day of the main drop. Looking ahead, it looks like Monday will be fine but Tuesday and Wednesday questionable.

[Ponderosa]

Let's not forget that we are not immune to bad winter weather. This will bring back some painful memories:

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Let's not forget that we are not immune to bad winter weather. This will bring back some painful memories:

Too funny!