Fall, Arizona Style

If your image of Fall is beautiful colored leaves and crisp air, you would have to go to the floral department of a craft store to visit, or drive three hours to Arizona higher elevations to see the trees turn color. Our Fall is a mix of Summer and Spring. The one thing that is similar in our house to other parts of the country is HUNTING SEASON. My great white hunter and our great white hunter son #2 are gearing up for a elk hunting trip to Colorado. Now when I say gearing up, I mean several weeks of putting all their gear together, food, maps and long conversations. They both have that far off look in their eyes. When I was younger, I fought it, but I am older and wiser and just tell myself it is just a few weeks out of the year, besides, I won't have to cook while they are gone!

This has hung in our house for many years and no truer words were ever spoken. All you wives of hunters will relate I am sure. Sorry for the glare from the flash.



This is our old pop up camper, all repaired and ready to roll. It is like me, old and needed some patching before it hits the road. This belongs to the kids now, we replaced it with the RV that we don't use because the gas prices are so high. The great white hunter did tell me if gas goes under $3 a gallon, we are going to celebrate with a fill up!





The great white hunter built a new frame for the shade cloth around the raised garden bed. We planted more of the Sweet 100 grape tomatoes that we had such luck with in the spring. We did this last year and lost them to frost so cross your fingers.


The grape fruit will start turning in month or so. They are good size but we don't have as many as we should. Julia and Colin had a great time this spring picking smaller ones off the tree........oh well, we just give them away anyway.



Lemons on our neighbors tree that falls over into our yard. There are lots and they are good sized this year.




When the temps start to fall, the roses start to bloom. The buds are tiny and sometimes not formed really well, but bless their stems, they give a effort. It is like they are saying, "We survived!" in spite of the blazing hot summer. They will bloom now until the weather turns colder.




The hibiscus is full of full sized blooms and I enjoy it so much. This one thrives on heat, we have lost several of these to frost though. I look out my kitchen window and see the two that we have in bloom and the day is good! Who needs fall leaves? (I do but that is another post).





Last but not least, the VERY best part of our Fall. This was taken last week about ten o'clock in the morning. It is supposed to be cooler this week with some small chance of rain.