First Report from Cactusville

 

Thursday, November 1, 2012 – First Report from Cactusville

To my total amazement, in the aftermath of Frankenstorm, the airport (Dulles) wasn’t total chaos and our flight left on time.  After making a connection in Denver (check out the roof of their terminal – it looks like peaks of whipped cream – oh, it’s supposed to be the Rocky Mountains!), we arrived in Tucson exactly on schedule.  I chose to fly through Denver because I wanted to see that part of the country from the air.  The aerial view of the landscape was so interesting.  As we flew over Arizona, the land looked so barren, almost lunar.  Occasionally, a thin pencil line would appear, indicating a road and human habitation.  As we flew over the city of Tucson, I was surprised by how little green was visible.  Khaki was the dominant color.  Well, of course, I had to remind myself, this is the desert.  And this is really my first experience of the Southwest. 

My friend Gale, who relocated to Tucson last April, met us in the tiny terminal.  (I love baby airports, especially after mega-airports earlier in the day.)  As soon as we walked outside, two things struck me:  the comfortable temperature, and the cacti.  I saw my first saguaro, the iconic cactus of the Southwest, in person!  It was a big one, too.  Gale explained that they live for hundreds of years.  This particular saguaro towered over a cactus garden that included a variety of other types of cacti and succulents.  Right there, between the terminal and the parking area, I fell in love with the plants of the desert.  Their shapes are fascinating, especially to an easterner like me. 

We’ll do some exploring a little later today.  Right now, it’s very early in the morning and it’s still dark out.  With the three-hour time difference from the East coast, I was up at 5 a.m. with jet lag.  Elliott is adapting more quickly than I am.  He’s still asleep.