[hist whist]
The autumn has always been my favorite time of year. It seems that most people feel the same way. Who doesn’t love the cooler temperatures, football season, the changing colors of leaves, sweatshirts and, of course, Halloween? Where Pennsylvania and our home in Kentucky are perfect places to spend the fall, here in Arizona the weather is very, very nice. Almost too nice, in fact. We are still putting on sun screen and swimming in the campground pool and it is nearly November. If not for the Halloween decorations at the local stores, I would swear it was June. And that is hard getting use to.
Lisa and I are not complaining – don’t get us wrong. But as we near our time to leave Kingman and head back to the colder fall temperatures of home – it is almost as if our DNA is telling us something is just not right. We should not be wearing shorts on October 23rd and the swimsuits and sunscreen should have been packed away two months ago. I also have this weird desire to go rake something. My yard in Kentucky is surrounded by enough trees to keep my rake warm until January – but out here – nothing. I suppose I could move the rock and dirt around a little bit but forget finding any leaves to pile up. I did see a yellow leaf in the little tree next to our RV the other day. It seemed so out-of-place. I just stared at it and waited to see if it would fall. It may be my only chance this year to see such a sight here in the desert – where trees are a rarity and cool temperatures shocking. By the way – the little yellow leaf is still hanging on. I am tempted to climb up and pull it loose and then rake it into a big, black bag. It would help me get my bearings.
Halloween in Arizona is probably not too unlike other places in America. Children will certainly go door to door trick or treating and by the looks of things many people dress up, decorate and celebrate the day. And there are plenty of strange desert creatures scurrying about that have been scaring the hell out of Lisa and I since we got here in June. But something just seems amiss here in the desert when it comes to Halloween. Maybe it’s the warm temperatures, maybe it’s the lack of colorful trees, or maybe it’s something else.
Maybe it’s just not home.
See you soon!
Steve and Lisa
trippinwithsteveandlisa 