Phoenix when it sizzles.

thThat’s not right now, thank goodness. Current temps are in the mid-70s and the sun is benevolent rather than punishing. Flowers are blooming and the sky is blue and generally cloudless.

The grass is actually alive, vs. brown and spotted with swatches of gray snow mold (which is what we’ll see in Anchorage once our disappointing snowfall melts away).

Come March or April the Phoenix metro area will turn into Satan’s Fry Daddy and continue to sizzle until autumn. I expect those nice green lawns will sunburn themselves into dormancy pretty quickly. For the moment, however, I understand why so many people want to visit the place in the winter.

Walking around in shirtsleeves, not worrying about slipping on ice, feeling a breeze that doesn’t have teeth in it – I so wish that DF were here to enjoy it with me. Maybe when we retire we’ll become like so many other Alaska snowbirds and escape the Last Frontier for a month or so each winter. (No longer than that, probably, since he likes to ski.)

I got bumped off three planes getting here, landing nearly eight hours later than I should have. Flying standby on a buddy pass has a touch of the iffy about it, but I really can’t complain. If not for the generosity of a friend who works for an airline, I wouldn’t be able to see my daughter as much as I do.

Put another way: I spent $189 round-trip, Anchorage to Phoenix. That’s worth getting bumped for – my travel budget shrank when I voluntarily slashed my salary.

Thus far the visit has been lovely and low-key. We’re both working during the day, socializing during ergo and lunch breaks, and spending evenings talking and binge-watching funny stuff on Hulu and Netflix. (I recommend “Galavant.” Hope it comes back for another season.)

Not a sightseeing or culturally enriching kind of trip. However, it works for us.

As a reminder: Abby and I are having a Phoenix meet-up for readers and bloggers the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 21 (details in the link). Hope we see you there.

Dang, this weather is pretty. Wish I could send some of it to Anchorage. Or to Boston.

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16 thoughts on “Phoenix when it sizzles.”

  1. Hmmm…I don’t think “envy” quite covers it….I woke this morning to -3 with a wind chill of -17…It looks like we’re making history with these cold temps. Sooo anything above freezing seems balmy right now…
    And $189 round trip to Phoenix….What a great friend…What would that have cost without any special considerations?

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    • Depends on when I buy it, but I did a quick Internet search and it looked like $669 to a little over $1,000. It’s the high season here.
      Sorry about the bad weather. Could we please have our winter back???

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      • I would gladly return it. I’ll tell ya winter heating bills here are “off the chain”. We heat with wood so we are OK…but friends and tenants do not…scary bills. Enjoy the warmth…

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  2. glad you are enjoying your trip & the weather.

    However, it has been colder & snowyer here in metro Chicago than in your town this winter.

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  3. Donna those winter temps sound like a deep freeze to me.I can’t imagine how folks live there. It’s 75 in Barbados and I just watered my verandah plants with everything in full bloom.Phoenix sounds lovely,enjoy every moment.I need an airline friend ..what a deal!!

    Reply
    • The buddy pass is great, but you do have to face being bumped. When it’s good it’s very very good and when it’s bad it’s horrid. On one memorable trip (Seattle-Anchorage) I got bumped off every flight from 10 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. It got to be funny after a while, trotting from gate to gate with another group of standby hopefuls. We cheered and applauded every time one of us did manage to get a seat. I proposed a theme song:”Not Leavin’ on a Jet Plane.”
      On the bright side, I got a lot of work done that day.

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  4. Wish I was with you with the warmth and sun. As I type this we are having a winter storm of medium depth. They say 6-8. My aching back with this every few days in PA. I will be so ready for Spring! Have fun and eat something good for me!

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  5. Soak up some sunshine for me:) It’s snowing again. I like the kind of snow that falls and looks beautiful and then like a thoughtful guest doesn’t make a mess or stay to long. This snow has no manners.

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    • I do have an awesome friend! Gave me a couple last year, too, so I was able to fly all the way to Philadelphia for about $200 RT (unheard of from Anchorage). Not only did I see family in the area, I made a side trip to NYC to do face time with various bidness types — and came home with a $1,500 magazine assignment. Woot!
      Used the other one to go visit my daughter and SIL for an early Thanksgiving. I’m so grateful for the extra trips.
      P.S. Coming back from Phoenix yesterday it looked as though both flights were overbooked but some people didn’t show up so I got home on time. Middle seats both times, but again: $189 RT at this time of year is ridiculously cheap. You can’t even get to Seattle for less than $400 (or more).

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  6. LOL! Bermudagrass (which people in saner places do their best to extirpate) dearly loves heat. If you’ve got water, you don’t even have to fertilize the stuff to get a green lawn. And if you live in the central city where irrigation is grandfathered in, yes, you do have water. 🙂

    It was great to see you and the kids and all! Hope you’ve had a good trip home and will come back soon.

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    • Thanks. I really loved the blogger meetup, and hope we can do it again. As one of the other writers put it, she doesn’t know anyone in her regular life who blogs so it was great to have people “to geek out with.” Yep.

      Reply

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