Random AZ

While in AZ (you can petition to stop the Arizona stories if you wish), as I've said before, I had a lot of free time on my hands. Thus I found myself spending a lot of time wandering around downtown Phoenix, and also sitting in the little shopping area across the street from the hotel. There was a little waterfall there that was surrounded by small stone seats. You'd think this would have provided some respite from the heat, but it only made it humid. Despite that, I found myself sitting here quite often thinking deep and quite possibly meaningless thoughts.

There were other places to sit under misters and in the shade, but I tended to end up sitting on a little hot stone seat. Mostly because when I tried relaxing on one of the benches outside a Cold Stone Ice Cream shop, which is where I took this photo:

... it made the patrolmen nervous. Nervous enough to come over and ask me if I needed water... or to go inside to cool off... And to ask why I hadn't taken off my sweater if I was too hot. Then they wanted ID, and asked where I was staying. They also sniffed me. As in, leaned in close and took a deep inhale through the nose. Alrighty then. At a guess, they were worried I was homeless and they didn't want me expiring from heat exhaustion on a bench in their shopping/business district. Paperwork is such a hassle these days when bodies are involved. In reality I was just sitting on the bench with my head tilted as far back as it would go, so I could stretch out the vertebrae in my neck. Traction feels good on a neck with aggravated nerves you know. Apparently it also makes you look drunk.

In reality I was comparing the palm trees of summer Phoenix AZ, to the pine, fur and oak trees where I live, during winter covered in heaps of snow.

In my opinion, the best time to truly appreciate a fresh snowfall is at daybreak when everything looks blue, untouched and is perfection held motionless in silence. Mist is still clinging to the taller branches, the snow remains unbroken pristine. It feels like you're the only thing alive and aware on mornings like this.

For whatever reason, the palm trees drifting slightly in the breeze high above my head, while stretching out my neck reminded me of a morning snowfall. Not the same, and yet... similar in feel and experience.