“…I hear waltzes in these hills…”

It was the late 1980s and I was in college on a choir tour somewhere in central Oregon – we toured every year for a week as recruiting for the university. Each year we’d go to different regions around the western US.   And it was wonderful.  We were on a rare, well-deserved break and out skiing in a smaller group when Anna (I think that was her name) exalted out those words above, with a happy smile and twirl.  

I laughed hard on the inside.  What the hell was she talking about?  Sounded like a Woodstock version of The Sound of Music.  So funny. 

So how do I relate that comment about snowy hills and evergreen trees on a ski trip with a desert landscape?  Let me try here.

I had SUCH the wrong impressions of what the desert southwest was like.  Coming from the land of evergreen trees, mountains, rain (and the moss, slugs, mold that comes with all that), a “desert” to me meant something like the Moon. Desolate, barren…and how could anything grow or thrive? 

Then I got immersed in it for real.  BAM – E took us on a life-changing trip to Tucson a few years ago.  And we went hiking on Mount Lemmon.  I was dumbfounded.  So many cacti, rolling hills, and…gasp…even a stream with water trickling at some point.  This is the DESERT?  Why yes, it is.  And we topped it off with an outdoor dinner (YES, OUTDOORS IN LATE OCTOBER??).  Something inside me shifted. Hard.  I could get used to this. Really and truly.

Fast forward a few years, and now it is for us – every day.  E and I made a big move from the Seattle area to the Phoenix area in late 2022.  1500 miles away and a whole new world.  That’s what I love.  People often ask, “But don’t you miss ‘fill in the blank’…”. Things like having water nearby.  Mountains with snow in the distance.  The greenery.  And isn’t it too hot there?   Answer – No!  We didn’t move to have everything exactly the same as where we were living before – that simply makes no sense!  Rather, we embrace the differences.  My goodness – being able to go outside so much more year ‘round is a game changer for me.   Who knew the northwest girl was really a “sunbird” at heart? 

I remember looking at a hillside dotted with cacti.  The majestic saguaros.  Breathtaking…and if you take some time to learn more about these magnificent creations and their age, their growth and the “accordion” way they flex in and out to hold water, it’s endlessly fascinating.  Each is so majestic in its size, its shape.  Sometimes a pair close together even look like they’re ready to embrace!  Awww. 

Then I heard the tones.  The music and some deep, baritone hums.  All different notes, harmonizing together.  Oh my goodness…my mind “hears” the saguaros as they sing out to each other.  I can’t “un hear” it any longer when I hike or drive by and see the saguaros in all their glory. 

Anna, after 36 years of on and off giggling about your comment, I get it, girl.