Well it’s been a whirlwind couple months and not exactly what I would have anticipated in my crystal ball. In the beginning of August I decided to sell my beloved tiny house. I sold it in 3 weeks, faster than I anticipated. While I absolutely loved my house, some changes in my health situation dictated that I needed to be closer to top notch care. And honestly although Texas was good to me, I’m just not Texan. It’s a culture I don’t get, and I long for my Southwest community of artists and misfits, open skies, more food choices and a warmer climate.
So I decided after much pondering and research to make a move to Green Valley, Az. Green Valley is a unique community about ½ hr south of Tucson. It is the Sonoran desert and quite hot in summer but honestly Austin area was unbelievably hot and miserable this year as well. I prefer heat to cold, and although we get winter here, its short and not prone to 4 day ice storms like we had in Texas.
Green Valley is mainly a retirement community but an active one. The town is centered around 13 recreation centers. The privilege of using those centers is written into your home deed. You pay an annual fee as well- think YMCA on steroids. In addition to pools, gyms and sports like tennis or pickleball there is a performing arts center, lapidary workshop, a woodworking shop, a ceramics studio, a retail outlet for things made by members and a community college worth of classes from languages, to music, to dance to astronomy, to lectures…and over 100 clubs that are active in gardening, hiking, cards and games, pets, various states or countries, you name it!
So I’m excited to have more to do and more folks to meet.
I bought a modest 1 bedroom 588 sf condo and move in Oct 5th. I’ll still be living “tiny” which is great. I’ve met a neighbor already and a few other folks, so feeling good about the change. One of the nearest towns to us is Tubac, which has an interesting Colonial history and is an art colony. It’s a mini Santa Fe with all kinds of galleries and celebrations. I’m looking forward to their celebration for Dia de Los Muertos annual parade and altars tour ( altars in car trunks even) on Nov 4th. We are only about an hour from Mexico here, so naturally there is a lot of Mexican food and culture, which I enjoy. I had at one time before my health issues, even considered a move to Mexico.
The Sonoran desert is quite lush with its unique plants like saguaro cactus found nowhere else. The wildlife consists of coyotes, javelina, coatimundi, mountain lion, desert tortoises, hundreds of bird species-all survivors in a harsh climate. We have several National Parks nearby- 2 sections of Saguaro Natl Park, and Organ Pipe Cactus, and tons of state parks. Last week I drove to Sedona and the Grand Canyon and went camping, and in 1-3 hours you can be in pine forests and mountain meadows next to lake.
I’ve been staying in various AIRBNB’s and in Albuquerque for a few weeks where I have friends and it’s been fun to explore all these different Tucson neighborhoods but I’m anxious to get settled , to have my own kitchen, and get into a daily routine. And to think about chocolate again! I’m tutoring a Bean to Bar class right now for Ecole Chocolat which is always fun to re-live the enthusiasm of tasting and making chocolate.
And best of all, the temps have dropped a few degrees making outside time more enjoyable.
