The first week of October took a quick turn from the heat of summer towards the beginning of fall. This time of year is unique: the water year ended on September 30th and monsoon season is officially over. Even though the monsoons are officially over, we've experienced some magnificent storms this past week. I was watching a storm roll in from the east Wednesday evening on my commute home, and I was concerned I would get stuck before getting home. Luckily, we all made it home in time and got to experience an incredible desert thunderstorm. There were lots of giggles and excitement as we danced in the rain; also silence as I let the rain soak into my skin.
A video of me not sure how to react to the storm...
A big update from last week is that I started biking to work! After my first incident of being dehydrated, hot, and having a flat tire, I was worried to get back out on the road and try again. fortunately, the cooler weather made it more appealing to bike, and I'm more acclimated to this climate. I rode 4 out of the 5 days to work, and I was extremely grateful it didn't downpour on my commute. Although, it did rain one morning at 10 am. On that morning, my body has a bizarre thought, "Am I in Virginia?" This past week felt the closest to fall, and I am all here for it.
We've been making more meals like soups and chili recently. Michaela introduced the rest of us to "Chili and cinnamon rolls." She's from Kansas and taught us that it's normal to have these side by side and is really famous for school cafeteria meals and big events. The rest of us were very skeptical, but after giving it a try, it was surprisingly good. We were also blessed with having two dinners with people from the Shalom community; we had lively conversations and enjoyed being in each other's presence.
Saturday morning was another highlight of this week because I convinced my housemates to join me on a creek walk along the Santa Cruz River that was led by WMG staff members. It was exciting because we were able to walk and play in the water for the morning; I also got to share a piece of what my work has been like. Specifically, with this location, the river experiences effluent flow, which is basically water being recycled from a treatment center and flowing back out once processed. While the specific area is not "natural" in the since the rest of the Santa Cruz is currently dry, it shows what the watershed could look like if we continue to work towards proactive hydrolocal solutions. That's inspiring to me as I continue to work at Watershed Management and as I'm exposed to different water policies and initiatives in Tucson.
Saturday evening brought EVEN more fun to the city as Tucson Meet Yourself was happening downtown. Sometimes referred to "Tucson Eat Yourself," it's a folklife festival with music, dance, booths, and LOTS of food from different cultures. It was such an enjoyable evening to see Tucsonans sharing parts of their identity and culture and what makes the community special.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, the four of us plus Grace, a volunteer with Jessie at Casa Alitas, went to Sabino Canyon for a hike. No words can truly describe how breathtaking our experience was, but I have a few photos that can represent a little bit. Let's just say, a reasonable temperatures afternoon with a rainstorm, rainbow, and flowing creek made 5 people VERY happy!
I'm continuing to reflect on how Tucson is such an active community when it comes to social, environmental, and economic justice efforts. I love how through my work, church, and other interactions, I get to see how people are working and supporting one another towards a greater goal of equity and sustainable living. It's powerful to see it in action and be a part of that.
This week was filled with so many unexpected surprises, and I feel eternally blessed.This coming weekend, we are heading up to Flagstaff for sometime at Sedona and the Grand Canyon. While this past week has had so many adventures, I'm ready for a road trip!
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