Monday, August 18, 2014

THis is Monsoon Season for sure in Benson

Southeast Arizona’s MONSOON storms arrive with power, majesty and awe. The sky suddenly turns dark grey, and just as suddenly the rain is upon us.

In the SKP Saguaro RV Park, our home, the streets flow side to side with an amazing flood of water. Downspouts are backing up from the sheer volume of rain providing a thrumming cacophony as it strikes our aluminum awnings and cascades into the gutters.

Lightning is flashing all around us, and the crack of thunder rolls across the sky. Occasionally the thunder pops within a second or two of the lightning flash, indicating just how near is that lethal electricity.

What we do is stay indoors, sit back and smile at this weather, because this is the life-giving water that we pray for the rest of the year. What we don’t do is go outside and try to get video of the maelstrom, the flowing streets, the wash across the road, not 250 feet from our front door.

Tomorrow, as we chat with our neighbors, residents of the 90-or-so lots occupied this month, we’ll not hear a word of complaint about the weather. This is our home, this is what makes the cactus and the Texas Rangers and the oleander bloom so colorfully. This is what the majority of residents who leave for the summer will never experience. Sadly, many of them will also never experience the splendid cactus blooms that we revel in, the amazing bold colors, the sudden overnight flowering, which, often as not, will fade the next day.





This evening’s storm, oddly, is bringing me a new experience: the close-striking lightning is making a click in my hearing aid with each strike! Should I continue wearing the hearing aid? Should I cast it from me like a stinging scorpion? Time will tell;  I plan to continue to wear the aid in order to continue to hear the thunder roll as it slowly moves to the northwest.

Of course, not all monsoon days are like this. Some days are dry, many have shorter, gentler showers; some days have longer soaking rains that will seep an inch or two into the caliche that underlies our park. Some mornings we will awake and have to re-set our electric clocks, as the power has oh-so-briefly quit during the night.

The Ocotillo are in their glory now also, with our Monsoon rains.



We aren’t traveling right now. Medical issues have kept us home. Those same medical issues have guaranteed us a front-row seat under the thunder, brightened by the lightning, and moistened by the summer monsoon in this year of … Our Life on Wheels.

14 comments:

  1. Good to hear from you two. Sorry to hear about your medical issues. Hope you both get relief very quickly.

    SKP Saguaro RV Park is a lovely park. We tried to get in there two years ago but they were have a rally of some sort. We hope to stop there this winter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful post about Arizona in the summer time. We usually just think about the heat - and forget about all the beauty of the dessert. Sure hope you are feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful pictures of the 'blooming'

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your words and pictures have captured the beauty and uniqueness of the monsoon season. It's always good to read another one of your blogs!

    ReplyDelete
  5. S0 nice to hear from you again, one of these days Donna and I will be taking advantage of the Skp parks maybe we will be you neighbors for awhile. Sam & Donna.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was wondering how you two were doing. Thanks for the update.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You have been sorely missed! It is good to hear from you, but we are sad that you have medical issues. Thanks for sharing the beauty of the summer desert.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's good to see a post on your blog. Sorry for the medical problems, and hope they're resolved in good time. One of these days we'll have to spend a summer in the desert to truly appreciate the monsoons and cactus blooms. In the meantime, thanks for the wonderful pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my, we're missing the splender of all the desert colors. Makes me want to stay all year.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh how we often wish we could return to Arizona & see it in the summer Monsoon season. Would just love to see all those magnificent cactus blooms. Nice description & photos. Always nice to see you post pop up on our sidebar:))

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey! Great to hear from you two!! I'll bet you get a front row seat of those storm clouds rolling in and closing around the mountains...I do love a good rain storm. I have been going through a "medical mystery tour" of my own...hate it, but we must see to this stuff so we can get back to life!..Can you get Mars on those hearing aides???

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for the update, good luck on the medical issues.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great to hear from you.....love the photos and the discriptions of the summer light and thunder show !!! Hope soon you will both be feeling better ..... Still keep up with your nephew, Stefan .....he has done so well and his progress is amazing ..... My very best to both of you, SallyB

    ReplyDelete

Here's your chance to tell us what you think!