The people here in Tucson have been making ominous comments about the hot weather that is coming. I'm hearing things like, "Yeah, it's beautiful today. Better enjoy it while it lasts." Heat is coming and people are already recoiling from it like northerners do when winter is coming.

Personally I like it. When its in the 80s and above (as it will be all week here), it's perfect weather for the pool. So we are going every day in the late afternoon, when work is done. With a light breeze it's even better: step out of the water dripping and in no time you're dry, thanks to the low humidity.

The best thing about the southwestern climate is that you can change it anytime you want. In the east, weather is mostly a matter of latitude, but here weather is determined by altitude. One terrifically hot day we will drive up into the Santa Catalinas and experience the change of temperature just for fun. They're still getting snow up there, just 25 miles from our campsite.

We continue to wrestle with the reasons to settle down. On one hand, I'd like a view of those mountains every day, and this weekend we also found a school for Emma that we really like a lot. On the other hand, we've got major trips in mind for later this year and as far out as 2009. I think I've said this before, but it bears repeating: full-timing can ruin you for normal life. We may spend the next few years trying to recover.

As the saying goes, "Why be normal?" It may be that we are destined to have a hybrid lifestyle forever. We just have to figure out how it's supposed to work. I suppose this is one of those leaps of faith I talked about a few days ago. We'll take a chance with a residence here in Tucson and figure the rest out as we go along ...

But not right away. We'll be leaving this area in a few weeks and resuming travels. With school schedules looming next fall or winter, it seems like we should take the opportunity to visit as many of the national parks in the Four Corners region as we can. The month of May might be our last good chance for a while. This summer is booked with northeastern stuff, and this fall we have a tentative plan for September & October, if all goes well. I'll update you on that when it firms up.