With house obligations looming, we've moved out of Catalina and back into Tucson for a few days. Our spot in Tucson doesn't have the natural beauty of Catalina State Park but it does have a convenient location for the things we need to do.

Our campsite at Catalina State Park

Since today was a very full work day, I have no adventures to report. But I do have a few photos left over from our hike on Sunday to share. As I mentioned, the desert is still blooming and the temperatures are still mild for this time of year. All the tourists and snowbirds seem to have departed the area, so we're getting the benefit of off-season prices at campgrounds, our pick of campsites, and lots of privacy on the trails.

The purple flowers on this cholla cactus were so vivid I couldn't believe they were real at first.

Everywhere you look around here there's a view of the Santa Catalinas, or the Tucson Mountains, or the Rincon Mountains, or the Tortollitas. They're all fantastic to look at, and they're all a little different. I can't seem to get tired of seeing them. Look at the view above ... is it any wonder we love this place?

Interestingly, the media are finally getting a hold of the fact that it has been a buyer's market for houses in Tucson for several months. But the best buying opportunities have already disappeared, as the good properties with motivated sellers have been snapped up. A lot of the 10,000 properties on the market at the moment are overpriced or less-desirable. (I know, we've seen dozens of them.) Good houses priced fairly are selling fast.

In a year or so they'll be talking about how this was the time to buy. But the popular media are always behind the curve on this sort of thing, because they rely on historical data and public statements by self-interested parties. I'm satisfied that we bought at the right time and at the right price, but of course only time will tell.