I Love Where I Live

By Lois Jamieson

I was born, and lived my first eight years, in Pennsylvania. The next twelve years I lived in Florida. I was married, had two children, in Indiana, where I lived for six years. I lived two years in the state of Illinois and since 1959, I have lived in Arizona. I feel blessed to have lived in Arizona for fifty two years and I love where I live.

I love living in Arizona for lots of reasons. The weather, yes, even the Hot Hot summers. From where I live In Scottsdale, I can drive two hours to Flagstaff in Northern Arizona with an altitude of 7,000 to 12,000 feet. I can enjoy the cool weather amid the largest stand of Ponderosa pines in the world. I can stop, on the way North, at the historic city of Prescott, the first capital of Arizona Territory. I can lunch in beautiful Sedona with a background of red cliffs. I can stop for tea in the old mining town of Jerome. On another trip, I can drive North and East of Flagstaff and onto the Navajo Indian Reservation. There I can spend a few hours in Canyon De Chelly, and then to the Four Corners area, the only place in the United States where four states come together – Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.

On another trip North, I can drive to Page, Arizona and houseboat on beautiful Lake Powell. I can spend the night at the historic hotel, El Tovar, at the Grand Canyon. I can ride a mule to the bottom of the canyon at the South Rim. I can ride the rapids on the Colorado River, and I can ride a horse along the North Rim. I can arrive at the Grand Canyon via a train from Williams, Arizona or in a car. While I am in Northern Arizona I can see Sunset Crater and the Petrified Forest. I can drive a few hours East and be in the White Mountain area and be at an altitude of 8,000 feet and above. In the winter I can ski in Flagstaff and in the White Mountains.

I can drive two hours SouthEast and be in Tucson – the “Old Pueblo”, as it is affectionately called. From Tucson I can drive South to Nogales, Arizona on the border with Mexico. From there I can drive East through the wine country and on through the Huachuca Mts. to Tombstone. I can walk to the OK Corral of Wyatt Earp fame and I can spend a pleasant hour in the very fine Tombstone Museum. I can drive South East to the mining town of Bisbee and stay overnight at the famous Copper Queen Hotel or at one of the many Bread and Breakfast homes. I can then return to Tucson by driving through the Dragoon Mts. and the Cochise Stronghold.
Those are some of the many reasons I love where I live – Arizona.
Watch for a post on some interesting and fun facts about my favorite state.