Clouds!

Since I have been here, there have been very few clouds.  I am curious to see if we get more as fall settles in or maybe in the winter. Additionally, a little weather information. It is easily over 100 every day, usually about 110 but has gotten up to 115. The humidity is only about 7% so it isn't as bad as it sounds but it is still really hot.  You don't drip sweat, as it evaporates so quickly off of your skin. I find this much more comfortable than the feeling of it running down between the shoulder blades that we get in South Florida!

I am finding that getting enough water on board is a challenge for me. I have almost doubled my intake from that of home and I still get headaches a few nights a week.  I have redoubled my efforts over the past few weeks and am making progress but I have to really make a conscious effort. Between the dry air and the lousy water quality here, my hair and skin are soaking up conditioner and lotion.

It has rained twice since I have been here. Both times you could feel the humidity in the air, it felt so thick. The funny part is that when I looked it up, it was at about 30%. Compared to the 90% at home, this is nothing but it felt significant in relation to what we are used to. Both times it has not lasted much longer than 5 minutes but it absolutely downpoured the whole time. I was in the car for the first one and my driver had the wipers on full speed and yet we still couldn't see much of anything out the windshield. The second time I was home and discovered that the skylight over my stairway is made of some type of plastic. Rain hitting it sounds like gunshots. As it would be impossible to sleep through, I feel fortunate that it doesn't rain here too often!

Anyway, the clouds are significant because the shadows that they cast allow much better photos to be taken of the sand dunes.  You can actually see the depth and beauty that I see captured on camera in a way that doesn't happen in the direct sunlight.  It is also incredibly beautiful to be out in the desert and watching the cloud shadows come towards and then roll over you.  Similar to watching a band of rain come across the water.  

I added a lot of photos to this post. Sorry if there are too many but I had trouble choosing just a few. I think each one is lovelier than the last.

Shadow over the road, moving towards me. It is incredible to drive on these roads that appear to have endless sand on either side of them and as far as the eye can see in the distance.

Endless sand

This helps a bit with perspective. These are massive. We hiked this one once, boarded down it and were too exhausted to attempt another round.

This, or one of the next two, may be my favorite photo to date.

I had a moment where I could imagine that I was back at the beach...waving grasses

Ripples in the sand...it didn't last!

These are just silly photos. These scarecrows are all over the city, wherever there is construction. They are very realistic looking from a distance. We slow down whenever we see them, then remember that they aren't people. They amuse me.