Arizona

March 26, 2014March 26, 2014

Why Arizona? Because of March. Basically.

March is the reason people live in Arizona. Not the only reason. But it represents a pretty big one, because it tends to come with the kind of gorgeous weather we dream of during the inevitably scorching Phoenix summers.

Of course, I would write that sentence on the day we get a fluke spring dust storm. (We don’t really expect those until July or August.) But still. It was an hour or so blip in the middle of some really nice days.

March also brings wildflowers. Some years more than others, but if we’ve had any rain at all, the desert gets more colorful.

Because the weather is so good, things get busy. People come to visit. Events get scheduled. (Lots and lots of events. They were basically stacked on top of each other this past weekend.) Before you know it, you’re in some convention hall or shopping center or crowded restaurant wondering what you’re doing there and if you’ve missed all the nice weather. Or (in my case), you’re sitting outside writing a post about wildflowers and wondering if they’ve already finished their brief annual appearance.

So Monday I texted Phillip that I wanted to see if there were still wildflowers on South Mountain and should I pick him up after work to go check it out. He was up for it, so we slipped into the park just before they closed the entrance gate and hiked until we ran out of light for photos.

I’m happy to report that it’s not too late to spot some wildflowers in the desert.

Also, the creosote bushes are yellow and fragrant, and hedgehog cactus is starting to bloom.

If you’re here in Phoenix and you possibly can, get out this week – even for an hour – and soak it all in. And if you live somewhere else, you might consider visiting next March.

It’s a beautiful time to find a reason to be here or to remember the reasons you already are.

For Your (Wildflower-Hunting) Information: I took all of these photos (except the top one of clouds after the dust storm) on 3/24/14 at South Mountain Park.

January 28, 2014

Taking the side streets

Phillip and I took a drive a couple weekends ago and ended up between South Mountain and the Sierra Estrellas.

We stopped for a minute to decide where to go next. I looked at the part of the Estrellas closest to us and asked how long it would take to get there. He guessed 30 minutes, and we decided to head that direction and find out.

But then Phillip spotted some some side streets he needed to explore. So we drove through this rural neighborhood, into the desert, past an abandoned building, and then we spotted a beautiful little church down a gravel driveway, just out there by itself. It was surrounded by a chain link fence, dirt parking lot on one side, mountains on the other.

We stepped out of the car. For a moment, it was intensely silent. Then this pickup truck full of laughing women drove by. They stopped just over the hill, where we couldn’t see them, but we could hear them talking and laughing and working on something.

We wondered about the church, all fenced in but not seeming abandoned. A little bird landed on top of the cross at the top of the sanctuary and decided to sing. We watched the light transform the mountains.

We forgot about timing our drive to the mountain. Or actually getting there.

It’s funny how sometimes getting sidetracked leads you to a new destination.

January 3, 2014June 29, 2022

South Mountain Hiking

Living in Phoenix can inspire this ongoing dialogue with yourself.

Me In September: It’s still hot. Why do I live here again?

Me 2 Months Later: Oh. Right. Now I remember.

The weather has been so beautiful the last couple weeks. It just makes Phillip and I (and probably the rest of the Valley of the Sun) want to go out and soak it all in!

One of our favorite places for a spur-of-the-moment hike is South Mountain. It’s not far from us, there are tons of not-too-strenous trails, and we almost always see some kind of interesting wildlife.

The 16,000-acre preserve is actually the largest city park in the country with miles of trails crossing the natural landscape.

And that’s where we went for a little impromptu hiking Christmas afternoon. We definitely weren’t the only ones with that idea. There were actually a lot of people out on the trails.

At one point, we heard coyotes yelping in the distance. I looked around and realized all the other hikers within eyesight had also stopped to listen. We took a side trail to the top of a little hill and counted at least three coyotes racing up the ridge across from us.

hiking South Mountain — Ridge where we saw coyotes. There’s probably a teeny one somewhere in the photo.

We continued up the dirt road that’s now closed to vehicles, past the wide space that used to serve as a parking lot and up a hill. You could see all the way across the park, across the rest of the Valley, to the Superstition Mountains, sitting east of the metro area and glowing pink from the sunset.

We took it all in for a few minutes before heading back.

By the time we got back to the trailhead, there was already one bright star shining down on us. For Christmas night in the desert, that somehow seemed fitting.

November 29, 2013November 29, 2013

How to shop Arizona

Looking to get some holiday shopping done and support independent businesses? There are some fabulous local vendors and products here in Arizona. Here’s how to hunt them down.

Mega List (Start Here): A great place to begin is Local First Arizona’s Business Directory. Local businesses are listed by category and geographical area. There is also a subcategory of retailers with online stores for shoppers who are out of state or just want to shop from their living rooms. During Buy Local Month (November 29-December 24), they’re posting daily deals.

Top 12: If Local First’s directory seems a bit overwhelming, check out the Arizona Holiday Gift Guide by The Wilderness Girls. Their 12 local picks include succulent gardens, jewelry, food and wine.

Phoenix newbies: For someone who has recently relocated to the Valley of the Sun, check out my Gifts for Phoenix Newcomers board, inspired by a Pinterest challenge. Several of the items are locally made, and they are all sold by Arizona-based businesses/organizations. They’re all also available online.

Foodie Heaven: The Queen Creek Olive Mill has both an online store and a really nice marketplace on their grounds. (They’ve also opened a new location at the Biltmore.) In addition to olive oil, they sell other gourmet food items, pet treats, and bath products. We’ve purchased client gifts, as well as hospitality gifts there – and tried lots of delicious samples in the process – and everything has been tasty and really good quality.

Artisan Products: Practical Art exclusively sells drool-worthy items handcrafted in Arizona, such as houseware and accessories, online and in their Central Phoenix location.

Artist Marless Fellows painting in Cave Creek, AZ. — Artist Marless Fellows painting “Saddle Up” during the Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour. Photo taken with permission.

Open Artist Studios: You can tour artist studios and purchase art (and prints) this weekend (November 29-December 1) at the Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour in the Cave Creek/North Scottsdale area. You can browse participating artists via the HITH directory or search by medium on their site.

Local-to-you Clothing and Decor: Scott’s Marketplace is an online portal for local businesses across the country, including several Arizona retailers selling apparel, accessories, home decor, and other gift items.

How do you find fabulous local products where you are?

Local First Arizona logo, Queen Creek Extra Virgin Olive Oil photo, and Queen Creek Olive Mill logo images via their respective websites. Landscape photo of Queen Creek Olive Mill from our visit there. This is not a sponsored post. I just wanted to write something in support of local businesses, so I did.

November 12, 2013May 23, 2023

Why startup teams need craft time

They stood around the edges of the room, unsure what to expect. They were developers or visionaries or businesspeople. They all wanted to be part of launching a successful startup. They would have only about 2 days to make that dream come true.

But first, I had something important to share with them: instructions for a craft project.

During Startup Weekend, participants create a business within just 54 hours (forming teams, honing a business model, pitching their idea to judges). Chandler’s Startup Weekend 2012 included a pre-event mixer that the organizers had asked me to put together. They wanted a craft project that would also serve as an ice breaker to help potential teammates get to know each other. I didn’t know of any activity like that, so I invented one.

Stephanie Liebold, BoldAvenue.com, leads Chandler Startup Weekend participants in a creative mashup pre-event mixer. — Photo by Gangplank HQ.

The participants who showed up to the optional mixer had no idea it would involve pipe cleaners, scrapbook paper, glue and scissors. But I tasked them with creating several pieces of “wearable art” (left up to their interpretation) within a time limit (of course) and then trading their creations with the other aspiring-entrepreneurs-turned-crafters in the room.

I encouraged them to be creative and make awesome stuff – both during the crafting mixer and throughout their startup-building weekend. It was interesting to see how different people approached their task: waffling or diving in, chatting or isolating themselves, overthinking their first piece or remembering the big picture, panicking about the deadline or taking it all in stride.

I was impressed with their creativity. They created pipe cleaner eyeglasses, paper necklaces, ties, tiaras, aprons, bracelets, rings.

It was an unorthodox way to break the ice, but it got people making things and talking to each other. It also revealed how they approach the creative process, time pressure, instruction, and collaboration.

Are you thinking about launching a startup?

You should definitely do a craft project with your potential team first.

You also might like to consider taking part in a Startup Weekend where you are. The next Startup Weekend Chandler is this weekend (11/15-17), and there is still time to register. Just sayin’.

Update: I totally forgot I had a discount for you guys! Use promo code BURN for 25% off when you register for Startup Weekend Chandler 2013 .