This picture here is an actual picture of a red tailed hawk that decided to have a meal in a tree not 50 feet from my apartment here in Phoenix. Definitely one of my favorite pictures. I also took some video of him feeding.
It's been interesting for me. I have been living in an actual studio apartment in Phoenix for about six weeks now. And I am adjusting. At first things were pretty crazy. People in a big city are definitely different. They tend to be more hardened and more unscrupulous. There's a different kind of game going on.
I seriously considered getting another apartment in another, smaller, city. But, for now I will stay.
I noticed that a lot of people in my housing complex don't spend anytime outside. They rush from their car to their apartment and lock the door. And that's it. They are unseen.
And, lately I have been doing the same thing. But for different reasons. I have been falling into a nice work routine, getting stuff done. And that's my goal. That's why I am here for a year in Phoenix.
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Phoenix and New England
I have been a bit amazed though by the weather. It is mid-December and I am walking around outside in just a t-shirt. And driving down the road with my windows open. Off in the distance I can always see various mountain ranges. - Things here are definitely different than they are in New England.
But... I definitely feel the difference when it comes to the holidays. Being a New Englander means cold and snow come Thanksgiving and Christmas. And Arizona is going to be having none of that! There is just a feeling in New England when it comes to the weather and the holidays.
Here is the building I lived in.
And there's me!
Another amazing thing about Phoenix and Arizona is how different the flora and fauna is. Here is an olive tree with a second picture close up on olives.
One of the biggest reasons why I chose Arizona as a place to stay for a while is the night sky. Arizona has among the best night skies in the country. This is due to a variety of factors including elevation, low humidity, very few cloudy nights, high mountains, desert, sparse population and extremely low level of light pollution.
Several large organizations have world class telescopes in Arizona. These include the USA national telescope, the Vatican telescope and the Discovery channel telescope.
And there are lots of astronomy clubs in Arizona, and Phoenix in particular.
Here is a picture I took of the Milky Way. This was at the Grand Canyon. 
I lived in this wonderful little apartment for two years. It was good times for me. The people in the complex were great. The staff was great. And I lived a pretty quiet writer's life.
Let me finish off this page about Phoenix with a picture of some cactus!
If things go the way I want them to go in my life I will get myself a nice little winter home in Arizona. So I can get away from the New England winters.
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