Arizona, Photo challenge

A New Routine

by Ingrid

Living in the desert southwest has its pluses and minuses. The biggest minus is the summer heat. Yeah, yeah, yeah I hear ya, it’s a dry heat, but even an oven is a dry heat 😁lol. That said, during the summer it’s really difficult to do any kind of outdoor activity much after nine o’clock in the morning.

Fortunately, we live a short walking distance away from a recreation center in our 55-plus community which offers a wonderful fitness center. Thus, we’re able to get in our daily walks on a treadmill in an air-conditioned environment.

But hiking on a treadmill is just not the same as strolling the great outdoors while filling our lungs with fresh air and taking in the beauty of nature and plants surrounding us. So, Al and I have come up with a new morning routine … a routine I never thought I’d embrace. Each morning, we start off our day at 5:30 a.m. with a quick twenty-minute walk around the neighborhood while watching the sunrise.

Even though I’ve always been a morning person, I much prefer waking slowly over a cup or two of coffee before starting the day, but much to my surprise, I’m really enjoying this new morning routine. We still go to the fitness center in the afternoon to get in a more strenuous walk, but starting the day off with a short brisk walk seems to energize me.

“If you truely love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

I’m not sure if it’s the dawning of a new day, the fresh morning air, the diverse plants, the chirping of birds, the hopping bunnies, or a combination that appears to agree with me. It doesn’t really matter. All I know is I need nature,

So, until our days get longer and our extreme heat subsides, every morning before sunrise you’ll find me strolling around my neighborhood. But trust me, it’s a brisk walk as visions of coffee swirl through my head.

These photos are in response to the Sunday Stills photo challenge – The Glowing Life of Plants.

81 thoughts on “A New Routine”

  2. I’ve thought about moving to a 55+ community…when I first thought about it my husband and I were way too young…not even 50 yet. And now it feels like we’re too old to move, he’s 70 and I’m 67. But you never know. I’ve always wanted to live in the SW for some period of time. Mostly because there would be new and different things to photograph. But I’d miss my Great Lakes too. Decisions, decisions!

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    1. Ah, we were just discussing Lake Superior the other day with my sister-in-law and her husband.(they are 66 and 70) This past spring they moved here to Phx and although they are loving it, we all miss our summers in northern Wisconsin. The Midwest will always be ‘home’ and will now suffice as a vacation destination…. do not miss those winters.
      We love living here at this stage in our life, but then again, we also have most of our family living nearby now.

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  6. Hope you don’t have more than a cup of coffee every morning. Spending time with nature is a great way to start your day!

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  7. Ingrid,
    I totally understand the change in routine. We have a new dog in the house and he HAS to walk before 6:30, so that means I have to move my morning coffee in order to get the job done. I’ve learned to enjoy the time since our summer mornings are very pleasant. The humidity moves in around 10. I’ve taken your suggestion and started carrying my camera for photo ops. This morning I captured these pretty coneflowers. Have a great weekend and stay cool out there. Joe

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    1. Lovely image, Joe. Those four-legged family members do have a way of motivating us. We traveled with our Brittany Spaniel and he made sure I got in plenty of exercise. 😁

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  8. We find mornings are the best time of the day too. Although we are early risers and slow to get going we power walk daily. Your photos are fabulous!
    Cheers!

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  9. I know what you mean as far as the heat of the day. I am in Florida this summer and I cannot believe the heat . Now I know why I usually leave in June and return in Sept.
    However this summer led me to stay down here because of some jobs I could pick up for extra traveling money. So here I am but planning on leaving the end of July to head up to New England for family get together then off to RVing in Maine for August. I do have to be back in Sept for another job. However it gives me some extra money.
    I am however looking for a camp host job for this next year. Down here in Florida for the winter and somewhere in the US next summer. I really missed RVing and want to keep doing it as long as I can. I will let you know where I end up. Still keeping a place somewhere in Fla for my home but not sure where yet either. Katie and I will be selling this one as she has a boyfriend and going off to do what they do (pickle ball) and she will stay teaching for another year then who know where it will lead??
    So I am back to RVing!
    I did want to comment on the beautiful flower pictures. I am so happy you got back to taking pics of nature. You show it beautifully. You need to do a calendar. I will buy the first one!
    Keep shooting and I will let you know where I land.
    Always, Merry Sue

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    1. Your cruise trip to Alaska looked fun. There are days we miss RVing but would only want to do it part-time. Who knows, we may get a camper van or super small pull behind.

      I’m loving the new camera and looking forward to cooler temps to get back out and about with it. The flower images were taken in Grand Junction a little over a week ago when we went up to visit my brother. Felt good to get in a road trip.

      Keep me posted on your adventures and hope to see you again one of these days.

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      1. Yes you have plenty of reasons to stay put. Occasional trip will fit the bill. Rright now since i can do it , i am thinking, do what i can for now. You will see me again just not sure when.
        What camera do you have now? I love the pictures and look forward to more.
        I am sure a trip to Colo was nice. I donot get to go this summer but I hope to get some time on the east coast this summer. The Alaska trip was so nice but wished I had the camper and able to stay longer in each area longer. Also I like cooking and sleeping in my camper. I have gotten over going out all the time. It was fun to do with friends so glad I did it.
        I will keep in touch, stay cool!

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        1. Merry Sue, I picked up a used Panasonic Lumix GX8 with a couple of lenses. I love the size and weight of a micro-four-thirds camera. Thus, it’s almost always with me. My iPhone just isn’t enough for me. So, I don’t ever see myself using a phone exclusively even though it does do an amazing job…. sometimes better than the camera, but that’s probably due to user error. lol

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          1. Well whatever your using , the pictures are beautiful. You really have a knack for taking great pictures. I have several point and shoots but i find my phones works better. I am heading up to Maine this summer and hope to take some nice photos. I will let you know how it goes.
            Keep your blog going and those pictures!

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    1. When we returned from WI (central time zone), we made it a point to not readjust to AZ time, thus our bodies were used to the earlier time in Phoenix. If not for that, I doubt we’d be getting up so early, but with these summer temps, it is working out well.

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  11. I much prefer exercising in nature, too. But isn’t it great to have the option of a fitness center in your community? We’re really enjoying the one we have here in our tiny home community. And like you, although I get up reasonably early (7:00 is reasonably early, right? 😀) I don’t like having to head right out the door. I was just telling Eric that I need to get up at 6:00 so that I can fit everything in that I want to do in the morning and still get out for my walk by 9:00. Thanks for the inspiration! I agree with everyone else, your flower photos are gorgeous!

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    1. I do love my early mornings in nature as opposed to a treadmill. It’s a lot more challenging to be motivated early in the morning in a city environment, but this is what I signed up for. I love getting my day started early and checking things off my list but by about 8:00 p.m. I’m starting to yawn lol. It’s all about trade-offs. Have fun finishing up the new home!

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  13. While our area of Florida is not near as hot as in the desert southwest, we have the humidity to deal with. Heading out for a walk as early as possible certainly is the answer however I’m not as good as you, I’ve not enjoyed the sunrise on one of my walks. 😊

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    1. If I lived near the ocean (or any other body of water), I wouldn’t need much incentive to get out before sunrise. My camera and I embrace those early mornings. I miss my TX Gulf Coast visits and the sunrises over the water. BUT do not miss the humidity. Ah, always a trade off.

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  14. Gorgeous plants Ingrid 😀! I have enjoyed my walks and sunrises also in the handful of mornings that I’ve forced myself to get up early. But still, I think I need much bigger incentives than my past experiences, to get out of bed early 😂.

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    1. Thank you, and yes, it can be quite difficult to be motivated to walk so early and before coffee, but if I wait, it just gets too hot here in Phoenix. I’m already looking forward to September when the time frame will be adjusted.😊

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      1. Lovely photos of such gorgeous flowers. Really like the first one. I’m with you that a big walk first thing in the morning isn’t my usual. I do it if it’s going to be crazy hot for the dogs. Otherwise it’s midmorning before I hit the trail.

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        1. Thank you Bernie. I’m with you and would much prefer mid-morning for a hike but by about 9:00 a.m. we’re already hitting 90 F without a cloud in the sky. Thus, the early, early morning walk.

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  15. Not a treadmill person either, I prefer walking outside and in nature is better than neighborhoods. I like the idea of a walk then coffee, might give it a whirl. Your flower photos are beautiful. Keep cool and enjoy your summer.

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    1. I was walking most mornings in a nearby park until the desert heat started. Thus, for now it’ll be the neighborhood and during the winter it’ll be back to the trails. Phoenix has some great natural parks that don’t feel like you’re in a city. Enjoy your summer at the lake. I’m jealous!

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      1. Currently at home, baseball trip to St. Louis tomorrow, then the lake on Friday for a week. I drive to a forest preserve to walk on nature or I can walk the neighborhood. I get more from waking at the forest preserve, but either way it is moving and that is key. It is amazing what you can find when you look. I’ll be posting photos from the lake next week!

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  16. My favorite days have temps in the fifties and sixties. I get a little mournful when the coffee routine is put on hold, but I do like the early sunrise walks.
    (I was a night owl from the west coast who acclimated to Miami during my career, and like you, stayed on East coast time when I moved backed home.)
    Gorgeous pics!

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    1. Getting acclimated to east coast time can easily turn one into a morning person when returning to the west. Nothing better than hiking in 60 degree temps. I’m already looking forward to the fall.

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  17. I know a lot of summer desert dwellers who do the same thing. Up early, and out the door. It sounds like you have adapted well. Love the flower pics!

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    1. We certainly aren’t alone during our 5:30 a.m. walks. There are some real diehards around here out earlier than us. The pickleball players are usually on the courts by six 🥴 Most of the flower pics were taken a week ago up in Grand Junction. Post coming soon!

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  18. It makes a lot of sense to get up early in that heat so you can take it easier later in the day 🙂 I love your flower photos, especially the one with the bee and the hibiscus!

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    1. Arizona offers some unique topography. So, if we get really tired of the extreme summer heat, we can take a 2 or 3 hour drive and temps will be anywhere from 20 to 30 degrees F lower than Phoenix. Hmm, perhaps that’ll make a good blog post.

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  19. I know what you mean by getting out into nature each day. When we are in AZ my morning walk gets earlier and earlier as the days get hotter. My neighbour also does an evening walk – after the heat of the day – but she has dogs to walk!
    Heat is rarely an issue here in Alberta – eventually it will be extreme lack of heat, which is when we head back south!

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    1. You’re able to enjoy the best of both worlds by having 2 homes in diverse locations. I was going to try an evening walk yesterday but the temps were still 102 as the sun was setting.🥵🌵

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    1. Yes, the morning walk does seem to get us motivated and a bit more energized to jump into our day, but it isn’t always easy getting out the door. Before we know it, the days will get shorter and the cooler temps will have us moving that walk to a more reasonable hour like 9 ‘😁

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  21. Gorgeous photos, Ingrid! Your flower and bee pic is exquisite! I hadn’t heard of a walking pool; the concept is creative and sounds extremely intriguing. I sometimes bike along a reservoir near our home early in the morning, but I must confess that it’s to escape the crowds and not the heat. Walking or biking in nature is restorative, almost meditative for me, but that benefit is reduced by any number of greetings to others along the trail. Selfish, I know, but I tend to choose the place and time of my outdoor adventures carefully for that reason. And you have to know that I totally agree with you – the thought of morning coffee waiting back home provides exceptional motivation!

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    1. Thank you Mary. I can totally relate to heading out early to avoid the crowds. I miss having a bike. There are some great paved and unpaved trails all around the Phx valley. I keep eyeing a “Lectric” bike. A friend has a couple and once the weather cools, I’ll try out her husband’s to see what I think.
      And yes, that morning cup of coffee waiting for me is incentive enough to keep a brisk pace.

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    1. Thank you Graham. During our RV travels, I really came to embrace the mornings especially since we were fortunate to be parked in some very scenic locations with stunning sunrises.

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    1. Thank you Liesbet. The flower images were taken in Grand Junction a week ago. We were finally able to get away for a few days, and boy did I need that road trip. We’re already planning another little getaway in August.

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    1. Thank you. I’m really loving my new camera. After spending three summers in northern WI (central time zone), we never tried making the adjustment back to mountain time in AZ and embraced the early mornings. Otherwise, I don’t think we’d be up this early.

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  25. Nature feeds our souls, and you’ve captured it beautifully. I’m glad you’ve found a routine that gets you up and out of the rec center, though it’s great you have that so close. That pool-walking thing you mentioned in another response sounds really cool — I’d be all over that!

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    1. We were finally able to get outta town a week ago and it felt wonderful to be back on the road. But then, it felt great to return home. My SIL and I visited the botanical garden in Grand Junction and it was just what my soul needed.
      One of these mornings, I should go photograph the walking pool … hopefully with no one in it cause that might seem weird.

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  27. We, too, have altered our schedule for summer. We’ve been going to bed much earlier and getting up early 5:30 – 6:00. We do have our coffee first and head out between 7:00 – 7:30. I think knowing that the pool is waiting for our return makes exercising in the heat much easier. We either play 50 mins of pickleball/tennis or do a twenty mile bike ride. Water aerobics or swimming laps happens in the afternoon. It’s nice to have the options. Your flower photos are spectacular!! I so enjoyed looking closely at each one. Beautiful!

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    1. Thanks Pam. I’m loving my new camera and last week took most of the floral images at the botanical garden in Grand Junction. The quick road trip to my brother’s was much needed.
      I too have always started my day with coffee first. So this walking before coffee is a new thing and I’m finally adjusting to it. By seven, it’s already getting pretty warm around here.

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  28. Exactly, that’s what we have been doing since we moved here. Although someone in the family here gets up at 3 or 4 to start his chores 🙂
    Great flower pictures, especially the bougainvilla.

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    1. I know, when Steve said 3 or 4 I thought that’s crazy, but whatever works. I refuse to get up before 5:00. 😊
      We went to Grand Junction last week and visited the botanical garden with my camera. 📷 Felt good to take a road trip.

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  31. Your flower photos are very beautiful, Ingrid! You are exactly right about the 9 AM heat, after that, it just gets too hot to do much except jump in a pool which I don’t have. Stay cool, guys!

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    1. Thanks John. When we returned from WI in ’21, we made it a point not to adjust to the time zone change, and thus used to the early morning wake up which has come in handy during the hot summer months.

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      1. I don’t think I could not adjust to the time difference, Ingrid. I’m flying home to Michigan in a few days, the three-hour difference always gets me both arriving and getting home!

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  32. Ingrid, Your flower images are gorgeous! I understand your need to get outside in nature and I get having to go so early in the morning. I can’t take the heat and humidity we have in the south so if I walk it is usually around 8:00am. My favorite exercise though is water aerobics. In the summer our class is 9:00 am – 10:00 am so I am home before the real heat of the day begins. It also gives me an opportunity to have some social time with friends.

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    1. Thank you Beth. I’m loving the new camera. I was just talking to Al today about going to one of the pools for some water exercise. A couple of the rec centers have walking pools partially covered. It’s designed like a walking trail or lazy river and everyone walks in the same direction. We’ll see how motivated we feel 🤪

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    1. So far, so good. I did have one day where I was moving slow and almost didn’t walk but then remembered how good I’d feel thus pushed myself. 🙂

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  34. I love the photos, Ingrid, and completely understand what you mean about the heat. When it’s over 110 for the high, the advantage of “dry” heat is much harder to appreciate! I’m naturally an early bird and love to walk outside, but it’s even been hard for me to get out when it’s so hot. We went to Tucson yesterday and drove to the top of Mt. Lemmon where we did some hiking under much nicer conditions but even then, it wasn’t during the hottest part of the day.

    I’m glad to read that you’re getting out into nature and have to get back to it myself, heat or no heat. Then home for some tea and breakfast!

    janet

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    1. We went to Grand Junction CO a week ago to visit my brother and SIL. It felt great to escape the heat but also to get in a road trip. Any little break we can get from the extreme heat makes it easier to get through the rest of the summer.

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  35. You guys are definitely early birds, Ingrid! Makes sense given the heat factor there. As it gets hotter here, I will have to gulp some coffee and then get Brodie walked by 8am, don’t know if I can do 5:30. You shared some lovely photos–that one with the bee in flight is fabulous! Well worth the walk when you can see these views. Enjoy and great to see your post!

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    1. Funny thing is, we never used to get up before 6 but after spending our summers in WI (central time zone) we never fully adjusted back to Pacific time. We kinda liked the early rise. (FYI, AZ doesn’t observe daylight savings time. Thus, we’re on CA time in the summer and mountain time in the winter.) Enjoy your summer in the north!

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