Autumn approaches slowly in Tucson

Though it's sometimes hard to distinguish seasons in Tucson, anyone who's lived here for awhile can tell that Fall is making it's way into the Old Pueblo. We see the normal signs like shorter days and cooler nights, lots of yard sales and kids returning to school, but there are several other signs that make me realize summer is almost over.

The monsoon is still hanging on in Tucson, filling the sky with those fluffy grey and white clouds that make you think of cool autumn breezes, brightly colored leaves and pumpkin patches. I've seen Halloween costumes and some Christmas decorations for sale at various retails stores. Some of these items started popping up on store shelves and QVC in July, but as we get closer to October they're becoming more abundant. Soon we'll see the Halloween specialty shops popping up in vacated retail buildings across the city.

The cooler overnight temperatures that Tucson is seeing makes it easier to get out and exercise in the morning. While out on my runs I've noticed packs of bicyclists making their rounds early in the day. September is when the really serious cyclists start full training for the El Tour de Tucson bike race which takes place in November. It's rare I see a single cyclist; most are packs of five or more and are dressed in full uniforms that proudly display their sponsors.

Each Fall in late September and early October I see a lot of my "snow bird" neighbors slowly returning to their homes for winter hiatus. Most seasonal residents make their way back here in November or December when the rest of the country begins bearing the brunt of ol' man winter. A significant percentage of home sales in Tucson are out-of-state residents buying vacation homes they can visit in the winter. With average temperatures in the 60's and 70's you really can't find a better place to live when it's snowing everywhere else. I personally am not seeing as many vacation home clients as I have in the past and I think the economy is playing a part in that. People just don't have as much money to spend on the extras they once did.

As the days continue to grow shorter and the temperatures cooler, Tucsonans still need to look at the calendar to realize that we're approaching Fall. Being from the Midwest, it was easy to see autumn approaching. I miss the seasonal changes that made being a kid fun. I remember walking home from school when the autumn wind was brisk and blowing the leaves from the brightly colored trees. We don't see those color changes in Tucson; our cactus are green all year long. I miss my mother forcing me to eat a reasonably healthy meal before we headed out for trick or treating. Most of my Halloweens I needed to wear a jacket over my costume because it was so cold. When Tucson kids are suiting up as their favorite Batman or Harry Potter character they needs to dress in layers as temperatures could still be in the 90's when they head out.

Tucson has some of the best weather in the country so we take what we can get when it comes to seasons. Once we're done with 90 degree days and monsoon rains we'll be happy campers. Then it's seven months until we need to turn on the air coniditioners again!