The beautiful parking lots of suburban Phoenix


I live in a spectacularly beautiful world, suburban Phoenix. And as I stood in the parking lot of Crossroads Plaza in Peoria this morning, sipping my coffee from McDonalds, I got to thinking how lucky I am, and have been since I was nineteen, and first came to Phoenix.

Although you really can't see it in a photo, the sunrises and sunsets here in the desert are amazing. Back when I was going to ASU, I lived in a converted garage that was across from an open field, and I'd try to get out every evening and watch the sun go down. I'd been influenced by the Seer in the book Cannery Row, and sometimes felt as if the sun wouldn't go down if I wasn't there. Yes, they're just as amazing as you've heard, it's not just Chamber of Commerce stuff, or trick photography in Arizona Highways. If you've seen it in real life, you know. If not, I can't blame you for being skeptical.

Of course, to really be able to see the sky you need wide-open spaces. I'm not comfortable living in cramped areas, looking at nothing but walls, but I don't need to be way out in the middle of nowhere either, far away from where I can get a coffee at McDonalds, so parking lots work just fine for me.

I stood there for quite a while this morning, just soaking it in, and I'd imagine that most people who saw me may have thought that I was waiting for someone, or something else. A parking lot is a utilitarian thing, and a shopping mall is where people go on errands, I understand. And sometimes it makes me sad that people could be missing so much beauty, going about with their busy lives.

Another thing that I learned from reading Steinbeck is to be prepared to tell people something simple, like you're doing something to win a bet, or something. Standing there soaking up beauty isn't something most people want to hear about, or will ever understand. If you do, I'm impressed. Let's just stand here.

Thank you for the encouragement! If you want to see daily pics of my adventures on my recumbent trike in suburban Phoenix (just for fun, of course!) you can follow me on Buy me a coffee, and you can buy me a coffee if you'd like to:

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