Round Robin: Water in the Desert - Winter Edition

This week's Round Robin Photo Challenge, Water, happens to coincide perfectly with the lesser of Tucson's two rainy seasons, such as they are: the winter monsoon. The real monsoon is in the summer, but in January, if we're lucky, we get enough rain for get by for a few months thereafter. Note to anything considering a trip to Tucson: the best months to visit us are November, December, February, March and maybe April. Skip January unless you like rain, or are curious about what the desert is like when it's doing its best to approximate winter weather. Given the dramatic weather, the water I'm going to show you for this Challenge is nearly all in vapor form.

From Clouds Over Tucson

Let's start with this shot from last Saturday, the last image from my trip to the Catalina foothills to photograph snow on the mountain slopes. Even with Catalina Highway closed from the worst snowstorm in seven years the night before, the desert floor was dry by the following afternoon. All the water was either deep underground or up in the air as clouds.



By Monday the visible-from-a-distance snow was pretty much gone from the Catalinas, but we were far from done with clouds and rain. Late Wednesday afternoon, when I went to the main post office on Cherrybell to mail 1099 forms, the clouds dwarfed the Tucson Mountains that flank the western edge of the city.



Unsurprisingly, there were also clouds over the Catalinas (on the left in this shot) and the Rincon Mountains (straight up the road here). Incidentally, the two black dots in the sky are fighter jets from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. It is extremely common around here to see two military planes in the sky.



Most rain in Tucson happens at night in the winter, late afternoon and evening in the summer. But Thursday we had daytime rain. Here is the scene that day on Wilmot Road by Carondelet St. Joseph's Hospital, one light south of St. Michael's.



The cloud cover was similar to the clouds that amazed us when we first visited Tucson in 1986, covering the tops of the mountains entirely. A right turn at the traffic light shown here takes you into the St. Michael's parking lot.



The drama of the clouds continued in front of the house that afternoon.

Now let's go see everyone else's water!


Linking List
as of 4:15 PM PST Saturday


Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Jama - Posted!
Sweet Memories
http://mummyjam.blogspot.com

ellen b. - Posted!
The Happy Wonderer
http://happywonderer.wordpress.com

Mary / The Teach (new blog!) - Posted!
Mary Tomaselli's Photos
http://marytomaselli.blogspot.com

Suzanne R - Posted!
SuzyQ421's Photo Blog
http://suzyq421sphotoblog.blogspot.com

Linda - Posted!
Mommy's Treasures
http://mommystreasures.blogspot.com

boliyou
endomental
http://www.endomental.com

Nancy - Posted!
Nancy Luvs Pix
http://nancyluvspix.blogspot.com/

Teena - Posted!
Teena in Toronto
http://www.teenaintoronto.com

Sherrie - Posted!
Sherrie's Stuff
http://sherrie-plummer.blogspot.com/

Hagemor
Hagemor
http://hagemor.blogspot.com/

carolynUSA - Posted!
Ford Family Photos
http://carolyn1209.blogspot.com

Margaret
Facts from a Fact Woman
http://factwoman.blogspot.com/

Manang Kim - Posted! **Welcome, New Member**
My Life's Journey in Focus
http://kissess4u.blogspot.com/2010/01/roundrobinphotochallenge-waterniagara.html

Jenn Posted!
My Muskoka
http://mymuskoka.blogspot.com

Gattina - Posted!
Keyhole Pictures
http://gattina-keyholepictures.blogspot.com/

Nesa ** Welcome, new member ** - Posted!
Frozen in Time Photos
http://frozenintimefotos.blogspot.com

Rita aka Cashjocky - Posted!
Cashjocky and the Old Salt
http://cashjocky.blogspot.com/2010/01/round-robin-photo-challenge-and-weekend.html

Sandy - Posted!
From The Heart Of Texas
http://sandytrefger.wordpress.com/2010/01//30/the-round-robin-photo-challenge-water/

Ruth - Posted!
The Scrabble Queen
http://scrabblequeen.blogspot.com/2010/01/30/round-robin-challenge-water/

Karen

P.S. The new Weekend Assignment and roundup of the current one, Weekend Assignment #303: To Tweet Or Not To Tweet, will be posted Saturday evening. And don't forget the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #74: Houses Of Worship!