May 30, 2019

A Year of Outback Seasons

We’ve been living in Alice for (almost) a year and have gotten a chance to see the seasons come full-circle. Living here has made us truly enjoy each of the seasons, which was quite unexpected for me!

Moving here, I assumed it would always be pretty warm and very hot in the summer. For the first few months of living here, I noted that I felt like the weather was vacation weather- reliably nice, sunny and you can wear summer clothes just about year-round. While that is true (thanks to the lack of clouds and powerful sunshine), it’s also very deceiving. Overall, it IS warm here (there’s no snow and ice) but desert nights get cool, unlike the humid nights we’re used to. The dry air holds no heat, so shade provides excellent relief to the heat but can also be downright chilly on winter days!Summer here was the hottest weather I’ve EVER experienced; there’s nothing like it! The heat is so intense, it feels like sucking the air from a hair dryer on high…it limits your activities by 9am and can literally kill you (or just make you feel like you’re roasting while walking from your car to the grocery store on the blacktop).

During the summer we were either in the air con or in the pool. We spent so much time at the town pool with Emmylou or in her splash pad on our back deck (in the shade)! We also enjoyed hundreds of smoothie pops and so much water. We planned our days around the heat (indoor play from 9-6) and walked Penny as early and late as possible, with quick potty breaks in between. Even she dreaded heading out in the heat of the day. The heat was fun, at times, and miserable, at others.As Fall approached, the days shortened, which helped stretch Penny’s walking hours and the days were hot but not as brutal. We really didn’t get relief from the 100 degree temperatures until April- this year was a “hot one,” by Alice standards. The flies were relentless, as well, hanging around until just this week (almost June)! They tend to die off when the first cold snap happens. Now, our days are short and the air is crisp. Even in the heat of the day (highs are in the 60’s) you can feel cold if you’re out of the sun…it’s glorious!!! Let the camping and hiking commence, because this season is short but so sweet!Everything feels very backwards here but also routine…the seasons truly are a perfect synchronization of nature, no matter where you are!