As if a rollicking good Independence Day storm wasn’t enough. The weather provided additional fireworks on the 5th of July. Just like Independence Day, yesterday’s tempest was a late afternoon special. It started with a ferocious wind and clouds that turned everything dark and ominous… The rain came down, and yes, I’ve said this already,…
The summer monsoon storms have busted back into southern Arizona. The festivities started late last week with a couple of after-dark storms that were loud and rowdy enough to deprive anyone of a good night’s sleep. Not that our July 4th afternoon storm was quiet and understated. Far from it. When it came to noise…
Do you live on one of those streets where there seems to be no speed limit? So do I. And, sorry to say, those speed tables further up the street don’t seem to help at all. The speeders slow down enough to go over them without wrecking their suspensions, then it’s off to the races…
Back in early February, a hard freeze hit Tucson and southern Arizona. Daytime highs just made it into the forties, and the nighttime lows were in the teens. The extreme cold was quite rough on the local plant life. Frozen prickly pear cactus dropped their pads or fell over. And our hardy mesquites made like…
My previous Cyclovia Tucson post focused on notion that streets aren’t just for cars. People traveling under their own power also have a place. This post will cover one of the greatest benefits of self-powered travel: An enhanced ability to see and hear what surrounds you. With this thought in mind, let’s look at the…
Here in Tucson, we have been experiencing a weather spell that would be better suited for northern climes. We’re talking daytime highs that barely make it past the 40-degree mark. And the nighttime lows? Well below freezing. A couple of mornings ago, the wind chill made the air feel like it was four degrees above…
Like much of the rest of the eastern United States, Pennsylvania just got walloped by another big snowstorm. According to family reports, thick hats, heavy jackets, waterproof boots, snow shovels and plows are now the height of fashion. And will be for some time. Although my Westtown, Pennsylvania family and friends may find it hard…
One of the most memorable features of a southeastern Pennsylvania winter is that it’s highly variable. You can be deep in snow and shivering in sub-freezing temperatures, and then the weather warms up to the point where the hats and jackets are unnecessary. Such was my recent trip to the Land of Winter Variability. Not…
My recent trip to southeastern Pennsylvania featured no-problem air travel and foul weather that didn’t materialize until after I was on the ground. What the weather forecasters billed as a blizzard turned out to be underwhelming. We didn’t even get half a foot of snow. After the weather cleared, it was time to go exploring….
Eastern Pennsylvania’s Christmas weekend blizzard came in with a vengeance. The bitterly cold winds and driving snow got my attention in a hurry. I had to go outside and investigate. First lesson: Avoid looking north into the wind, because it bites. Hard… This was a lesson that our family’s super-smart border collie mix took to…
I just got back from visiting family in eastern Pennsylvania. Arrived there just ahead of a blizzard that was racing up from the South. The following photos show the calm before the storm. The approaching blizzard wasn’t about to affect the behavior of these affectionate trees… But the decorated for Christmas sled would soon get…
While outsiders think that Arizona is nothing but dry, barren desert, we residents know better. This state has a surprising amount of biodiversity. Take, for example, our riparian areas. Here’s an impressive stand of cottonwoods growing near the banks of the Hassayampa River, which doesn’t flow during dry seasons like the one we’re having now…….
A severe thunderstorm dumped almost an inch of rain here yesterday. To be quite honest, I didn’t think this storm would do much of anything. Oh, yes, it started out with a lot of wind, which brought the term “blowhard” to my mind. And then the wind picked up. I started to wonder if my…
Design projects that include photography are my favorites. While most of this combination work is for clients, some of my personal projects require more than one discipline. Take, for example, this website and blog, which involves design, photography, and writing. I recently had the opportunity to integrate these three disciplines while creating the Capabilities Statement…
Yesterday evening was one of those times when the "Yeah, right!" storm clouds stomped through central Tucson. You know those clouds. They throw out plenty of thunder and lightning, but rain? No way. So, I got on my bike and pedaled over to Main Gate Square’s First Thursday Art Walk. This month’s event featured work…
I just got back from a brief trip to northeastern Ohio. The big difference between the climates of the Buckeye State and Arizona was the moisture content. Ohio’s early morning air was so thick with humidity that you could swim through it. Of course, the local plant life was taking full advantage of the situation…
One of Tucson’s best Southwestern landscapes is at the airport. That’s right, the airport. Here’s how to find this urban treasure: If you’re taking the city bus (and, sorry to say, the drivers are on strike right now) catch the southbound #6 and get off at the park and fly lots just north of the…
After a three-month absence, an intermittent visitor has returned to the Southern Arizona desert. While commonly referred to as “rain,” this visitor is also referred to as “relief” and less flattering terms, the most common of which is, “Where in the #$%^& have you been?” The rain in my back yard was a welcome sight…
March 2019 update: This site was redesigned by the university. Robert A. Norwood is a professor in the University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences. My website design showcases his research, publishing, teaching, scholarly presentations, and patents. The home page features a collage of photos that I took of the sculpture, low water use landscaping, and…
When I was in my early twenties, I set the goal of bicycling through all 50 of the United States. I accomplished this over a 12-year period, and wrote and published two books about my experiences. My travels also took me into Canada. During a 1987 ride down the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff,…
September 2015 update: The website has been redesigned since this post was published. Ted Parson is Joseph L. Sax Collegiate Professor of Law and Professor of Natural Resources & Environment at the University of Michigan. His research examines international environmental law and policy, the role of science and technology in public policy, and the political…