Mountain View at The Tropical Paradise

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When I bought this house, many years ago, I had recently moved to Arizona from California. And while I was in California, I had become very aware of the value of a "view". In Santa Barbara and Redondo beach, I had looked at apartments that had an "ocean view" - even if only a tiny bit could be seen past other buildings, telephone poles, trees, etc., and that made them more expensive. So I noted, when I bought this house, that there was a mountain view. I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but it's straight ahead, due west, behind that palm tree in the background.

I bought my house intentionally with the backyard facing east as I knew it would be best for the garden. The front of the house faces west, and if you live in the Phoenix area, you know that that is "the fires of hell", the hottest area on your property. So, I really never spent much time in the front of the house. I have tried to plant things in the court yard, but the brutal heat anywhere away from the shade of the tree makes it just about impossible. The court yard seems to trap and reflect heat. So I mostly just stay away.

But I have recently found how pleasant it is now that the mornings are cooler. It's very shady in the morning, as the sun is on the other side of the house. I have put a folding chair out there and it's kind'a nice just hanging out with the little dog. The low wall gives nice privacy, as long as you're sitting down, and when you stand up, you can see the mountain. Waaaay out there!
Macintosh, the good little wiener dog, in the court yard

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