Philip Continues.

Hello, friends. This is my first entry into the blogosphere in many years. Somewhere, floating around in the obscure reaches of the internet, are a few strands of information, and perhaps a vapid post or two from TXace411's deleted live journal account. But here I begin in earnest.

So. Erin and I live in Arizona now. It is hot like everyone says, but it is also a dry heat, like everyone says after they tell you it's hot. I don't mind it so much--I might even like it a little bit--but I won't be sad to see "fall" arrive.

It was a long drive from Kansas, barren in parts and boring in others, but I enjoyed it. I was looking forward to the journey, actually: the last time I came to the Southwest I travelled the same roads, and a vague image of dusk falling on the red rock of New Mexico has lingered, mysterious and beautiful, on the fringes of my memory. Our caravan happened to reach the New Mexico border in the late afternoon, and I could verify and amend those memories, make them more concrete and permanent. Less red, more brown and orange than I thought. The sky was huge, which I didn't remember at all, and the clouds which hung in several corners offered dramatic chiaroscuro shading. I know Erin didn't like the barrenness of the plains, but I thought it was all beautiful.

The road down to the Valley from Flagstaff was lovely, too, but I'll spare you more landscape descriptions.

We arrived Monday afternoon, but we decided, with little debate, to eschew the triple-digit temperatures and move in most of our belongings on Tuesday morning. In a near-miraculous effort, we managed to move an entire apartment's trappings in less than an hour. Most of the credit goes to our downstairs neighbors, Harrison and Stefano, who happen (providentially) to be first-year teachers at Glendale Prep as well.

Now, two days later, we have several regions of boxes scattered throughout, but most of the furniture has at least a tentative home. We still need more bookshelves, a microwave, and a bedframe, but those will come soon.

Most importantly, we have a kitty. Barley, who was recently sitting on my lap while I was typing this, and who is now hiding under the couch, is wonderful. He's extremely calm, and he loves laps. But Erin will be able to tell you more soon. This is one of her areas of expertise.