Common Nature things -for all places where you lived

[shootingstar]

What things from Nature do you tend to compare and have the fondest memories for living in different parts of your region or country (ies)?

Would it be how you experienced (and enjoyed) a particular season, certain types of plants, animals, topography?

Now that I've lived in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta...the common Nature thing that I compare and enjoy for all those different regions ..would be the early-mid autumn season.

I wish I could compare spring flowers or similiar, but so far have had a tougher time being inspired by the flowers that I see here in Calgary unless I go into the Rockies...which is not where I live at this time. I'm down in the flat prairie area.

[goldfinch]

Until I retired I lived most of my life on the edge of Lake Superior. It is a cold and daunting body of water. My memories and both fond and frightening. My husband sailed ore carriers on the Great lakes, and was on a boat following the Edmund Fitzgerald when it went down. November was not a good time to be out on the lakes.

In my working years I would watch storms out my office window, seeing the waves break over the piers of the ship canal. I lived very close to the lake and one winter the lake effect snow dump caused our garage to collapse.

And the ice is blue:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bI3b9h6Reb0/SLF2QMqUTWI/AAAAAAAAB7I/EebdzosNtgw/lake07%252520019.jpg

I miss the big lake.

[jyyanks]

I love seeing blue hydrangeas. I live in the East Coast and vacation often in Cape Cod. When I see the classic new england homes with the blue hydrangeas out in front, I feel like I'm on vacation. I tried to grow blue hydrangeas in my front yard but they turned pink!

[Tokie]

You need to give hydrangeas something special to make the blooms blue - ask at the nursery! It is common, I just don't recall what it is. Tokie

[Koronin]

For hydrangeas it has something to do with the ph lvl in the soil if I remember right because we do get them to bloom in a blueish color.

To the original question. I grew up in Ohio and I have fond memories of spending a lot of time at Lake Erie growing up. We had a cabin at the lake in the gated cabin community with a private beach (Astabula area of Ohio). I know live in North Carolina. The past 10 years was in the Charlotte area and now I live at the coast. There is so much I can contrast, but not much I can compare. So many of the plants are different (really only the annual flowers and some of the large trees are the same), the weather is so very different. In Ohio I remember 4-5 months out of the year with snow on the ground, where in Charlotte we got 1-2 snow falls a year and the snow wouldn't last more than a day. Here at the coast if it snows everything totally shuts down. Ohio has 4 seasons of a real length, whereas here we have summer and winter with very little fall or spring. There are some things I prefer about the north and other things I prefer about the south. I must say I am so thankful that Sugar Maples will grow in the south, as they have always been my favorite shade tree. I bought one to Charlotte and it was doing very well when we moved. I'll be getting another one next spring to plant here from my parents. Although it does grow in NC it's not nearly as common of a tree here as it is up north.

[NbyNW]

I'm a southwestern PA girl ... so for me it's trees, and the presence or lack of hills.

Been living on the west coast for some years now, and it's a different mix of trees.

Every place has its own unique, beautiful features. It's how I know where I am.

[lph]

Trees here too! While I love spending time in the mountains and work on glaciers, I've always lived surrounded by or very close to trees, lots of them. I felt... unwanted, almost :p when we visited Iceland. It felt so barren, because there were no trees, hardly even bushes. Even in the high mountains here you usually can see lush vegetation further down, but in Iceland it just felt empty. Like there was nowhere to hide or seek shelter.

In general I feel happy living with my back to the forest. I'd like to live closer to the sea, but I'd have to give up my backyard woods.

[Crankin]

I used to miss all of the seasons, the bright blue sky, icy winter days playing in the snow, and fall of Massachusetts when I lived in AZ. Since I've been back, I have sworn not to take the beauty around me for granted. And, I don't. I love everything about each season, certain smells, the feel of the ocean, walking in the woods. The air before a big thunderstorm.
I miss nothing about Miami. I hated the weather there.
I do occasionally miss the smell of burning piñon and cool desert nights.

[Velocivixen]

I have lived my entire life in the Willamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest. For some silly reason I assumed that everyplace else was like here. It was when I traveled to the Midwest, south, southern Calif. And Nevada that I realized that I love all things GREEN & lush. It is earthy, rich, luxurious, primal and wild here. I love this.

[bmccasland]

I lived in the AZ desert for 20+ years. "Spring" starts in February, and depending on the winter rains, there can be terrific wildflower blooms out in the desert, California poppies, lupines, and owl clover. Then as it heats up, the octillo (aka Devil's Coach whip) blooms, then finish off in June with the cactus blooming - cholla, prickly pear, saguaro.

So years ago, I was in Boulder, Colorado for a job interview with Boulder Parks, and had to prepare a "Park Ranger" talk - so I did what I knew, "Desert Spring." This was back in the slide show days. Made quite an impression on them - but what I remember was that when I walked out of the office, it was snowing, in June. I left the desert where it was hotter than blazes and would be for easily 5 more months, fly up for a job interview, and it was snowing.

[jyyanks]

Kronin and Tokie - It seems that I can change my pink hydrangeas to blue. Might be my spring project for next year :)

[bmccasland]

Kronin and Tokie - It seems that I can change my pink hydrangeas to blue. Might be my spring project for next year :)

They like acid soil. My grandmother would mulch hers with pine straw (pine needles). As there were lots of pine trees around the house, the straw was easy to get, and grandchildren were tasked to do the job.

[shootingstar]

True that I do notice the trees ...or where I am, the lack of them. However, I live in an area that's alot more trees than other neighbourhoods...which still doesn't compare to the thicker cover, even in the middle of Toronto ,which has a more "lush" greenbelt because of its large swath of ravine parks.

Here, there's a provincial park, protected land within the city...and I can't quite get used it: alot of it is GRASS. It feels wierd to me..like being in a semi-wild..lawn. I am so accustomed to provincial parks as places with a ton of trees/rock.

When I was in VAncouver, I missed the maple trees and other deciduous trees that gave so much autumn colour.
But then B.C., gave back with more lush /bigger trees, flowers, etc....at least along the Pacific coast.

I also notice some differences in birds... I missed seeing the red cardinal, Blue Jay (I realize there are different ones) in southern Ontario.
While along Pacific coast, it's the bald eagle and other similar eagles.

And here, in Alberta..it's the magpie bird with touches of brilliant blue, white and rest black/grey.

[Crankin]

When I lived in AZ and flew anywhere in the east, or to San Diego, the first thing that struck me was how green everything was. The brownness of the desert got to me. Of course, we are talking about the desert that was destroyed by humans, not what Beth described. I'd wager to bet that most of the people who live in Phx have not seen the cacti blooming. Just reading that list of saguaro, cholla, and prickly pear made me nostalgic.
I'd bet that most of the people I hang out with around here don't know how to pronounce those names!

[skhill]

Except for time away for college, I've lived in central KY since I was 5. I love the black walnut trees and the mulberry trees flourishing in the city, and the nuts and berries free for the taking. I take for granted the lush grass around here; when I've visited other parts of the country, the grass looks so sad.

And I have seen the desert in bloom-- one year in the mid 80s my family took a spring break trip to Arizona, and it rained and rained, bringing on the flowers. Beautiful!

[Trek-chick]

What I miss about where I have lived

CALIFORNIA-The mountains and ocean, weather, dry air. I wish I were more into cycling at that time in my life too.

VERMONT- The slower paced lifestyle and country living. Maple syrup MMmmmmmmm:D I ONLY use real maple syrup now, since living here.

MASSASSACHUSETS- ??

OHIO- Yellow Springs--very nice area with good bike paths

MICHIGAN- (what I would miss if I left) I LOVE Michigan--it is my home state.:D The Great Lakes are amazing!! The U.P. and most of all --Mackinac Island:)

[Owlie]

Uh, I've spent most of life in various parts of Ohio, but it's funny how different northern Ohio is from down here.

There was a lot more red in northern Ohio in the fall. Here it's mostly yellow, brown and orange.

Crankin, DBF keeps telling me I need to visit AZ (he's in Mesa) in spring. Perhaps I can persuade him to make a trip down to that arboretum owned (partially?) by UA or the Sonoran Desert Museum...quite a drive, I know, but still.

[bmccasland]

Uh, I've spent most of life in various parts of Ohio, but it's funny how different northern Ohio is from down here.

There was a lot more red in northern Ohio in the fall. Here it's mostly yellow, brown and orange.

Crankin, DBF keeps telling me I need to visit AZ (he's in Mesa) in spring. Perhaps I can persuade him to make a trip down to that arboretum owned (partially?) by UA or the Sonoran Desert Museum...quite a drive, I know, but still.

THe Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Globe, and is interesting, especially with the near-by mining history. But the AZ-Sonora Desert museum is a must see as far as I'm concerned. And if you're into westerns, the "Old Tuscon" movie set next door is interesting, although some of the historic building burned in a massive fire about 15 years ago.

[Jolt]

I've lived most of my life in New England, and some of the things I appreciate are:
-the variety of seasons
-fall foliage colors (and the nice weather that time of year)
-snowstorms in winter that allow for some good snowshoeing
-lots of trees--when I go somewhere (like visiting my relatives in Montana) that doesn't have as many it feels weird!
-nice outdoor swimming in the summer--especially here 15 miles from the ocean--I can have my pick of going to the beach or one of the local lakes
-the fact that the hot summer weather doesn't go on for TOO long...
-having some hills rather than just boring flatness
-hiking/camping in the White Mountains

What I like better about Maine then Massachusetts:
-closer to good hiking/outdoor activities
-not really a nature thing, but LESS TRAFFIC and better drivers!!! Less crowded in general.

[Jolt]

Except for time away for college, I've lived in central KY since I was 5. I love the black walnut trees and the mulberry trees flourishing in the city, and the nuts and berries free for the taking.

You just reminded me of something else I like here: lots of wild blueberries and blackberries growing in various places, free for the picking. I found some wild grapes along the side of a road the other day too.

[Owlie]

THe Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Globe, and is interesting, especially with the near-by mining history. But the AZ-Sonora Desert museum is a must see as far as I'm concerned. And if you're into westerns, the "Old Tuscon" movie set next door is interesting, although some of the historic building burned in a massive fire about 15 years ago.

I have been to both, though we went to the arboretum in AUGUST--terrible idea, but it was pretty even then. I went to the Sonoran Desert museum back in February, and didn't get as much time there as I wanted (grad school interview). I'm pretty much an all-around biology geek (both small- and large-scale) so I really wanted to go run around both places a lot more than I got to.

[shootingstar]

Love some of your descriptions of various places across North America.

(Am I the only foreigner outside of U.S. to give of "places in past, present"?)

[AppleTree]

After growing up in Florida and living for six years in California, I do quite often compare where we are now - the Pacific Northwest - to places we've been. I still sometimes wonder how I ended up in this beautiful place, with the mountains and water and beautiful tall trees. When I visit family down south, I can't wait to come home. I used to dream that the tall thunderclouds were distant mountains, and now I can look out my window and see real mountains!

Palm trees aren't real trees in my book. :rolleyes:

California was beautiful in it's own way, we lived on the central coast north of Santa Barbara (Lompoc) known for it's flower fields. Up here we do have the tulip fields in Mt. Vernon.

We spent two weeks in Arizona some years back and I would have dreams of being home and watching the ferry boats float across the deep blue water toward the white capped Olympic Mountains and the evergreen trees. I was homesick for green! Not much of that in Arizona.

The one thing I do miss about Florida is the heavenly smell of orange blossoms in the spring! Nothing else compares!

[Koronin]

shootingstar, it looks that way. Although I've visited Canada (mostly Ontario, but also Quebec) I haven't spent enough time there to really give any description. My husband could give a description of Spain as he spent Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Spain and really loved the area. He spent some of his free time cycling and although didn't know Spanish very well was accepted by a group of Spaniards who did a lot of cycling and joined them many times for several hours of riding the country side. (I didn't meet him until he was out of the Air Force.)

[shootingstar]

I do miss about Florida is the heavenly smell of orange blossoms in the spring! Nothing else compares!


Must be wonderful!
The only fruit in the fields I've smelled in the places where I've lived, are strawberry fields. :) (Ontario)

As a childhood memory, the best dream-like memory is during fall, the big maple tree in front of our house, also was in front of my bedroom window. The golden glow from autumn leaves would suffuse my room..and as the weeks drift by, the leaves would reveal the bright blue sky in between the soaring black branches.

And I remembered cycling Ontario rural back roads in spring, with a row of lilac bushes and trees.....

Yea, as a teen I wrote poetry. :o:p

Of course, I miss the B.C. lush temperate vegetation, mountains not far, etc. Hope to go back to visit next spring, cherry blossom time, when the city is abloomin'.

Here Calgarians with money, have to drive 120 kms. north to get to the Rocky mountains... but when you're there it's great. I just don't live that close to the towering giants.

[margo49]

Kingfishers - they are one of if not the internationally widespread-est species on the planet.
Also sparrows which get rounder and fatter as you move further from the Equator.

[Crankin]

We had that orange blossom smell in AZ, at least in the 70's and 80's. I remember being so overwhelmed by it, that it gave me an allergy attack!
I think you'd have to drive pretty far out of the city to smell it now, but I distinctly remember standing on the ramp of the ASU music building (the birthday cake building) and smelling the orange blossoms. Don't ask me what I was doing at the music building, though... I have no idea!

[Antaresia]

ah, I miss the autumn of the East coast of Canada. Here in Vancouver, the leaves just don't turn the same way. But I love the mountains here, and the cherry blossoms in the spring. The novelty of those never wears off.

I miss the red-brown crumbly shale of Nova Scotia.

I miss the sound of frogs, and taking walks through the swampy areas trying to catch them.

I don't miss the mosquitoes...

N.B. used to get wicked beautiful ice storms, everything would just be covered. Trees bowed, power lines about to snap. I can remember the way everything looked, so surreal. I'm happy for the memory, but I don't miss it, lol.

[spokewench]

You need to give hydrangeas something special to make the blooms blue - ask at the nursery! It is common, I just don't recall what it is. Tokie

I think you need to add an acid for the blue color, if they don't bloom that color in your soil. It is ph level that causes the color

[sfa]

I've pretty much lived most of my life along the east coast--Baltimore, DC, and North Carolina. What I notice from one place to the next is trees and hills. All of the locations where I've lived have been in the piedmont or along the fall line, and I really notice the difference in the types of trees and the relative flatness of the landscape when I head towards the coast. And I always found visiting my midwestern relatives disorienting--all that wide open flat space just feels wrong to me.

When I was in college I took a photography course and it happened that I was out in Illinois for a funeral that semester, so I took some pictures of the farms and fields there. I enlarged one photo for my class and my professor really panned it--hated the composition and how featureless it was. My mother adored it and had it framed because it captured her home landscape (which she misses a lot) so well.

And one final thought--I never realized how wonderful spring could be until I lived in North Carolina. Growing up in Maryland, spring was generally chilly and wet. Beautiful blossoming trees and flowers, but you wouldn't want to hang around outside admiring them too much, and spring came and went in about two weeks here. In North Carolina spring started in February and hung around until May and it was glorious. If I were independently wealthy, I'd spend my springs in North Carolina, my autumns in Maryland, and my summers and winters in the mountains somewhere.

Sarah

[MomOnBike]

I grew up in south-central Colorado, then moved to Nebraska for economic reasons. There are so many things I miss about Colorado that we just don't have here.

The smell of roasting chilies about this time of year - and then buying several bushels of them for green chili all winter.

Magpies. I know, they are not appreciated by my ranching family, but the are iconic to the region.

The sky. There are just so many *%$^*!! trees around here I can't see the sky.

Stars. See above.

Cactus blooms in July.

Crisp - no make that brittle - cold mornings in January, and making jokes about living in the banana belt when it only got down to -25 at our house.

Sigh. I'm homesick.

[Velocivixen]

@margo49, we have a creek behind our house and I often hear the call of belted kingfishers who live along the creek. Northern Flickers and black capped chickadees also.

[azfiddle]

I've lived in Arizona for 30 years, and love the desert wildflowers in the spring and the summer monsoon thunderstorms.

What I miss most from when I lived in California - I went to school in Santa Cruz and miss the gorgeous views of the ocean along highway 1 north of Santa Cruz, especially in spring when the hills were all green, the barking of the sea lions (audible from the hills on the edge of campus) and the redwood forests.

[Koronin]

Here's something kind of odd that I miss from up north. The black dirt. I lived in Charlotte for 10 years with red clay. I hate that stuff. Now in eastern NC it's a sand dirt mix. It's definitely better than red clay, but it's not good black dirt.

[Miranda]

Until I retired I lived most of my life on the edge of Lake Superior. It is a cold and daunting body of water. My memories and both fond and frightening. My husband sailed ore carriers on the Great lakes, and was on a boat following the Edmund Fitzgerald when it went down. November was not a good time to be out on the lakes.

In my working years I would watch storms out my office window, seeing the waves break over the piers of the ship canal. I lived very close to the lake and one winter the lake effect snow dump caused our garage to collapse.

And the ice is blue:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bI3b9h6Reb0/SLF2QMqUTWI/AAAAAAAAB7I/EebdzosNtgw/lake07%252520019.jpg

I miss the big lake.

Oh my goodness... I never would have imagined the ice being blue! It's beautiful in it's own way. I love nature. Assume the blue color maybe has something to do with the fact that it's a concentration of salt water. Great pic, thanks for sharing!:cool:

[limewave]

Oh my goodness... I never would have imagined the ice being blue! It's beautiful in it's own way. I love nature. Assume the blue color maybe has something to do with the fact that it's a concentration of salt water. Great pic, thanks for sharing!:cool:

It's a Great Lake so it is "saltless". Just good ole fresh water :-) I've grown up on the lakeshore of Lake Michigan and I just can't imagine living away from the water, it's too much a part of me.

[Miranda]

I've lived in the midwest my entire life. Fall is my favorite season. Besides watching the tree leaves change colors, I love watching the farm fields change.

The corn fields go from tiny sprouts, to the old saying "knee high by the 4th of July", to tall billowing stalks. The prettiest is now. The corn changes to a beautiful amber golden color. Then, as it's cut, it's spectacular to watch the field space return with miles of view over the horizon.

Even as winter comes, and Mother Nature lays her white blanket of slumber over the fields, it's still pretty in a different way. Life is just below the surface waiting to be re-born again.

Who would have thought you could get all that out of some corn in a field lol.:rolleyes:

:)

[goldfinch]

Oh my goodness... I never would have imagined the ice being blue! It's beautiful in it's own way. I love nature. Assume the blue color maybe has something to do with the fact that it's a concentration of salt water. Great pic, thanks for sharing!:cool:

It is blue because of the way the light refracts in the ice. Ice collisions and pressure from ice built up can increase the effect.

[Chile Pepper]

I really don't miss much about California (grew up there). Well, the restaurants and options for road riding, but those aren't exactly natural. I lived in Wisconsin for two years, and I do occasionally get nostalgic for the rolling green hills and the summer rain. Here in Chile, I love the way the Andes are always towering over me. I love the rivers and lakes of the south. I love the desserts of the north. I love the adobe (oops--not nature again). I love having the beach just an hour and a half in one direction and a ski resort an hour and a half in the other direction. I just really love this place.

[shootingstar]

Here in Chile, I love the way the Andes are always towering over me. I love the rivers and lakes of the south. I love the desserts of the north. I love the adobe (oops--not nature again). I love having the beach just an hour and a half in one direction and a ski resort an hour and a half in the other direction. I just really love this place.

Sounds like some parts of British Columbia --400 kms. inland into British Columbia you are by Canada's desert (where it is a wine-growing region, major), then not far, mountains to ski/snowboard and...well, not as many lakes. :)

I do like the smell of fall, which is more prevalent in Ontario ....and of course, maple syrup is from the area.

Everything else that's maple syrup in Western Canada (B.C. or Alberta)..is from Ontario or Quebec.

True the prairies give you some fantastic natural views of rolling storms...hail...we've had several which would be not normal in Vancouver, BC. There, a lightning storm makes front page news because it's rare.

[grey]

Summers in Cape Cod (Provincetown):
The sounds of the gulls over sand dunes. The smell of sea mixed with wild roses, which grow all along the shore. It's intoxicating. Falling asleep at night to the sound of three distinctly different foghorns - in between, I could hear the bell on a buoy. If I close my eyes I can still hear the foghorns. Sometimes it would be high tide when it was time for bed - the house was on the water, on stilts, so water rose right up under the house and lapped against the breakwall. Love and miss the boats - tons of wooden fishing and sailboats, handpainted in teal blue, red, white, and sometimes yellow. I get very "homesick" for the Cape, even though I never spent more than a month at a time there.

Family/Homesoil, Southern Illinois:
Miles of flat cornfields. The smell of barns and cow dung and hay, the calls of Bobwhites hiding in the fields. Hunting for crawfish in the little creek. The quiet, oh the quiet, and the heaviness of the afternoon heat.

Vacations in Nova Scotia:
The crisp, clean air smell of early morning - heavy with dew, mingled with the scents of the sea & the fishing boats on the dock. Wild roses are plentiful here also, as are blueberries and cranberries. The contrast between the wild blue of the sky in Fall with the flame-inspired hues of the foliage in October is thrilling.

Growing up in South Florida:
The sickly sweet and salty smell of brine in the marshes, where the fiddler crabs would come out and wave their supersize claw for a mate. Walking on the roots of the mangrove trees - best way to cross all the muck!
Considering I spent 28 years of my life in FL, I don't have much nice to say about it. It was never home. It's hot and muggy, like August, 9 months of the year.

Northwest GA, where I live now:
Oh the SEASONS! Here it seems the timing of all of the seasons is perfect. By the time you are sick of winter or tired of being so hot in the summer, the season changes. I love the crisp, cold air of a winter morning, the reassuring presence of warmth nearby in the smell of our wood burning stove. The chance of snow (never enough of it here) In Fall, I cannot get over how blue the sky becomes, I am intoxicated by the smell of burning leaves, and some years the colors are amazing. It's always peak color right around my birthday - Fall is my favorite season. The deer are moving, the leaves are falling and crunching underfoot (or under bike tires!).
In Spring I can never get over the color, the amazing gift every morning of a new flower coming into bloom, the smell of green in the air, the amazing number of birdcalls that announce Spring is here. I love the mountains. I love watching them change colors first - now the tops turn color before the valley does, in Spring the valley blooms before the mountain. In winter, the trees are bare and I can look out my window and see part of a ridge that's normally obscured by foliage.

[lph]

That was beautiful, grey :)

[Bethany1]

I've been to a lot of places and each have their own uniqueness. England is amazingly green. I was only there a week but fell in love with both the North and the South (did I get that right?). The northern part of England is more industrial and the North Sea was beautiful along the coast. Kent and the White Cliffs of Dover are amazing. On the way back we flew over Ireland which is even greener.

I grew up in Columbus, Ohio. You get all four seasons there. Southern Ohio is beautiful along the river. Come fall, watching all the trees turn colors was fun.

I lived in San Antonio and Austin for a couple of years. If you even have a hint of snow, the entire city shuts down. No one knows how to drive in rain either. I love bluebonnets and miss them terribly. Winter really isn't "winter" as it only got down into the 40's. First year I was there I never even wore a coat and watched as everyone was bundled up like it was below zero. I miss the Hill Country of Austin as well. I DON'T miss fire ants. You can keep them down south. Nasty little creatures.

Southeast Nebraska is farmland. Miles and miles of it. It was culture shock to go from large cities to the middle of nowhere. You felt like you were being stalked by corn and soybeans. There aren't many trees out here and I miss that. You have to watch out for tractors along the highways come spring and fall and little old ladies in huge pickup trucks going 40mph on a 60mph road. You laugh when people complain about traffic and long lines here. Try sitting in rush hour traffic for two hours or more just to get 20 miles and then you can complain.

You get all four seasons here for sure. Winters can get pretty bad and the roads will shut down. Seeing all the snow is amazing until you get sick of it. It's been terribly hot this summer, above 100 degrees some days. You just watch your grass turn brown and not worry about it.

I love not living in a neighborhood Nazi organization. No one to tell you how high your grass can be or that you can't do this or that on your property. You don't have to have 6 foot high privacy fences either. I love this area more than I ever thought I would.

[Norse]

DP and I have traveled to many places around the globe, and found wonderful things to like about almost all of them, but I do love my home state of Minnesota the best. DP and I were both orginally from MN when we met in Los Angeles. We took a trip to Alaska one year and came back thinking the same thing - what are we doing here? I do love the ocean and miss that, and our friends, but otherwise ... I love:

Four seasons
Thunderstorms
The Mississippi, over 11,000 lakes, and the North Shore of Lake Superior
Watching the sunset over a glassy lake and hearing a loon call
The Superior Hiking Trail
All our trees
Our prairie restoration project in the front yard which the city encourages
Bike trails galore
Riding along wide-open country roads viewing endless acres of corn, soybeans... and the wonderful green/earthy smell of the countryside
Piercingly brilliant blue skies
Watching the earth come back to life in spring
The smell of autumn and it's beauty
Snowfall (until March/April - then, we are ready for it to be done already!)
Watching the annual migrations of so many different species of birds and waterfowl
Riding down a bike trail and seeing a fox, wild turkey and deer - all within a couple of miles of each other.
I do love it here.

[shootingstar]

One thing for certain, although it's not desert where I live, the air is drier year round than Ontario or British Columbia:

An open packet of pita bread...becomes perfect dry pita chips. You don't get mouldy bread.

I was back in Toronto for a few days last week. I was reminded of their thick tree cover.

I haven't yet figured out fall here in Alberta.....the temperature change during the day can be a difference of 20 degrees C or in Farenheit, it can be 40 degrees F in early morning and over 80 degrees F in afternoon.