Possibly moving to Phoenix/Scottsdale

[mallrat]

How are the snakes? Grew up in San Diego and paranoid of rattlesnakes.

 

Thanks guys. Looks awesome but it would be quite the change from the evergreen PNW. She has her 3rd interview this week so wish us luck

[az2au]

How are the snakes? Grew up in San Diego and paranoid of rattlesnakes.

 

Thanks guys. Looks awesome but it would be quite the change from the evergreen PNW. She has her 3rd interview this week so wish us luck

I usually see 4-5/year whether on the course or in my neighborhood. See a lot more bull snakes (aka gopher snakes) however. The rattlers don’t bother me as they aren’t aggressive. Not a fan of bulls though as they are a lot more aggressive even if they aren’t poisonous. I’d wager 90% of all sightings of “rattlers” are actually bulls. They are more common, look similar and tend to be longer.

 

Occasionally I’ll see a coachwhip but those aren’t nearly as common. See tons of bobcats (one loves to drink out of my pool and play with golf balls on our putting green), javelinas, deer, coyotes and an occasional mountain lion in our neighborhood. Really cool to have all of the wildlife around.

[dtm6582]

How are the snakes? Grew up in San Diego and paranoid of rattlesnakes.

 

Thanks guys. Looks awesome but it would be quite the change from the evergreen PNW. She has her 3rd interview this week so wish us luck

 

Snakes are not really a factor. I've been in AZ for close to 20 years now. In all that time I have seen maybe 10 rattlesnakes (I live right against the Phoenix mountain preserve and play golf). About half of those were when I was working at a golf course in an area that had just been built (Anthem CC in 2000) so the area was very recently disrupted by development. The only one I got remotely close to was while hiking and even in that case he gave plenty of warning. They're just as disinterested in you as you are of them. If you want to worry about a desert critter it's the scorpion. Much more common and nasty little buggers but again, not a deal breaker just a nuisance.

 

It's funny to see the contrast in what people find desirable. I have a business arrangement that has me tied to the Phoenix area for at least the next decade or so but if I wasn't the PNW is at the top of our "want to live" list. I'm pretty sure I could buy a cheap condo in Newport and stare at that ocean until I whither away.

[az2au]

How are the snakes? Grew up in San Diego and paranoid of rattlesnakes.

 

Thanks guys. Looks awesome but it would be quite the change from the evergreen PNW. She has her 3rd interview this week so wish us luck

 

Snakes are not really a factor. I've been in AZ for close to 20 years now. In all that time I have seen maybe 10 rattlesnakes (I live right against the Phoenix mountain preserve and play golf). About half of those were when I was working at a golf course in an area that had just been built (Anthem CC in 2000) so the area was very recently disrupted by development. The only one I got remotely close to was while hiking and even in that case he gave plenty of warning. They're just as disinterested in you as you are of them. If you want to worry about a desert critter it's the scorpion. Much more common and nasty little buggers but again, not a deal breaker just a nuisance.

 

It's funny to see the contrast in what people find desirable. I have a business arrangement that has me tied to the Phoenix area for at least the next decade or so but if I wasn't the PNW is at the top of our "want to live" list. I'm pretty sure I could buy a cheap condo in Newport and stare at that ocean until I whither away.

 

I’m shocked that you’ve seen that few. I can only guess that I see a lot more because I walk almost every round, hike a ton and they are way more common up where I live.

 

Dead on about people’s varying desires. What you referred to as nice golf weather in another thread (50s and sunny) is so cold that I plan vacations to go elsewhere during that time. Any day with a high below 60 is a miserably cold day to me. I also despise rain (while recognizing it is required for life :) ) and would be a happy person if I never saw snow again.

[dtm6582]

How are the snakes? Grew up in San Diego and paranoid of rattlesnakes.

 

Thanks guys. Looks awesome but it would be quite the change from the evergreen PNW. She has her 3rd interview this week so wish us luck

 

Snakes are not really a factor. I've been in AZ for close to 20 years now. In all that time I have seen maybe 10 rattlesnakes (I live right against the Phoenix mountain preserve and play golf). About half of those were when I was working at a golf course in an area that had just been built (Anthem CC in 2000) so the area was very recently disrupted by development. The only one I got remotely close to was while hiking and even in that case he gave plenty of warning. They're just as disinterested in you as you are of them. If you want to worry about a desert critter it's the scorpion. Much more common and nasty little buggers but again, not a deal breaker just a nuisance.

 

It's funny to see the contrast in what people find desirable. I have a business arrangement that has me tied to the Phoenix area for at least the next decade or so but if I wasn't the PNW is at the top of our "want to live" list. I'm pretty sure I could buy a cheap condo in Newport and stare at that ocean until I whither away.

 

I’m shocked that you’ve seen that few. I can only guess that I see a lot more because I walk almost every round, hike a ton and they are way more common up where I live.

 

Dead on about people’s varying desires. What you referred to as nice golf weather in another thread (50s and sunny) is so cold that I plan vacations to go elsewhere during that time. Any day with a high below 60 is a miserably cold day to me. I also despise rain (while recognizing it is required for life :) ) and would be a happy person if I never saw snow again.

 

I think it's your location. There is an absolute ton of desert wildlife in that part of town. I actually have a client that moved to that area and they moved back to the central city not long after because his wife was bothered by it. You're so close to undeveloped/sparsely developed/newly developed areas and lots of golf courses which is a great water/food source for a lot of creatures.

 

It's fair to add, you golf a lot more than I do as well.

 

Being in the middle of the city, even next to the Preserve snakes are few and far between. Lots of quail, rabbits, occasional coyotes. We've had one bull snake in our yard in the last 6 years. It's also worth noting that not all 20 of my years have been in Phoenix. Around 7 of those were in Flagstaff (I didn't see one the entire time I lived there) and another, oh, call it 3 were in Sierra Vista (I don't recall any during that time either). But I remember Anthem. We had a rattlesnake in the cart barn one morning. That was fun.

 

There are a lot of people who share your perspective on snow, my dad is one of them, and I totally get it. Having grown up in North Dakota I'm perfectly happy to not endure THAT type of winter again. But I miss having 4 seasons, snow included. Flagstaff was really a great climate for me (minus the wind and high elevation/no oxygen). You get a winter but it's quick and over before you know it. Chilly spring and fall. Plus walking a hilly course, at elevation, with the wind blowing..who needs a gym membership?

[mallrat]

Yeah the snake thing is more for working on a turf crew. Just do it part time and love. Not cutting cups but generally do set up (tee boxes), bunkers or in the summer I cut collections or greens. Not worried about running into a snake on a mower but more when pulling weeds.

 

The PNW is absolutely awesome, gotten a little colder the past couple years with global warming so a little harder to play year round. Love the greenery and variety in courses. Plus we have central Oregon which is partly high desert golf and Bandon within a couple hour drive. But 60+ degrees in the winter would be nice vs not getting above 70 from now through March if lucky, maybe April.

 

We actually know a few people who spend winters in the area and summers up here.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

How are the snakes? Grew up in San Diego and paranoid of rattlesnakes.

 

Thanks guys. Looks awesome but it would be quite the change from the evergreen PNW. She has her 3rd interview this week so wish us luck

 

We have the FD on speed dial. Usually 6-7 rattlesnakes a year at our condo that we'll call to have removed. Other residents call quite a bit too. Just like AZ2AU tons of bobcats coyotes and my least favorite javelina. Keep in mind my back yard is basically all open space and we have the preserve and all the washes coming out of the Mcdowells which are essentially animal freeways. Only other residence I've had a rattlesnake is at Las Sendas and it was 1 in 3 years. I see more at home than on the course

 

Honestly only reason we call for removal at our place is our dogs saftey otherwise I'd just let them be.

[SilverBullets]

How are the snakes? Grew up in San Diego and paranoid of rattlesnakes.

 

Thanks guys. Looks awesome but it would be quite the change from the evergreen PNW. She has her 3rd interview this week so wish us luck

 

Lived in Phoenix for 1 year now. Have not seen a rattle snake or a scorpion. I do have friends who have scorpion issues in their house, but being in Arcadia (which is considered city of Phoenix) and the fact that it’s older and more established I think has helped move the scorpions out.

 

I have seen a couple of small random snakes on the golf course but that’s it.

[dtm6582]

and my least favorite javelina.

 

Forgot about those. If you want a desert creature to worry about I would take javelina over rattlesnakes. They're pretty common and can be very aggressive. I watched one spend a good 5 minutes throwing itself at someone's back yard gate trying to get at the people on the other side of it. It did enough damage that they had to replace the gate.

 

Lived in Phoenix for 1 year now. Have not seen a rattle snake or a scorpion. I do have friends who have scorpion issues in their house, but being in Arcadia (which is considered city of Phoenix) and the fact that it's older and more established I think has helped move the scorpions out.

 

Scorpions are an odd pest. In the city some neighborhoods have them, some don't. It's rare to find one "once in a while" if you find them at all. I've lived in the same 2 sq mile area for the last 9 years (in 3 different residences) and didn't see one until we bought our house. Our neighborhood just has them, not much you can do about it. There's an upscale neighborhood a couple miles from me that's been there for at least 50 years. They have an absolute ton of them. My boss lives less than one mile south from this area, has for 25 years. He's never seen one. I would imagine in the outer lying areas of the city finding the occasional one would be more common.

 

The primary scorpion here is the bark scorpion which is the most toxic, I think in the Americas (North and South). And heaven help your medical bill should you get stung and have an allergic reaction to the sting (it's one of if not the most expensive anti-venoms there is, I think around $40k/treatment). But 99.9999% of people who get stung are just fine. It hurts, the area might go numb for a few hours but that's it. It's also pretty easy to avoid getting stung with just a few precautions, like I said we have them but neither my wife or I have been stung. I think one may have gotten our dog but again, she was fine. Just limped on the sting area for a day or so.

[mallrat]

One last thing while we're at it.

 

Any opinions on Phoenix Children's Hospital? This might be most important to us as our 5 yr Old has a kidney transplant so we are in quite a bit for blood draws and appointments.

[az2au]

One last thing while we're at it.

 

Any opinions on Phoenix Children's Hospital? This might be most important to us as our 5 yr Old has a kidney transplant so we are in quite a bit for blood draws and appointments.

Yes, my daughter had a couple of issues when she was younger that are thankfully resolved and the care was outstanding. She was very resistant to doctors and they spent the extra time to make her feel comfortable in ways beyond what I would’ve expected. This was 7 years ago so it may be different now but I don’t have any info to indicate a change.

[AzSuperHack76]

PCH is an amazing pediatric Hospital, ER, and Trauma Center. It is hands down one of the best in the Southwest US.

[teejaywhy]

How are the snakes?

 

Taste like chicken!

[vallygolf]

One last thing while we're at it.

 

Any opinions on Phoenix Children's Hospital? This might be most important to us as our 5 yr Old has a kidney transplant so we are in quite a bit for blood draws and appointments.

 

 

Specialized healthcare is actually above average for the nation. The same factors mentioned above bring in many top notch doctors who want to enjoy the good weather, and relatively benign natural disaster scenarios (Heat and Scorpins). I am in healthcare, but travel a bit teaching/CE, and with the exception of very large metro areas (NYC, Boston, etc) you cant beat the quality of specialized care.

[ferrispgm]

Sorry to hear about your daughter...I hope she is doing well.

 

I can't comment on the PCH but scorpions should be less of an issue if you are near the city or in a heavily suburban area without mountains/hiking immediately surrounding you. Though you can have pest control treat monthly. I have seen 2 scorpions in 4 years...both at the same newly built apartment by Kierland/Scottsdale Quarter mall.....I absolutely hate hate hate scorpions and spiders....but it's not something i worry about on a daily basis. I don't see many spiders here...saw 1 massive one over our door once when I lived in south/central Scottsdale but that's it.

 

I have only seen a couple snakes and that was on the course.....never seen a javelina or bobcat, but I keep hoping I will actually....as long as i don't get chased lol. Snakes don't bother me because you can typically see or hear them....the scorpions are small and blend in really well so it's easy to not see or think it's a piece of dust.

[az2au]

My daughter is 12 and has been stung by scorpions 4 times over the years. The first time she was 4 and it almost made her like she was drunk. The last time I don’t even think she did more than a quick scream. She does stuff that basically makes her prone to being stung though like walk around barefoot in the middle of the night when they are active. I got stung once around 20 years ago. It hurt a bit but nothing more than a bee sting. Hornets are way worse from memory.

 

Bobcats aren’t going to chase you BTW. They’re scared to death of adult males. I have to be super quiet not to scare the one that drinks out of our pool away and he’s big. Watching him play with golf balls on the putting green is really cool too.

 

Screw javelinas. They’re f’ing pests that aren’t native to the area. Bastages ate a *****ly pear out of my yard too. There were 15 of them out there when I heard them. Most ran but the lead male and I had quite the little stare down that resulted in my flinging a SW at him as hard I could throw it. Had to go dig out of the desert after they ran off since I missed.

 

We see an occasional tarantula in our yard too. They aren’t aggressive unless you give them no choice. Also cool.

[dtm6582]

I can't comment on the PCH but scorpions should be less of an issue if you are near the city or in a heavily suburban area without mountains/hiking immediately surrounding you. Though you can have pest control treat monthly.

 

Here's a link to a "scorpion activity" heatmap kindly provided by a company that will completely seal your house to help keep them out.

 

https://sealoutscorpions.com/heatmap/

 

As you can see, assuming they are only present in outer lying areas is not a good assumption. There are a lot of fully developed areas through the valley where they remain a significant issue. I personally use a product called Cy-kick CS at max concentration and spray the perimeter of the house and the yard plus any places where I see them often once a month during the spring/summer and about every 6 weeks the rest of the year. Then I black light hunt them once a month or so to keep the numbers down. We saw 5 inside the first few weeks we owned our house, now we see that number per year. You can control the number but you can't get rid of them completely.

 

My daughter is 12 and has been stung by scorpions 4 times over the years. The first time she was 4 and it almost made her like she was drunk.

 

I've gotten used to having scorpions around but I would worry about them a lot more if I had young children around. I know there are some younger families in the area and those parents are a lot more stressed by them than we are.

 

Screw javelinas. They're f'ing pests that aren't native to the area. Bastages ate a *****ly pear out of my yard too. There were 15 of them out there when I heard them. Most ran but the lead male and I had quite the little stare down that resulted in my flinging a SW at him as hard I could throw it. Had to go dig out of the desert after they ran off since I missed.

 

I was hanging out with my wife's cousins at a ranch in Buckeye a couple years ago. When we first got there we asked the landowner (father in law of one of the guys we were hanging out with) what the rules were for hanging out at his farm/ranch. He said there were two. Leave all the gates as you find them. And if you see a javelina, shoot it. He loses many thousands of dollars worth of crops to them every year.

[az2au]

I can't comment on the PCH but scorpions should be less of an issue if you are near the city or in a heavily suburban area without mountains/hiking immediately surrounding you. Though you can have pest control treat monthly.

 

Here's a link to a "scorpion activity" heatmap kindly provided by a company that will completely seal your house to help keep them out.

 

https://sealoutscorpions.com/heatmap/

 

As you can see, assuming they are only present in outer lying areas is not a good assumption. There are a lot of fully developed areas through the valley where they remain a significant issue. I personally use a product called Cy-kick CS at max concentration and spray the perimeter of the house and the yard plus any places where I see them often once a month during the spring/summer and about every 6 weeks the rest of the year. Then I black light hunt them once a month or so to keep the numbers down. We saw 5 inside the first few weeks we owned our house, now we see that number per year. You can control the number but you can't get rid of them completely.

 

My daughter is 12 and has been stung by scorpions 4 times over the years. The first time she was 4 and it almost made her like she was drunk.

 

I've gotten used to having scorpions around but I would worry about them a lot more if I had young children around. I know there are some younger families in the area and those parents are a lot more stressed by them than we are.

 

 

No surprise that we see a few more as I live in 85255 which is, of course :rolleyes: , extreme on your map. That said, I think there has only been 1 death reported in my lifetime from a sting and there's really no risk unless you are severely allergic or have a compromised immune system. I get that people worry but the risk of actual damage from a scorpion sting is infinitesimally small compared to driving on any of our freeways which no one ever gives a second thought. Mostly, people are bad at math and good at fear :)

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Scorpions dont bother me stepped on one a few years ago like a bee sting no biggie actually wasnt even as bad. Now the brown recluse bite that I had F that. Lucky that I immediately knew what it was and got treatment ASAP was still sick for 2 days. Also do not google search images for brown recluse bites.

[ferrispgm]

My daughter is 12 and has been stung by scorpions 4 times over the years. The first time she was 4 and it almost made her like she was drunk. The last time I don't even think she did more than a quick scream. She does stuff that basically makes her prone to being stung though like walk around barefoot in the middle of the night when they are active. I got stung once around 20 years ago. It hurt a bit but nothing more than a bee sting. Hornets are way worse from memory.

 

Bobcats aren't going to chase you BTW. They're scared to death of adult males. I have to be super quiet not to scare the one that drinks out of our pool away and he's big. Watching him play with golf balls on the putting green is really cool too.

 

Screw javelinas. They're f'ing pests that aren't native to the area. Bastages ate a *****ly pear out of my yard too. There were 15 of them out there when I heard them. Most ran but the lead male and I had quite the little stare down that resulted in my flinging a SW at him as hard I could throw it. Had to go dig out of the desert after they ran off since I missed.

 

We see an occasional tarantula in our yard too. They aren't aggressive unless you give them no choice. Also cool.

 

I know the bobcats don't chase, I was referring to the javelina's. It would be awesome to see bobcats imo...that's really cool they play on your putting green. LOL at throwing the SW at the javelina's....my buddy works at Whisper Rock and his first week there some years ago, he was chased back to his car by one...yuck

[dtm6582]

No surprise that we see a few more as I live in 85255 which is, of course :rolleyes: , extreme on your map. That said, I think there has only been 1 death reported in my lifetime from a sting and there's really no risk unless you are severely allergic or have a compromised immune system. I get that people worry but the risk of actual damage from a scorpion sting is infinitesimally small compared to driving on any of our freeways which no one ever gives a second thought. Mostly, people are bad at math and good at fear :)

 

Truth be told, I'm not sure exactly how they generated that map. My suspicion is that it's based off of where they have done most of their jobs. I can see your area being flagged as "extreme" because it is a higher income area and the seal out service is expensive. That would also help explain the nearly complete black out on a lot of the west valley. Rumor is they love to live in areas that used to be citrus orchards and some of the west certainly fits that description. Come to think of it, my wife worked in downtown Glendale for several years and they found several in the court house over that time but it's squeaky clean on the map.

 

I did find another map of reported stings but again, most stings don't get reported so who knows how accurate it is. The clusters are roughly the same as the before posted heat map though.

 

I've been in 85020 (high on the map) for all but one of the years we've lived in Phoenix and this is the first residence where we've had them. They're not really dangerous in terms of a hospitalization/fatality since as you noted, deaths from scorpions stings are very rare. They're an unpleasant pest though in that other than the brown recluse mentioned by OPB, or a black widow, they're among the few likely to surprise you in your house. I know people who have put their shoes on only to find a visitor inside. Others who have been stung in bed, one in the face while she was sleeping. I'm pretty sure there was some lasting psychological damage in that case. :)

[ferrispgm]

No surprise that we see a few more as I live in 85255 which is, of course :rolleyes: , extreme on your map. That said, I think there has only been 1 death reported in my lifetime from a sting and there's really no risk unless you are severely allergic or have a compromised immune system. I get that people worry but the risk of actual damage from a scorpion sting is infinitesimally small compared to driving on any of our freeways which no one ever gives a second thought. Mostly, people are bad at math and good at fear :)

 

Truth be told, I'm not sure exactly how they generated that map. My suspicion is that it's based off of where they have done most of their jobs. I can see your area being flagged as "extreme" because it is a higher income area and the seal out service is expensive. That would also help explain the nearly complete black out on a lot of the west valley. Rumor is they love to live in areas that used to be citrus orchards and some of the west certainly fits that description. Come to think of it, my wife worked in downtown Glendale for several years and they found several in the court house over that time but it's squeaky clean on the map.

 

I did find another map of reported stings but again, most stings don't get reported so who knows how accurate it is. The clusters are roughly the same as the before posted heat map though.

 

I've been in 85020 (high on the map) for all but one of the years we've lived in Phoenix and this is the first residence where we've had them. They're not really dangerous in terms of a hospitalization/fatality since as you noted, deaths from scorpions stings are very rare. They're an unpleasant pest though in that other than the brown recluse mentioned by OPB, or a black widow, they're among the few likely to surprise you in your house. I know people who have put their shoes on only to find a visitor inside. Others who have been stung in bed, one in the face while she was sleeping. I'm pretty sure there was some lasting psychological damage in that case. :)

 

 

They may not be dangerous but it doesn't stop me from running like a little girl or taping up the exhaust fan in our bathroom hahaha. I work in commercial real estate and have talked to numerous pest control companies and the universal thing they have all told me is that they love crickets.....put them both together and you have a breeding groundand water which is why they are bad in Gilbert, Mesa, E. Chandler and near shopping centers in N. Scottsdale with all of the irrigation water (I have been in vacant suites near Scottdale Rd and Dynamite where the whole floor was literally covered in them)......plus they create nests underground so once you start digging you can disturb something nasty (watch the tv show Infested-Scorpions which was in AZ and traumatized me for life lol).

[Waffles]

Not that my comments to this discussion will add anything entirely new, but I will give them anyway.

 

Phoenix in general is an amazing place to live for all the reasons stated above (weather, hiking, camping, proximity to different climates, sports, breweries).

 

I have lived all over the valley. Grew up in Mesa, lived in Tempe for 4 years while going to school, 2 years in Buckeye after school, and just recently moved Downtown. Every area was different and had its own unique vibe. Best thing I could recommend would be to rent for a year or so and find the area of the valley that best fits your families needs and wants and live there.

 

I would recommend the valley to anyone who didn't have a serve issue to the heat. It is a pretty awesome place to live.

 

Good luck with your wife's interview and the potential move.

[dtm6582]

We got a little side tracked talking about the pests we do have. I was thinking about this thread last night and it came to me that I had better mention the very common pest we don't have many of.

 

Mosquitoes.

 

We do have some mind you, particularly around large standing bodies of water. But coming from the PNW as OP is (or myself from the mid-west) that is one creature I am happy to experience in relative scarcity here. I will gladly take the rattle snakes, scorpions, black widows, and javelina over dealing with the endless hordes of mosquitoes I recall from my youth.

[bradski]

No one has Solar on their house? It seems like you could run a system for 200 per month and cool your house as much as you want?

 

I am in Utah and our temps get up to 100 in July but in a 4k sq foot house I don't get to $300 dollars due mostly to insulation. (90's windows which suck)

[dtm6582]

No one has Solar on their house? It seems like you could run a system for 200 per month and cool your house as much as you want?

 

I am in Utah and our temps get up to 100 in July but in a 4k sq foot house I don't get to $300 dollars due mostly to insulation. (90's windows which suck)

 

Quite a few people have solar but many don't. The break even point is around 8-10 years if you pay up front for the install with subsidies. I don't think it adds much value to your house though (could be wrong there). I'm not sure the average home owner keeps their house long enough for it to pay. Leased systems are a really bad idea should you decide to sell your house since you have to sell the new owner not only on your house but on your solar lease and vendor too.

 

Also keep in mind, we "get up to" 120 here. Our average daily high in the month of July is 107*. Our average LOW in July is supposedly 83 but it is not uncommon to have nights where our low is in the 90's and nights in the 70's are rare so I'm a little skeptical of that number. Cooling costs at those temperatures escalate dramatically. My worst bill of the year is around $300 but my bill in October (similar temps to what you are describing) is around $150. That 20 degree difference is huge.

[mallrat]

Thanks for all the replies and help. Wish us luck, she has her 3rd interview next week.

 

Another question, what should I expect playing Mirabel? I love Fazio courses but haven't heard anything about it.

[az2au]

Thanks for all the replies and help. Wish us luck, she has her 3rd interview next week.

 

Another question, what should I expect playing Mirabel? I love Fazio courses but haven't heard anything about it.

A solid course that is fairly typical from Fazio with much of the challenge around the greens. The only hole that I really have an issue with is 10. The drive seems to be fairly irrelevant as to success on the hole. Overall, solid and interesting par 3s, good par 5s. The par 4s are slightly repetitive but still decent. Off the top of my head I can think of 4 Fazio courses in the Valley and I’d put it third behind Whisper Rock-Upper (better in all ways), Estancia (better par 4s and 5s but worse par 3s) but ahead of Grayhawk-Raptor (Mirabel is slightly better in par 5s and 4s).

 

I haven’t played out there in a couple of years so I’m not sure that they still do it but they used to cook a snack on the front side between 7/8 that was usually very tasty. A long time ago they had the best beef jerky ever but I think that is long gone now. They also had solid ice cream sandwiches per people that enjoy them. Also used to have a decent caddie program.

 

We strongly considered buying a house in community but it is just a little too far away from everything we do. They have some of the best contemporary architecture in the Valley however.

[copperjeff]

Figured I'd add my input about Phoenix Childrens Hospital as well.

 

Had to spend almost a week there with my youngest when he was about 3 months old (he turned 2 today).

 

Long story short, they were very good.

 

 

 

As for pests, black widows love my back porch, but spraying keeps them away, and they aren't aggressive. I've seen maybe 4 scorpions in my house in 10 years. It really is hit and miss on those buggers, but I agree that crickets, water and old citrus groves attract them.

 

Only ever seen rattlers when walking off the beaten path in the desert. But would rather see a rattler over a javaleina any day.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

View from the kitchen. Wish I could shoot the stinky things on sight. Now that sun is going down earlier I have to be careful going in the gate to my place walking home from work they like to hang out there and easy for me to get cornered if not paying attention.

 

 

Also hiked 12 miles out in the desert Sat did not see anything besides some birds, walked home to this little guy (not a rattler)

 

again we get way more than normal but we are backed up with nothing but open space and two different washes coming out of the mountains which is basically an animal freeway.