Windy days

Tis is a blog entry from Bill and Ruthe.

The wind has been dramatic so often here in the last month. We are learning to respect its power.

Despite the winds, we have enjoyed many evenings, sitting outside before and after sunset. We love to commune with friends over a meal or lay and watch the stars. There is plenty of "milk" in the Milky Way here!

We have been through a beautiful period of flowers both here at FSC and traveling around the desert environs. A trip with relatives to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix was amazing and inspiring.

As transplanted Alaskans we are learning to respect the cycle of each days coolness and heat.
We treasure our established trees and are learning about the times and ways to plant and water appropriately in our yard. We continue to benefit from the local community garden and participate in it's care and it's generous reciprocity. With an eye on the bunnies and jackrabbits that frequent our area, we are going to try to plant some flowers and a few vegetables in a cinder-block tower under the shade of our ash tree. Experimental at best!
The rains will come in about a month and everything in the ground will dance in delight (with muddy feet).

YOU ARE INVITED

If you have a mind to explore the SW, or are interested in retreat or visitng time in our community you are welcome to contact us via e-mail, phone or snail-mail.

Your visit can be a day, a week or months at a time.

email us at friendsswc@gmail.com

telephone contact Bill or Ruthe @ 520-642-0011

mail can be addressed to Friends Southwest Center

8649 N. Lucretia Mott Rd, McNeal AZ 85617

Friendly High Desert Community

Hello to all who find this.
We hope to develop this blog to inform Friends (Quakers) and any like minded folks about the opportunities for a community lifestyle here in the Southeastern corner of Arizona.

Geographically we are about 20 miles form Mexico and 20 miles from New Mexico. The nearest "big" towns are Douglas to the south, Bisbee to the southwest and Sierra Vista to the west.
Also nearby is McNeal (our nearest post office) , Elfrida and Tombstone. Folks tend to fly into Tucson International Airport. The community is about a 90 minute drive from there. Phoenix is about 90 miles again north of Tucson.

Friends Southwest Center
was founded by a group of Quakers in the 1970's.
The founders had a vision of creating a small community of no more than 20 households sharing 60+ acres of land, sharing traditional Quaker values such as simple living, honoring diversity, caring for the earth and striving for social justice.

There are currently 6 active households in the community and room for several more.

We enjoy the surroundings of the high desert valley of Sulfur Springs. This valley is set between several mountain ranges including the Chiricahua, Dragoon, Mule, Perilla, and Huachuca as well as ranges to the south in Mexico.
The larger area is well known among bird lovers as a rare opportunity to see many species of birds throughout the year. The nearby Chirichaua area of Portal (about 80 miles to the NE) is renowned for its spring birding opportunities.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/46579213vyLeHy (cut and paste this link for photos)

A mere 2 miles away is the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge which includes a 750 acre wetlands and boasts a large population of Sandhill Cranes in the winter (23,000 in 2006).

The environment is wide and open and we hope that our community will grow mirroring the openness and depth of the beautiful land around us.