Desert in Bloom – My Favorite Time of Year in Tucson

Justine Arizona

The word “desert” tends to conjure different images for desert dwellers than it does for our friends from moister climes (points for me for using “moister climes” in a sentence!). You moisture lovers often think of the desert as nothing but sand, and refuse to believe there’s anything redeeming about Tucson’s nature. Though some deserts are admittedly nothing but sand, the vast majority aren’t. Tucson is actually pretty green most of the year, including winter. It gets even greener in the spring and during monsoon season (my second-favorite time of year here). On top of the green, we get all …

Scuba trip: San Carlos, Mexico (April 2018)

Justine International

A week and a half ago, I made my 5th diving trip to San Carlos, Mexico. Though I’ve been quite a few times now, all my previous trips were in the late summer and early fall. This time, I got to explore the murky, chilly, yet surprisingly bountiful world that exists underwater off the San Carlos coast in mid-April.

Scuba trip: San Carlos, Mexico (October 2017)

Justine International

For the third time in 3 months, I went south to San Carlos, Mexico for a long weekend of diving. In August, I did my Advanced Open Water (AOW) certification and in September, I wrapped up my Rescue Diver certification. This time, though, I didn’t have any training to complete. It was a recreational trip in the fullest sense – a couple days of diving just for fun and nothing else!

Scuba trip: San Carlos, Mexico (September 2017)

Justine International

In my last scuba-related post, I mentioned my goal to become certified as a scuba instructor. During that trip to San Carlos, Mexico, I got the second certification level I need: Advanced Open Water Diver (AOW). A few weeks later, I returned to San Carlos to complete the third certification: Rescue Diver. As I did for my Open Water and AOW certifications, I decided to do the Rescue Diver certification through my local dive shop in Tucson, Planet Scuba. They organize a trip to San Carlos at least once a month, and I love their owners and staff.

Scuba trip: San Carlos, Mexico (August 2017)

Justine International

I’ve made up my mind that I want to become certified to be a scuba instructor. I’m not in a rush; I just know eventually I’d like to do this. In order to get to instructor status, I’ll need to build up my diving experience and also go through several certification levels. First up: Advanced Open Water Diver (AOW). This is one level up from the basic certification, Open Water Diver. I decided to do the certification through my local dive shop in Tucson, Planet Scuba. If you’re in southern Arizona and considering diving, I strongly recommend them!

Hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim

Justine Arizona

About a month ago I got to do something pretty awesome: I hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim. Most people who do a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike put in months (if not years) of planning and physical preparation. For one thing, the trek is about 24 miles in total, so it’s fairly physically demanding. On top of that, I went in August. This time of year, temperatures at the bottom of the Grand Canyon often exceed 100F (about 38C). So you have to be in pretty good shape.

Spring break in San Francisco, CA

Justine United States

Last week was spring break at the University of Arizona. Since I’m just working part time and my only duty is teaching, I took the opportunity to travel to San Francisco to see some friends. Originally, my trip was actually planned for a weekend in February but a storm messed up air travel in the area and my flights were cancelled. In the end, it was for the best because the change gave me more time in SF plus there was much better weather!

What’s in that hole? – Episode 12

Justine What's in that hole?

Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 12 of What’s in that Hole?, a fun series I’m writing for my blog. In the last episode, we found something really exciting: an eel! That episode, as well as the two before it, focused on holes away from home. Today, we return home to Tucson’s Sonoran Desert for our hole.

What’s in that hole? – Episode 11

Justine International, What's in that hole?

Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 11 of What’s in that Hole?, a fun series I’m writing for my blog. Last time I attempted to make you (and myself) more cultured with a hole I found at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. In this episode, though, we’ll get back to nature. Today’s hole is extra special – it’s an underwater hole!