Late summer in Tucson–it’s hot and there are bats
Today I’m going to introspect about late summer and take you on a visit to a local bat colony. Feel free to skim past the narcissistic navel gazing and go right to the bats.
But first: Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! Grab a treat and let’s go bat-watching!
It’s August??!!!
Sometime this week I looked at the calendar and figured out it’s August. Unfortunately, I didn’t figure it out in time to get a post up for the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop (first time I’ve missed in over a year). I blame work, which has been busybusybusybusybusybusy.
For most of my adult life at least, August has been a transition month. The lounge chairs, pool noodles, and grills at Wal-Mart get replaced by school supplies and back to school clothing sales (though thankfully not Christmas decorations. Hopefully those won’t show up till at least Labor Day). When I lived in Portland, the weather would start to shift toward fall in the second half of August, and I’d start dreading the rain. Here there’s no cue from the weather, because:
But I’m still noticing the mornings getting a little bit darker, the evenings a little bit shorter. I work on a university campus, and the energy is changing there too as we get ready for the start of fall semester. More meetings. More activity. More, “Oh, crap, it’s August, wasn’t it just May, I can’t talk to you, I have to prep for new student orientation and get a head start on my nervous breakdown.”
When I was young, these changes would have made me sad. The end of another summer vacation. No more wallowing in chlorine at the public pool, no more sleeping till 1 PM, no more trips to Santa Cruz to work on my burn tan and ride the Giant Dipper and ogle men in swim trunks.
Now the shift toward fall is energizing. Only 2 more months of being roasted alive! Cool mornings! Cool evenings! The garden coming back to life! The return of outdoor activities! Pumpkins! Halloween! Shopping for a Halloween costume! Buying Halloween props I don’t need (like a new, “Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here” door knocker because mine got destroyed in our last move). Hanging Halloween decorations! Buying 20 bags of Halloween candy in late September “because they were on sale” and eating through all of them before Halloween! Trying to explain to my doctor why my A1C level is incompatible with life.
Yeah, baby, I’ve got plans.
The Campbell Avenue Bat Colony
A couple of weeks ago, Long-Suffering Husband and I went up to the Rillito River at sunset to watch a colony of bats fly out from under the Campbell Avenue overpass. Yes, kids, this is what passes for date night when you reach Get Off My Lawn decrepitude.
Mexican free-tail bats live in Tucson from April through October, so they’re the opposite of the snowbirds, who live here October through April. Also unlike the snowbirds, the bats live in the grooves under bridges and eat insects. The snowbirds live in Airbnbs and eat brunch.
You can learn more about Tucson’s bat colonies from the Pima County Public Library. Did you know that one colony can contain 20,000 bats and eat 2000 pounds of insects a year?! I’ll bet the average snowbird can’t even manage 200 pounds of Eggs Benedict.
Watching the bats is apparently a popular family activity, and the little kids out there got really excited. I tried to capture the experience, but my phone video isn’t the best (click the video, and it will open in Instagram. I can’t figure out how to make it playable directly in WordPress.) I wish I’d brought our proper camera and zoom lens.
Would you believe the bats have their own Yelp entry? Yes, really. And someone gave them 4 stars rather than 5, because they smell. Well, yeah, you try living in a colony with a few thousand similar organisms and no plumbing. You’ll stink too.
The sunset was also pretty neat (and not at all stinky):
The Memery
Just a small batch of memes this week, because (like last week) I really need to get busy with my day job.
In keeping with the bat theme (well, it would be if Tucson had vampire bats):
I’m pretty sure this next one is a violation of my medical privacy.
Those last two tell you just about all you need to know about me.
I may have reached Get Off My Lawn, date night at the bat colony decrepitude, but at least I’m younger than Keith Richards. Hell, the universe is younger than Keith Richards.
Nope.
Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope
Warning! Incoming dad jokes!
And since I have no hope in hell of topping Mortal Wombat, I’m going to sign off for the week. Any good weekend plans? Have you considered date night with a bat colony? If you do, remember to give them 5 stars on Yelp. Anything that eats 2 tons of insects a year deserves 5 stars.
16 Comments
Carolyn SG
A) Some things about you NEVER change! LOL
B) My husband enjoys your bad Dad jokes, way too much!
C) Yes, we would consider watching the bats an excellent date night. On our bucket list is to camp in a “dark sky” area. Is there one near you?
Janet Alcorn
There are lots of dark sky areas in AZ! The Flagstaff area is probably the best–dark skies + 7000 feet altitude = incredible night skies. We used to stargaze in our driveway when we lived up there.
Glad the dad jokes are a hit! Happy to be your hubby’s go-to source of silly humor.
Yeah, a lot of things about me haven’t changed–I still have the maturity of a 12-year-old and listen to my music too loud and eat too much junk food. Too bad my body insists on acting (and looking) its age.
rawsonjl
Nope! Date night with a bat colony would not make my list.. I love that they eat mosquitoes and that they exist but I really, really do not like to see them. Bats give me the creeps with their skin-like wings and those sharp claws… ick.
Janet Alcorn
I think they’re adorable. Long-Suffering Husband thought I was nuts because I stood under the bridge and listened to their cute little chirpy noises. Then again, I also like snakes and spiders, so perhaps I’m not a good barometer of what should be considered an appropriate date night.
Bobbiem91
Does rescuing a bat from the house work? That was me this last week. There was a bat on a towel and I picked up the towel with the bat in it and put it outside. The the guy who stays up in the loft brought down a second bat. Would like to know where they came from and how they got in the house to begin with–but they were cute.
Loved the library hole and the Mortal Wombat business. Thanks for the laughs.
Janet Alcorn
Good job rescuing the bats! Maybe you should build some bat houses so the bats have their own place.
Some bats are tiny–like thumb-sized–so they could fit into small openings. I’m not surprised they went for the loft–seems like a loft would be a 5-star-hotel to a bat.
leannelc
Just as your mornings are getting darker, I’ve noticed ours are starting to get lighter. I always find the different hemispheres and their opposite seasons so interesting. I also enjoyed the memes – you seem to collect them like I collect quotes. 🙂
Janet Alcorn
The opposite seasons really are fascinating. I’ve always wondered what Christmas would be like in the middle of summer–that would be so weird to me. It’s weird enough living here, where it could be 75F and sunny on Christmas. Santa needs to change into shorts and a tank top before visiting Arizona 🙂
I started collecting memes in 2020, because some of the COVID memes were so creative, and I really needed some laughs. Still do, so I keep collecting.
Natalie
Thank you for your weekend coffee share. It seems there are many hot places in the Northern Hemisphere this week. The bat colony sounds interesting. Stay cool!
Janet Alcorn
Yeah, it seems like every summer has a new record heat wave (thanks, climate change). Today we have a flash flood watch; supposed to get some serious monsoon storms tonight. At least I won’t have to water the garden.
Elizabeth Seckman
The end of summer always makes me a bit sad, still. This summer went by way too fast. I want a redo!
Janet Alcorn
It has gone by fast! I’m ready for fall but a little alarmed at how fast my life is whipping by.
Kirstin
I went to Walmart the other day and summer is on it’s way out..fall and school supplies are filling the shelves. Oh…I think the bats would freak me out just a bit. Lol. I didn’t get around to posting this week..I just couldn’t make it happen.
Janet Alcorn
I completely forgot to post this time! Got the email reminder and still spaced it. *sigh*
I don’t mind back to school stuff (school has already started here) but I’m really looking forward to Halloween stuff hitting the stores.
Gary A Wilson
Hahahaha Janet.
I’m late I know but we’re on the long road for home.
I’d be up for a bat-date. That sounds cool but then I also like lizards ?
Janet Alcorn
I hope the last leg of your trip is going well! And I like lizards too, also spiders and snakes (and now you’ll have that song going through your head).