Pilawt: I see that you are in Phoenix. I had a not too long ownership of a home in Scottsdale(North Scottsdale, as my mother said was the reference attached to the area. Her was only the 3rd house built in that particular development(and PULTE built everything out there, from what I heard at the time). It wasn't IN the McCormack Ranch development, but wasn't too far away from it. When she had it built(1986 or so) she had 135k into it. The builder was so happy she paid cash, they threw in another 15k worth of window treatments and air conditioning upgrades. After it came into my ownership I learned that there was a three year wait to get a space for an airplane out there; and Ma said that SDL apparently had the opinion that any aircraft other than kerosene burners didn't deserve "their bother." And there are too many seashores and lobster boats, etc. such as I'm know to aerially photograph, out there, so I put the house on the market in 2005. Sold for 517k; with great luck, because that's the era when the real estate market was tanking and people were "walking out" at midnight because they were "under water." At the time it was on the market there 3900 residences in Scottsdale and Phoenix that were in the Multiple Listings files. The last time Ma was visiting me in Maine she wore a T-shirt that said, "I Survied 122° in Scottsdale," or words to that effect. So hot, she said, that airplanes(commercial, I assume) couldn't take off. The last time I was out there we went to Deer Valley "Breakfast Club" as guests of Ghery Petit. I was basically amazed that Deer Valley elevation was (something like) 6850msl(if I remember correctly). Amazed? Because back here at KIWI we lift off at about 70msl. So I flew up to Flagstaff with Warren McIlvoy in his avionics-loaded aircraft while he was delivering blood supply for the Red Cross. When we departed Flagstaff, or it might have been Sedona, I was concentrating on ALL the instruments which weren't in my C172L. Watching I was, when I commented, "Wow, it surely didn't take us long to get to 8000 feet." To which his reply was, "No, it doesn't; especially when you start at 7000 feet." Duh, on my part. Around here, we have to head over the mountains to read 8000 feet. I'm going to try and post a picture of my former Scottsdale house, if i can remember how to meander through the posting mechanics. There was no lawn to mow. Ma once said that she had 2 ton of crushed rock hauled in. I asked her who was to spread it; she said, "I did." She was about 75 years old at that time. The other picture? Warren, approaching Phoenix(not much grass there, either) after the trip to Flagstaff.
