Buckeye, Arizona.

It’s an Arizona Autumn… but this photo was captured on 2 January 2020. It’s Hamilton Avenue in the Verrado neighborhood of Buckeye. This quaint development is fast on the grow after having some fits and starts through the housing crisis of the early 2000’s. Buckeye is now the fastest growing city in the United States and the Verrado neighborhood is one of the reasons for the city’s growth spurt. This may seem like a commercial for Buckeye, but after spending seven winters here in this community, I’ve come to call it our winter home and can’t help bragging on it.

My wife and I live in a development known as Sundance, but we have many friends who live in the Verrado neighborhood. This eclectic sub-community sports a look that could be anywhere USA, but especially in the northeast (to my way of thinking, anyway.) The shady tree-lined streets, large front porches, and a design that is not the norm for the desert southwest is attractive to many people wishing to relocate to a warmer climate.

About the photo: This image could have been taken in September or October in Fargo, but as I noted in the first paragraph, it was taken in January. One of my friends noted that in January, the leaves of the deciduous trees turn color, fall off the trees, and a short time later, new growth appears in an accelerated transition from autumn to spring. On my way through the neighborhood, I saw the fall colors and pulled out my Samsung S6 cell phone to capture this autumn in January. The image was processed via Lightroom and Luminar Flex. In most browsers, you can click on an image to enlarge it for a better view. The rule for Cellpic Sunday is simple. The image must be captured on a mobile device.

John Steiner