Family lures writer from desert haven to SW Valley

Bryce Hesterman

The Hogue children pose for a photo April 8 shortly after the wedding of Sally Hogue and Jonathan Hays in the Arizona Temple in Mesa. Pictured from left to right are Michael Hogue, Crystal (Klock) and Dana Hogue, Jonathan and Sally (Hogue) Hays, Ashley Hogue and Misti Hogue.

Family lures writer from desert haven to SW Valley

By RuthAnn Hogue
WP Syndicate

Henry David Thoreau escaped to Walden Pond. Fellow literary giants Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott and family and Nathaniel Hawthorne found their muses in 17th-century New England while living on fertile farmland not far from Boston.

It's no wonder then that when presented with the opportunity to secure a piece of desert paradise in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains in Pima County, I jumped at the chance to create a writer's hideaway of sorts of my own.The cactuses grow tall and the coyotes run free.

The sunsets against the Tucson Mountains rival any immortalized on postcards. And when the sun rises above Pusch Ridge, well, let's just say it's difficult not to be taken in while enjoying the subtle dips in the somewhat winding road named for tangerines instead of the plentiful ironwood and desert broom trees that sweep the sky.

I'll admit I was skeptical at first glance.

After all, the threat of summer storms washing debris beyond the road's sandy shoulders seemed to whisper warnings of missed workdays at the local daily newspaper. The nearest gas station was a six-mile trek. The nearest convenience store was further still, at eight miles, with the closest grocery store and medical help 10 and 15 miles away, respectively.


The proximity to hiking in Wild Burro Canyon, however, and the sheer natural beauty of virgin desert visible in nearly any direction quickly stole my heart - and a generous portion of my bank account - when I dashed out an earnest deposit check after a single visit.

Who could blame me?Doesn't every writer need a private getaway to hole up in and fine-tune his or her muse? Don't we all deserve a place we can call our own as we struggle to find words to convey messages and the proper punctuation to keep it clear?

With a sports club, three world-class golf courses and two country clubs; tennis, basketball and sand volleyball courts, a grassy park and playground, winding walking trails and more, I can't imagine finding a better place to call home.

So why, oh why, when my once-tiny mesquite has now grown broad and tall and my formerly fledgling saguaro has extended itself into its branching arms would I pack up my canopied swing and move back to the West Valley?

Within months, gas pumps will feed my neighbors' tanks, and restaurants will feed their families when a shopping center, complete with an anchor grocery store, opens a mile away at the entrance to our upscale-yet-rural enclave. A hospital and medical center are now only minutes away. Home delivery from pizza joints surely isn't far behind.

And, make no mistake, I did complete and sell my first book manuscript within the very walls now worth just less than triple what I paid for them.

Actually, the reason for the move is fairly simple.

Family.

My oldest son and his wife announced in August they were building in Goodyear. My oldest daughter's same declaration wasn't far behind.Meanwhile, my mother's health had begun to concern my siblings and me.

By October I'd traded my title of newspaper editor in Southern Arizona for that of high school English teacher in the West Valley. That's what it took to commit to living within walking distance of my children and their families and a short drive from my mother.

It doesn't hurt that my sister and her family, along with numerous friends, dot the Valley, from east Mesa to nearly Buckeye and Paradise Valley to South Mountain.

So goodbye, Dove Mountain.

After all, Louisa May Alcott (the only female writer among the aforementioned New England group) had more than beautiful countryside to whet her palette.

She had family.

And, in the end, isn't that what really matters most?

RuthAnn Hogue, who is building a home in Goodyear and teaches high school English and American literature in Avondale, is the author of "Goodbye, Walter: The Inspiring Story of a Terminal Cancer Patient." She can be reached at ruthann@goodbye-walter.com

Contact Tim Bott for sales information on RuthAnn's Dove Mountain property at: http://www.powerbott.com.