The Beauty of Guam I

I am missing spring in Southern Utah.  I don't mean that I am just not there, I am really missing it!  I want to see the fields turn green, the trees leaf out, the birds returning from wherever they spend the winter.   I want to see the wildflowers bloom and the ducks on the pond as they pass through.  I want to see new calves and colts, and fawns following their mothers.  I really love this time of year.  You would think I have been gone for a long time, but you don't have to be gone that long to really miss something I guess.  I'm glad I will only miss one spring, and that I will be home this time next year.

With that being said, I will probably miss Guam as soon as I am gone.  There is a different kind of beauty here.  A kind of beauty we don't see much living in the desert.  It is green here all the time, only the shades change. So I am going to do a few blogs capturing the beauty around us here, and enjoy it to the fullest while we have the chance.  Along with the beauty I will include some interesting details about the weather, geography, history, culture and people.

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They only have two seasons here, the rainy season and the really rainy season.  Average rainfall is 100.61 inches.  The wettest months are July -November, with August and September getting the most rain.

Storms kind of sneak up on you.  There is hardly ever any thunder or lightning.  There are almost always clouds, and you can't always tell when they are serious.  You may thing that there is little chance of rain, and twenty minutes later it will be coming down in buckets.  Even when there are just a few clouds, rainstorms have a way of appearing almost out of nowhere.

The rain is always warm, and sometimes quite welcome as a brief cool-down.  The temperatures range from a low of 68 to a high of 86, at least that's what the weather bureau says.  Our experience would put it at 76 to 92. Weather charts will tell you the average is 80 degrees, but it has been more like 86 since we have been here.  Average relative humidity runs from 73 to 80%, and once you get used to it that isn't too bad except when you have to be working out in it.  You can be soaking wet with sweat in a matter of a few minutes of exertion, but then the evaporation kind of cools you off so it is a mixed blessing.  The trade winds blow frequently and that also helps cool things off, or at least it seems cooler.  The evenings and early mornings are almost always pleasant and a nice time to be out.

The commercial power for Guam is generated by huge diesel engines which spew a lot of smoke into the air on the east-central part of the island.  Because of the trade winds it dissipates quite quickly, but it also makes for some beautiful sunsets, a few of which I have captured on film.  In the coming days I will share more of the beauty of Guam and its culture.