If I had to pick one place, Argenta del Sur, the Silver, is still that place.

For many reasons.

But let’s talk about average January nighttime lows versus average July highs.

In Silver, the average January night low is 27 degrees.

The average daily high in July is 86.

It’s a little too cold in winter and a little too warm in summer, but those numbers are as close as you can get, in this tierra, to perfection in a single place, year round.

The only way to do better is to migrate seasonally.

In Del Norte, Colorado, it only tops out at 80 for an average for a hot summer day: gorgeous, plus there is even cooler high ground all around. But winter there is tough, with an average January night low of just 7. Countering that is expensive too, regardless of what you’re using for fuel.

On the flipside, Tucson is nice and warm in January, with an average low of 41. But in summer the average is 100 degrees, and when the average is exceeded, it’s effing miserable, even with (again expensive) AC.

So when you ask me to consider other places, I say: sure, I can do that.

But ‘other places’ would, best I can tell, have to mean multiple other places.

And that of course doubles or triples the cost, unless …

We were to markedly scale back expectations regarding what a proper and comfortable home should or could look like.

Which I am also more than willing to talk about.

So let’s.

***

Factoids.

The numbers here in SandRock are 22 and 94, a little more extreme and worse than SC on both ends. Even so, I can’t really say that I need the AC, except to take the worst edges off 10 days per summer. And winters are just going to involve some discomfort, unless you really want to maintain a place in Hawaii or Cabo, or stay inside and cook yourself for three months a year. I’ve froze my ass off in Vegas, even.

The reasons to abandon Holbrook in favor of Silver (and/or Del Norte) are much more cultural than climatological.

Also, as far as Texas is concerned, I am not convinced that the tradeoffs are worth it by these kind of metrics, even in the nicest and warmest parts of the Hill Country. Putting up with large populations of people aside, Tucson just makes more sense. And, y’know … there’s always Ajo. Don’t laugh. Forty-five degrees on an average January night is better than even Tucson or Quartzsite, and I really kind of like the people and the vibe.