This stretch of desert happens to be my foothold in the world.
The Sonoran Desert is fierce and forbidding, but it is also wildly, amazingly fertile.
And yet while rain is infrequent, in certain times of the year it arrives with ferocious power.
We learned as kids to be alert for cloudbursts, even distant ones, because of flash floods.
(A CD is available from the Putumayo label.)
I was born in Tucson in 1946 and lived there until I was 18.
Ive said that our family tree is more like an anthill, one that extends into two countries.
For family and friends and holidays, I still go home to Tucson when I can.
A big family gathering or holiday can get Ronstadts pouring out from all over town.
But whenever Im back in my hometown, after a few days, I get hungry for more.
Hungry for the five-hour drive southeast to the village where my fathers father was born.
Sitting here, its hot as hell.
The desert sun in late afternoon hits you hard in the chest and face.
The glare whitens everything.
But its a lovely little plaza any time of day.
