Imagine sister cities (sister hamlets is more like it) only miles apart but often separated by a one-hour time difference. That would be Portal, Arizona, and Rodeo, New Mexico. Arizona does not observe daylight savings time; New Mexico does. From March through October, folks lose or gain an hour every time they mail a letter or pick up a coffee.

It couldn’t have happened to a mellower crowd. People are drawn to this cloud island because they love sunshine and open spaces. The locals we’ve met are friendly and easy-going. They laugh about the inconveniences and rave about the natural beauty.

When we pulled up to this vintage post office yesterday, we were greeted by a friendly postmistress with a Great Dane named Mac. She kept the place open so we could buy postcards, then hand-stamped them for us.

Portal and Rodeo are places that the world has passed by. I’m glad we stopped here for a few days.