This and That

Phoenix airport, June 3, 10:56 AM, waiting on a flight to Kentucky. I haven't seen my daughter and five grandsons since Christmas 2006. We'll be spending two weeks with them.

My son visited recently. We spent the best time together that we've had in the last 20 years. My last major memory from the time before he enlisted in the army and left home permanently was in November 1989 or 1990. We had a tradition of floating a river hunting squirrels on the day after Thanksgiving . On this last hunt we chose the Green River , a bad decision, rather than the Little Barren. The river was high in it's banks and the current was strong. In a less-than-wise maneuver we managed to swamp the boat. The hunt ended and the tradition ceased. However, we had a good visit recently and we're planning another one in August. At the moment he's in Wyoming on his way to California. Hopefully, he'll make it to Kentucky during our visit.

Julie's sister and brother-in-law visited. The following week her daughter visited. She left on Sunday evening and the next morning her son and daughter-in-law arrived. The following week my sister and brother-in-law arrived. We've enjoyed operating a B & B.


Hoover Dam. (Larger version)

During my sister's visit we drove to Las Vegas to escape the cold weather and snow. Yes, snow. The weekend before she and Allan arrived the temperatures at home hit 92. The trip to Las Vegas included a stop at Hoover Dam where we saw about a dozen big horn sheep.

My sister has expressed a desire to find some pottery shards. One morning we walked a hundred yards south of the house and she found several small pieces about the size of my thumbnail. During our search we spotted the first rattlesnake of the season. Later in the day we saw antelope, elk, coyote and California Condor. Not a bad day!

My visit with my sister, Jean, and her husband, Allan, was the longest and best visit that we've had since I caught a bus for Fort Dix on an early morning in January 1968.

On June 1 we drove to the back country office at the canyon to get permit for a trip in October. I expected to arrive about 8 AM, allow one hour to get the permit and head home about 9 AM. We were give number 121 and had to wait. We got our permit and left at 1 PM. It was a long wait but worth it. We talked with several interesting people so the wait was pleasant.

I'm off work the month of June. When I go back to work in July I'll begin working 32 hours. I negotiated an 80% agreement. The salary reduction isn't that bad since I've been working 93% for the last two years. Next year or the year after I'll negotiate for half-time.

During the next two weeks I intend on catching up on friends' blogs. I stopped reading in February when I began working ten hours per day.

Julie noticed that her non-existant blogger profile has been accessed 651 times. She's going to create a profile and post a photo on her profile.

Enough of this and that. It's getting close to time to board the plane. Our adventure is about to begin. An adventure that includes two nights at a B & B in historic Ruby, Tennesse.

Best wishes to all.