12/31/08

We found this guy next to one our favorite walking/quad trail. 

12/27/08

Only in the desert? No, it did not snow here, this snow is from Arizona, from Flagstaff. The two responsible for Mr. Snowman are seen above, Leo the little and his great uncle Jeff. The snowman came ready to assemble, minus his two eyes. The finished Mr. Snowman below stood proudly for about an hour.

12/22/08

"Location, location, location!" I hear that is said a lot in real estate. This is a shot of the neighbors (Norm's parents) yard. This must be done to keep tomato plants from freezing. I thought we lived in the desert? You can call it an eye sore if you want, but the veggies all taste really good.

I'm glad we never run into these fellas out in the open range.

This big dead stick used to be in a bucket of cement, like some old mafia guy in the east river, buried in our bank out back. Some how it rotted through and fell over. It laid around for a while, till we saw how others had their dead stick propped up. So we came home and did the same thing, worked like a champ.

 

Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles...

I went to the Department of motor Vehicles yesterday and a funny thing happened. I was the only customer in the building! I have been in DMV's in Pennsylvania, Florida (Pan handle), West Virgina, Florida (south), Colorado, Oklahoma, South Dakota and now Arizona. I have a prior history with the DMV' s across our great nation. What makes this visit stand out is I, me, am the only customer. No lines, no waiting, no looking at funny looking people. I was just standing there, taking this all in. Basking in the thought of being number one, numero uno. There were three gals behind the counter, each at their own station. I gazed across the empty room trying to decide which gal's day would be made better by my sitting across from her. Suddenly the moment was broken when one of the young ladies said, "Take a number." Huh? I just stood there, like a deer in the head lights. The girl two cubbies away looked at me, not moving, and she said, "Take a number please." I stole a quick look around the room and took a number. I was number four. I looked at the nifty digital counter on the wall and it read, number four. Only than did the one clerk say " I can help you here." I asked "Am I on Candid Camera or what?" The answer was no, taking a number is the state of Arizona's way of tracking customers. I still looked around one more time and thought, holy cow. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter bars...

"Calories are meant to be consumed, not counted."  Garfield the cat

Seen in Arizona...

This is sunrise as seen from our front door. I am not normally up this early, but it was worth it.

We were blessed with a double rainbow. The second one is hard to see in the photo.

If this is true, we live in a sad world...

Some people should just keep their thoughts to themselves.. I hope this person was completely humiliated by this complaint....

Noise Complaint at Luke AFB, AZ

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain Lieutenant Colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back.

Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.

When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must Have stung quite a bit.

The complaint:

'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m, a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques.

Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend.

Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.

A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom.

We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you.....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF