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

Cookies...

Now that I have some free time on my hands, I thought I would try doing some things in the kitchen. It seems that my Dad and my Father-in-law both started cooking and baking more after they retired and so I will try to keep the tradition going. There are so many more options to investigate in food as compared to building something or working in the shed. The big difference is cost. It is much cheaper to get some food items, or ingredients (these items are probably all ready at hand) and try to whip up something that could be consumed by humans, as opposed to having to buy wood or parts to build or modify a machine. The cookies are gingerbread cookies made with Grandma's brand molasses (recipe on the jar). Everyone that tried them said they were good. I hope they were not just being kind.

It's about time...

We were both bummed and excited about finally getting back on the road after our extended stay in Oklahoma. We sure miss our grandson, who by the way, wanted to come with us, but both his parents are real "sticks in the mud" types and said no. I know, what was wrong with those two! We (me), not towing for almost a year, were concerned that we (me) had forgotten all the rules and common sense items that are full time rving. The first thing we did before leaving Oklahoma City, we had the truck and trailer weighed and I was surprised to learn we are almost 1200 pounds under weight. The mileage for our first day was very short, stopping in Amarillo, Texas and got hooked up just prior to a steady down fall of rain. It seems, no matter where we travel in our RV, we see someone do something that makes you get a funny look on your face and think "what the heck." Another couple, that were disconnecting and getting ready to get back on the road, did the unthinkable. While the guy was working on the getting hooked up for the road, the gal had their sewer hose at the fresh water supply in the next site, rinsing it out with the drinking water spigot! Gross! If you don't carry a spray bottle with bleach water in it, get one. Wow!

The Bar S campground in Grants, New Mexico. A very nice park and at around twelve dollars. a bargain too.

It is always good to be home!

The Welcome center rest stop on interstate forty in Arizona.

Veterans Day...

A veteran, whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a check made payable to "The United States of America, for an amount up to and including my life." That is honor, and there are few too many people in this country who no longer understand it. Author Unknown.

Pre-Launch Inspection...

Norm told me Leo was looking for the valve cap off our trailer spare tire that I was on the ground filling. I said "He won't find it in my ear!"
As we started our preparations to leave Oklahoma for Arizona, Leo was a big help. We have been squatting (my name for being in one spot too long) here at the Council Road RV park for almost a year. Norm would stay longer, but I am not going to spend another winter here in Oklahoma. Although we are planning to return here for the Thanksgiving holiday. There are so many little things that need to get checked and changed from the truck to the fifth wheel. Our 2006 Chevy has given me two flat tires due to faulty valve stems, so I had the other two changed and the tires rotated and balanced. I have a thru the bed fifth wheel hitch that I put back in the bed of the truck, much to Leo's dislike as now he has less room to play back there. We are going to weigh our fifth wheel for the first time. When we first started out we had space everywhere, now a lot of that is gone and I want to make sure we are under the max gross weight. The truck stop across the street will hook us up on Monday. Norm and I have a side bet as to who will be right. I think we might be a little over gross, she says under. I removed our auxiliary fan from the fridge compartment, charged our walkie-talkies (Norm will be driving the model T) and I'll sweep all three slides and roof Monday morning just prior to launch.

The Mall...

Most people will not believe it, but the weather was cold, wet and windy here in Oklahoma and we had our grandson with us. What to do? We did something that was not available to us when our children were his age, we went to the mall, specifically we went to the play area inside the mall. I don't know what the real or proper name is for this little play or exercise area, we just call it the mall play ground. We arrived and Leo walked in like he owned the place and than took a quick survey of all the other kids. He looked at the big turtle, the row boat, the sunflowers and the big bug. The structures and the floor are made out of rubber or something similar. A strange thing happens to all adults once they enter the area. People that would not speak or look at you outside of the play area suddenly become very friendly and out going. They talk about the age of theirs and your child, they help any child climb and rush to catch any child that looks like they may fall. My guess is most of the parents aged in the mid twenties to mid forties with a few grandparents mixed in. All the kids seemed to play well together, no one fought or tried to hard to occupy the same space. This whole exercise/play area is a new concept for us. We've seen them before and thought what a great idea, but at that time we did not have a kid to take there and try one out. After a while, I noticed three older people had arrived with out kids. They sat and laughed having a good time watching our grandson and the other children running amok. I complained to Norm, the drive to the mall is too far, the weather was crummy, I know there is something else I should be doing, but in the end, it was well worth it.

Road trip...

No, that is not a can of beer in Norm's hand. She would never drink a beer when she could have a V8!

Leo wanted to go with us on our road trip to Pennsylvania, but he couldn't find his riding boots or his helmet.
We kept forgetting to get a balloon, so Norm made one. She is so creative!
Left to right is Norm, my Mom, her cousin Dodie, her husband Ken and my step-Dad Bob, the reason we made a fast trip to the keystone state. The doctors are still not sure what happened, but Bob seems to be recovering well, thanks to many prayers and good doctors. As usual, the weather to and from Pennsylvania was fine, our two weeks there contained just two nice days. The rest of the days were raining, drizzling, fogging and just for good measure, one day we woke to twenty-nine degrees. On the two nice days we managed to replace air conditioners with storm windows, do yard work and a number of odd tasks. Just some random thoughts about driving across the country. So far this year we have driven from Oklahoma to Arizona twice and Oklahoma to Pennsylvania twice. By far, Oklahoma has the worse roads, even the ones you have to pay to drive on are in a sorry state. Driving from Pennsylvania west on I70, the speed limit is 65 mph. Enter West Virginia where the road is just as filled with turns and hills, the limit goes up to 70 mph. Ohio comes next where the road starts to straighten out, speed returns to 65. The two "I" states, Indiana and Illinois, I can't remember which have the exact same type of roads, straight and flat, not Kansas straight and flat, but close. One "I" state is 70 mph and the other is 65 mph. Huh! I really did not make notes for accurate facts, but I think Missouri has the most variety of fast food chicken places. Of course, we could tell we were back in Oklahoma by the 25 mph wind blowing to welcome us.

More from the Oklahoma History Center...

I tried to remember the date of this Case model tractor. I think it was in the thirties or forties.

This is a 1941 Studebaker. The sign read that the Studebaker company, at that time, was the richest automaker in the country.

Oklahoma History Center....

This Indy car is from the fortieth running of the Indianapolis 500 race. A fellow from Oklahoma won in this car.
The 2 upper outlaws look like they don't have a clue. I think Norm looks a bit better then I do, but neither of us look as bad as the fellow in the lower right. This truck would come to your house and fix your radio.
We have been thinking about getting a new tent for our truck, so we looked this one over very closely.
This past Saturday Norm and I picked up our friend Rob, and headed off to visit the Oklahoma History Center, located near the state capitol. The center covers eighteen acres, including a 215,000 square foot learning center. We found it very interesting, informative, and at five dollars per person, a bargain also. It included five Smithsonian-quality interior galleries and outdoor exhibits, along with the Gemini Seven space capsule. The three of us stood in front of the capsule trying to figure out how two men could live in such a small place for two weeks. How could they go to the bathroom was Norm's big question. The other thing that struck us was the construction of the space ship itself. Up close, it looked like a regular Joe could have built it with a little help from a do it yourself book from Home Depot. Regular screws, thin sheet metal, and what looks like foam covering the bottom. We spent three solid hours at the center and it was not near enough to take it all in. The web site http://www.oklahomahistorycenter.org/, has plenty of good information if you are interested.

From Blackfive.net

STand and Never YIELD!!! - From the Battlefield in Viet Nam to Tower 2 on 9/11Posted By Blackfive
[This is an annual post. Please sign the petition at the end of the post. Thank you.]
"Men of Cornwall stop your dreamingCan't you see their spear points gleaming?See their warriors' pennants streamingTo this battlefield.Men of Cornwall stand ye steadyIt cannot be ever said yefor the battle were not ready.STAND AND NEVER YIELD!"- "Men of Harlech"Sung by Rick Rescorla in the Ia Drang Valley 1965 and in the stairway of WTC Tower 2 on September 11, 2001
First, you must read the definitive post about Rick Rescorla by Greyhawk at the Mudville Gazette. Rescorla was one of my heroes when I was a Sergeant-turned-Cadet and began reading extensively about Viet Nam and the Ia Drang Valley.


Rick was a British (Cypress and Rhodesia) and American (Viet Nam) war hero. He retired as a Colonel in 1990.
Decades later, after 9/11, I had no idea that Rescorla had everything to do with denying Al Qaeda a huge victory. I wasn't surprised that Rick had saved 2,700 people that day, and then paid the price with his life when he went back into the tower for stragglers. He knew, KNEW, it was coming down. And he went anyway...
Tenacious, strong, and leading all the way to the end.
In 2006, we honored Rick at Pundit Review Radio where I featured him - Rick Rescorla - Someone You Should Know Radio ("September 11th" podcast for Pundit Review Radio).
Appropriately, Rick now has a statue at the Infantry Center at Fort Benning. The US Army has honored his accomplishments. AWTM had a post about visiting the museum and defending Rick.
Rick's town of Hayle, Wales (UK) has this plaque honoring their son:

Rick's widow, Susan, left this comment for all of us (you, too!) here at Blackfive last year:
Thank you for keeping Rick alive. I know why Rick died, and I am so proud of him. The book, and of course the fabulous bronze statue, which will be on Heroes'Walk in 2008 will endure forever, as his legacy, as a new Hero in our new millinium. Today is a day to be proud to be an American.
All the best, Susan Rescorla
September 11th is a day to be proud to be an American. Which brings me to the point of this post - The petition for the President to award the Medal of Freedom to Cyril Richard Rescorla:
A PETITION TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH TO AWARD THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO C.R.”RICK” RESCORLA FOR HEROISM AND GALLANTRY BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY ON SEPTEMBER 11,2001.
MR. RESCORLA CAME TO THIS COUNTRY AS AN IMMIGRANT TO BECOME AN OFFICER IN THE ARMY. MR RESCORLA SERVED WITH SUCH DISTINCTION AS AN OFFICER IN VIET NAM THAT ALL WHO SERVED WITH HIM CONSIDER HIM THE BRAVEST MAN WE HAVE EVER KNOWN. HE WAS HIGHLY DECORATED FOR HIS BRAVERY AND LEADERSHIP IN COMBAT. HE BECAME A US CITIZEN AND SOUGHT A HIGHER EDUCATION OBTAINING A BACHELOR AND MASTERS DEGREE AT UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA AND FURTHER OBTAINING A LAW DEGREE BEFORE SERVING A AS TEACHER AT USC LAW SCHOOL BEFORE BEING LURED TO THE WORLD OF COMMERCIAL BANKING. MR. RESCORLA’S SPECIALTY WAS SECURITY AND SECURITY LAW. IN 1993 HE WAS THE LAST MAN OUT OF THE TRADE TOWERS AFTER EVACUATING EVERYONE. ON SEPT.11TH IN SPITE OF BEING TOLD HIS BUILDING WAS NOT IN DANGER, HE IMPLEMENTED THE EVACUATION PLAN HE HAD DEVELOPED FOR HIS FIRM, MORGAN STANLEY. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF HIS EFFORTS THAT DAY AND HIS QUICK ACTION, OVER 2600 EMPLOYEES WERE SAVED. MR RESCORLA WAS LAST SEEN GOING UP TO RESCUE PEOPLE WHO WERE UNABLE TO GET DOWN. HIS ACTIONS REFLECT THE VERY BEST ABOUT AMERICA, ITS CITIZENS AND ITS DREAMS.
THE UNDERSIGNED URGE YOU TO RECOGNIZE MR RESCORLA BY BESTOWING THIS HIGHEST HONOR TO THIS MOST DESERVING MAN.
Why hasn't the President awarded the medal to Rick? The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded for "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."
Please go and sign the petition. Please link, email, and print the petition. And remember Rick and the other heroes we lost on that horrible day...
Stand and never yield!

Bound for home...

Our rig kind of looks out of place parked in a full hook up site. I'm not sure we got our fifty-six dollars worth for the one night we stayed, but right behind me are the showers and we did get our monies worth out of them. The Glenwood Canyon Resort park is a very nice place to stay, about one and half miles east of Glenwood Springs with a large number of sites right next to the Colorado river.
This is the view toward the river. The resort had a number of small cabins and larger park model ones.
This is Edwards Colorado, or at least part of it. I'm not sure how many blocks this area takes up, but it was a really neat place to shop and eat. Retail stores take up the first floor areas and the floors above are apartments or condos. That sure is a great looking truck in the background.
In the early Colorado morning, Norm finds a new friend.
If you are ever in Aurora Colorado, you must eat at Lam's. One of our all time favorites! We have never found better sesame chicken any where. With our bellies full, we headed to our friends, Bruce and Becky's house. We had a fine time of catching up, a feast for dinner, and then Norm and Becky left for some gambling in Black Hawk Colorado, while Bruce took me to the local motocross track to check out his up coming race. We were sad to come to the end of our Colorado trek. The next morning we left Denver for Oklahoma City.

North Rim trail...

Norm tells me that is a long, long way to the bottom. I believe her.
Norm took this shot with me having a death grip on her waist line. This, and the photo above was taken from a place called "Exclamation Point." I'm sure that there is a variety of exclamation's when you first look over. This particular area is a group of rocks that stick out and you can actually see the canyon in a different and scary way.
Us having a really great time, even being without a shower for three days. It's a good thing we really like each other.
Most of the trail was marked by these piles of rocks called carins. The park did not spend too much on markers for many of the areas we visited.
This is a juniper tree that we saw on the North Vista Trail. The tree looks totally dead at the bottom and about half way up, but is all green at the top. The tree does this in times of draught to preserve it's self. This trail climbs eight hundred feet in elevation and the views make the effort worth it.

North Rim, 2

This photo and the next are from the drive on highway 92. There are two reservoirs on the way to the north rim, the Gould and the Crawford.


These series of photographs are still from our driving tour of the north rim sites. Two from our drive to Crawford. We saw all of three cars on the (maybe) six mile drive. The road is unpaved, but in good condition. There are five viewing points that all require a short walk. Still sore from our inner canyon excursion, we limped and moaned our way to every one of them. As you can see, it was well worth the effort.

North Rim...

Some of these views are from the drive to the north rim by way of back tracking on highway 50 east bound, and than turning north on to highway 92. Highway 92 is a great drive with the maximum speed being around thirty miles per hour. Lot's of twists and turns. Norm had to take some motion sickness pills for the first time. She just can't sit and look straight ahead on a road like this one. Way to many awesome views. We drove past the turn to the north rim for a trip into Crawford Colorado for some supplies. Crawford is a real nice little town, but sadly, not for supplies. We headed back toward the road to the north rim with only a bag of ice. We could not find any type of food other than packaged stuff. Another eleven miles down the road for a real grocery store. We decided that the food we had left would have to do.