Vacation - Sort Of

It's been a while.  I admit I've been spending more time on Face Book because it's bite-size nuggets of information and doesn't require much thinking.  I can keep up with my "friends" easily and just jot a note or throw up a photo on a whim.  But Mom and Dad miss out! (Hi Mom and Dad! You know, you guys should totally sign up for Face Book and then you could be my "friends!"  Wouldn't that be GREAT!?  We should talk about this.  But I digress.)

So, we're back from "vacation."  It was yet another strange trip that took us.  It all began "normally" enough.  I loaded up my car and drove fourteen hours straight from Phoenix to Truckee.  (My poor butt; however, I did stop at the Bakkery in Bishop.)  Then it was time to kick back with a cold beer and catch up with my parents.  So far so good.  (This was Monday, in case you're keeping track.)

Wednesday was the Memorial Service for Grandpa.  That was hard.  It was a small service at the Military Cemetery in Dixon, CA (which is quite nice, actually).  I read some scripture and a eulogy of sorts.  Grandma, Amy, Mom, and Uncle Van spoke as well.  Mom and I sang the Irish Blessing.  The highlight of the day was when my sister turned to me in the car while we were waiting for the procession and said, "Did you color your own hair?"  "Yeah, why?" "'Cause you missed a spot."  "Dammit!"

So, I spent the next couple of days hangin' with Amy, Jerry, and Uzi in Sacramento and thought about using an "emergency" magic marker to hide the gray hairs.  Now, when I die and get reincarnated, I want to come back as Uzi (the cat).  That cat knows how to live.  He's a pretty wide load but life is GOOD if you're Uzi.  I'm tellin' ya!

Uzi havin' a look out the front window.  Frankly, I was amazed he could haul his butt up there.  He's got attitude, though.  I like that.

So, while I was visiting Amy and Jerry, we kicked back, watched cable television, and I was introduced to this delicious ice creamy goodness thing from Trader Joe's called a "mochi ice cream."  Oh my freakin' gawd, are they good!  Four flavors (chocolate, strawberry, mango, and green tea).  Amy got a box of each (except for the green tea).  There are six to a box.  There were none when I left on Saturday morning.  That's right.  I inhaled three boxes of mochis! I have been avoiding TJ's because I know if I go there these mochi things are going to leap into my cart without any consideration for the fact that my new cute capri pants aren't going to fit over my mochi ass.


In between eating mochi ice cream and watching cable television, Amy and Jerry took me to the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, which is much more than a zoo.  They have animals that have been injured or are former pets that cannot be released into the wild.  It was totally cool!  Peacocks and chickens were running around loose all over the place.  I just looove the chickens!

That was Friday - the Zoo Sanctuary.  Saturday morning I headed back up the hill to Truckee.  I arrived in time to hang with my parents 'neighblors across the street - a little wine, a little cheese.  Sunday included some more hangin' - more wine more cheese.  Monday was my birthday and the day our house was ransacked.  Friggin' great.



Lovely, no?  I'm not gonna bore you with all the details but we've instituted some new security measures and if any of you burglers are reading this, check it out: next time it is NOT going to be pretty, know what I mean?

Meanwhile, after cleaning up the mess with the much-appreciated assistance of Matt and Denise, Steve flew out to Truckee.  We had a fine dining experience at the Soule Domain, and the next morning we loaded up the car and headed out on our road trip (might as well).  First stop: Chico!  Yup, my undergraduate alma mater.  Good times!

  I spent a lot of time in this building! (above)

After wandering over the campus and checking out Bear Hole at Bidwell Park, we headed to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company to meet up with Brian and Vicki for dinner and brews.  It was more fun than a barrel of monkeys and made me forget completely about the violation of Chez Wilson back in Phoenix.

I look like I've forgotten something, don't I?

Thursday morning we hit the road to continue our tour of Northern California/ Southern Oregon.  Right out of the gate I scalded my mouth with coffee so hot I had to spit it out - in the front seat of the car - while I was driving.  Yes, that was nice.  Carry on.  So, off to the Redwoods we go.  It was all very misty and spooky.  My hair started to curl and frizz and look like it did when I was in High School and so desperately wanted the Farrah Fawcett hair but it just was not going to happen - and it wasn't happening today, either.

The Redwoods are along the coast so of course we had to stop at the beach and listen to the surf and the gulls and ponder the primordial soup (and watch for the "sneaker" waves that routinely carry off an unsuspecting beachcomber or two).  And you'd think that visiting the redwoods I'd have a picture of two of a tree - but I don't.  I do have this cool picture of a seagul, though.

A day in the fog was about all we could handle, being the Sun lovers that we are, so we decided to head inland and visit Oregon Caves.  We didn't actually go in the caves, but we did have lunch at this retro cafe downstairs in the Oregon Caves Chalet.  (And this is not a picture of the cafe, it is a picture of the dining room that has a stream running through it.)  The retro cafe had a decent Portobello mushroom burger and really good fries.

What next?  How about Crater Lake?!  (We are giving our annual park pass a workout, I'm tellin' ya!)

Crater Lake is one of the deepest lakes in the world.  A collapsed caldera, it has no inflow other than rain and snow and the water is an absolutely stunning clear blue.

Mom and Dad have been up here before - part of our collective ambition to visit all the Great Lodges - Crater Lake Lodge is one of them - and had recommended it highly.  Whew!  They were right.  It is gorgeous!

We drove to the lake first and took in a lovely view as well as paying the requisite visit to the Crater Lake Lodge.  After that; however, we had to go for a hike.  We selected the highest point in the park: Mount Scott with an elevation of 8,929 feet (above mean sea level).  The fire tower at the top commands a 360-degree view of the area and was well worth the long grunt up hill.  After sitting on my butt for DAYS in the car and suffering the first degree burns on the inside of my mouth from that little coffee incident, I felt like a bird let out of a cage!  It was GREAT!

After the exhilaration of elevation (oooh, alliteration!), we decided to go check out the "pinnacles" at the other end of the park.  These "eerie spires of eroded ash  rise from the edges of Sand and Wheeler Creeks in pinnacle-fashion."  Which means they're tall and pointy.

Basically, when ash settled in this area from the various eruptions of Mount Mazama (this is the mountain that blew it's top, collapsed, and now holds Crater Lake), hot springs continued to bubble to the surface kind of welding the ash in place.  When the surrounding ash eroded it left these welded structures, as they were more resistent to the elements.  Most of them are hollow inside.  Very cool.

Next stop: Nevada!  By this time, I really do have a cold and am feeling like crap.  I'm still driving but it's just a matter of time before I turn the wheel over to Steve for pretty much the duration.  We've got a long way to go and now that we're pretty much pointing towards Phoenix the pull is nearly tangible.  I'm trying not to be anxious and ruin the trip but between my scalded mouth, stuffy nose, and recently trashed house, I'm ready to go home.  But first, a fine Basque supper at the Nevada Dinner Club - or something like that in some town in Nevada that escapes me at the moment - it was so notable.  Hmmm... not Winnemucca - we got gas there, but that was it.  Oh, well.  Maybe it will come to me, but I wouldn't count on it.  I did have a pretty good beer with dinner: Buckaroo Brew!  Locally crafted at the Ruby Mountain Brewery.  (Hey!  We were near the Ruby Mountains!)


We drove in and checked out this absolutely stunning valley - they call it the "Yosemite" of wherever the hell we were - and it IS Yosemite- like.  U-shaped valley, water, just gorgeous.  I'd like to go back and go hiking there.  Again, not sure where I was.  Feeling crappy.  Steve will remember.

And so... back to Phoenix.  It was a long drive.  I slept a lot.  We had lunch at Nedra's Too in Kanab, Utah, and kept on going.  Stopped at Cameron Trading Post on the Res - I am starting to loathe that place.  Slept some more.  Rolled into Phoenix and, Voila! We were home.  Amen!

(Driving across the Navajo Reservation - this is what it looks like.  I love the colors!)

I was fearing I would cringe when first walking into the house, but it looked GOOD.  Steve did an excellent job of cleaning the place up before he left.  We pretty much left all our traveling kit in the car until I had finished my requisite vacuuming, etc., but you can read about that here:

It's good to be home.  Really.

Peace Like a River...

Yes, we can.

It is well, it is well,

With my soul.

Divas in the Woods

This is definitely my kind of camping, oh yeah. Mom and Dad, you would have loved this place!

Friday morning, bright and early, Steve bid us adieu and Mary and I headed north from the Valley of the (Really Hot) Sun towards the tall cool pines and mountain breezes of the Rim Country. With a couple of stops along the way, we meandered towards the beautiful place at which Mary has been camping for years but that was new territory for me. Now, it's not like it's Super Secret or anything but since we pretty much had the place to ourselves I'll refrain from disclosing its exact location. Suffice it to say it's about 6500 feet in elevation and comprised of Ponderosa pines and stately oaks.


This is the view from our camp spot. Plenty of shade and I just love the smell of warm pine needles in the sun! Ummmm....

We figured we were about 3/4 of a mile or so off the highway but we really couldn't hear much road noise, which was nice. We got into camp and first thing got out our Black Box of Shiraz and hung it in an appropriately handy place!

Mary got her little vintage tear-drop all set up and opened up the kitchen (where aforementioned Black Box is hanging), while I put up my tent - the trusty North Face Big Frog.

There were a couple of perfect stumps for putting up one's feet while reading, drinking wine, or reading AND drinking wine!


Inside my luxurious accommodations. There were a few stones under the tent but I slept on a cot and was pretty comfortable. Had a heck of a time getting the cot to stay open, though. It's been up in the rafters in the garage for years and kept folding up. I finally tied the legs open with some rope and piled a bunch of crap on top of it.

Oh, yeah, the Black Box! This puppy holds four (4) bottles of wine!

Mary enjoying her Shiraz while we just kind of lounge around with our books and watch the world go by.

This is our "lounging" view. Lots of trees and ferns and quiet. Ahhh....

A shot of Mary's kitchen - kind of artsy, I guess. I was sitting and the sun just kind of caught the knobs on the drawers. The dowels are the supports for her cutting board/prep table.

We had an egg strata for breakfast on Saturday. Mary cooked it in this little Dutch oven using hot coals from the fire. It was delicious! Oh, and here is a picture of it!

Saturday afternoon we meandered just a bit and picked wild blackberries which we would have for dessert in a wine syrup that Mary had prepared in advance (served in a small dish and topped with mini chocolate meringues).

Saturday night's dinner was a vegetable tart with cornbread. This is "advanced" Dutch oven cooking when one stacks the ovens. Earlier, Mary had cut herself while slicing an onion and was kind of out of commission, so I got to dive in and get real hands on training in the fine art of Dutch oven cookery!

And, voila! Dinner is served!

On the way back on Sunday, we stopped and had breakfast at the Nifty Fifties Diner in Pine. The food was quite good so the weekend was, indeed, a fabulous food fest in the woods and then some!

We were heading back towards Phoenix when the tire on the trailer blew out. Not to worry, though, 'cause the Divas know how to change a tire!

Bummer!

I'm hoping we get to go again, soon, 'cause I truly had a great time. Lots of reading and chatting and just restful hangin' out in a beautiful place!

Happy Birthday, Soniarita!

What do you do when your Aunt/Sister/Mother/Wife/Mammer/Mother-in-Law/Friend turns 70 in July? Well, you throw a Surprise Party in June, of course!

My cousins, Lindsay, Lori, and Lesley put the whole thing together and they did a fantastic job! From the invitations to the cake to the classic Cadillac (thank you to Chris!) and Elvis (Live!) it was a blast! Plenty of libations and a catered pool-side buffet rounded out the event beautifully.

The theme was "Fifties" and we were directed to bring a bottle of wine and a story about Aunt Sonia which would go into a special box so that she could read all the wonderful memories at her leisure (what a great idea!). The cake looked just like the invitations and was pretty dang yummy, too!

All dressed up in our fifties finery (including cheap sunglasses and truly gaudy Elvis wigs), we waited for the Lady of the Hour and did a bit of "catching up" as it had been a while since we'd last been all together. Of course, I took plenty of photos!

Michael and Lesterita

Steve and Cousin Heidi (see all the little Elvis guys on Steve's shirt?)

Cousins Lori and Lindsay hamming it up.

Cousin Eric

Elvis, I mean, Lindsay. Nice hair, dude!

Mom and Amy

My Dad is soooo proud of his slide rule! Mom and Amy.

Finally, the Birthday Girl Arrives:

The Birthday Girl and Uncle Paul

Classic Cadillac convertible. What a beautiful car! Peter, the car's justly proud papa, is in the red shirt and hat.

Of course, all the guys have to check out under the hood. Peter keeps the engine immaculate!

Jerry takes a look - it's soooo shiny!

My Cousins: Michael, Lindsay, Katie, Robert, and Mary

How cute is this!?

Fantastic!

Peter takes the cousins (and Aunt Lynne) for a ride! Whoohoo!

Dave and Heidi

Toots, Aunt Sonia, and Cousin Michael

Yeah, Baby! It's Elvis!

Lindsay, Lori and Me doing it "Our Way!"

Mammer gets down with the kids! You go, girl!

Mary, Katie, and Soniarita

Mom, Elvis, and Aunt Sonia

Good Times! Great Family! Wonderful Memories!

That's a Pretty Big Log...

Up Next: Elvis!

Truckin' to Truckee...

Before Idaho; before Kings Canyon; before Aunt Sonia's Surprise Birthday Party; [cue music] there was Truckee.

Iris and Aspen

On the 12th of June, I hopped (well, more like crouched down and climbed in trying not to whack my head), into my (very small) car and drove straight through (14 hours), to Truckee/Lake Tahoe to hang with Mom and Dad before the "Big Do" in Folsom (above-referenced-yet-to-be-blogged Surprise Party for Soniarita).

It was my first solo drive of this duration and was actually rather enjoyable. (I could stop and pee whenever and wherever I wanted to!) I kind of looked forward to the "check in" calls, too: "Where are you now?" "Just blew through the ag check station." "Talk to you in an hour." "Ten-four, good buddy."

Out the 10 then northwest through Vicksburg, across the Colorado River at Parker, a sharp right at Vidal Junction (where there is a restaurant with a large chicken on the roof), California 95 north to I-40, west on to Barstow, take I-15 to 58, then north, finally, on 395. Through Lone Pine and Bishop, along the shores of Mono Lake, into Carson City and then over the hill into the Tahoe Basin.

I was thinking about Mary as I passed Manzanar and the turn-off over Tioga Pass in to Yosemite (past the "Whoa Nellie Deli"), and again as I passed the turn-off to Bodi. (That was a Great Trip!)

After 14 hours on my butt, Larsons' Chalet was looking pretty good! Ah, yes, delicious hors d'oeuvres and a fine vintage awaited my arrival, and Mom had made my very favorite enchiladas! Huzzah!

It was a lovely week. We did several hikes (Mom and Dad still got it!). One to "Dry Lake" (which wasn't actually dry), a short stroll to the Martis Peak Fire Lookout Tower (stunning views!), and a walk through the meadow along the Martis Creek Trail. Mom and I went to Reno one day (had lunch, did a little shopping, you know, girl stuff!). We went to dinner at my favorite Truckee Thai restaurant and another evening headed over to The Soule Domain. Amy made it up one evening and we played "Imaginiff," which is a laugh-riot! Steve flew in on the 19th, and Saturday morning, the 20th, we headed down the hill for the Big Surprise Party (50's theme). But that's another blog for another day!

(Not-So-) Dry Lake

Lupine

Guess which socks are mine

Twinkle Lights at The Soule Domain

The Call of Kings Canyon

Kings. Plural. No apostrophe.


Kings Canyon National Park looks a lot, of course, like Yosemite National Park, only without the shuttle bus or the crowds. Although this park doesn't boast the waterfalls that grace Yosemite Valley, it is glacially-carved and possesses rushing rivers. Cascades. Streams. Rivulets. A very narrow, winding road wends its way into the depths and then ends. One way in: one way out. Beautiful views abound and the granite feels like home, to me.


We stayed at Kings Canyon Lodge. It is amazing to me that we could drive into the park in June and simply get a reservation. Just like that. Kings Canyon Lodge is privately owned. The proprietor fixed us some grilled cheese sandwiches at the bar and then swilled beer with us while Steve wailed away on the Ovation guitar. They were looking for summer help and I actually considered seriously staying on. (Luckily, I came to my senses, and got a couple of weeks in Idaho, instead!)


This is our room in the little cabin we rented. ("Little" being the operative word, here.) It was clean and comfortable and I slept pretty well. We skipped the shower (which was pretty much a metal box with some iffy-looking plumbing) and headed straight out to go hiking.


Steve tipping back a nice cold brew while we waited for our grilled cheese (with chips on the side).

A beautiful cascade at a roadside picnic area. If you have a minute, you can watch the water play over the granite below.

Classic weathered granite and glacially-carved valleys and faces. This is the hallmark of the High Sierra. We decided to hike along the South Fork of Kings River to Paradise Valley. I don't know how far we hiked but it was a good effort which took us up beyond Mist Falls (which is more of a grand cascade than a "water fall" per se). I remember seeing a sign in Yosemite when hiking to Vernal Falls: it said something to effect of, "listen to the sounds of the water change with each step." And it's like that, you know. With each step along the river the sound of the water changes. Paradise Valley was sublime. Peaceful. The river quiet and full of fish.

When the South Fork of the Kings River flows out of Paradise Valley it is a nearly non-stop crashing cascade. Rapid after boat-eating rapid. In fact, I don't think it would be possible to put in a Kayak here and live to tell the tale.

Stepping lightly among the Ponderosa Pines. Their puzzle-shaped bark smells of vanilla and spice. Cedars and ferns compete for space. Squirrels chittered in the tree-tops. We saw fellow hikers but not many. It was a fine outing all the way around.

Ferns and horsetail or scouring rush (Equisetum hyemale). I love all the green. It's restful to the eyes and soothing to the soul.

What a Beautiful Place!

I got pretty lucky, even if I did have to leave the day after we got home from California. Spending two and a half weeks in Sun Valley, Idaho was quite nice (thank you, Diane!!). I was dog tired at the end of the day but the area was beautiful, the accommodations were great, and I had a terrific roommate. (Bonus for me: My roommate, Flavio, loves to cook and is really, really good. I'd do the dishes and buy the occasional beer and pizza but Flav would come up with some fantastic dinners.)

We were working on a reclamation project - cleaning up contaminated soils from old mine workings in the area. Our job, essentially, was to collect confirmation samples and analyze them using x-ray fluorescence to confirm that the remediation criteria was met. We climbed all over steep slopes in the white "bunny" suits, sweating our butts off, collecting and compositing samples of soil, then hoofing it back to the pick-up truck to run the analysis on the tailgate.

Tools of the Trade
Trimble GPS, InnovX XRF and Plastic Baggies

Every night, even though I thought I would drop in my tracks from exhaustion, we uploaded all the XRF, GPS and photographic data along with our Daily Reports. Throw in Daylight Savings Time and I was rarely asleep before midnight. Then it was up with the sun at 5:30 - my room had "matchstick" blinds which don't allow for sleeping in, which is just as well as we had time to run to "Java" for a cup of coffee before heading out to the jobsite.

The drive took about 30 minutes each morning and was just beautiful. With a steaming cup of Organic Blue Sky and a "lumpy muffin" it was a pretty nice commute (well, except for the construction zone where the road was being widened - that part was just dusty).

On-site, because of the excavation and haul trucks, the roads were kept wet and the butterflies erupted! It was amazing! I felt like some character out of a Disney movie: I'd walk along and butterflies by the hundreds would flutter like snowflakes all around me. There were mostly these orange little guys, but also lavender-colored, and much larger bright yellow. (I'm not good with insects, so we'll just say there were Lepidoptera aplenty!)

We actually stayed in a condominium at Elkhorn Springs in Elkhorn Village which is sort of one point on a triangle embracing Sun Valley, Ketchum, and Elkhorn. We were right near Dollar Mountain. I had my own bedroom and bathroom (a really big bathroom! sweet!).

The kitchen was filled with KitchenAid and Cuisinart appliances. (The first time I tried to make coffee in the fancy "all-in-one-grinds-your-beans-perks-your-coffee-and-washes-the-windows" coffee pot, I ended up with a kind of grounds-filled sludge spilling all over the counter because I neglected to put in the filter - "Filter? What filter?") The garbage can had a lid that opened automatically whenever I walked by. Freaked me out the first few times.

We had a nice island where we could charge our equipment and lay out all of our junk at the end of the day. There was a balcony with a nice view, too. (If you left the door of the fridge open it would start to beep. "Well, I never...!")

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Steve flew up to visit. I drove to Boise to pick him up after work on the 2nd and we meandered back to Elkhorn Village kind of taking in the sites as we moseyed along.


Part of the old "ghost town" of Triumph, Idaho - except that people still live in Triumph.

Magpie. They are all over. I think they are beautiful!

Steve and I had lunch at Papa Hemi's one afternoon. Apparently, Papa loved Idaho and it was here that he ended his own life (a nasty shotgun blast to the head). He is buried in Ketchum and a memorial bearing the eulogy he wrote for his friend, Gene Van Guilder, overlooks Trail Creek in Sun Valley. So, of course, we had to go see that.

It's a lovely, peaceful place.

Saturday, we hiked along Summit Creek in the Pioneer Mountains. It was a gorgeous place. We had a nice outing and turned back when the afternoon thunderstorms threatened.

We retreated to Ketchum where we had dinner and tall brews at Smokey Mountain Pizza after which we hung around listening to live music provided by Dallas Alice. As I mentioned before, it's light late, so we headed back well before the fireworks.

Sunday was a hike around a 12-mile loop known as the GreenHorn Gulch and Imperial trails. Apparently, this is a premier mountain biking trail in the area - and it was fabulous. We were only two of four folks walking (so far as I could tell) but the bikers were uber polite and we always made certain to step well off the trail so they'd have plenty of room to pass.

Steve on the Imperial trail.

Monday, Steve flew out of Hailey, back to Phoenix, and I went back to work. Flav got a couple of days off which included fly fishing (he ties his own flies, which are amazing), and hiking up Borah Peak - Idaho's highest mountain. We wrapped up Friday afternoon by hanging around downtown Ketchum, going to a craft fair where Flav bought a totally cool bamboo fly fishing rod, and getting take-out pizza from Smokey Mountain. Sunday was my turn to fly from Hailey back to Phoenix.

Flav hiking up Borah Peak. It was COLD!

Next up: King's Canyon National Park

Where's Waldo?

It's almost July! Where did June go? Where am I? What day is it?! There is a bird outside my window that sounds just like a barking chihuahua. Odd. Today, I am in Elkhorn Village, Idaho (Sun Valley, Ketchum...).

I'm bone tired but must start rolling soon so I can make the 25-minute drive to my jobsite. It's a grass and scrub-covered valley riddled with old mine shafts and adits and, consequently, a bit of arsenic and lead. It's being cleaned up. My job - my employer's job - is to collect soil samples, analyze them for As and Pb and advise the excavation crew as to whether or not the area has been cleared to the Remediation Action Criteria. It's a great project but working in a Tyvek ("Bunny Suit") makes for hot and sweaty, and climbing up and down steep slopes at over 6,000 feet (in steel-toed boots, hardhat, respiratory protection) is exhausting. At the end of the day, after uploading all the data, photos, and completing our field reports, my mind and body both are completely numb (but I'm acclimating).

But it's beautiful. I've been lucky with getting to work and play in beautiful places for the past month. I'll "catch up" more later - there's a lot to tell - but for now I just have a few pics as teasers.

View from my jobsite in Arizona, prior to leaving for my week's stay with my parent's in Truckee, California. I am looking across the Verde Valley at the red rock cliffs of Sedona.


Mom and Dad near Dry Lake. I drove straight through on a Friday (14 hours) from Phoenix to Truckee after finishing my work in the Verde Valley and attending my MSHA (Mine Safety Hazard Awareness) refresher training the day before. We had a great week, hiking, playing games, working in the yard clearing pine needles and snow bush, and my sister, Amy, came to visit, as well. We picked up Steve in Reno early Friday evening and Saturday we drove to Aunt Sonia's Surprise Birthday Party in Folsom.


It was a fifties-theme party and a big part of the excitement was riding in this absolutely gorgeous Cadillac (more pics and video to come). Elvis was there, too!


After the party, Steve and I headed to King's Canyon National Park. What a beautiful and special place! We stayed here, at the King's Canyon Lodge in a cute little cabin.

Monday, in King's Canyon, we hiked up past Mist Falls (along the south fork of the King River) to "Paradise Valley." Fantastic. More photos and video coming on this, too!

Monday night I got the call from Diane: would I be interested in a couple of week's work in Idaho? Tuesday morning it was all arranged. Steve and I drove from Dinuba, California to Phoenix, Arizona (oh, 9 to 10 hours or so). The next day I was on a plane to Idaho and here I am.


After work - taking the "long way home." My roommate and fellow Golderite, Flavio, took this photo. The condominium in which we are living in Elkhorn Village is in the valley behind me.

I'll have more exciting pics, stunning videos, and thrilling commentary but most likely not until I get back to Phoenix in a week and a half or so.

How Was Your Weekend?

In spite of the solemnity of Memorial Day, we had a fine weekend with family and friends (Botanical Garden, Porch Time, Pool Party... it's a long one: hang in there).

Thursday felt like Friday, to me, so I'll start there.

For Christmas, Steve and I gifted his parents with a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden to see the Chihuly glass exhibit (we had taken my own parents in December. It was fabulous).

Schedules conflicted, his parents moved into a new house, general chaos reined, and so finally we made it to the Garden on Thursday evening. It was beautiful. The skies were overcast, the glass was illuminated as dusk fell. When it started to rain we were ready to leave. We took Steve's parents to Pita Jungle (the art of eating healthy), one of our favorite venues, for dinner. A truly lovely evening.

Friday, the 22nd, was the Little Mother's birthday! (You are a laugh riot, Little Mother!) We had Skyped on Thursday but I called on Friday and sang a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday." Her gift (shhh!) will be hand-delivered when I visit in June! Happy, Happy Birthday to the Little Mother!

Me, Joni, Denise, and Mary

Friday afternoon, Danny and Joni arrived from Cortez, Colorado. Friday night was slated for some serious Porch Time. Mary, Brian, Matt and Denise all came by, as well.

Matt and Denise are in the home stretch with school letting out this week! Huzzah! They were pooped, though, so hung in there for the cocktails but slipped back next door as the chow rolled off the grill.

Danny - I could not get him to focus!

Bri - fresh from his trip to the Galapagos.

Matt - Some day I will get you smiling on film, dude!

Steve - Lord of his Kitchen Domain!

After hangin' on the porch we migrated to the living room where we watched slides and a pretty cool video of Brian's trip to the Galapagos Islands with Bob. (Mary took a little nap - hee hee!) Bri did a great job narrating and had all kinds of info about the flora and fauna of this amazing place (iguanas, boobies, seals, dolphins, crabs, penguins AND flamingos - seriously! -very very cool).

Snuggles, Piggy, and Bunny

Saturday was kind of a quiet day. We futzed around a bit with the instruments and I baked bread, and then Danny and Joni ran a few errands, including a trip to Trader Joe's, while Steve and I played in the garden. Saturday night Danny and Joni went to their niece's wedding and then stayed up at Bri's, while Steve and I hunkered down and watched "Seabiscuit" for about the hundredth time.

Sunday morning Danny and Joni returned to retrieve their gear from the Casita and then hit the road back towards Cortez. A whirlwind trip for them!

Sunday afternoon, Steve hit the links with Bri while I went with Mary to a Pool Party at Tracy's. Booyah!

Sundays are Potluck Night at Tracy's. It's a kind of free-for-all with a core group of foodies and then a few along the fringe (like me). It is always way fun with great food. (And Tracy has all the toys: special wine aerators, ice crushers, Super Soakers, a misting fan, a video projector so we can watch films on the Big Screen, about a million DVD's, and a red leather couch!) This Sunday we started early so we could get in the pool (Mary was first!), and ended late after watching "Grease." (We sang along - Mary and Patrick were very good sports!)

Mary took the pictures and I am shamelessly posting them here.

Me in my totally cool hat and Mary Lynn who bought a five-gallon bucket filled with wine (in bottles), some amazing shrimp, and her friend, Donna. (She had a funny story about sitting in first class with Cindy McCain, and one where she sat in first class while Governor Janet Napolitano - whom she knows - sat with her entire staff in coach - she said that was rather embarrassing.)

Jeri (above - who also had a very cool straw hat) and her husband, Jim (below), brought a delicious salad with homemade dressing. (An aside: If you ever ask them to dog-sit be sure and turn OFF your alarm system! When you fail to do that, it isn't pretty!)


Patrick minding the hibachi and grills. (Patrick, much like Steve and his golf, can probably tell you his cost per ride on his mountain bike.) He and Tracy produced some impressive salmon and chicken on these little smokers (I love the smell of briquettes!).

Mary, first in the pool! That dry hairdo didn't last long! Not after we got into Tracy's Super Soakers! (Mary, Great Suit! Seriously!)

Yeah! that's me with my Super Soaker sneaking up on my next victim.

Tracy after being blasted from all sides by her well-armed guests. (Mary, Tracy is so going to get you for this picture! hee hee!) Tracy can do a hand-stand off the diving board and an excellent "can opener!"

Patrick - Woah! Is your hair still dry? That isn't going to last long, Dude! You are goin' down!

With some of Mary's delicious cookies (made with mesquite flower), in hand, I arrived home to find Steve reading the last few pages of "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver. Monday would be a quiet day - as it should be. Chatted with my folks and my sister, pet the cat...

And now, it's back to business. I'll actually be heading out of town for a couple of days of field work and then it will be back to painting and tending the vegetables (oh, Mary, thank you for the cantaloupes!).