Notes From a (Mostly) Dry Place

Huh... Time for a Hump Day Hodge-Podge

2011-06-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

How is that some people can come up with something to write every single day? I'm lucky if I manage once a week - more likely once a month. (Isn't that a lovely sunset? I wish it would monsoon, then I'd be out herping and actually have something cool to write about - I mean, who doesn't want to see bad-ass photos of lizards and snakes? Well, except you, Jay, but I'll put a fair warning in the title.)

Hey, it's been hot! I know, that's a newsflash for June in Phoenix. The thermometer in my car was reading 118 on Monday - I'm hoping that was wrong, but the plants in my yard tend to confirm the high temps by crisping up and gasping their last. I don't care how many umbrellas I put up, the vegetation is going down. Except for the Bermuda grass which grows all the places I DON'T want it to, and none of the place I DO. Friggin' grass.

Okay, you have to admit, the umbrellas are inspired. I went to the Good Will last night and got two more to put over the eggplants. One of them is a rather hideous purple and the other one is covered with cactus and ponies. I don't think the eggplant are very choosy, though. It's ponies or die, really. (oh, and I just whack off the handles with a hammer and then duct tape them - love duct tape - to garden stakes - genius! Jus' sayin')

Although it's kind of hard to see, Tree Man got a sassy new garden glove (it's green - it's supposed to look like he's holding the plant, like a lantern...) Tree Man is great company when I have a glass of champagne and am sitting on the park bench under his branches.

Now, when Steve is home, I'm quite tidy and a bit obsessive about keeping everything picked up. When he's gone... shhh... I slip out of Monica Mode and let things go to Hell. When I can't stand it any longer, or I start losing things in the pile - like the registration tags for the car - then I know it's time to pick up. Of course, since Steve will be home today, everything is back in pristine condition - which will last approximately 15 seconds once he walks in the door. That's why I love that man.

Fun Job Stuff...

This week was a semi-annual sample collection event AND the installation of a pressure transducer (the Global Logger WL16). That's one of things I like about my job. It's never, ever, the same and it looks like July is going to be a busy month.

This is the business end of the WL16 - well that and two 1/2" diameter, 12" long, stainless steel rods held in place with a couple of radiator clamps - that's to keep the transducer weighted down and, hopefully, in place.

The transducer is placed behind a weir and will measure water level, which, through the magic of a simple mathematical calculation, will tell us the flow. Cool, eh? The encased data cable and pressure tubing is the yellow cable, and the bubble-wrapped package contains the batteries and a USB port with which to upload data. No kinks, so the pressure tubing can do it's thing. The lovely part is that when the barometric pressure changes, it changes equally on both sides of the transducer so that we're able to measure the water pressure alone. After taking it's measurements (programmed to whatever schedule you want - continuously, every five minutes, every two hours, whatever), the data can be uploaded to a lap-top (or whatever) through the USB port and then the data analyzed. Voila!

Oooh... we have a pond lily blooming in, uh, the pond out back. Makes up for all the string algae - the fish seem to be doing fine (little gambusia).

Well, I know this has probably been almost as thrilling to read as it was to write. I completely left out the part about Boobapalooza: Talking Titties. I'll have to do that next time. Right now, I have to go cover the eggplants.

Presence in the Garden

2011-06-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Do you ever work yourself into a frenzy in the garden so you'll have a nice place to sit and drink coffee in the morning, or have friends over for cocktails in the evening, or just have a glass of wine and watch the sun set, and then never actually do it?

The act of gardening, in and of itself, is a pleasurable pastime for me. I get into a kind of zone where I lose track of time, don't eat, get sunburned, cut and scratched, tear my fingernails and stub my toes. When I finally come to, I realize I'm hot, sweaty, tired, bruised, and have blood running down my knuckle from who knows what. It's wonderful.

Lately, though, in spite of the heat, I've taken some time to actually just sit in the garden. One morning it was with a cup of coffee on the back porch while 'Clem dozed on the adjacent chair. Last night, I sat under the grapefruit tree with a glass of wine while 'Clem stretched out on the cooler grass. At first I thought maybe I was feeling depressed, but when I started examining my thoughts, I realized it was simple reflection. Then nothing.

I sat and watched the birds foraging before settling in for the evening. The sun was setting behind me, out of sight, but I could see a golden tinge on the tree tops. I listened to the gentle splash of the waterfall and the breeze rustling the stalks of the sunflowers. When the sun was down, I plugged in the twinkle lights. I still have some arranging to do in that area, but they looked warm. I imagine it will be quite cozy under this wonderful tree when cooler weather approaches and we wrap ourselves in a warm blankets.

All my friends have wonderful gardens here in Willo. We swap plants and other accouterments with regularity (I adore my neighborhood family.) Twinkle lights to Mary J and I receive prickly pear pads. Tracy gets my carefully nurtured Chinese elm, and leaves a shrimp plant and fresh apricots on my back porch. Julie brought me a cucumber plant - I gave her bedding for Tiny. Mary B gave me some totem pole cactus cuttings, I helped fill her bin with citrus for the food bank. Mary Lynn has sent pots and a wonderful large tree bin my way. I'll be helping her measure her square footage of grass. Jill makes homemade sorbet and plies us with Prosecco and we help get her shade cloth over the patio cover.

When stuff starts to ripen, it's shared: grapefruits, lemons, oranges, chard, herbs, eggplant, whatever we have, really... and the dishes at potluck will reflect our bounty, as well. Matt and Denise, next door, have tomatoes, green beans, basil, peppers... I had dinner on them this week. When the peaches came in, Steve R left a freshly baked cobbler on my back porch. Rumor has it I have an apple pie coming, as well.

It's hard in the summer... to keep the garden going. Dedication. Decisions. We do best in Spring and Fall. But, nonetheless it calls, and I've coffee to savor and the garden beckons before the heat of the day will make me retreat to the house... or not.

To the Here and Now

2011-06-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, sure, I could have "been something." I've got the parchments to prove it. I was on the fast track; glancing over my shoulder, pushing to stay ahead, get the promotion, the raise. Then something changed. A laid-back geologist entered my life and I started to live.

Recently, I began wondering (again), if I'd made a bad decision (career-wise, not the geologist). Is it enough to work part-time as an environmental scientist without any aspirations for greater achievement? (I don't want to be a Project Manager, or an Associate, or a Principal. I like having time that is mine.) Is something really missing from my life or am I simply feeling guilty about liking things just the way they are? What's wrong with me that I don't want more: money, expensive cars, televisions...anything really. (Except I do like my wines to score 90 points or better.)

I hunger for the simple things: puttering in my garden; taking care of our home; spending time with friends and family; spending time with my geologist and resolving the issues that crop up daily - plumbing, bills, termites - so that he doesn't have to deal with them. Truly, our needs are simple and our wants are few (well, except for the living-room full of guitars, amps, and something called a "Jam Man." I'm also sort of coveting Jill's gelato machine.)

So, today I'm raising my glass in a toast to the Present Moment. Living, laughing, and loving right now. It's not instant gratification - it's embracing the only thing I truly have which is this instant in time. Would I rather read a technical journal on recent advances in tectonics theory, or stroke the kitty and listen to him purr? I'll bet you know the answer to that one. (Although I am going to BevMo to pick up my order - 5 Cent Sale time.)

"Our innate idiosyncrasies are actually more endearing to others than our most glorious personal achievements." ~ Veronique Vienne, The Art of Imperfection

So, go have an imperfect day, and love every minute of it!

Are there really any "new" experiences?

2011-04-29T15:13:00.001-07:00

Is it possible to say or write something that hasn't already been said or written hundreds, thousands, millions of times before? (Language is limiting, yet we think with words. Is our experience richer if we have a more extensive vocabulary?)

Is my story the same as yours? The episodes just rearranged? Slightly different characters playing bit parts in my own drama? A parade of sensory inputs; floats marching before me this way and you that?

I go to Chicago and someone from Chicago comes to Phoenix and when all is said and done, do we feel differently? Or is it exactly the same?

"Just blew in from the Windy City, the Windy City is mighty pretty... " Calamity Jane

A real grown up big city, unlike any other city I've been in that I can recall. The buildings are tall and it's quite flat, and it's vibrant at midnight, and one can take the "El" everywhere - so we did.

Literally, right out of the gate, I knew Chicago was going to be something when I discovered automatic seat cover changers on the toilets in the loo at the airport. Friggin' brilliant! No more hovering! (And if you look on YouTube, apparently I'm not the only one who thinks this is outstanding.)

The Public Transportation is the bomb! Our accommodations on Lake Michigan Avenue were just two blocks from the Loop, so we took the El to:

Wrigley Field - Diamondbacks vs Cubs (6/4)
Museum of Science and Industry (Very Cool!)
Old Town School of Folk Music to see David Grisman and his Quintet Plus
Reptile Fest courtesy of the Chicago Herpetological Society
SPACE to see David Bromberg and Angel Band

This man was singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," while we were waiting for the El. He had a beautiful voice.

Game Day. We're across the street at Cubby Bear's.

Steve up against the brick wall.

Legendary fare at Cubby Bear's.

It was so cold (at least for us Desert Dwellers), that Steve had to buy a new scarf.

Those seats are cold on the tushy!


Batting practice.

At the Museum of Science and Industry. This little boy was waiting, patiently, for the pendulum "clock" to knock over a pin (demonstrating that the earth does, in fact, rotate.)

Before seeing David Grisman and his Quintet Plus at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Steve and I popped into "Fork" for beer flights, cheese flights, and charcuterie. It was delicious! (And the music was great, too!)

Cheese and Charcuterie at Fork.

Our last night in Chicago, we went to SPACE (Society for the Preservation of Art and Culture in Evanston), to see David Bromberg and Angel Band. It was one of the best performances I have ever seen. Truly.

Everywhere else we walked:

Millennium Park
The shore of Lake Michigan
Chicago Art Museum
Dining (Emerald Loop, Giordano's, Fork, Blind Faith Cafe, Lucky's - as seen on "Man vs Food")

The "Corn Cobs" made a great landmark.

The giant shiny silver jelly bean at Millennium Park.

Of course, I had to TOUCH the giant silver jelly bean.

Seating at the amphitheater at Millennium Park. I liked the red.

Steve admiring some weaponry at the Chicago Art Institute.

I gave up photographing the impressionist art and just got the signatures and frames.

And why NOT take your picture with all those mirrors?!

And we got to meet one of my favorite bloggers, Dana, and her son, Cam. (We had dinner at the Emerald Loop and then walked to Union Station to see them off on the train.) It's can be really pleasant to meet a cyber-friend in person, and this did not disappoint!

When we returned to Phoenix, we took the shuttle from the airport to the lightrail station, and then walked from the lightrail home (for comparative purposes). I'm really liking the public transportation thing. Our lightrail has a loooong way to go before it can begin to compete with Chicago, DC, and so forth, but it was nice, nonetheless.

And so, when all is said and done, maybe my story is just like Everywoman's story of travel to a different city. I don't feel changed essentially, but broadened with a new experience. Returning gave me a clearer lens to view my own city - which I have decided I love in spite of its (many) flaws.

Trifecta (or Something) at the DBG

2011-04-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

... Yes, we're back from Chicago but first, I really need to post about my spontaneous jaunt to the Desert Botanical Garden.

It started out unlike any other day because, for starters, I got out of bed before 8:00. And this was made even more amazing because it was a Monday and I hadn't really held back at the Sunday potluck. So, I got up - early - and was at United Blood Services by 7:30 to donate a pint of my precious (A-) bodily fluid. That's right - I've got rare blood ("Find the Hero in you!"). It's probably not as good as "V," but in demand nonetheless.

Now a pint shy, I decided it would be a good day to go try out the 55-250 zoom lens and tulip hood I got for the Canon so I could get better shots of the lizards that always scoot before I get a chance for that "up close" moment. The DBG is a great place for this since I knew I could experiment on flowers and cacti if there weren't any cooperative herps. (Plus there are lots of drinking fountains and snack bars.)

Well, SCORE! I felt like a genius, because not only were the flowers beautiful, but the Spring Butterfly Exhibit was open, A Desert Illuminated (photography by John Schaefer) was on display, the Scottsdale Artists League's 16th Annual Spring Paint-out show and sale was up and running, and the Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society was holding its annual show and sale! I was happier than a pig in shit and I got some decent lizard pics to boot!

Fruiting Barrel Cactus

Golden Barrel Cacti

Spiny Lizard

Agave

Ground Squirrel

Zebra Longwing

Spicebush Swallowtail

Some sort of succulent ;-D

Another succulent ;-D

Blooming Cactus

What's not to love about spring time in the desert?

It's Friday...

2011-03-25T17:47:00.002-07:00

... do you know where your bottle is?

Okay, seriously, I don't know why this is sideways.

Crazy times at Chez Rat. Tracy and I have been waiting until the last minute to prepare bottle tags, centerpieces and our raffle items for the DOVES "Iron in the Desert II fundraiser." (For some reason, we were put in charge of the wine - not as easy as it sounds.)

Our vision was "organic" and "rustic" and in keeping with the evening's theme of iron. Hence, pretty much everything got wrapped in bailing wire.

I'd like to say we were "on it" straight out of the gate, but, frankly, that would be a lie. After the initial two-case donation from Cheuvront Restaurant & Wine Bar and the funds for an additional case from my parents (Thanks, Mom and Dad!), we stalled and then hung on for the BevMo! 5-Cent Sale. Wine: Check!

Then it got complicated. We wanted tags on the bottles we were going to sell, some sort of centerpiece advertising the fact that if you didn't want to cough up $5 a glass for wine you could go for the "deal" and buy and entire bottle (with the cute tags), and then we each created an item for the raffle. Tracy did one of her fabulous handbag-from-an-old-cigar-box with a semi-raunchy cowgirl on the side, and I made cowgirl-inspired note cards (boots, of course). The centerpiece took not less than five trips around the block to Tracy's for editing and artistic critique.

It took a lot of champagne to complete all our little projects, PLUS beer on St. Patty's Day, when Mary J. generously gave of her time and creativity to wrap bailing wire around river rocks. (It looks cooler than it sounds.) I think that all-in-all, our efforts paid off. (Click pictures to Bigify.)

Stationary Set: 8 Note Cards - 2 of Each Design. Bailing Wire Embellishment on Box. (It's supposed to be a pony frolicking in the sunshine, but it looks more like a poodle, I know. I'm blaming that on Lola, that's all I'm sayin'.)

Centerpiece - Front Side

Centerpiece - Backside

Oh, Yeah! The Rocks Are Sweet! You Know You Want One!

My Dining Room - Rocks, Wine, Bailing Wire... What Could Be Better?

Tracy's Super Sweet Cigar Box Hand Bag. ("Ooooh, I fell off the mean pony!")

So, the Big Event is tomorrow. Whew! Yeah, I was folding the cards for the centerpieces this morning before Dona arrived to pick everything up. BUT, now it's done and I can start fretting over my next project (right after Happy Hour!).

Addendum: Sadly, Happy Hour became a Little-Less-Happy Hour when Tracy and I discovered an inconsistency and an omission in the table-top menu when compared to the brochure. Up early this morning to try and correct same and reprint fifty copies - then discovered another correction needed to be made this afternoon. That Five-Dollar-Beer is gonna taste REALLY GOOD!

And I Didn't Smash My Thumb!

2011-02-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not recall, I met Brad Dimock on my Colorado River trip in October (which you can read all about here). In addition to being a professional river guide and the author of several books, Brad builds boats. River boats. (Among others, he built a replica of the sweep scow used by Glenn and Bessie Hyde and took it down the Colorado River on a lick and a prayer while researching his book "Sunk Without a Sound.")

Steve has built a couple of boats. When I got Brad's Christmas newsletter detailing his latest project, which is a replica of the Emery Kolb's boat, the Edith (a Galloway-style river boat), and in which he invited all able-bodied friends to come on up and help, we thought, "Hey, why not?!" (Beats doing laundry any day!)

So, with the requisite bottle of Irish Whisky, we headed to Flag this past Saturday to get our feet wet.

Looking up at the sweep from the replica scow, hanging over the door to Fretwater Boatworks.

Steve drilling holes through the scraps of wood to be used as cleats for clamping the strakes to the frame.

Dan experimenting with planing for the garboard.

Brad demonstrating to Steve the fine art of the back-saw.

Me, planing the garboard while Dan works his magic behind me.

Steve back-sawing the second garboard.

Dennis drilling pilot holes so we can screw the garboard to the chine.

Peter and... (Oh, dangit! I can't remember his name!), filming our work. Footage may be used for a documentary about the Kolb Brothers. (We signed a release so any footage with our images could be used. That was sort of cool.)

Jessica sanding off part of the forms that stuck out a bit too far.

Aerial view of the shop and the Edith.

Your's truly drawing the plumb lines.

Steve and Brad riveting the second strake. (Copper nails and roves.)

Me and Brad - He's smiling on the inside.

So, after a day of, literally, rolling around in sawdust, Steve and I wandered back to Phoenix so we could be home on Sunday for the Superbowl Party at Tracy's. To follow the Edith's progress (which, of course, I recommend highly), you can check out Brad's Blog Here. (If you have questions or want to comment, send me an email.)

What?! Where's December?

2011-01-14T15:08:00.001-07:00

Where Da Lettuce At?

I've been spending an inordinate amount of time watching the baby desert tortoises (torti?), eat. It's kind of like watching fish in an aquarium as they stagger around their own little vivarium sniffing at the carefully pureed kale-mustard-zucchini-yellow squash-carrot blend I actually mixed up in the food processor. Thing is, they don't much like it. They want LETTUCE. It's kind of like a little kid eating only mac 'n' cheese. I worry about them getting enough calcium, too much protein, too little light, too much light, too little water, too much water, are they drowning in the water...

... so when they actually eat the puree, I am way excited! Got out the camera, snapped photos, took the photos to the bank to show Jill (the branch manager who's own tortoise is currently hibernating in her pantry). Oh, yeah, I'm easily entertained, yet neurotic, nonetheless.

I *might* switch to fresh greens and/or puree every-other-day and let them eat their dry "tortoise chow" in the interim. I'll try a new recipe - mix it up by adding some broccoli. When it's a little bit warmer I'll take them outside to "graze." I think they'll like that.

"Royale" and "Seldom Seen"

Right now, they seem so small and vulnerable. It's hard to believe that they'll likely outlive me. I'll need to set up a trust fund.

Clarity, on the other hand, just pops up her head from her mulch when she feels like a mouse. She's a serpentine couch potato. All she needs is a TV remote and a beer. After her mouse, she'll sniff around a bit like she wants another one, and then plop back under her rock or her mulch and I'll see her about five days later at mouse-o-clock.

Where Da Mouse At?

Ironically, the cat is the easiest. Give him some crunchies and his blankie and he's pretty well good to go. (I don't know where he goes, but it's probably better that way.)

Where Da Crunchies At?

Actually, Tree Man can probably stake a claim to "lowest maintenance" of all. Unless his hat blows away or an eyeball falls off, he's not very demanding.

Where Da Fertilizer At?

Ooooh... I just saw something shiny! Gotta go!

"... The Great Unknown..." [Grab a Beer - It's a Long One.]

2010-11-11T14:06:00.007-07:00

"My ego gets in my way. I'm irritated with that. Just listen and Be."

~ Wednesday, October 20, 2010

And when I listen, I marvel at the wonderful group of strangers who have become, however briefly, family as we travel the Colorado River of the Grand Canyon, together. I'm Blessed. I know we will have each taken away something that will live within us forever. My own memories are thus...

Our guides:

Lora, our trip leader, a ball of fire and energy
Brad, who I'd call 'salty' if he was a sailor - full of stories, well-delivered
Gary, in-training, but you wouldn't know it. His beautiful wife, Tina
Jerry-the-Geologist, pilot of the dory, Wesley, and really fast hiker!
Jim of the no-I'm-not-from-Canada-or-the-Bronx accent
Alex, to whom I am forever grateful for "buying" me a beer my last night on the river.

My fellow explorers - I must say, I found each and every one of them delightful, interesting, Real. I want them to know that this was a profound experience for me and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share in this together.

Paula from London- A CPA letting down her hair
Mary from Napa - Nurse and River Junkie
Mike and Diane from Canada - True Adventurers
Romy and Steve, Kathy and Cliff, and Phil - friends extraordinaire and still speaking, I believe (ha!)
Mick - the only guy with the foresight to bring a real chair
Paola and Yuri from Flag- They got engaged on a river trip. Whitewater, Ho!
Merle, who assisted tirelessly in the kitchen and had a wonderful smile. Thank you!
Bob, brother of Guide Gary, and the only guy with a decent camera
Hillary and Michael from SF - Redefining 50 and 60 and doing it splendidly! I love you two.

I will never forget you! [If this was a book, and I fear it's getting close to John-McPhee-in-the-New-Yorker-article length (only without the shad), you might consider the previous a Dedication of sorts, or a Forward...]

Learning To Be...

Borne on muddied waves

Currents embracing my soul

River of my Birth

~ Me

I kept a journal of my trip - Lee's Ferry to Pipe Creek Beach (downriver from Phantom Ranch) - and in the front of my journal, before I left home, I copied this quote by Eckhart Tolle:

"If you can be absolutely comfortable with not knowing who you are, then what's left is who you are - the Being behind the human, a field of pure potentiality rather than something that is already defined."

I was ready to be pure potentiality...

~~~

Sunday evening we had our orientation meeting and I met my fellow boaters. I was feeling subdued and excited at the same time. Before coming to Flag, Steve and I had watched "Rivers of Stone," and I'd done some reading to kind of prepare myself - but not too much because I wanted to be open to the experience as it happened (and I didn't want to get all freaked out! Tracy kept telling me I should read "Sunk Without a Sound;" that it was really really good. Problem was, this story of the "honeymoon trip" of Glen and Bessie Hyde resulted in their disappearance from the face of the earth. Their boat was found below Diamond Creek but no sign of Glen or Bessie - not really the uplifting sort of reading I was looking for prior to facing [cue evil organ music] the Great Unknown).

And off we go...

We introduced ourselves and I felt more than a little guilty when we got to Steve and he said he wasn't joining us, but I could feel my excitement level rise as we were given our drybags, a burlap sack, River Guide, and insignia coffee mug (AzRA).

Back in our room, I ~~feverishly jammed all my crap into my dry bag~~ carefully packed my gear, stowing my precious beer (Boddington's Pub Ale), into the burlap sack that would serve as my "bar" during the trip (the whiskey went straight into my "accessible" drybag - strictly for medicinal purposes). I was ready... finally... nothing else to do but sleep fitfully until our 6:45 am rendezvous.

~~~

Monday morning was a butt-numbing three-hour bus ride to our put-in at Lee's Ferry. This included a stop at the Cameron Trading post for a bathroom break (amen and pass the coffee), and another stop on the east side of Navajo Bridge. Our most excellent chauffeur dropped us off and we walked across the pedestrian bridge, gaping into the maw of Marble Canyon, to the rest rooms on the other side, where we, once again, answered Nature's call and boarded the bus.

Marble Canyon - Down River from Lee's Ferry

Our Bus Driving Across the New Navajo Bridge

A quick aside (I'll try not to do too many of these). My own personal geologist, Steve, worked on the geotechnical investigation for the buttresses of the New Navajo Bridge - I've always thought of this as "Steve's Bridge," and it's a special feeling for me to look at it, drive across it, and now, float under it.

Imagine Steve dangling hundreds of feet down the cliff face, checking for fractures! He was aided by legendary rope-man, Paul Diefenderfer (who also works iron at his studio, Desert Rat Forge). This was special. Too bad some dumbass, who shall remain nameless but he knows who he is, taped over Steve's personal video of this project with a figure skating competition (!). It's lost forever due to simple dumbassness, but I digress...

Steve getting ready to rappel into Marble Canyon

Checking for Fractures. It would take two hours for him to ascend back up the ropes.

Once at Lee's Ferry, we said farewell to our driver and met our guides. After being fitted for our life jackets and a brief orientation, we loaded our gear and ourselves into the boats. There were four oar rafts, one paddle raft, and one dory. Day one, I got to paddle!

At the put-in: Jerry prepares the dory, Wesley, for launch.

Bob - I like Bob's Tilly Hat!

Yuri and Paola

Our Paddle Boat Captain, River Guide and Author of (you're not gonna believe this one), "Sunk Without a Sound!" Truly, what are the odds. Well, okay, they're probably calculable and more likely than winning the lottery, but still...

So, of course, I had to video this:

[This title, as well as many other fascinating books about the Grand Canyon, can be found at Fretwater Press. Seriously, go check it out!]

Looking Downriver Towards the Navajo Bridges and Marble Canyon

River Mile Zero is officially located at Lee's Ferry at the gauging station cable in the middle of the river and our first day took us from River Mile Zero to the Hot Na Na Campsite (which, coincidentally, was the name of my life jacket), located at approximately River Mile 16.5.

Cool, eh?

The rapids we ran included the Paria Riffle, 3 Mile Wash, 6 Mile Wash, Badger, Soap Creek, Brown's Riffle, and Sheer Wall Rapid. Badger and Soap Creek were the most exciting: rated 4-6 on the GC Scale, Badger drops 15 feet, and Soap Creek 16.

The water was ~~freakin' cold~~ quite chill - oh, 40-something degrees Fahrenheit - but my long underwear, rain pants, sports bra, two shirts, paddle jacket, insulated socks, and river shoes kept me quite comfy - if not immobile - for the most part. Nonetheless, it was quite a shock when those cold waves splashed over us (and breached a gap in my pants), in the larger rapids.

View from my campsite at Hot Na Na

Once we arrived at Hot Na Na, we were inducted into the Mystery of Community Camp Life. Although a little ragged on day one, the routine looked something like this:

Beach the boats and secure the bowlines.
Each one of us would take our personal "day" bag and life jacket and find our own campsite.
Back at the boats, we would form lines (and I use that term loosely), to unload all the drybags and other equipment. In addition to our day bag, we each had a numbered dry bag for our personal items and a matching dry bag which contained our sleeping kit (sleeping bag, fuzzy liner, ground cloth and some sand). In addition, we would each get a numbered tent which we would use our entire stay, and a sleeping pad, which was used to cushion the boat during the day.
Additional items to be unloaded included the kitchen, buckets for settling water, and the ever-important groover (aka, river toilet).


Yeah, a line kind of like this...

Drybags make nice seats, also.

Once the boats were unloaded the "bar" was open - which means we finally had access to our burlap bags! The first day I discovered immediately that a Boddington's Pub Ale tends to foam all over the place after jouncing along through rapids. I learned to put my mouth directly over the hole before pulling the trigger! (It's the "widgit!") Some folks would hover around waiting for "the show."

Like Ernie the Penguin. Ernie was all over the Pub Ale.

So, with our cocktails in hand, we would go set up our tents, being sure to track in an appropriate load of sand, chat and just generally admire the view - and that is an understatement if ever their was one. I wrote in my journal:

"I can hear crickets right now - some are rhythmic: chirp, chirp, chirp; then in the background is a steady buzzzup... buzzzup... like two complimentary notes. This is accompanied by the gentle swoosh of the river and my tent fabric moving ever so slightly... The afternoon sun made the cliffs look wonderfully pink - very much an 'October' light. I feel good."

Feelin' Good!

The next morning - Tuesday - we woke early to the call of the Conch and I believe it was Jerry yelling, "Cof-FEE!" As we stumbled towards the beverages, our guides started breakfast preparations. Generally, we were close to being packed up when the Conch summoned us for breakfast. Last minute packing was completed while our guides broke down the kitchen and Kathy tried to push the last of the orange juice (which she did very well, I might add), then once again, ~~almost~~ everyone pitched in loading the boats. The last item was always the groover, (so called because "early models," which were old ammunition boxes, would leave a groove in your butt and thighs when you sat on them - now they are way more spiffy with real seats and lids!).

~~~

Tuesday I rode in the dory. I mean, how could I go down the river and NOT ride in the dory! That's like going to Fenway and just using the bathroom. I rode in the bow with Mike through Hot Na Na, House Rock, 18 Mile Wash, the Boulder Narrows, 19.4 Mile Rapid (lots of real original naming, I'm sure you've noticed), North Canyon, 21 Mile Rapid - let's just say the "Roaring Twenties" and call it good. Hillary rode in the stern. Jerry rowed. The dory rides low and tracks really well, but it fills with water, so once we'd run a rapid, we had to bail like crazy. (It would always take a minute to realize we were sitting in a pool of water before we had the presence of mind to start emptying the boat - or Jerry would ~~holler at us~~ gently remind us to get after it.)

Dory Pilot Jerry-the-Geologist: Yo! Bail!

Hillary Staying (Mostly) Dry in the Stern. While Mike and I were bailing and sponging, she would lounge in the back with a huge smile on her face - yeah, just like this one!

Adventure Mike and his wife, Diane, have traveled all over the world skiing, climbing, hiking, and, well, adventuring! I remember one evening, Diane demonstrating the use of the "can crusher." It's pretty much a round piece of heavy metal on a rod that one uses to smash down on a can, strategically positioned on another piece of heavy metal - in this case some former chunk of railway track. She really beat the piss out of the can!

Mozying (hmm... spellchecker doesn't like that) Down the River

The Paddle Boat with Captain Brad. Paddling can be kind of Zen if you let it. There is a lead paddler and everyone else is supposed to follow him or her. The challenge is for the lead paddler to maintain some sort of predictable rhythm. Something that apparently none of us (especially me), were able to do with any sort of regularity. The Canyon is just too distracting in a beautiful way. But if one just lets go, then out of the corner of the eye, the lead paddler's movement can be detected and that's when the effort becomes a meditation. Dip, sweep, rest, repeat. Until a rapid... then you paddle like mad and try not to take it personally when Brad shouts, "Left, Left, LEFT! Aaaaeeeeiiiiiii!" Then we'd do a "High Seven" with our paddles and maybe get a burrito and a cup of hot coffee! Excellent!

We stopped for lunch (more on food, later), at Shinumo wash and then took a hike to a place with a fabulous overlook of the river, as well as the Silver Grotto. We dunked in the river first so we could stay cool on the hike (it felt great to dunk, although the chafing sand in my shorts was slightly less great). I'd say we ended up hiking close to two hours and it was simply lovely.

Lunch Time! Gotta love the umbrella. Not sure of the butt, however, Lora is in the shade in back, then Diane, Adventure Mike, and Merle fix a sandwich.

Paula and Alex hiking up for a view. We did quite a few hikes and saunters and had a pretty fit group of Happy Campers.

Collared Lizard. I love these guys!

View Down Towards the Silver Grotto

The Mighty Colorado River

Camp Tuesday night was at Sand Pile, and, well, it was a sand pile. We were getting to know each other pretty well, though, so cozyin' up with our tents (Kelty with rain fly), was no big deal.

My tent is the slightly lopsided number in the middle. I think it has character.

It's also really handy for drying out laundry.

I wrote in my journal:

"The Canyon is the Canyon I love. Walls soaring overhead, only now I get to see the places 'in between' the places I've visited on the River. I understand what Powell meant when he said the rapids sound like a 'freight train' - And we just whoop and holler on our way through and then start bailing! ... the tips of the cactus and flowers and cliffs just glowed!... Tonight, we're on a lovely dune. The moon is going to full. It's beautiful and clear."

~~~

Wednesday I was back in the paddle boat. We paddled past Vasey's Paradise and stopped at Redwall Cavern, then halted once again for a quick lunch before pushing on to camp at the ever-popular Nankoweap.

Vasey's Paradise, named for a botonist by Powell, but if I go on too much with the "what's named for who" stuff, I'm never going to finish writing this and you're (bless you if you've made it this far), never gonna finish reading it.

A short video of Vasey's Paradise:

Redwall Cavern


The weather orbited around us: sunny then cloudy... sprinkles and then the rumbling and grumbling of thunder, echoing through the canyons. A flash of lightning and a peek at blue sky. I wrote in my journal: "I loved how the sun would be shining and then the rain would sprinkle on the river with a kind of plopping, hissing sound. I can't get over the LIGHT! The sunsets with alpine-glow on the freshly washed cliffs are sublime."


Romy and Paula - Romy and her husband, Steve are from Tuscon - Desert Rats, like me.

Mary of Napa - The Grand Canyon and the Colorado River are in Mary's Soul!

Taking a Break (Not My Foot...)

At Nankoweap: Our guides have these cool little tents they put up so they can sleep on their boats. Of course, if I had a pony, I'd ride it on my boat...

Follow the Paddles to the Library... Take a Flashlight (Seriously).

Nankoweap Canyon is located between River Miles 52 and 53. The Nankoweap Trail (the "scariest" trail in the Grand Canyon), descends from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in this area - or ascends, I suppose, depending on which direction one is headed. Our Trip Leader, Lora, scored us some coveted camping space adjacent to some science wonks (I can say that 'cause I'm a science wonk and I mean it in a nice way), the only drawback of which was initially crowded conditions and a habitrail-like maze leading to the groover, (in the dark, Bob had a run-in with an invisible rock).

Undaunted, we found our places and prepared camp for a "layover" day - WhooHoo! Killer hike tomorrow!

Captain Brad explains the complexities of geomorphology, while Cliff, Kathy, and Mick look on.

Voila! Totally cool block faulting demonstration.

Hiking up Nankoweap Canyon - the temperature was really nice for a butt-kicking hike/scramble. We did get a sprinkle, but no serious moisture. The clouds made the buttes, mesas, and cliffs look all misty and hobbity.

A short video of the creek:

Cute little Canyon Tree Frog - Hyla arenicolor.

Totally Hobbity.

I wrote in my journal and penned another haiku 'cause I'm better at counting than rhyming:

"The hike was strenuous but the colors in the formations and the views - temples and buttes in the mists and clouds - were otherworldly. It's been raining, so the formation colors are vivid - electric!... Moon full, or nearly so - the sky is beautiful. Clouds and stars and the moon... Now, I'm tired - a good tired."

Colors' Seduction

Temples, Mesas, Buttes

"Come hither," they beckon me -

A rainbow awaits.

Saturday we pushed off (I was in the dory today - in the back seat, where it's mostly dry! Oh, yeah!), and landed for lunch and a hike near the Hance asbestos mine. While the vast majority of the group hiked to the mine, I took the opportunity to sit on the beach, listen to the river, and reflect on my journey. Tomorrow, I would be headed up the Bright Angel Trail, and I wanted to sit and stare into the void - the space. I felt like I could empty my thoughts and become one with the emptiness and in being empty, I was completely and utterly full.

Rocking and Rolling in the Dory (Steve and Romy are in the front):

The previous day, Friday, we stopped at the Little Colorado River for lunch and a short hike. Paula and I took the opportunity to bath away from the confluence (I washed my hair! Huzzah!), and then caught up with the rest of the group hiking up the LCR. The water flowed blue and the wind rustled the grasses along the banks. It was such a peaceful sound - I couldn't suck up enough.

Ummm... Clean Hair!

Friday night we camped at Tanner - now I was in familiar territory. Years ago I'd camped here with husband #1 and a couple of friends. I remember it being really hot and us spending most of the day in the shade trying to filter water through our clogged pump (we wasted precious alcohol trying to backwash the thing). After that incident, husband #1 referred to the Grand Canyon as the "Big Dry Dusty Hole," which is one of the reasons he is no longer a member of Club Ena.

The camp was lovely, with a nice breeze, so all my smelly clothes had a chance to dry thoroughly. It was here, too, that our "bag line" kind of had a melt-down. The shore of the river was really, really muddy - like, seriously, you'd lose your shoes and small children muddy. While we were unloading, Kathy got kind of bogged down and when she tried to pull free, pretty much did a face-plant. I laughed so hard it hurt!

I wish I had a picture of Kathy in the mud, but since I don't, I present the view from my "front porch" at Tanner.

View from the back porch at Tanner.

While I'm feeling so jolly, I'll now review the menu! First, I must say, the meals were impressive. Our guides prepared tasty fare that was filling, plentiful and catered to most all our dietary weirdnesses. Breakfast generally had a cold cereal option, but there were also pancakes, oatmeal, eggs and potatoes, sausage, etc., lunches included sandwich and/or wrap fixin's, salads, fresh fruit, cookies, nuts, Crazens, candies, and such and the dinners, which were truly memorable, were as follows:

Grilled Salmon, rice, salad, and cheesecake for dessert
Spinach and cheese ravioli, garlic bread, green salad and chocolate bars (light and dark)
Burritos: sauteed veggies, rice, black beans, cilantro, salsa and s'mores made with graham crackers, marshmallow cream and Nutella.
Steak (I had tofu), green salad, mashed potatoes, and carrot cake
Pork chops (I had Portobello mushroom), polenta that was out of this world, green salad and Apple Brown Betty
Pasta with pesto, garlic bread, salad, and strawberry shortcake.

Lunch Time! Lots of GREAT condiments!

Tina, Jerry, Jim, Kathy, Lora, and someone's shin.

The "Dish Line" - an important fixture at mealtimes. Each Happy Camper washed their own plate in a six-stage system: scrape scraps into the bucket, cold water scrub, hot water scrub, hot water rinse, cold water with bleach rinse, then toss into the net slung beneath the table to dry. Extra Karma points could be earned by going above and beyond and washing up the cooking implements, such as pots, pans, cutting boards, etc. This was encouraged. When Kathy wasn't pushing juice or making the last call for the toilet, "Get your Groove On!" she was helping with dishes. Kathy, can I come and live with you?

Saturday night, after running Sockdolager (very exciting in the dory), and several other rapids, we camped just above Grapevine. We were targeting an early start in the morning so that those of us who are hiking out, could make the rim before dark. Our backpacks appeared and we commenced packing... I was sad yet determined to enjoy my last night on the River.

Before dinner, we were called to make our sack lunches for the hike out, and after dinner, Brad told stories around the campfire. Stories about Captain Hance and his trusty horse, ~~Roaney~~ Darby. I stared into the glowing embers and got lost.

Sunday we were up before dawn. The boats were packed quickly and after an oarlock on Alex's boat was repaired, we were on our way. Through the Grapevine, under the two bridges near Phantom, and on to Pipe Creek Beach. My last ride in the paddle boat. I got out of my wet things, quickly, donned my hiking boots, tucked my lunch into my pack, and said a quick good-bye. If I'd stayed longer, I would have cried.

Down River...

The "Mule" Bridge Across the River.

So, on up the Bright Angel Trail. I can't count the number of times my feet have passed this way. I met the new group that would be joining the trip on their way down to the beach (readily identifiable by the AzRA logo mugs dangling from their packs). When I was about 3/4's of a mile from Indian Gardens I met the AzRA Trail Guide, Meg, who had spoken to Steve and told me he was waiting for me. I made it to Indian Gardens just before 12 - our "official" rendezvous time.

After that, it was a matter of hiking back out. Chatting and smiling and just feeling wonderment at all that I had just experienced. It was a kind of high that leaves no mystery as to why some guides never leave the River. Ever...

Diva Camping Part Deux: Winos in the Woods

2010-10-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

... That's right! I've got a mound of paper to sort through but because I care (and am really, really good at procrastination), it's time to blog about DIVA CAMPING (aka, Winos in the Woods). Ooh, ooh, but before I get into the thrilling recap, please note you can read all about the astounding food and drink from New Zealand and Australia on my alter-ego blog, Endless Summer. [Go ahead. You know you want to.]

DAY ONE
~~It was a dark and stormy night~~ ... So, Friday, miraculously on time, Tracy and I loaded up the Subaru with ~~all her shit~~ our camping gear, Lola and Conner [doggies] and ourselves, and after photo-documenting this momentous occasion, we blasted off to meet Mary and Julie and Molly [also doggy] at Julie's house.

Ready to Rumble.

It's a relatively easy drive to the Divas' Super Secret Camp in the Arizona High Country (yes, we have some of that). After Mary opened the hatch of her teardrop, and I installed the mosquito netting - cleverly created using two sheer panels and a bungee cord - on the Subaru, Mary, Julie, and I (and the doggies), all sat back to ~~drink heavily~~ have a small glass of wine and watch Tracy erect what we have come to affectionately refer to as her Nylon Palace. I have to admit that it was pretty impressive as well as being highly entertaining, and I even found myself slightly jealous of her inflatable bed and chair and two (count 'em, TWO), portable potties! [... Does a Wild Diva Shit in the Woods? Read all about it HERE.]

The Comfy Subaru with Optional Sheers. (Wine not included)

Super Sweet Vintage-Pattern Teardrop Trailer.

Tracy shows off her potties while Conner guards the Nylon Palace behind her.

If you were to develop a hierarchy of Diva Camping Accommodations, it would look something like this:

Teardrop Trailer > Nylon Palace > Subaru (with optional sheers) > ~~Wino~~ Julie sleeping in the back seat of Mary's car. But when the Heavens opened and let forth a deluge of Biblical proportion on Saturday night, Mary's lean-to* became the hub of activity - but I'm getting ahead of myself.

*The lean-to was designed to be attached to the roof-rack of a theoretical vehicle and thus provide shade or shelter - from, say, wind, or maybe even rain. We opted to modify the functionality by anchoring it to a tree (two bungee cords), and rotating it through-out the day as the sun moved [and it seemed like we were moving it a lot - which is kind of hard to do with a wineglass in your hand].

Diva Camping is all about comfort, style, good friends, good food, and fine spirits - not necessarily in that order.

To properly Diva Camp, one must sit back, relax, and do absolutely nothing. We excel at that.

Nothing like the taste of a fresh toilet seat! It pairs well with Korbel Brut sparkling wine.

And we got games! Although it's looking a bit soggy at the moment, we played "Cranium" and later on a "Truth of Dare" sort of game where the thoughtful questions are designed to provoke sparkling conversation - questions like, "Tell the truth, do you pee in the shower?" and "Does size really matter?"

View of camp. Looks lovely, doesn't it? It's a fine meadow with Ponderosa pines and beautiful grasses and flowers and a truly stellar fire pit.

Since we like simple AND delicious, dinner the first night was a fabulous nicoise-style salad. Thank you, Mary!

After a postprandial stroll through the forest, we stoked the fire and set up the movie screen - oh, yeah. Diva Camping involves movies - and s'mores! Tonight's feature: "Mama Mia." Sadly, we got through only about 3/4 of the film before the batteries in the projector died. No worries ... we had beverages!

DAY TWO

The next morning, feeling only slightly rumpled from the previous night's frivolity, we breakfasted on THIS. Mary is a WIZARD with the Dutch Oven. Seriously, I would've been happy with a bottle of aspirin and a granola bar, but I got some sort of vodka cocktail and an egg strata. What's not to love about Diva Camping, I ask you?

Happy Hour! I'm thinking this likely began around noon, actually, but, hey, we're Divas! Enjoy the fest and forget the rest!

Throughout the day the lean-to orbited the tree and we'd stroll about, read, nap, watch the clouds... ["Hey, those clouds, yeah, they look closer... and kind of dark... did I just hear thunder?"]

We gathered firewood and started an impressive blaze ... visions of s'mores dancing in our heads, when kablam! Thunder, lightning, and an impressive quantity of rain. Bye-bye camp fire.

Yeah, like this, only wetter.

[Sadly, my observation about Tracy's "indoor swimming pool" proved prophetic, as she had a small flood, the victims of which included her checkbook, her camera, and a roll of toilet paper.]

Undaunted, we huddled under the multi-functional lean-to and discovered that we could totally go tribal with wet M&M's. The Winos in the Woods was a triumph of grit and determination fueled by the efforts of the good people at M&M Mars and various vintners across this Great Nation. As Tracy observed, nothing bonds like a miserable camping experience - and this wasn't that bad! We discovered, also, that Tracy can say the entire alphabet backwards - to which I had to respond with my rendition of the "two all beef patties..." ditty ... also backwards. It is just another one of our many hidden talents. [Yeah, we're covered in M&M's.]

I'd say we're bonded: Mission Accomplished!

Going Home.

More photos on Facebook and Tracy's blog. Looking forward to the Continuing Adventures of the Divas, so y'all come back now, y'hear?!

Today is the Tomorrow I was Thinking About Yesterday...

2010-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

What happened to 2010? I mean, I know it's still 2010, but the last time I blogged was like post-Vegas and I've signed in only to change my profile picture - well it's actually a long story why and I won't bore you with the details - but that's as far as I've made it.

So, the way I figure, I've got the following topics beggin' for a bloggin!

The foods and wines of Australia and New Zealand, which will probably be reduced to "it was delicious," with a couple of photos of pastry cases and long black coffees.

Whitewater rafting in Idaho, soon to be trumped by whitewater rafting for a week in the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon > Idaho.

Diva Camping. Okay, there is no way I can downplay that one. You can count on Diva Camping coming soon to a blog near you. [In the meantime, you can read Tracy's blog here as apparently "soon" is relative in my universe.]

And you never know when I might get the urge to bake.

(Two loaves of bread spiced with dill and a dish of bread pudding.)

Herping... Full Billing for the Herps but I've got, like, three thousand photos to weed through. Okay, maybe it's closer to one thousand, but it's still a lot, and that makes it really, really hard to pick out my favorite good ones!

"Tubing" a rattler with the Queen boys.

Vacay to Colorado. Oooooh! That was pretty fun! Oh, and a couple of days in the field with Steve drilling core. Very cool. AND Patrick's tortoises had babies, so there is a new family member in our future.

Boogie at Kelly's Wedding in Colorado.

Logging core at a top secret location...

Yeah, well, you can see the problem. I'm not keeping up. I'm a bad blogger, bad. I'm only slightly better at Facebook, and my email in-boxes are close to implosion.

Oh, okay! Here's Idaho (rafting the River of No Return):

I'm second from the front on the left - paddle baby, paddle!

Yup! That's how it was! Fabulousness!

Tonight, I'm off to the AHA meeting and tomorrow Tracy and I are Bringin' It and then tomorrow night Tracy and I and Lori are taking a class on concocting herbal remedies. (I'm skipping to solar oven class this time.) Mom and Dad arrive Saturday and CAN'T WAIT for Potluck on Sunday at Tracy's.

Maybe I'll blog after AHA tonight while I drink champagne - ooh, ooh, and work on the design in my head for a super sweet wristlet made out of a cigar box 'cause I am way inspired by Tracy's "Wonder Woman" handbag. And did I mention, I got a TOTALLY awesome dress for my Halloween costume as the Queen of Hearts for Tracy's Tea Party ( Steve is going to be Stayne). And I need to season the Dutch Oven that Mary gave me that's been sitting on the barbecue since Home Tour in February!

The Queen of Hearts

Stayne (This looks more complicated than I remember from watching the movie...)

This just in! BevMo!'s Five-Cent Sale starts TOMORROW! Gotta dash!

Vegas, Baby!

2010-08-16T20:09:00.002-07:00

Where Stars Go To Die...

I know, I know. What happened to New Zealand and Australia - the food; the wine? where are the photos from Idaho of whitewater rafting? What about my most recent herping escapades? How come only two lousy photos and an embarrassing video for the Clan Bake...? I don't know. Haven't been in the groove. Got distracted. Went to 'Vegas! That's right: Vegas, Baby!

Yes, my dysFUNKtional sister and I tripped the light FUNKtastic [I'm killin' myself] with a Sister's Only (which would be all two of us), trip to Lost Wages! It was Grrrrrreat!

I drove to Vegas from Phoenix, stopping en route at the lovely hamlet of Bagdad to spend the night with my beloved, who is drilling at the mine there, and after several wrong turns and semi-frantic phone calls, picked up my sister from baggage claim and hit the ground running. All the way to the hotel where she promptly took a nap. [Note to self: Schedule trip to Vegas for day after the day after sister attends "Scorpion" and "Rat" concert.] So, like a good tourist, while Amy examined the backsides of her eyelids, I walked to The Strip and took in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace.

I do love me some Titan!

Discovered the area between our hotel - the Candlewood Suites - and The Strip is a kind of no-man's land - or rather, a land where a "no-man" might think you're a hooker if you happen to be walking along with a cell phone to your ear when they stop and ask in broken English for the "way to the office." (That's a new one.) I pointed off towards valet parking at the Tuscany and then headed on towards the Corner from Hell (Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo - uggg!). He tried to call after me, but I faked deafness and kept moving. [Don't make eye-contact!] A bit later he drove by, honked and waved. I don't know if he thought I was his new Best American Friend or what, but I decided I wasn't gonna walk this way with Amy, 'cause she likely would've smacked him in the side of the head making American Women look kind of bitchy and aggressive.

When I got back to our fine accommodations, Amy was up and ready to rock and roll. This time we drove back to The Strip and parked at Treasure Island. Hey, people, free parking is all over the place. I dig that one thing almost more than any other about Vegas. And it was shaded, too! Sweet!

So, into Treasure Island where we are promptly handed a two-for-one drink coupon good at this cocktail lounge with patio seating and great views of the Pirate Ship Sinking Sirens of the Something or Other show. Cool. First a little gaming and then we're off to the patio. The show was pretty good although $9 for a beer is a little steep - that's worse than Chase Field prices, which I didn't think was possible. (Although, this was just a warm-up for the truly astonishing price of beer at Cirque du Soleil - although that came in a souvenir cup, which made it slightly less horrific.)

We shared a table with a couple from Germany and quite possibly the dumbest Americans I have ever met. The American guy was kind of quiet, but the woman reminded me of a skinny yet more vacuous version of Roseanne. She thought the foreigners were exotic and demonstrated an embarrassing lack of knowledge of our own country while she tried to impress them. It was painful. After the Pirate Show and some covert eye-rolling, Amy and I decided it was time to hit the gift shop and then Gilly's (yes, the bar from Urban Cowboy).

Now, when Urban Cowboy came out in 1980, I was still in High School, and my sister and I had horses. We were the Urban Cowgirls and I used to dream about riding the bull all sexy like Sissy (Debra Winger), did in the film. Later on, after I'd graduated from High School, we actually went to see Micky Gilly in Reno (he sings and wears flashy rings, like all good cowboys do...). It was for my sister's birthday. I had written a note to Micky about how awesome my sister was and how it was her birthday and how it would be GREAT if he would wish her a happy birthday. Problem is, I kind of forgot to mention her name or my own in the note. He got a lot of mileage out of that one, but he DID wish her a happy birthday, so it all worked out.

So, now, here we are at Gilly's in Vegas and I'm getting on that ~~cow~~ bull if it's the last thing I do - well, right after the line dance lesson and the beer - it was happy hour and beers were only a buck. [Liquid courage and enhanced inability to dance and/or ride the ~~cow~~ bull.] Sadly, there was nothing at all sexy about my riding. The guy driving the ~~cow~~ bull tried to shake me off, but I held on with both hands and rode him out, whooping all the way. I got off and he told me to get back on and let go with one of my hands. Crap. I did pretty good until he started spinning the ~~cow~~ bull, and I sort of slid sideways. I grappled frantically, but it wasn't enough, and I landed on my butt with the ~~cow~~ bull staring me down. Ah, yes, Vegas. The place where dreams come true - sort of.

Next day was Fashion Show (a huge shopping mall with free parking in the shade). I bought a few things, the most notable of which was a corkscrew for Steve so he would no longer have to lacerate his hands with the cheap piece of shit he had in his trailer in Bagdad (I'm thoughtful that way). Then it was off to see Cirque du Soleil's performance of Ka'.

Ka' was freaking amazing! I've seen clips and trailers but had no idea! The Ka' Theatre at the MGM Grand is a huge space and the performers work on a moving platform that rotates in three dimensions - flat, angled, to perpendicular - and is retractable. The costumes are wonderful; the sound and lighting are fabulous. I cannot describe it - words don't do it justice. One simply has to experience it, that's all there is to it. No cameras were allowed, which was fine because I sometimes don't like having a lens between myself and life, and there were "camera police" throughout the theatre, anyway. (This was fun to watch, because the camera police would tell people that they would be thrown into the fire of doom, or something like that, if they didn't put the camera away now. It was all I could do to not jump up and holler and wave every time I saw some one trying to sneak a picture.) I want to go back!

Lastly, as if Sirens of the Something or Other, Ka', line dancing and the ~~cow~~ bull weren't enough, I met the Hit King. That's right, Mr. Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds. Love him or hate him, this was way cool for me.

Clan Bake: Reloaded

2010-07-27T17:55:00.001-07:00

So, in 2007, the "Larson Clan" got together for the first [apparently triennial] "Clan Bake." Oh, yeah. It was a thigh-slappin' good time in the mountains, with lots of fun, frivolity, and semi-public drunkenness.

Brother, Gaylan, and Sister, Sonia, are the Patriarchs of Our Little Tribe. Here we are in 2007.

We liked it so much, in fact, that three years later we decided to do it again. Same group shot (we're clever that way). More fun, frivolity, and semi-public drunkenness ensued, and in addition, this year we put the "funk" in dysFUNKtional! Viva la Familia!

[In case you're wondering, I'm far right with the pig tails. Good thing I have a day job!]

Hey, I Can Blog From the Airport!

2010-07-15T11:23:00.001-07:00

My new laptop has killer battery life! Most excellent!

So, yesterday's blog was kind of a downer, I know. Time to lighten the mood with "The Critters of Salmon." Yes, I've been playing in the dirt in Salmon, ID, for the past few weeks and it is just beautiful! Salmon (population 3,122), is one of those towns with a farmers' market that has no farmers, but plenty of arts and crafts and ice-cold lemonade with slices of lemon floating on top and the "entertainment" consists of karaoke and a Kung Fu Soo demonstration.

Salmon - the pickup trucks are loaded with dogs; people buy rounds and give you stuff (I got a zipper pull, hybrid onion/garlic bulbs, drink from the whiskey distributor...) People have multiple jobs to make ends meet (river guide and taxidermist; computer repairman-river shuttle-fuel additive distributor...), but they love it.

Wandering Garter (Thamnophis elegans vagrans). Pretty common but I like 'em! I was tempted to slip this little guy into my pocket!

And the wildlife is pretty amazing. The herpin' is lean, but whilst in the mountains around Panther Creek, I saw does with spotted fawns, elk, coyote pups, eagles, osprey, squirrels, chipmunks, "whistle pigs," butterflies, moths, frogs, bats, mosquitoes, and even a snake or two. I miss my desert and can't wait to get back and see some serious herps, but the days spent here have been mostly good ones (well, except for the part where I crashed my computer, dented the bumper, and set fire to a bag of popcorn).

This is a Male Royal Moth (Antheraea polyphemus). You can tell it's a male by the super feathery antennae.

This is either a chorus or a spotted frog. I'm not very good at ID-ing my frogs.

Anise (yellow), and Pale Swallowtails (Lepidoptera - Palio zelicaon and P. eurymedon). They were all over sucking up water from the mud on the creek bank.

Yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor). Head up (periscope), is typical of these species (and they look so cute!)

Handful of Sphinx Moths (I think I've got two females and one male - you do the math)

My last garter of the trip. This guy everted his cloaca and funked me. Uggg! I'm glad I was wearing gloves!

Sorrow in Salmon

2010-07-14T21:11:00.001-07:00

SALMON, Idaho -- The name of the victim in an early Sunday morning car accident was released this morning. [Monday, July 12, 2010] Idaho State Police said Kayla Wilkening was driving on Warm Springs Road toward State Highway 28 with Nicholas Ellsworth. Wilkening lost control of her vehicle while [she] attempted to negotiate a curve. The car rolled into a ravine before coming to rest upright. The 21-year-old Wilkening was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Ellsworth, also 21, was taken to Steele Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Neither person was wearing their seat belt at the time of the accident. Police do not know if alcohol was a factor in the crash.

I did not really know Kayla; however, she worked at The Shady Nook, where I have been eating, drinking, and watching baseball for the past two-and-a-half weeks. Usually, I'd be taken care of by Ashley or Amy - they got my name down after the first visit and knew I'd have the "draft Fat Tire," and a menu - but Kayla would be in and out, as well. The Shady Nook sort of became my "home away from hotel" while I was in Salmon, and I would frequently run into my clients (my client's wife worked there, too), a co-worker, the guy from the raft trip, other regulars... I bet a young guy a beer, and lost, when the Rockies beat the Padres. I was in the Nook when I heard that Steinbrenner had a heart attack. Well, you get the idea.

Monday was strange. Everyone knew what had happened (Salmon has a population of 3,122), although many versions of the story circulated. Some had Nicholas driving. Some said that Kayla was drunk. All were affected and in a state of sorrow or shock.

You see, one day there is a gal in a bar - and the next day she's gone. She's young. She's got so much life stretching before her - or she did. It's completely unexpected. And no one got to say "good-bye." It's very sobering.

I ate my last meal in Salmon at The Nook: macaroni and cheese with a green salad and, of course, a draft Fat Tire. The atmosphere was subdued and when I asked Amy how it was going, she got tears in her eyes. When I was ready to leave, we hugged. A fitting departure because people matter.

So, never let a parting be in anger. If you love someone, tell them. And always wear your seat belt!

Missoula Musings or The Effects of Too Much Taco Bell

2010-06-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

I got four "servings" of peanuts and two cups of Fresca as part of Delta's in-flight "meal service" on my way from Phoenix to Missoula (MT). Thanks to the informative email sent by Chris J, I had also a potassium laden banana prior to my departure. All that nutritional goodness in one happy little yellow package. Too bad they don't hold up well in a backpack.

Got window seats on both flights! O' the joy! You can really see the geology from the air: fault blocks tilting, dendritic drainage patterns, glacially carved basins, cirques, tarns, volcanics. It's all so much more apparent, structurally, from above. I think I'll always be more of a "structure" gal than a "what kind of rock izthat?" gal. (It's a pretty one!)

I experienced, I believe, the smoothest landing I can recall *ever* when we touched down in Missoula. The pilot was a maestro. I kept waiting for the inevitable bump that you get from pilots you just *know* learned to land on ships in the Navy, but it never came.

Rental car is a Nissan Versa. Cute little thing with tons of trunk space. Plenty of room to load in all my field gear *and* the beer and snacks I had to acquire at the Albertson's in Missoula as I was advised the market likely wouldn't be open in Salmon on a Sunday when I arrived. So I've got some weird-ass beer called "Dancing Trout." But, like, how could one say no to a dancing trout? [Oh, and it's the *official* sponsor of Montana Trout Unlimited - helping to preserve Montana's trout habitat one beer at a time - just in case you needed another reason besides it's totally groovy name to try it out.] I'm not entirely sure why, but the brewers felt the need to put *beer* AND *biere* on the label (it's brewed in Missoula). Got also "Scape Goat" pale ale. I don't believe it has an interesting cause or story, but I'll check when I get up to get round two. [Ummmm.... pale ale.... my fav!]

Driving through the Bitterroot Valley was a bit of a disappointment at first. It's actually kind of industrial and unimpressive right out of Missoula. Very wide. Lots of crap along the highway. Finally, though, the mountains converge, forcing the road, the railroad, and the Bitterroot River close together, and just south of Darby, it is beautiful. Up over Lost Trails Pass (elevation 7,014 feet ams), which is the Continental Divide, and into the Salmon River drainage - which wanders off towards the Snake River.

There were plenty of glossy-coated horses, shimmering in pastures laden with wildflowers: purples, yellows, whites. Cattails thinking about going to seed in the marshy areas along the roadside. Picturesque barns and cabins, tilting crazily, about to fall over. Llamas (Yes! Love llamas!) And plenty of roadkill, consisting predominantly of magpies, which I found rather odd. Why so many smashed birds? Anywhere else, it'd be squirrels or coyotes, or snakes... I've never seen so many flat avians!

Tomorrow is an early breakfast with my fellow Golderite, whom I will be relieving - and our client. Since we "never get a second chance to make a first impression," I'm setting my alarm clock for extra early so I can try to look like I have NOT been consuming Dancing Trouts and Scape Goats into the wee morning hours.

This is what the view from my room looks like, only it's not fall. I totally stole this photo from Steve, as I did with the photo of the Barn - but I *did* drive by the barn, so now I have to go back and take a picture so we can compare.

Oh, and the Taco Bell? Just mind well this warning: do not eat a seven-layer burrito AND a chicken quesadilla, with a large diet cola, and then drive over a 7,014 pass. Trust me on this one.

Bring This!

2010-06-18T23:59:00.001-07:00

So, while Tracy is off gallivanting about France and Italy, I've been forced to Bring It without her bubbly enthusiasm, cursing, and totally cute workout clothes. That's right - I've had to coerce Steve into Bringing It with me (and he doesn't curse, so right out of the gate, I'm the potty mouth, sweating, grunting, and swearing at Tony under my breath, while Steve attacks the P90X with enthusiasm).

Steve, in fact, really likes Talkin' Tony. We've been listening to Tony give tips and pointers and do really ~~bad~~ inspirational Groucho Marx imitations, and Steve takes it all in stride. Nay, he embraces Tony's incessant yacking. Funny thing is, it's starting to grow on me (sorry Tracy!).

Of course, additional Bringing It has revealed some alarming holes in my workout accouterments. Suddenly, I needed heavier weights, the "Ultimate Push-Up" handles (or whatever they are), workout sheets, motivational posters, and I fear I need a thicker mat, 'cause, frankly, my ass hurts. I think I might need the super cute Zumba dance shoes, too. Ooh, and maybe a new headband.

On the upside, I think I'm getting some abs - well, okay, maybe an ab might be more accurate, but something's definitely going on around the midriff (do people still say, "midriff?"). Check this out.

Notice the "X" from my sports bra. Yeah! Just like the "X" in P90X (free advertising P90X People). Now, just a few short weeks ago my arms didn't look this good. As a runner, I haven't seen much change in my butt, but the arms - that's a different story. AND, I can almost do a real sit-up without hooking my feet under some heavy object - like a sofa or the table saw. Definite improvement.

Totally Bringing It - Probably getting ready for some Heavy Pants (one of Tracy's favs!) When we're feeling really brave, perhaps I'll post a photo of Super Banana Man.

I think the rest of the summer is going to be P90X Tag Team, 'cause I'll be in Idaho for three weeks, and then there will be some overlap while Steve is out of town for something like two months at the Bhagdad mine north of Wickenburg (ten on four off, or something like that). And then there will be herping once the monsoon hits. Oooh... and look at this one:

Black-tailed rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus). It's a beauty! Just had to throw it in 'cause, well, I like it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Bringing It, but that's the kind of ~~crazy~~ versatile gal that I am!

Life's Too Short To Drink Bad Wine!

A Brief Hiatus From Down Under...

2010-06-02T19:26:00.003-07:00

Oh, no, I haven't forgotten about the Food or the Great Barrier Reef, but I thought I'd take a break and write a post about my budding new hobby. (What does one do after they've run two marathons, painted their house and then put it on tour, co-hosted a blind wine tasting, worked (yeah, I squeezed in some of that), Brung It, and traveled to California, New Zealand, and Australia? Well, one gets a new hobby!) And what might that be? Herpetology! That's right! I'ma start chasing around lizards, snakes, and the occasional amphibian of interest.

Now, this hobby is not without precedence as I did have a python when I was in college - a gift from my then fiance (for various reasons, mostly having to do with me - he never made it to "husband" status at Club Ena - but he was a great guy). I loved Ellie. So did my cats.

Ellie was like Cat TV.

So, a few years back, Golder hired a guy who is an amateur herpetologist (that would be York). He's made numerous herpin' trips out this way from Silver City and I was lucky enough to go along on one (which I blogged about here), and kind of got bitten (ha ha), by the herpin' bug.

The planets aligned, and York was back in the area for work and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to try again to find a speckled rattlesnake. He was kind enough to invite me along and we found one! (Well, actually HE found one but I was there!) I touched it and it was absolutely beautiful! We didn't terrorize it overly much while snapping photo after photo, but my goodness, what a gorgeous snake!

This is Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus, and even the eyes are speckled. It is simply lovely and blends so well with the sandy bottom of the arroyo. York was absolutely giddy with excitement, especially when he was able to photograph it in situ and then move it for additional shots.

I've learned when one sees the target animal (if possible), it is great to photograph it in situ as this shows the critter in its natural state versus moving it for the photo op. To move the snake, however, York employed 24" tweezers and his shirt. The tweezers don't pinch enough to do any sort of damage (I tried them out on my finger - no worries), they just restrain the animal. Once the animal is moved to a suitable location, the shirt is tossed over it to calm it down - the covering actually makes the animal feel secure and it will often just coil up and relax. Once the shirt is removed, the photo session can commence.

The speck is about three feet in front of me among the rocks. Its camouflage is perfect! Say, "Rat!"

After finding the speck it was time to go do some road cruising. When the sun sets and the air cools, all sorts of critters head to the pavement to soak up the lingering heat. A lot of stuff can be found while road cruising. This was way fun and involved a lot of u-turns. It was simply amazing the stuff York could pick out at nearly 50 miles an hour. His eye is so trained that he sees even the tiny critters! (While I'm thinking every rock, twig, glued-down road reflector, and crushed beer can must be a lizard or snake or something!)

Okay, this isn't too tiny but it's pretty. This is a glossy snake, Arizona elegans. I thought it was lovely.

Arizona elegans

The sidewinders were out in force. In two nights of road cruising we saw nine of them. They're actually not very big.

Sonoran Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes cercobombus - identified by the black basal rattle segment), on the road where we found it. Note the horn-like supraoculars and the dark bands near the tip of the tail.

Well, yeah, I had to try picking one up. I've got a good grip on it, though.

This little cutie is a Variable Sandsnake (Chilomeniscus stramineus). It is non-venemous and tiny. It would totally fit in your pocket and freak out your mother.

This adorable critter is the Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus). It looks completely different from the geckos that hang out on my front porch eating all the bugs swooping towards certain death at the porch light. ("Stay away from the light!" "But it's so beautiful.... aaaaaeeeiiiiiiiii!") Amazingly, he did not try to sell me car insurance.

When the temps dip too low, it's time to head back to town and find whatever food at whatever fast food establishment might actually still be open. In this case, Eriberto's won out, so it was burritos, baby! The next day we were off again.

Sadly, the first "finds" of the day were smashed horned lizards on the pavement. Not pretty. We also encountered a flattened Western Diamondback (Crotalus atrox), and a Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii). I was bummed about the road kill but one reptile's loss is another avian's (usually vultures), gain. And when there are no live herps about, one photographs the flowers on the chollas.

Eventually, patience and persistence prevailed and York found a gorgeous juvenile Black-tailed Rattlesnake (C. molossus molossus). It was one of the darkest specimens he had ever seen, but these critters show remarkable variability in color across their range.

I didn't hold this one, plus it was getting late and time to start road cruising! Surprisingly, we didn't see nearly the number of critters out that we'd seen the previous evening. We did find a Sonoran Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer affinis), early on, but then it was a bit of a drought.

These guys are really common, but I still love them.

We saw three more Banded Geckos, but I must say the most amazing find of the night in my mind was the Southwestern Blind Snake - or Threadsnake - Leptotyphlops humilis. (I think the subspecies could be either cahuilae or humilis - they look an awful lot alike, their ranges touch, and apparently, the various subspecies are not recognized by many researchers. But, after all, this is my new hobby, so you can take it on faith that I really don't know what I'm talking about.) What was astounding about it was that York SAW it while driving along at around 50 miles per hour! I mean, look at how TINY it is!

The wee Threadsnake. It is indeed blind; however, the ocular spots are photosensitive.

That night was pizza - delivered. I was whipped. I can see how this fascinating new hobby can leave one completely sleep deprived and with a minimal social life, so I'ma have to impose some limits, although, Steve is totally on board and can't wait to join me. Once the monsoon arrives, it'll be Herpin' Heaven!

And here is a cute male Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), that hangs out by the mine at which I work in Cottonwood. I call him "Bode" because he's so colorful!

"Bode," like "Bode Miller." I love him.

Well, if you've made it this far, congrats! Many people, I have found, are completely freaked by so much as a photo of a snake, never mind the real thing (weenies). I'll be back with more pictures and photos at some point. Never fear, though, the next post will be Food or The Great Barrier Reef. (Unless it's not.)

Cheers! (totally hijacked that from Matt-Man.)

Seriously Sydney

2010-05-29T16:33:00.001-07:00

I could ride the ferries on Sydney Harbour forever. Gazing out over the water, waves sparkling in the sunlight, sailboats flying by, the wind whipping my hair back, the spray making my lips taste slightly salty on my tongue. Standing and constantly adjusting to the to rolling of the boat, the swell of the sea, confined in this bay. It becomes a sort of meditation - very peaceful.

Sydney is one of the most fantastic cities I have ever seen. Although I haven't been to many cosmopolitan cities in the U.S. (San Franscisco, as I grew up in the Bay Area, Washington D.C., Boston, New York - which I don't remember well, as I was a child), and only Mexico City outside, Sydney was really something.

The public transportation is terrific. We were able to take the train from the airport to within walking distance of our accommodations at the Blue's Point Hotel, and then water taxis/ferries or walk everywhere else.

The Blue's Point Hotel had character - I'll give it that. Our rooms were located over a pub and were tiny, tiny, with a shared shower and toilet down the hall. We slept fairly well, but it wasn't the kind of place in which you'd want to hang out all day, which was fine, 'cause there was plenty to do outside!

That's it. Our room. There was also a small sink in the corner but pretty much, what you see is what you get. That's cool. The hotel itself was located in a sort of trendy 'hood with some pretty good restaurants and we could walk to the McMahon's Point ferry dock within minutes. So, we did!

Steve and Bri at ferry dock.

Waiting for the ferry. The Sydney Opera House and the buttress for the Harbour Bridge are in the background. As an aside, I did one of my runs across the Harbour Bridge - three laps for six transits. One side of the bridge is pedestrians only, the other side is for bikes. The train goes right down the middle and the rest of the traffic goes in between. There are several "reverse" lanes for rush hour. It was a great run and I was joined by lots of other Sydney runners.

After catching the ferry, we disembarked at Darling Harbour and started our exploration of the City. It's simply a beautiful place; modern architecture melding with historic buildings. Such character. Every now and again, I'd be reminded of the encroachment of power-wielding conglomerates by signs for things such as "Hungry Jack," which is the Aussie version of "Burger King." (No, I did not eat there!)

Brian and Steve near Darling Harbour.

Beautiful!

As sunset approached we decided to head towards the Royal Botanic Gardens. There, we were encouraged to "Walk on the Grass" (how cool is that!?), and enjoy the plants and animals. I was amazed at the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, which hang out in flocks like pigeons! And their screeching is way loud (and could become annoying, given enough time). Apparently, these birds can live to be 100 years old. Yegads!

Me and a couple of Cockatoos. They were ripping up the grass. Nice birdies!

In the garden. That's likely some sort of fig on the left.

The little bundles hanging from the tree in this photo are actually Grey-headed Flying-foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus), roosting for the day. The Flying-fox is one of the largest species of bat in the world, weighing up to 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). At night, they feed on the fruits of rain forest trees, especially figs, and the nectar and pollen of eucalypts and melalucas. They look so cute all wrapped up in their wings!

Down Under, they call this a "gum tree."

Walking back towards Blue's Point, (named in honor of Billy Blue, which I believe I failed to mention earlier), the bats took flight. The sky was filled with bats heading off to forage for fruit, nectar, and pollen. It was something to see, but difficult to capture on pixels with my little point-and-shoot.

Our second day in Sydney we attended the "Message Sticks" Indigenous Film Festival at the Sydney Opera House. We chose the "Shorts" program which included six films, one of which, "Shimasani," was about a young Navajo girl. It was really interesting and the director's of a couple of the films were on hand to answer questions, which was quite cool, as well.

Outside the Sydney Opera House looking at the "Upcoming Events" and towards the Circular Quay.

Your's truly outside the Sydney Opera House.

And, of course, my view of the Opera House, itself. After the film festival, we walked back through the Royal Botanic Garden and Domain, along Mrs. Macquaries Road, and ended up with an hour to spend in the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It was a lovely gallery with interesting Indigenous art as well as works by several Masters. We walked back, again, across the Harbour Bridge to our accommodations at Blue's Point. (I'm tellin' you - a lot of walking! I was eating and drinking aplenty and still lost three pounds! Who knew?!)

The Art Gallery of New South Wales, featuring Michael Angelo and his brother, Billy Angelo (WTF?)

Our last day in Sydney we decided to go to the zoo and see all the animals that we just knew we would never actually see in the wild (and, gee, amazingly, we were right). We focused on the natives and skipped stuff like, African Safari, 'cause, like, hey, no lions in Aus! We did see the platypus, wallaby, kangaroo, Tasmanian devil (they are soooo cute!), koala (not koala bear, just plain koala, it's not a bear, jus' sayin'), crocodile (except it was really, really small - I think I could've wrestled it!), and lots of snakes and lizards and little rat-like hopping things, the name of which eludes me at the moment. Very cool, though. The zoo did a nice job with their exhibits.

Requisite koala shot.

Two 'roos and a wallaby (smaller, darker). All that's missing from this picture is some beer, a couple of playboy magazines, and a tv remote.

Yee haw! Fortunately, I got off the giant lizard thing before zoo personnel had to forcefully remove me. After we'd had our fill of screaming children and rude adults at the zoo, we hopped back on the ferry, transferred at the Circular Quay to a Super Duper Jet Ferry, and took off towards Watson's Bay, which is at the tip of the southern peninsula that separates Sydney Harbour from the Tasman Sea.

When we arrived I couldn't believe the long line of people waiting to get back on the ferry. I thought, "Holy Shit it's gonna be a long day!" Que sera, sera, and off we went to hike towards the Hornby Lighthouse.

That, my friends, is the Tasman Sea, crashing against the coast of Australia. It is beautiful!

Hornby Headlamp (Lighthouse). Love the paint job - how the white stripe flares into a "Y" at the top. Coolness.

We slogged back to ferry with only a ten minute wait and relatively short line - which made me very, very happy. It was a quick trip back to the Circular Quay, where we disembarked and headed to the Fortune of War, Sydney's oldest pub, established in 1828 (how can you say "no" to that?).

Lots to choose from on tap at the Fortune of War - Amen and amen!

Sydney at night is dazzling. Our last night, we took the ferry back rather than walk, and it was lovely on the water. The stop right before ours was Luna Park - an amusement park - with this totally creepy entrance (well, I thought it was creepy - it's the eyes: don't look at the eyes!).

Luna Park at Milson's Point.

This photo is actually looking down on the Circular Quay from the Harbour Bridge one of the nights we walked back to Blue's Point Hotel. The views from the bridge are tremendous, and if you've got the money and the inclination, you can pay to climb to the top of the bridge. We skipped that.

Sydney Opera House from the Harbour Bridge. I know, I know, you've only seen this view like a million times, but, well, here it is again.

Next Up: It's either gonna be the food or the Great Barrier Reef. Haven't decided, yet, so it'll be a surprise for all of us! And if you haven't checked out my "Gratuitous Photos of New Zealand," you can do so here (click on the "here" and it will take you "there." Where the photos are. You know you want to.)

Like, the Longest Friday EVER!

2010-05-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

I'm back - and maybe just a tad bit delirious from jet lag, but I'm trying *really* hard to stay awake for just a bit longer so I'll wake up at my "regular" time tomorrow. Got up at 4:00 AM on Friday, May 14th in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, and then left for the airport at 4:45. Flew from Cairns to Brisbane - went through the "I'm leaving your country now, it's been great," song and dance and then boarded our 13-hour flight at 11:05-ish. After thirteen hours in the air, we landed at... 7-ish on the morning of Friday May 14th in LA, California, in the good ol' US of A. Out through customs and security at the International Terminal, than back through security at the domestic terminal, then our several hour lay-over before finally, finally boarding our last flight to Phoenix. Got home around one in the afternoon and still had the rest of the day to kill. I feel kind of like I've been run over by a truck. Right now? It's STILL FRIDAY!

I did, however, manage to get a haircut, pick up the mail, put gas in the car, buy a new pair of cute shoes, get a sandwich from Subway, and have a beer with Matt and Denise. I'm washed, shaved, and ready for bed - just waitin' for the witching hour when my liquid red sedative will put me into a coma.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of my adventures Down Under. The topic for today's post: Toilet Flushing.

You know how much those low-flow toilets tend to, well, how can I put this delicately...*not* get the job done when it's time to call in the big guns? The Kiwis and the Aussies have it totally figured out. All their toilets have TWO flush buttons (okay not all of them, but most of them). They are friggin' brilliant! Maybe we have those in the States, but I've never seen one. Essentially, if you do number 1 you opt for the low flow flush: number 2 and you pull the trigger on what I like to call the "gush flush." Seriously, stand back when it's time to pick what's behind door number two. And there are well marked public toilets in every town. Not once was I forced to buy a pack of gum so that I could use the toilet "for customers only." Oh, and they don't call them restrooms. They're toilets. Period.

[A quick aside. A gal talking on the bus when we were on our way back from the Tongariro Crossing advised that in Denmark, you have to pay to use the toilets in the pub. Now that would be a bit disconcerting. Imagine: you've downed a couple or six pints and have to pee really bad and now you've got to find anywhere between 20 cents and an entire Euro in order to use the pissoir in the freakin' pub that just sold you the beer that so desperately needs to be evacuated. There is something so unfair about that!]

As I was saying, though, Down Under there's a free toilet in every town, generally centrally and strategically located near the "i" center (information center). Quite nice and very handy, 'cause we were stopping frequently for long blacks (those weird coffees that are really more like espressos - like amped coffee with steamed milk).

And since I know you're just dying to know what these flushing marvels look like (and you know that I know that you know), of course, I took photos of several models as well as unique "bathroom" features in general.

Ha! Those Kiwis have a sense of humor!

When I first walked up to this sink, I wasn't quite sure how it worked!

Toilet on the Tongariro Crossing, NZ. The winds can howl so fiercely, that the roof has to be bolted to cement anchors to keep it from blowing off!

Double flush buttons and seat sanitizer!

Public toilet in Syndey - really nice tile!

Not-so-nice toilet. Also in Sydney.

I think it's pretty obvious which button does what.

Turn to the right for #1 and to the left for #2.

No option here, but it looked interesting.

Yeah, this has absolutely nothing to do with the toilet, but how cool is it that when you want another drink you just push a button?! Brilliant!!!! Next time I will focus on culinary wonders unless I forget and write about something else.

Sorta Under Down Under...

2010-05-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Not yet to Aus - that's tomorrow - today we're wrapping up the Tour de New Zealand. I must say, it's everything and nothing like I expected. It really *does* look like the cool photos. It is an amazingly beautiful place. Yet, in a country with no poisonous anything, you can jump off buildings, do zip lines, drive on the wrong side of the road, and consume alcohol in the streets - unless there is a sign posted stating otherwise. There are public toilets in every town and all toilets have separate flushes for "number 1" and "number 2." They don't serve filtered coffee. A coffee here is more like what we would call a cappuccino, if you have it served with steamed milk, at any rate. (I usually have a long black.) There are fresh pastries and "pies" that are out of this world (the pies are like pot pies only with just about every filling you can think of). Not only are there sheep and cows all over the pastoral like setting, but venison is kept as well (the fences are higher). Tons of vegetarian options for dining, and the produce is astounding. I went to a farmers' market in Nelson that would blow your socks off. Chatted with a gentlemen making "trunnels" (tree nails). It was fascinating. He made gorgeous benches out of old wine barrels and driftwood, tractor seats, etc. and all were held together with the trunnels.

Of course, a complete recap would take pages and pages of blog, so here's the quick and dirty itinerary;

Flew from Reno, CA, to LAX, to Auckland, NZ. A long day/night/day - I slept most of the time across the two seats between me and Brian and thus arrived remarkably fresh on Sunday morning (we crossed the International Date Line, so although we left the States on Friday, we arrived in NZ on Sunday).

Spent the first day in Auckland visiting the National Maritime Museum, taking a sail on the Ted Ashby, and then I jumped from the tallest building in the New Zealand, the Sky Tower. (Essentially, it was like base jumping while attached to a wire - very, very fun!)

Rigging the Ted Ashby. (A gaff rigged ketch)

Whoo Hooooooo.......!!

From Auckland we drove to the Whatipu Scientific Reserve where we saw the ancient Kauri trees and then walked along the beach. The next day we flew to Christchurch and drove on to Twizel - our jumping off point for visiting Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Cold, windy, glaciers. Fantastic! Tasman glacier, is the largest glacier in New Zealand (oh, yeah, we saw it, baby!).

From Twizel it was on to Greymouth - pouring rain the entire way - from Greymouth to Nelson - more rain - but we stopped to see the blowhole and pancake rocks at Punakaiki. Quite impressive. From Nelson, it was on to Marahau - our jumping off point for Abel Tasman National Park and an amazing day of hiking and sea kayaking (with seals in the bargain!). Took a drive over to Takaka to see Te Waikoro Pupu Springs, which is the second largest and clearest freshwater spring in the world (the clearest is beneath the antarctic ice sheet).

From Marahau we drove to Picton, where we dropped the rental car and walked on to the ferry for the three hour crossing to Wellington (the capitol of New Zealand). From Wellington, we were off to Creel Lodge in Turangi, where we spent two nights and made the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. (18+ kilometers.) For those of you who are fans of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy of films, Mt. Ngauruhoe, which we pass through the saddle between it and Mt. Tongariro, is "Mt. Doom," in the last movie.

Today, it's on from Turangi to Auckland so we can fly to Aus tomorrow morning ... early ...

Of course, along the way we've taken detours and had fabulous meals, sampled local wines, haunted local taverns, quaffed locally brewed beer... (lots of locally brewed beer), flew down the "flying fox" at Gravity Canyon, and met some really neat people. I'm sad to be leaving but looking forward to being a wee bit warmer! Biggest disappointment? Didn't see a penguin.

More pics when I get back to the States.

A Medium-Sized Fish in a (Really) Small Pond...

2010-04-19T21:45:00.001-07:00

... But what the Hell! I'll take it! I'ma goin' to Boston, Baby!

I'm just about to mile 13. The half-marathon started just beyond this point. The full marathon started at 7 am, and then the 1/2 at 8:15 am (first wave) - eventually, I caught up to and started passing all the halfers - that felt pretty damn good. Jus' sayin'.

That's right, after my amazing training, cross-training, and soon-to-be-patented special carb-loading diet, I managed to complete the River City Marathon in 3:53:34. That qualifies me for Boston! Woot Woot! And Hell Yes! I am going to run it! - It'll be April 18th, 2011, which is a year away (ack!), but the upside is I'll be forced to keep training, and thus maintain my awesome physique. [And I just *keep* cracking myself up!]

The course is just beautiful. Some hills but only one ass-kicker at the fish hatchery - I wasn't really expecting that and discovered that I need to do more hill work. My neighborhood route is too flat.

Let's see, I finished 59th overall out of 296 finishers. (480 peeps completed the half marathon.) And, even more astounding, I finished first in my Division! I know, I know, it's not a huge field by any means, but BOSTON! Who CARES who I had to trample to make it happen? I don't think anyone was seriously injured. Not even the chick I cut off at the finish when she said to her friend (a fellow HALF marathoner, who, please note, I caught up to and then passed), "We can take her!" (Mwa-ha-ha-ha)

At the starting line (such as it is). I'm in the super sweet CW-X running tights with the purple top.

Now, I have to look for the next race. It'll be in AZ so I can work on my standings in the Arizona Road Racers' Grand Prix (where I am first in my division so far this season). Meanwhile, I'm in recovery mode which requires lots of liquid red sedative and, apparently, cheap bar food. Oh, and I did go for a three mile walk just to kind of keep things operational.

At the finish line, talking to my Mom on the phone (she had dress rehearsal for the Truckee Follies - "Same ol' location, same ol' cheap seats, same prices as 2008," and couldn't come down but I was thinking about her and blew her a kiss along the way).

Mom is in the clown suit. Yes, we put the FUN is dysFUNctional!

Hangin' With the Lizards

2010-04-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Am I frantically packing? Freaking out that I've got, like, six million things to do before I head to Aus? Wondering if I'll come home to a crispy garden and a cat that doesn't remember just who in Hell I am and regardless would I please wash his purple fuzzy bathrobe and get him some crunchies, like right now? Nope. Instead, I went herpin' with York on Saturday. Yes, as is my standard practice of procrastination (and thus time maximization and efficiency in the end, actually), I accompanied our Silver City co-worker to herp at South Mountain.

[An aside: York is an extremely, over-the-top, and I hate to say "amateur" because he knows more than some "professionals," herpetologist. Which means, he likes snakes, lizards ... well ... reptiles ... more than life itself ... and, in fact, upon being bitten - something like six different times - he just kind of "monitors" the situation, decides if the cost of a visit to the emergency room and anti-venom is worth the sacrifice of the number of beers he could purchase with the same amount of money - no - and then carries on. I'm not really making this up.]

York's target was a blue speckled rattlesnake, Crotalus mitchelli, which can be found in our area of the state. Since I've always been a huge fan of snakes (had my own pet python in college, but that's another story for another day), I was totally game to go along and thus further my procrastonistic tendencies, get some sun, a hike, and a subsequent giant zit on my chin - oh, yeah, good times!

Not being one hundred percent sure of the preferred habitat for the speck, we chose what York thought a likely location, and we proceeded to poke around shaded cracks into which a snake might retreat after having basked enough to sufficiently raise its body temperature and then go hang for the duration of the heat of the day. Nothing! Not a hint. Not a whisper. In fact, we didn't see a single snake of any kind - which I found rather surprising. Big disappointment for the serious herper.

BUT, we found chuckwallas, Sauromalus ater. I have always loved the chuckies - they are totally cool. The males that we saw had these carrot-colored tails, although the females, as with so many animal species, are rather drab. The chuckies (almost exclusively herbivorous, by the way), like to bask high up on the rocks and show a distinct profile.

[An aside - apparently, the chuckies don't poop where they bask - they pick a separate location for their morning, noon, afternoon, coffee break, happy hour, and dessert poops - then return to their preferred lizard lounge area.]

As soon as they see you coming, though, they scoot into a nearby crack, gulp air, and puff up like a zeppelin! I learned that you can get them to back out if you annoy the piss out of them by tapping on their nose with a stick. I know that sounds kind of mean but it isn't painful, just irritating (well, unless you accidentally poke them in the eye - there is a subtle art to the stick poking thing - I'm working on it so I can add it to my resume).

I scared up a couple - male and female - probably did a little lizard-coitus-interruptus, since it is spring and all - sorry about that guys/gals!

That's the chuckies tail by my left hand.

At about the same time I was teasing the pair in this crack, York came up with a male he had managed to grab. Sweet!

You can see how big he is compared to my hand. The males are territorial and will display doing those cute little "lizard push-ups" and hissing and stuff. This guy did some hissing at me, and it was moments after this photo was taken that he decided it was time to go. Note his orange tail.

So, in spite of no specks the day wasn't a total loss as I got to hang with the lizards! Oh, yeah, and York was cool, too. Check out this photo of him taken after he'd just found a narrow-headed garter, Thamnophis rufipunctatus, when he was out hiking with his girlfriend, Davena (it takes a special woman - jus' sayin) - he looks freakin' giddy!

You're a What?

2010-02-20T15:31:00.002-07:00

Physical Scientist (Environmental Science Option, Biological Science Minor). Yes, it's true. Although I rarely blog about that side of my life - at least not in a very direct way. Today, though, it's a beautifully rainy, quiet Saturday (see lovely, rainy garden photos over here), and as I was sifting through some of my papers, I thought I'd share some of the magazines to which Steve and I receive subscriptions. You know, just 'cause. (Click on the photos to "bigify" so you can actually read the captivating Tables of Content.)

Steve is a member of the AIPG.

I am a member of the GSA.

Southwest Hydrology - Sadly, publication has been suspended indefinitely due to lack of funding.

Our friend, Ron, wrote this article and shot all the photos.

Addendum: Steve pointed out that I neglected to mention that our friend and co-worker, John Malusa, is one of the authorities on the formation of travertine in Fossil Creek (his brother, Jim, wrote "In to Thick Air.") Fossil Creek is somewhat of a triumph in that it is once again a free-flowing watercourse. Steve and I attended the premier of the film, "A River Reborn," commemorating it's rebirth. We're scientific types that way.

Love, love, love this catalog!

This just demonstrates that I know some stuff; (it's only the first page, but you get the idea - unless you really want to know more...).

Gardening is Good for the Soul...

2010-02-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Posted HERE for your edification.

Blue Sky and Grapefruit Tree

I got that lovin' feelin'....

2010-02-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe more like that "intoxicated" lovin' feelin'...

But the Home Tour went great and I blogged about it here. (Click on HERE) Really!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Since Australia is 17 hours ahead of Arizona - and across the International Dateline - it is Valentine's Day in Aus and I want to wish my beloved Geologist, Best Friend, Lover, and Husband a Very Happy V-Day! I miss you, Peanut!

Smooch!

If I'm Not Here, Well, Then, I'm Over There...

2010-02-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging the ~~Horrors~~ Thrills of Home Tour here. (Click the "here" to get "there").

G'day, Mate! (Revising History)

2010-02-08T23:20:00.001-07:00

Yeah, they really DO say that. Other interesting bits I've learned: What we call a port-o-john, they call a jennie (again with that "ie" thing). Last week, one (almost) fell off a barge in the high seas that were a result of the aftermath of Cyclone Olga. In actuality, the tinnie (tender, the small boat they use to ferry back and forth between land and the barge, tug and the barge, or just general fishing) got away. Nonetheless, the jennie was not occupied at the time.

Ironically, the first 'roo that Steve has seen was roadkill. He said it looked pretty good - about five feet tall. There are 'roo crossing signs like we have cow crossing signs. Hasn't sighted a Koala, yet, but apparently they are so busy getting loaded up in the eucalyptus trees and then sleeping off their buzz only to wake up and get loaded again (how they manage to reproduce is beyond me), they're kind of hard to spot.

Steve spent the weekend in Aggie (which is really Agnes something-or-other) and sent me some fine photos of various sights in Aus.

There is actually some ~~crazy bastard~~ highly skilled athlete out there attempting to ~~flay the skin from his body~~ surf. I think he's either very brave or a candidate for the annual Darwin Awards.

The Home Brew Aisle at the grocery store. Now, how cool is that?!

Ever wonder what a ship looked like in dry dock? Well, here ya go! Pretty much float in and then pump out the water and voila! Time to make repairs and scrape off the barnacles.

The Miriam Vale Hotel - This may be where Steve stayed in Agnes Water (Aggie). He'll have to clarify. Nonetheless, I find it quite picturesque. (The hotel is, actually, in Miriam Vale and he did not stay there.)

A flower I have yet to identify.

You know, Steve has always dreamed about living on the east coast (on the ocean) - problem is he didn't specify the continent (oh, the irony). But there he is: living on the east coast of Aus! It is a dream come true and I am so happy for and proud of him! I am really looking forward to joining him in a few months.

And this from his most recent email:

I’ve spoken about the affableness of all Aussies, and the following illustrates perfectly. I was running around town after we spoke, and, feeling thirsty, I stopped at the “Night Owl” (think Circle K) for a soda, as I’ve grown fond of Bundaberg ginger beer (Bundaberg also makes rum and real beer; the latter are simply referred to as Bundys). A passer-by saw me chugging it down outside the store and remarked, Good ‘ol ginger beer, mate. Lifts a guy up!

I think I mentioned that I’d secured a library card. I checked out the following: Australian Geographic Magazine (much like National Geographic), Down Under (Bill Bryson – I LOL’ed three times last night in about the first 20 pages), Great Moments in Australian History (Geoff quipped, "Let me know when that happened," as if there was but a singular event), a Reader’s Digest book about the National Parks of Australia (lots of pictures) and a book about the birds of Australia.

Chaos Reigns... But No Rain...

2010-02-03T18:59:00.002-07:00

... it was supposed to rain today. Last night, today, and tonight. So far: nada. I worked my butt off getting ready for the deluge (well, half inch, maybe, if we were lucky), and instead I ended up turning on the sprinklers trying to incite the rain gods. Nuthin.

On the upside, I've got most of the catastrophe of the past few days' Home Tour preparations back under control. I'm thinking that Steve is probably really really glad that he hasn't been here to witness the havoc being wreaked. I've got several thousand words' worth of photos below for your entertainment (and unending amazement, no doubt).

Oh, yeah, "New Roof" Behr Premium Plus Ultra: Paint and Primer in One!

Lookin' good with the red brick! Later, Mary will be by to help scrape the paint off the window panes.

The "shutters" from the front of the house. Notice the totally cool paint sprayer on the corner of the tarp. (Well, it was cool once I got the atomizer cleaned out.) Anyhoodle, this is kind of embarrassing: So, Ed (painter), is, like everyone else, being slowed by last week's rains. So my painting got put off, et cetera, but I'm starting to ~~freak out~~ get concerned over our schedule. I mean, time's a wastin' and I've got landscaping to tend to and I can't do that until the painting is finished. So I mosey down to the Home Depot (looooove Home Depot), and decide to buy a paint sprayer - care to guess who is at the Home Depot? Okay, it's not Ed - but it's Ed's Dad, (Ed the Elder). Ed notices I'm buying said sprayer and reports back to Ed the Younger. I'm totally busted and up on the ladder when they drive up. I do some fast talkin' and now I'm out only the cost of one sprayer plus the paint (which I was buying anyway). Long story longer: I'm done painting. Mostly. For now.

Impressive, no?

So, I'm thinkin', "I'm not sure I really like the drawer pulls... kind of blah..." (Why, yes, I do like chickens.)

No worries: Just paint 'em white! Oh, yeah!

After the painting was finished - mostly - I went back to Home Depot and bought a nuclear winter supply of large decorative bark nuggets, some smaller mulch-type bark shrapnel, and a couple of bags of soil for the garden. Still have to hit Baker and Target for some additional greenery, although I scored some dusty miller and a fern at the Depot. I am sore in places I'd forgotten I had and I just got a call reminding me of my blood donation tomorrow (hello, hello, is anybody in there?).

To see how everything is turning out, you must visit my OTHER BLOG: The one where I find myself by ruminating on colors and brushes and puppies and kittens and stuff like that. It's called, "Painted Summer" and you can get there by clicking here. Go there often - I like the template.

And It Did Rain Again...

2010-01-27T21:56:00.001-07:00

...And it started precisely at 5 minutes to 9 AM. Five minutes before Tracy and I were going to work our buns of aluminum out with our in-line skates at the Marge Park. Foiled (ha ha, "foiled," get it? Like aluminum foil... oh, never mind.), we opted for plan B, which was same gig only at 4:30 PM.

In the interim, I went out on maneuvers so that when the rain finally clears up, I can get right back to my Home Tour Preparations. I am anxious to get back to the garden.

So, 4:30-ish, Tracy and I did head out to the Marge Park. General hilarity ensued. Tracy's got some pix that I'm sure she'll be dying to share at some point. We couldn't make it past the playground without stopping for a mini photo-shoot, including posing with what appeared to be a ride 'em alligator and a bronze of two kids doing leapfrog. We ran out of time before we were able to try going down the slide with our skates on No bones were broken and no blood was drawn, so I'd say the outing was a complete success. I looked appropriately dorky so Tracy would look even better in her freshly distressed (cheese grater), "comfy" jeans.

Mary came by for gnocchi (she brought the outstanding mushroom sauce), and we watched, "The Women." Total chick flick, but Meg Ryan looked great, as did Jada Pinkett Smith.

Sweet Alyssum. One of Dad's favorites. Growing under the lemon tree, it is just beautiful and fresh after it rains.

I Think Twenty-Ten Just Fell into My Front Yard...

2010-01-23T20:38:00.003-07:00

... and now I'm about to round the turn into February and my blog just sort of languishes here. Tracy manages to write almost every single day and I have discovered that I could, too, if I just drink wine and exclude the photos. The photos are always the hard part - no, wait, that's not exactly what I mean - photos are really the easy part because, you know, they're worth like a thousand words and all and I can therefore post a photo and write a short witty five-word caption and call it good. But first I have to take the photo and then I have to get the photo from the camera to the computer and then I have to futz with the photo in my editor if it's lookin' funky (and for some reason my Adobe PhotoShop Editor has taken a dump on me), and then I have to upload the photo to the blog and then think of something catchy to type. Obviously, this strategy has not resulted in much posting (and, dammit, there is just so much to tell!).

So, do I make this a newsy "what I've been doing since my last post which was in November - which was last year" - post, or do I just do the condensed version, hit the highlights and move on? (Um, that's a rhetorical question. Better go get another glass of wine.) [break to refill glass.]

Couple of highlights for January. First and foremost, Steve is down under in Oz. January 4th he headed into the southern hemisphere on a butt-numbing 13-hour flight out of LA. (So, that makes me kind of like a single person only without the dating agony.) At first, Steve was not having the time of his life, I don't care what the tourist literature tells you. Apparently, it is weird to drive on the other side of the road and be constantly switching on the windshield wipers when you think you're turning left. He is adjusting beautifully; however, and we Skype [hey, free plug, Skype People], and talk on the phone and send emails. He is seventeen hours ahead across the International Dateline, so I subtract seven hours and add "tomorrow." Rumor has it that 'roo tastes more like venison than chicken. I'll keep you posted on his adventure. Oh, time to insert my first "1,000 words" from Oz.

This is the view out the window of Steve's ~~hotel room in Brizzie~~ Oops! Apartment in Gladstone! ("Brizzie" is Aussie for Brisbane - they like to add "ie" to the end of everything. Like, "G'day, there, Stevie. Watcha say we slap a 'roo on the barbie?" Notice the use of two "ie's.") Steve's goin' all native on me, too, and starting to say stuff like, "I'll ring you up tomorrow at the same time. Two more sleeps and I'm headed to Brizzie." When he's not in Brizzie he's living with a roommate in a two-bedroom apartment in Gladstone (Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef).

Also noteworthy in January - I ran that PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Because I kind of get a jizz out of it, here are all the vital stats:

Combined Registrants (1/2 and Full Marathon): 36,196 (that's a lot of people!)
Marathon FINISHERS: 5,703 out of 7,372 Registrants (separate course from the 1/2)

I completed the full (badass), marathon in 4 hours, 5 minutes, and 25 agonizing seconds (official chip time), which placed me 59 out of 274 in my age division, 677 out of 2521 women, and 2126 overall (not too shabby). Alas, 5 minutes and 25 seconds shy of qualifying for Boston, but I'm gonna try again 'cause ~~I'm insane~~ that's the kind of gal I am.

Now, this photo says, "Dear God, please let it end soon!"

Mom, Dad, friends and neighbors rooted me from the sidelines at Mile 3 (where we all live - I don't think they were wearing pajamas, but I can't swear to it). Tracy and Mary made some great signs, too. Mary's said, "You've Done Worse Things For Longer" and was quite a hit. I scanned Tracy's 'cause they were cleverly comprised of 8.5 x 11" pieces of paper glued on cardboard and they fit in my scanner. This one was particularly inspiring.

Now, it's time to prepare for the Annual Willo* Historic District Home Tour. Mary and I will be ~~tearing our hair out, cursing and drinking lots of wine~~ working hard to make our part in this event truly special for all the great folks who will actually pay good money to see what the inside of our eclectic (and in my case, extremely small), houses look like. You can follow our progress here (only if you want to - but you know you want to...).

*Yes, that is the correct spelling.

And so, an art opening here, a cocktail party there, potluck on Sundays, the occasional trip to Cost Plus or BevMo! to resupply... so far Twenty-Ten has been just fine.

Postscript:

I forgot to mention hangin' with the Abbes! Duh! I looove hangin' with Matt, Denise, Pete and Babs (the adorable greyhounds). A pizza here, a salad there, a beer, a greenie, a book shared, and thou...!

Is it Veteran's Day, Already? Let's Have a Parade!

2009-11-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

If you read Bagwine Ruminations, you already know how Matt-Man feels (and I agree), about how the blogosphere will be alive with the sound of lip service and "impassioned" tributes to those who have served in our Armed Services. (In general, they make him want to wretch.) And why not? Does posting something once a year (well, twice, if you post something equally nauseating on Memorial Day), make one a patriot any more than bumper stickers and yellow ribbons? I think not.

Now, am I an impassioned patriot? No. I'm a Native American (I was born here, hellooooo - with a nod to Ed Abbey), who adores her freedom and is extremely grateful for everything that has gone before to ensure that I can vote (when I feel like it), worship (or not), where I want to, and write whatever I like, uncensored.

Veterans = Grateful. War = Not so much. Fighting for oil = Misguided. But that's not what today is about. Today, I want to write about my sister who is a serious and dedicated supporter 24/7 - not just once a year.

My amazing sister, Amy

My totally awesome sister sends gift boxes every single month to soldiers serving in combat in the Middle East. Not just Thanksgiving and Christmas. All. The. Time. She is in communication with "Her Boys" on-line and knows their likes and dislikes and true hearts' desires. She bakes home-made cookies (and through trial and error has figured out which ones will arrive mostly intact - she goes for chocolate chip and peanut butter). She sends magazines. She sends snacks - one guy really, really wanted jalapeno almonds - she found them. Lots of stuff that they can't get over there - their favorite deodorant, for example. She asked me to put together some photos CD's of pretty pictures so they could look at something besides the parched desert. We collected pics of beautiful scenery, cats, dogs, etc., and they loved it!

Amy and me

One of her returning soldiers sent her his american flag (you know how they are all folded up in a triangle). She keeps that in a special triangular-shaped box in her living room. Another friend made her a beautiful quilt with POW and MIA blocks. This is one girl who walks the talk and I am so proud of her. We do appreciate what our military does for us - but she appreciates it every single day.

So, with that said, if you want to write a "tribute," more power to ya, but if you really appreciate the men and women who serve, take an example from Amy, 'cause those military peeps are out there every day - not just today.

The cost of freedom is paid daily - it always has been.

Vacation - Sort Of

2009-11-08T09:29:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-11-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, we can.

It is well, it is well,

With my soul.

Divas in the Woods

2009-08-14T15:52:00.024-07:00

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!

2009-08-02T13:46:00.044-07:00

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!

My Dad is soooo proud of his slide rule!

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...

2009-07-30T09:28:00.002-07:00

Up Next: Elvis!

Truckin' to Truckee...

2009-07-25T09:30:00.013-07:00

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

2009-07-19T15:26:00.015-07:00

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.