Super Moon Trifecta

As you undoubtedly know, the media has been ga-ga over yesterday's so-called Super Moon.  We were originally underwhelmed by the whole concept.  Afterall, every full moon phase is a monthly cycle to be endured.  Something weird is usually bound to happen during any typical full moon.  It goes with the lunar turf.
So, we weren't expecting much out of the Super Moon.

However, three interesting things took place yesterday.  You be the judge about this trifecta.  First, we learned The Spudboater wouldn't be able to race in the Canoe Challenge next Saturday.  The power of the waxing moon helped us really unload some choice words on the organizers.  Frankly, our emails were rude.

Second, the waxing moon caused us to cram our booties off for the ham exam.

Third, the waxing moon helped us find, buy and install a hardtop for the Samurai.  Unfortunately, the haste and hurried-ness engendered bb the typical full moon caused us to forget a vital part for the hardtop when we picked it up.  OK, there you have the stage set for yesterday's trifecta.

We got up at 5:30 am and continued to cram for the exam.  We rushed over to the far west side of Prescott and took the ham exam.  We scored a perfect 100% and were Happy Campers.  Then we jammed way back east out to that lonely airstrip where we bought the hardtop.  The missing part was supposed to be taped to a fence post.  Nope.  No luck.  As we were walking down that lonely granite gravel strip, Volkzuk called.  (That's the seller's ZOA nickname.)  He said he might be able to meet with me in three hours.  Dejected and tired, I decided to return home to the Verde Valley.

After arriving home, Susun brightened my spirits by having a chicken sandwich already made and sitting in the fridge with a wonderfully sweet note.  THANKS, Susun, the power of your positivism is awesome!

By and by Volkzuk called again and said, "I can meet you in 45 minutes at the Prescott Valley NAPA."  So, I jumped in the Nissan and jammed through some of the craziest traffic I've seen outside Salt Lake City.  The full moon makes carzy drivers crazier.  A Super Moon makes them Super Crazy.  Volkzuk showed up within a minute of the appointed time.  But it went right down to the wire.  He couldn't find the part in his many pockets.  He fumbled fuming through every pocket twice before the part magically appeared.  Ah, SUCCESS!  I picked up a pair of color-matched metric machine screws at the NAPA and blasted back home, arriving tired and wiped out.  But at least the missing part was on hand.  I installed itimmediately and now we can actually USE our $500 hardtop.  Whew.

Susun had a wonderfully relaxing and fun day with Robin.  They had a Girls Day in Cottonwood, having lunch at a Thai place, browsing all the Old Town shops and buying gourmet olive oil and blueberry balsamic vinegar, too.  Susun can brighten the most tiring and arduous of days and so she helped rally me up from the fatigue of far too many stressful miles yesterday.

I cut some mesquite and we enjoyed a great campfire.  Gary brought over a Yagi antenna and we talked HAM stuff for awhile.  Meanwhile, at 7:24 pm that Big Boogie Man--The Super Moon--finally showed his glowing white face over The Mogollon Rim, rising just left of Hollingshead Point.  The three of us stood in awe of that handsome Mister Moon and then stirred the embers awhile more before bidding goodnight.

We came in to a fine baked chicken-mushroom casserole and I decided to check Ye Ol' Email.  Much to my profound shock and awe and abject amazement, there sat two emails from the Canoe Challenge race organizers.  One was an apology from the Main Man and the other was the form with which to registerThe Spudboater for the race. Amazing, but true.  It was a stunning end to a wild and crazy day--the Super Moon Trifecta!

We're profusely thankful everything turned out OK during the waxing moon cycle this week.  Each of the three of these little soap opera vignettes could have easily gone the other way.  Enjoying three great gifts in a single day somehow makes their total greater than the sum of their parts.

You may not have ever realized this but you will probably agree.  Begin watching yourself, your family, friends, neighbors and people in stores and on highways on the day following a full moon.  There is a noticeable ebb of activity and energy on that monthly day.  People are moving slower and sometimes appear to be "dazed and confused," as the saying goes.  We sure feel that way this morning.  We're moving low and slow and who knows when our energy tide will begin to rise and flow again.  We're very happy and glad this past week is now just a historical footnote.

Cheers, jp

PS--Kirsty's Baby may have been born yesterday, too.  She was due March 16.  As you can see, Kirsty left a comment yesterday hoping the Super Moon would lure her Baby out.  Thanks, Kirsty! We send our prayers that all is well with Kirsty and her Family.  Please join us in sending positive energy her way.  We anxiously await Kirsty's Birth Announcement.

PPS--Happy Spring!  At 4:21 pm today (Sunday) March 20th, it is officially the Vernal Equinox, AKA: Spring.  Sing a Happy Spring Song and spread some spring cheer.  Yea, SPRING!

SuziQ gets a New Doo!

So, this is how the day shook out.  I got tired of taking practice exams.  I hate to utter this word but I got BORED!  I mean how many times came you score in the mid-90 percentile before your forehead hits the desktop.  Anyway, after a few hours of that, I had to run screaming from The Straw House.  What to do?  How to settle down?  Ah, Zuki Fever, of course.  First, I ran off to Myron's Place.  That's a lot like playing Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.  Myron waved a magic wand over SuziQ and singlehandedly saved her transmission from certain death.

Then I came back home and after testing out between 94-97% on a few more exams, I chucked the whole kit and ka-boodle.  Either I pass or I fail tomorrow.  How many more practice exams can a guy handle anyway?

That's when I decided to install the hardtop we bought yesterday at our local rendition of Area 51.  You can see the AFTER above and the BEFORE below.  We both think SuziQ's new doo looks awesome and fantastic and is far more becoming for her than her old doo.  What "DOO" you think?

It was actually quite a "chore" to swap tops on SuziQ.  It took far more work and thought and cuss words than I thought it would.  However, we finished everything up by 6 pm and had all our tools and gear stored away and got a campfire lit by 6:20 pm, which is mere minutes before visual sunset.  Gary came over and the three of us had a fine time.

You Old People out there---Can you remember when somebody "tripped you out?"  It's a 60's phrase and only Old People would recognize it.  Well, Gary tripped us out tonight.  It was the coolest of the cool trip out we've had in Modern Times.

Here's how it unfolded.  First off, Gary was standing beside the campfire acting real nonchalant and feng shui as Gary is wont to do and be.  Meanwhile, his cell phone rings.  He VERY casually glances at his cell phone and then appears to ignore the call.  He folds the phone and puts it away.  A short time passes.  Meanwhile, Gary suddenly becomes agitated.  He starts pointing at the sky and saying, "The Magnetic Field, can YOU FEEL IT?"  He gets real dramatic in a mode that's unusual for Gary and he starts pointing at the sky to a specific spot and says,  "I FEEL IT AND I SEE IT RIGHT THERE!"

Needless to say, this is very unusual behavior for Gary.  He doesn't normally act this way.  It was somewhat disturbing for both of us and we were straining to see and understand what it was that Gary was feeling from The Universe. He kept it up and he kept saying, "IT'S RIGHT THERE, IT'S RIGHT THERE."

All of a sudden this incredible bright light appeared in the night sky.  It was like a shooting star only it didn't shoot.  It just stayed on one spot and got brighter and then suddenly disappeared.   We were both  momentarily stunned.  I had never seen anything like it before.  Susun was speechless.  How could you possibly explain such clairvoyance?  For a few precious moments, we were both TOTALLY TRIPPED OUT!

However, knowing Gary as I have for 30+ years, I immediately smelled a skunk and I turned to him and said, "OK, how did you pull that one off?"  I demanded to know his secret.  Gary being Gary, he couldn't keep the secret for more than a few moments.  His cell phone call had been an alert to an "iridium display" from an orbiting satellite.  If one knows the secrets of satellites, one can have their secrets sent to one's cell phone.  The phone call had actually been an alert that the light would be fully reflecting off a certain satellite's solar array at such and such a place in space and time at a specific location and Gary could look like a genius and trip us both totally OUT!  Well, it worked.  It was awesome.  Neither of us have been treated to such a trick in a really long time. It was simply flat out amazing.

After we recovered, we congratulated Gary on his precise stage management and choreography.  He played the game perfectly.  He played to his cues and his pacing was awesome.  His timing was perfect and he suckered us like no one has in a really, really LOOONG time!  Way to go, Gary!  "Ya dun good!" 

The full moon tomorrow is being called a Super Moon.  We will resist the powerful temptation to play with those words.  It will be whatever it will be, Super Moons being what they are, of course.  We trust that you will each enjoy the Super Moon in a Super Context at the end of a Super Day with Super Family and Super Friends and a Super Saturday Night dinner.  May your Day tomorrow be as Super as the Super Moon that is supposed to bring bright light to Saturday's Grand Finale!

Cheers!  jp  (PS--No early morning blog post 2-morrow. We gotta get outta here real early.)

Two pictures in need of 1000 words

(This blog post title was written last night before we added the following text.) Thursday was supposed to be a total study day.  However, we spotted a Zuki Fever Deal on the Zuks of Arizona Forum.  Some guy had an aftermarket hardtop for $550.  New such hardtops now cost around $1200, give or take with shipping. In the Old Days, you could pick up such hardtops for a couple hundred dollars.  Not any more.  They are pricey and they sell F-A-S-T.  We started swapping emails and cell phone texts with the seller and pretty soon we set a time to show up at a mostly abandoned airstrip in High Lonesome Country.  We arrived over there just a few minutes after our 1:30 appt.  Good thing.  Some other Zuk Head was breathing heavily in the wings and told the seller if we were five minutes late to call him.  Just as Civil War General Stonewall Jackson once said, "He who gets there with the firstest and the mostest ususally wins."  And so it was yesterday.  We settled on a $500 price, dismounted the hardtop, loaded it up and skee-daddled back to 2nd Chance Ranch by 3 pm.
Above left is Sam and at right is the seller, Cory.  We met Sam at Myron's Place on February 6 when we bought a hood prop rod and spare wheel from him.  Meanwhile, Sam has convinced both his brother (not shown) and brother-in-law Cory to buy Zuks.  They have a great place to work on them there in that Old Area 51-style hanger near where the Orme Road meets Highway 169.  Susun can really light up a place and she certainly did so yesterday.  She was asking all kinds of questions and it was a lot of fun.  THANKS, SUSUN!

Meanwhile, on the way back home, we stopped off at the Camp Verde Basha's and made a point of checking out in Ken R's line.  LBR's know Ken from stories we've told about his long-running autobiographical project.  This was our first chance to capture Ken's image much to his protest.  However, we had him cornered there in the checkout line.  Ken got somebody else to man the register and dashed into his office.  He returned with a comb bound copy of all his writings.  You can tell Ken is a comedian just by looking at him in this photo, especially with the goofy tie.  Well, Ken writes like his smile looks.  His writing has you in stitches just about as soon as you complete reading the first sentence fragment.  He's absolutely hilarious.  We're gonna hafta figger out some way to get this guy's writing published to a wider audience.  Anyway, Ken is a bright beam of light in the world.  He is ALWAYS smiling.  I think his face is arranged in such a way that, even if he was in a bad mood, his face would still be physically smiling.  It's probably genetic.  But it works and it puts people in a good mood even if they don't want to be.

Believe it or not, I actually DID get in a lot of studying yesterday--certainly not the full 8 hours I had hoped but at least 5 hours overall.  My practice exam scored went solidly into the 90-percentile and I even notched a 100% perfect score.  I will be able to spend much more time studying today. I am feeling pretty good about my prep for the exam tomorrow but I certainly do not want to get over confident.  I must say I will be very glad when this Amateur Radio thing is behind me.

Have a great day & Cheers, jp  (Weekly stats are below Ken's photo.)

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Happy Saint Paddy's Day

Don't forget to wear green.  Last night we had corned beef and cabbage.  It simmered all day in the crock pot yesterday while I studied my ham stuff.  Made a yummy din-din.
There is supposed to be a storm-ette appearing onstage today.  The evening clouds were a harbinger of today's wannabe storm.  Those clouds didn't disappoint when the last light glowed in the sky. Great mid-March sunset.
We switched to burning mesquite last night.  After I hit the wall studying ham radio stuff, I fired up the chain saw and cut a lot of dead mesquite limbs.  Robin and Gary came over and the four of us enjoyed the fire until is was as "dark as the inside of a mule's mouth," as Houn' Dawg is fond of saying.

Susun spent most of the day in Sedona helping Chuck and Beth.  Chuck treated her to lunch at Jose's and Susun raved at the place's hamburger.  She stopped at Kate Blevin's Verde Earthworks on the way home and received a tour of the recycling facility.  Kate's a fearless pioneer in what she does and Susun really enjoyed the visit.

I studied over a period of 10 hours--about 7.5 of which were genuine nose to the grindstone study.  Since I'm not in the study groove, I had to take frequent breaks to prevent maximum brain overload.  I'm getting better at the practice exams and am scoring consistently in the 80-percentile.  I even have one exam with a 96 percent correct score.  It turned out there are only 396 questions to study, not 1,000 as I was told earlier.  The questions are organized in ten categories with a grand total of 36 subgroups.  The test itself has to have on question from each of the 36 groups.  Pretty simple, huh? The goal for each of the next two days is to review each and every one of those 396 questions one-by-one.  Heck, if I study for ten hours that's only 39.6 question an hour or one every 70-90 seconds.  Hum...maybe we will review half today and half tomorrow.  Yeah, that's a better idea.  Then we can use 8 hours studying 200 questions or roughly 25 an hour.  Shoot, that gives us over two minutes for each question.  Piece o' cake.

During one study break, I called up Houn' Dawg in Idaho Falls and we cooked up a grand plan.  We spent $129 to book ourselves into the Squirrel Meadows Cabin for three nights August 5-7.  Suzanne, HD and the two of us will have a fine time there on the Old Reclamation Road east of Ashton, Idaho. You might be able to click here to read about the place.  HD and I had booked the place for the same weekend last year but that's when I got the Middle Fork permit we never used.  So, we not only didn't go on the Middle Fork, we didn't go to Squirrel Meadows either.

Meanwhile, out of the clear blue, our neighbor Dean D. and his grandson came over to visit.  Dean drove his Pleistocene Ford Bronco.  As far as I know, the Bronco hadn't moved for a few years so it must have been a real chore to get it started.  Dean's on a short leash right now.  He's undergoing chemotherapy after surviving brain surgery that removed a tumor.  He's moving low and slow so it was a real treat for him to visit.  What a wonderful Gentleman he is.  We've often called him a Dream Grand Pa.  He's the kind of Grand Pa every kid would dream of having.  I took a picture of Dean in his Bronco but he looks so tired I decided not to use it on this blog.  It's better to show his beloved Bronco and I'm sure Dean would agree.  We pray for his success in his battle with the cancer and we pray for his full recovery.  It was awesome for him to come to visit.

That's about it for The Daily News yesterday.  Have a great day and Cheers, jp

Gearhead to Gigahertz

Henry's not human. Hertz doesn't rent cars and a Parad isn't a parade in need of a spell check.  We hope soon  we hear voices saying "here's your sign." It's our chance to bulk up on some capacitance and hope our inductance is up to snuff.  We're dropped all other tasks--even Zuki maintenance--and we're hamming it up for the next three days.

What the heck are you talking about this morning, Little Yonni?

Ah, we're soooo glad you asked.  At 9 am Saturday morning, we will be sitting in the Prescott Jeep Posse building putting pencil to paper to take the FCC Technician Level 1 Amateur Radio License Test.  We have a mere three days to learn what takes some people weeks or months to master.  We're trying mightily to become a Ham Radio Operator.

Frankly, the last time I had to cram so fast and furious was way back in 1969 when I was attempting to clear the final hurdles to get a college degree from Purdue.  That's back in the day when pulling an "all nighter" was the accepted route to academic success.

So, why this sudden detour from river trips, State Park dedications, weed spraying, and Zuki Fever?  Ah, we're soooo glad you asked.

Astute LBR's will hark back to some blog chatter last May when we were obsessing about our safety concerns while doing those NVUM interviews in MOAN Country where cell signals were unknown.  Susun and I are fond of spending as much time as possible in places where cell signals will forever be unknown.  These are the types of places where a CB radio is also worthless because there's usually no one around to hear you "Breaker, Breaker, Good Buddy."   When something goes awry in CAT MOAN Country, you're really out of luck as far as calling for help.  Since we've acquired SuziQ, you may have noticed we are intent of tricking her out for travel deep into the far flung, remote corners of Arizona, Utah and Idaho.  Even though the vehicle will be maintained in tip-top condition, things can and do go wrong.  Then what happens?  How do you get help?

We have been interested in becoming a "Ham" ever since we washed ashore at Bowery Guard Station.  Although we had a Forest Service radio from the Sawtooth, we traveled in large areas where it couldn't find a repeater.  Our supervisor refused to allow us to access the repeaters of the neighboring Challis forest.  That's why get got interested in having our own ham radio.  Well, it was simply too costly and too cumbersome so nothing ever came of the urge.

Last May, the urge to be a licensed ham surfaced yet again.  But the same issues trumped the idea.  The cost of a decent handheld radio was prohibitive.  Meanwhile, enter Dear Friend & Neighbor Gary.  Gary's been a ham for 21 years.  He's also been on Search & Rescue for as long as we both can remember.  He's a very active member of the Verde Valley branch of the Yavapai County S&R.  Recently, the local S&R decided to upgrade their handheld radios.  Gary's learned this Monday night that he's getting one of the old radios for free and he's going to pass it on to us, saving us hundreds of dollars.

It's illegal to operate this radio without a bonafide FCC Amateur Radio License called a Technician Level 1.
By now, we're sure you get the picture.  When we learned yesterday that a radio was coming our way, we immediately began researching how to get the license.  Well, it turns out that the tests are only given once in a great while--maybe twice a year in this neck of the woods.  By some minor miracle, the Level 1 exam is being given Saturday morning in Prescott.

But here's the catch--a normal person would have been planning and studying well ahead since the steep learning curve takes most people weeks, if not months to master.  Somehow, I have to learn all this material in a mere three days.  Can it be done?  Possibly.  It's a long shot for sure but, hey, we believe in miracles so why not?

Luckily, all of the materials and practice exams are online.  The test is 35 questions but the questions are randomly drawn from 1,000 potential questions.  That means I have to learn at least 1,000 things by rote between now and Saturday.  Ouch, that's gonna hurt.   Ok, so a Henry is the measure of inductance and a Parad is the measure of capacitance.  Hertz was the smart German guy for whom kilohertz, megahertz and gigahertz are named.  If I pass the test then I will hear those voices saying "here's your sign" when I receive my official FCC amateur radio call sign.

Soooo.....all our previous plans are out the window.  This is too awesome an opportunity to pass up.  If I can pull off a minor miracle and get the license, then we can travel MOAN Country with a whole new sense of security and peace of mind.  That's why we're putting our nose to the ham bone the next three days.  Sometimes a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do.

Cheers, jp

PS--The photo atop this post is this morning's sunrise.

Tuesday

Monday was an interesting day.  Susun took off to help Chuck in Sedona with some housekeeping chores.  Chuck is 89 years young and still sharp as a tack but he needs help on various things that you'd expect with an 89-year-old.  I went to the first hour of the NRCD meeting.  Frankly, I'm getting to the point in life where my tolerance for meetings is declining at a precipitous rate.

We learned yesterday morning that the reopening dedication ceremony for Homolovi State Park will take place this Friday.  That threw a wrench in our weekly planning and continues to be the wild card today as well.  Meanwhile, I have major egg on my face because I didn't pre-register The Spudboater for the kayak race March 26th.  Registration is now closed so I sulked around in abject guilt all day.

After coming home early from the NRCD meeting I decided to goof off so I headed over to Myron's Place to "talk Zuks."  Myron wasn't there but Randy took about 45 minutes to chat with me about "all things Samurai."  It was quite fun.  Then I went to Cottonwood and bought a new fuel pump and the various tools necessary to change it.   After that, I went to our local wrecking yard and pulled two front seats out of a dead Dodge Neon.  Then I spent the remainder of the afternoon scratching my head while trying to figger out how to swap out the Neon seats for the stock Zuk seats.  I gave up and will return the Neon seats.  Sometimes success remain elusive in this Samurai game.

However, at least we got to spend some quality time in a good, old-fashioned junk yard.  My Dad taught me the love of junkyards long ago in the early 1950's.  Navigating a junkyard is kind of like walking through an art gallery, only different.  Our local junk yard is a real throwback.  I know the owner well and knew his Dad well so we go way back.  He even let me take the seats without paying for them yesterday.  THANKS, Gerald!

Susun brought home a goodie from Chuck--a 7-inch digital TFT 12-volt TV!  Yep, a real TV that pulls down a decent picture of local signal with just the funky little antenna it has.  It will now be our onboard TV for the Skamper.  Spiffy little thing!  THANKS, Chuck!

Meanwhile, Susun used Gary's citrus press to process the boatload of fruit we've received when visiting Phoenix and Mesa.  I enjoyed a solo campfire and spent the remainder of the evening studying Japan's nuclear woes.

Today, we're off to the Tuesday Target Shoot and then we're planning to tackle our long list of nit-picky tasks left for the Skamper and SuziQ.  One of these days, we will finally scratch everything off that list.

Well, time to amp up my ambulations here.  Have a great day and Cheers!  jp

Sunday Brunch at Marsha's Place

Although we did a zip trip down and back to Surprise Sunday, the Real Surprise of the day was Sunday Brunch at Marsha's Place in Clarkdale.  Marsha invited us a week ago but we both forgot.  Luckily, she called to remind us.  We, in turn, called the Zuki Head and moved our arrival back.  Meanwhile, as usual, Marsha rolled out her Sunday Brunch best red carpet.  It was a perfect morning.  Above (l-r) Kristen, Susun, Phyllis and Marsha brighten the morning.

Marsha wears many hats well, as they say.  She loves cooking outdoors and Sunday Brunch is one of her trademark specialties. She goes all out--the full monte.  She even bought fresh roasted green chiles from Food City!  We're talking organic cheese, fresh mushrooms, real eggs, the whole nine yards.

Not to mention fresh ground coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice served with class and style on her sunny deck.

Ah, what a colorful and delicious repast.

Yea, verily, even Rex was pleased!

Marsha's been telling us about her "chess project."  She finally dredged up two photos yesterday morning and sent them to us.  Marsha has been an art teacher at a local private school for a long time.  This life size chess project is really popular, except no one wants to be the pawns.  Marsha says next year they are going to give the pawns small swords so it should be an easier "sell" to be a pawn.  Marsha sewed the custom chess board quilt herself.  Way to go and MANY THANKS, Marsha!

Zuki Fever

You've heard of Gold Fever, right?  Well, maybe not Zuki Fever, though,eh?  There is an interesting comment appended to the post below, to wit:  "Hey John - could you give us non-Zuki folks a brief account on why you love Zuki's? It seems you are always buying parts for them or repairing them. What's the attraction and what are the upsides of these strange vehicles?"

Yes, they are strange vehicles, indeed.  What's the attraction?  And what are the upsides?  Ah, VERY good questions and we're glad you asked.  It will take us some time to wax eloquent in reply and answer to those two fine questions.  When we explain Zuki Fever, all will be clear.

Today was a fine session of Zuki Fever.  Our drive to Surprise was splendid.  We met John, his wife, Kathy and their friend, Steve.  Zukis littered the yard and all three of our hosts chattered excitedly about their steeds.  We poked and prodded engines, springs and such.  Kathy fixed everyone a great lunch and we sat at their kitchen table chattering like old long lost friends.  Each of them had many great tips and much advice for us.  We swapped stories and probably even told a few tales too tall.  The trio were only came down with Zuki Fever a mere 5 years ago.  What they've done since then was an inspiring saga.  Steve had just rolled his Zuki up on Moab's toughest trail.  John just finished restoring it and you'd now never know is was practically totaled a short time ago.  Those Zuki critters are tough as nails and they can come back to life more often than a cat with 9 lives.  John and Kathy are really jazzed about their hot rod Sidekick. It can outperform the baddest, meanest Jeep Rubicon alive.  We don't know if we're going to go that route but it sure was nice to enjoy the warmth, hospitality and camaraderie of John, Kathy and Steve.

I don't often suffer from total information overload.  I did today.  My brain went completely numb at one point as the stream of technical data, mechanical tricks and trail tales simply overwhelmed my ability to comprehend or remember.  Episodes such as today's are just one of the many reasons we love having severe Zuki Fever.  Gold Fever would be so BORING compared to Zuki Fever, but it's basically the same psychological phenomena.  Once you get it, good luck finding a cure.

Cheers, jp

Happy Sunday

Every day's a great day but Sunday always seems a wee bit greater. We hope and trust that your Sunday will be delightful in every way.

We're heading back to Surprise, Arizona today. Gee, it was only a few Sundays ago that we went down to Surprise. Whazzup? Well, we've been looking for a spare alternator for SuziQ. Looking long and hard, we might add. Finally, some Zuk owner decided to part with his for a mere $25. Yep, you guessed it--the alternator's in Surprise.

But the REAL question is: Why would we seemingly waste a perfectly glorious spring Sunday going to pick up a spare alternator?
We're glad you asked.

In talking with the seller yesterday, we learned he is also a retired guy who has a MAJOR obsession with Suzuki's. Currently he has FOUR of them: two Samurais and two Sidekicks. Of course, that's in addition to his own airplane and assorted other big boy toys. He spends his summers in the Rocky Mtns. and a month each fall on the Moab trails. Anyway, he says he's solved the puzzle of how to get a smooth ride out of a Samurai and that it's so smooth his wife loves going on his bone-jarring trail rides. He also says he's figured out how to turn a four door Sidekick into an awesome trail machine. Hum....

We told his news to Susun and she became as intrigued as me. So, we both decided to take a Sunday Drive to Surprise and spend time picking this guy's brain and checking our his four Zuks. The alternator became an incidental coincidence to this road trip. We're figuring it's time and gas money well spent in the interest of academic research. We've never met anyone with more than two Zuks under their wing. Four? That's unheard of unless three of then are junkers sitting in the back yard. Anyway, it's going to be an interesting Sunday.

Yesterday went according to plan. Susun waved a magic wand over her shed's interior and it's worthy of its own HGTV special now. She also painted the toughest wall (the one with all the trim). I planted and painted my two heavy steel posts and then moved at least 1,000 pounds of large rocks up out of the wash to place here and there on the property. We sealed off every avenue of entry for a normal pickup truck. As expected, both projects too all day and we didn't finish and clean up to almost 6 pm. We were both pleased with the results of the day.

The upcoming days promise to be very busy. Monday's the NRCD meeting, then there's the Tuesday Target Shoot and one day this week, we MUST do the last leg of our Verde River project. Josh is out on spring break now so we've got to finalize this project. Meanwhile, we have to get cracking on spraying the weeds so every spare minute is going to be occupied in the week ahead. Yikes.

Well, hey, at least it's Sunday and Life is Good. Cheers, jp

PS--The Goatherder reminded us that Monday is "Pi Day."  Here's his note:

Pi = 3.14159265

So... Today 3.14, at 1:59 and 26.5 seconds don't forget a hats off to Archimedes and them Babble-owninans. 

Personally, cobblers are square, and pie are round far as I'm concerned, less'n you make yer cobbler in a dutch, or your pie in a pie-rex, which disturbs the natural order of the universe and should not be attempted.

Ranch Hands

'Tis time to be ranch hands and get crackin' on our chores here at 2nd Chance Ranch.  Susun's gonna saddle up her paint roller to give her shed a fresh look.  She sez she's gonna spend all day on her shed, doing extreme makeover stuff inside, too.  I'm gonna wrassle to metal posts and plant 'em near the watershed.  Last summer someone found a way to drive right into our front yard and then around the ranch in their truck.  The posts will be set in concrete and placed to block that avenue of entry.  That pretty well should take the whole day.  If it doesn't, we'll saddle up the backpack sprayer and resume Weeds Wars.  Exciting stuff, huh?

Yesterday went as planned.  Susun did 13 loads of laundry.  She's a Saint.  No doubt about it.  I spent more than 3 hours at Tom's getting the most thorough tutorial I've ever received in any endeavor.  Tom's awesome and it's great to spend so much quality time with him.  After refilling 24 gallons t the Water Store, we went down and dealt with this year's federal and state taxes.  Our tax person, Helen, has been a great gift to us over the years.  She's a Magician as far as we're concerned.  It's great to have last year's taxes finished and paid for.

The rest of Friday afternoon was easily forgettable until campfire time.  Both Robin and Gary came over and stayed late.  We had a great visit.  Susun whipped up some turkey burgers to finish off the day.

Snow melt water continues to flow in the Verde and its tributaries.  Each trib is running roughly 200 cfs and the Verde at Camp Verde is about 800.  That's also roughly its flow into Horseshoe reservoir.  The Salt isn't doing anything, trickling a mere 335 into Roosevelt with barely enough water to duckie the day stretch.  The big news (relatively speaking) is that Grand Falls is running 500 cfs. That's not huge by any means but it is putting on a show--a minor show--but still a show.  Warm weather is progged to continue so this will be the tepid peak of our runoff this season. Enjoy it while you can!

Cheers, jp

Friday update

Greetings on a Somber Friday morning. Please join us this morning in a moment of silence and prayer for the victims and those affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunamis.  Our hearts go out to them.  Sometimes when tragedy strikes, it's difficult even to read the news reports, let alone watch video of the devastation.  Our Planet is a restless and sometimes violent home for us humans.  Natural disasters serve to remind us that we live at the mercy of Mother Nature and her vast array of destructive forces: earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, solar flares, cyclones, droughts, epidemics and epic blizzards.  We often wonder what it would feel like to be near the epicenter of a powerful earthquake.  It's a feeling neither of us want to experience.  May God's Grace comfort those who are suffering from the world's 5th largest earthquake.

We left Mesa not long after 9 am yesterday.  We went to the Pro Ranch Market--a sort of a giant foodie COSTCO for Mexicans--to buy some chicken.  We came out empty-handed as the type of chicken we bought the previous day had flown the coop.  Traffic was tame (relatively speaking, of course) and we cruised over to 59th Ave. on the west side.  We met a Zuki-head who sold us a Samurai carburetor for $30.  We learned some neat stuff that will be on our Zuki blog soon.  Then we headed back to 2nd Chance Ranch.

Susun took a long and well-deserved nap while I unpacked and messed around with our assortment of stuff acquired in the Valley.  I put together a First Aid kit for SuziQ.  Now, doesn't that make you think of neosporin and band-aids?  Nope.  This is a first aid kit FOR SuziQ, not for humans.  If you thought long enough, you'd probably  think of everything that would be in such a kit.  We'll save you the time.  The contents include: duct tape, baling wire, twine, Super Glue, JB Weld, zip ties, electrical tape, and a tire repair kit.  This first aid kit goes into the box of tools and parts that we carry on our back country road trips.  We still need to add a spare alternator, fuel pump, and electronic engine control module to this box before it's totally trick, as the dirt bikers are wont to say.

The weeds are once again totally out of control and way ahead of us.  Our hot weather has caused them to explode.  (It was 82  here yesterday!) We had to deploy our $500 wheeled weed whacker for a couple of hours late yesterday afternoon.  At least they are now knocked back down for a day or two before their next spurt of spring grown occurs.

Susun put together a huge pan of chicken enchilada casserole and it made a fine repast following the evening campfire.  Gary came over with his two Rhodesian ridgeback canines.  We had a fun time visiting.

We take so many photos it's hard to keep up with processing and posting them.  Maybe we can get caught up this weekend.  Today is a Chore Day.  We haven't done laundry in more than a month so it's off to Cottonwood with a truck full of dirty clothes.  While Susun toils away in the laundromat, I have to go meet Tom to talk pistols and such.  He is working overtime to fine tune the custom 1911 gov't model .45 for me.
THANKS, TOM!

Last night's sunset had a real nice subtle tone to it, don't ya think?  Cheers, jp
(Weekly blog stats below photo)

The blog stats have dropped back to what we call "baseline:" a couple of dozen LBR's who visit each day and spend a couple of minutes looking at one or two pages.  THANKS for reading!
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Take me out to the ball game

The Cubs-Royals game was great.  We entered the stadium a couple of minutes before the National Anthem and then went down to the HoHoKam Clubhouse for a free lunch with this Ho's.  We moved out into shaded seats near 3rd base and stayed until the seventh inning after someone sang the famous song.  The first string leaves the field after the sixth inning and then the scrubs take over.  We stayed until the Royals were up 10-3 over the Cubbies and ambled on out ourselves.  It was great fun watching all the Cubs fans and the general hub-bub of a MLB event.  'Twas definitely another Dear Diary Day.  If the slideshow won't load for you, click here. Below are two photos of beer vendors at the game--colorful and popular people indeed. 
Cheers, jp

Golf Greetings

The golf swing lessons were full and they were turning people away.  What to do?

Aw, shucks, not to worry--we went to the Dobson ranch driving range.

We practiced on the putting green and used our seven irons there.  It was fun.

Susun is getting a LOT better.  She has really taken her brother's lessons to heart.

Wednesday already?

What happened to Monday and Tuesday?  Well they are history now and it's Wednesday and time for the Chicago Cubs game today.  We will be heading over to the ballfield a little after noon. The game starts about 2 pm and we don't expect to get back here until about 5 pm.  The last baseball game we attended was the day before the D-backs Field opened here in Phoenix sometime back in the 1990's.

This morning, we both might be going to a golf swing lesson at the Mesa Hilton.  Sounds impressive but it's only $14 and Susun would get to go free for that price so it's seven bucks a pop if we both go.  The jury's out on her attendance.  That pretty well shoots the whole day.  Heck, I might not even have time to squeeze in a Harbor Freight pilgrimage.  On the way north tomorrow, we have to make several retail stops and also pick up a used Samurai carbureator out in Happy Valley.

Monday started out with an unusual event.  I had my brains scrambled and thought the NRCD meeting was at 9 am.  I showed up there 15 minutes early and no one else appeared.  Got back home and realized the meeting was March 14th.  Opps...so much for my reading comprehension skills.  Then it was off to Cottonwood for a variety of errands, including a nice visit with Myron at Zuks Off Road.  Susun spent a good portion of the day visiting with Amy and Betty.  That afternoon, I fabbed up a new battery hold down for SuziQ, changed her spark plugs, swapped out the fan belt, too, and then made a top rack for the Nissan. Someone had gapped the old plugs at .45 and they were supposed to be .30.  She runs a lot better now.  The fan belt was badly cracked and it's a miracle it hadn't already snapped.

Tuesday was a sprint to the finish from the 'git go.'  I left for the Target Shoot at 7:45 and got home at 11:30.  Then we packed up, loaded and strapped down the iron bed and headed to Mesa at 1:30.  We delivered the iron bed to the buyer in Central Phoenix and somehow managed to avoid rush hour traffic, scooting over to Mesa in record time.  We visited Deseret Industries and picked up some nice items.  Then it was off to the grocery to buy stuff to fix dinner for Roger and Nancy and we finally showed up at their house at 5:30 pm.  Whew.  I told Susun I felt like a rag doll in a dust devil.

You'd be happy to know the iron bed went to a wonderful home.  The little girl for whom the bed was purchased was enthralled with it.  Her face was the happiest looking kid face I've seen in many years.  The girl told Susun she was going to "feel like a princess" in the bed.  The Mom thanked us for selling it to them.  They were delightful people and it was a memorable moment.  We were all very happy.

The Target Shoot was the most fun yet.  We cooked some coffee for everyone and this time Gary bought the donuts.  The Goatherder was there and we all had a fine time. Life is good.

Well, that's about it for now.  Cheers, jp

Plans are made to be changed

'Twas a nice campfire last night.  Marsha and Lin came over to spend the evening and have dinner here at 2nd Chance Ranch.  Mirth and merriment ought to be Marsha's middle names.  She and Lin brought a lot of spirit to the Sunday evening campfire.  It was a hoot in more ways than one.  The sunset rocked, too. (Photo below blog post.)

'Twas a busy day for both of us Sunday. Susun left early to help Lin (right) with some very special chores.  She returned about 4 pm.  I changed the oil in SuziQ and then went to Camp Verde to buy a pork roast and beverages.  After that I hustled off to the Sedona Ranger District to buy an OHV trail map.  Somehow the day flew by and campfire time arrived seemingly right after morning coffee time!

We have this motto we've been using for about 8-10 years: "Plans are made to be changed."  Just about the time we make a plan, it's time to change it.  A short time ago, we wrote here on the blog how we were going up the slow road through Moab to do the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands.  Nope--that's ain't gonna happen.  No can do, Kathmandu.  Why dat?  Well, April 16-24 is the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab.  It is easily and clearly Moab's busiest weekend of the year.  Probably more than 1,000 Jeeps converge on Moab from all over America.  It's a legendary event steeped in OHV mythology.  Jeep owners consider their Easter trip to Moab right up there with a pilgrimage to Mecca.  There's nary a motel room or campsite to be had unless you've reserved a year in advance.  Every trail within 50 miles of Moab is packed full of Jeepers running hither and yon as Jeeps are wont to do.  Nopem we ain't gonna go nowhere NEAR Moab.  We will be on the other side of the state--that's for danged certain sure.

The new plan is to leave about the same time as predicted earlier and go to Kanab.  There we will the Skutumpah-Cottonwood Run.  We did it in 2001 and have been wanting to do it again ever since.  We will try to get a permit to The Wave as well.  Then we'll move up to Beaver and spend a day or two doing some of the West Desert trails from there.  After that, we'll move up to Fillmore for some more West Desert exploration.  And, from there, we're driving straight back to Idaho Falls.  We're now planning on arriving a few days earlier than previously predicted.  Funny how the second we make a plan, a new reality comes along and changes it.

Our time schedule is essentially now booked and we have only 14 days to finish up our various homeowner projects, etc. before The Spudboater shows up on March 24th.  Time will really fly from that point until our return to Idaho.  Gee, this winter has been a blur.  Cheers, jp

In Her Element

Stasea made a great blog comment yesterday saying something like "it's great to see Mom in her element again."  We've kind of adopted variations of that blog comment as an off the cuff motto, to wit, "You're In Your Element Again."  Above you see Susun in her element again.  We posted this panorama in a large size so if you click on it you will get the full monte.  We logged another 66 mile road trip in SuziQ to Sycamore Pass and Robber's Roost, a humongous hunk of red rock sequestered way off by itself on the flanks of Casner Mountain.  Much to our surprise, there is a seasonal pond-ette on top of this unique topographical feature.  We were out about 6 hours on this road trip and stopped by to see The Goatherder in action on our way home.  Only GH would show up to pour wine tasting sample with hay bales sticking out the back of his Old Beater Sidekick--the one with the nearly flat right rear tire.  Click here for a description of the trip.  We will soon post all the photos and maps as well.  It was a good day.

Cue Da Cubs

We're going back down to Mesa Tuesday.  We're going to a Chicago Cubs Spring Training game that starts at 2 pm Wednesday, March 9th.   We're heading back here Thursday morning.  The weather forecast is awesome.  Tomorrow the low deserts are going to push 80+ degrees.  It's going to be cool and breezy Monday and Tuesday but high pressure will be in place by mid-week and we can expect 70's for game time.  WOW!

The chart above shows what we've had to endure here for the past 7 days.  Bummer, huh?

Chores

Friday was a chore day.  Sooner or later it's time to clean the house, unpack suitcases, go get the mail and all of the other mundane things humans have to do once in awhile.  Susun is such a great house keeper.  When she's home, the little straw house practically smiles and shines.  When she's away?  Not so much.

Pee Wee's Big Project yesterday was the SuziQ spare tire.  One of the objectives of our recent road trips has been to find out what shakes loose.  That's why they call such trips "shake down" cruises.  On the Stoneman trip Thursday, the second spare tire got slightly airborne a couple of times when we hit some rough spots going too fast.  In gubmint jargon,  an airborne spare tire is whacha call an "issue of concern."  Soooo....naturally, Pee Wee had to address this "issue of concern" Friday and make sure that space tire stays put.  No more airborne spares, that's our motto!

Luckily, it was a doable one day project and the tire won't fly ever again.  We did a detailed writeup on the Zuki blog this morning.  Click here to read the three now posts there.  Between the housecleaning and the tire gig, the day did fly by.

We received two gi-normous books in the mail from Amazon.  The total pages of the two books is 1140! One covers 2760 miles of Arizona back roads and the other covers 3700 miles of Utah back roads.  Our goal over the next ten years is to do them all.  We might not make our goal but we'll sure give it the good ol' college try.

We also finally received an email from teh nice guy who's got the contract for NVUM on the Manti-LaSal Nat'l Forest.  He offered us a mere $120 per interview including transportation and all other expenses.  That's ridiculous.  Last spring we were getting roughly $300 per interview.  We did 7 interviews and grossed $2100.  Our transportation and all other expenses calc'd out to almost $900 so we netted about $1200 of funny money to play for our summertime  camping and river trips.  At the rate of $120 per interview, we'd most likely lose money and actually have to do real work to lose the money. Um...we don't think so.  Apparently the nice guy who got the contract is woefully out of touch with the true cost of doing those interviews.  We're guessing he bid the contract at least $20,000 too low.  We ish him and his company the best of success (and luck, too).  Actually, the more we studied the whole Dark Canyon gig, the more of a "stretch" it became.  Yes, it was doable but it was going to be a real grunt, too.  We had already decided we wouldn't do it for a gross of less than $2000.  We're very happy that chapter is closed and we can now move on with our original travel schedule.

Exactly what is our original travel schedule, anyway?  We're glad you asked.  The question gives us the opportunity to "think out loud" here and actually put the schedule to virtual paper.

We're driving down to Mesa April 6.  On April 7, Susun heads to San Diego for Gage's 3rd birthday while I head to Lafayette, Indiana, to spend time with my Mom.  We both return on April 12 and drive up north the same day.  We will be departing 2nd Chance Ranch no later than April 18.  Hopefully, we will be able to leave earlier than that. We will aim to arrive back in Idaho Falls no later than noon, May 1, the time and date of the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting I must attend to keep in good standing.

So, whazzup with all that time between April 18 and May 1?  Whacha gonna do?  We're glad you asked that.  Our first day will be a drive to Bluff, Utah. There's a real nice RV park there.  It's tidy and secure.  We will spend some time driving various back roads in far southern San Juan County.  Then, we'd work our way through Moab, Green River and Ferron, exploring back roads in Canyonlands and the San Rafael Swell.  Our biggest goal for taking the slow road north is to drive the 68-mile White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park.  We finally have the right Samurai rig to navigate that legendary route.  Hopefully, we will be out doing a back road adventure trip every day except for the last two or three days when we have to bolt fast and far north to make it to Idaho Falls in time for the May P&R meeting.  After leaving the Southern Utah's slickrock Disneyland, we'll be heading west on I-70 to Salida and then over to Scipio at I-15 and then north to home in River City.

Well, that's about all the chatter I can muster this morning.  Have a great day & Many Cheers!  jp

SuziQ Snowshoe

Yesterday we took SuziQ up into snow country.  We topped out around 7500 feet.  There's a LOT of snow up there and it was real fun snowshoeing.  We're guessing this snowpack will hang around for awhile.  Meanwhile, as you get a little lower in elevation near the edge of the snowpack, there's water running every which including loose.  The Stoneman Road was in fine shape but all the other roads are closed and with good reason--they are a muddy, gooey mess.  We ignored one "Road Closed" sign and danged near got ourselves stuck in the middle of nowhere. Click here to read about the trip on our Zuki Trips blog.

We were actually attempting to get over to Table Mtn. to see the little known waterfall in Mullican Canyon.  With all the mud, that idea was out of the question.  The photo below is of some smaller waterfalls over basalt ledges in Rarick Canyon.

We really enjoyed being up in snow country.  Susun was delighted to get back out on the road again.

After we turned from our 3.5 hour, sixty mile trip, we stripped out SuziQ and ripped out the factory carpet.  It will be so much easier to clean now.

And, yes, believe it or not, everything was back together in time for a nice campfire and sunset.

Almost forgot--click here for the full photo album of 72 pictures from yesterday.

Cheers, jp

Beaver Whispers

We hear The Beaver Whispers!  OH, NO!  They've lost it--call the shrinks.  Well, it's true.  This is always a wonderful time of year when our Dear Neighbor, Beaver Creek comes alive with snowmelt runoff. 

Technically, it's Wet Beaver Creek but nobody calls it Wet Beaver except for the US Geological Survey.  There's also Dry Beaver Creek not far away. Wet Beaver is a year-round perennial stream.  Dry Beaver is, well...d-r-y....except during runoff season.  Wet and Dry mix their molecules at McGuireville (Home of The Goat Ropers) and then they officially become Beaver Creek.  However, Everybody around here, far and wide, calls the stream in front of 2nd Chance Ranch simply Beaver Creek.  You would be truly weird if you called it Wet Beaver Creek.  Only the gubmint geeks do that.

Well, Beaver Creeks talks to us when it begins to run higher.  Its baseflow can't be heard unless you are standing on the streambank.  At some point, water flowing over those big basalt cobbles in the stream channel begins to make enough noise to be heard here INSIDE the straw house.  Beaver has many voices.  We've heard it roar back during the El Nino floods.  We could actually hear the crash and boom of boulders being thrashed about by the water.  Most of the time, Beaver simply whispers.  Once in awhile it begins to rumble.  It's roaring voices are rare.  Local people love it when Beaver Creek Speaks.  Everyone asks each other, "Have you heard the creek?"  Even deaf ol' Little Yonni can hear Beaver Creek Speak.  After many years tuning our ears to "Beaver Speak," we can pretty well tell ya what kind of flow it's carrying.  Beaver speaks the loudest in the middle of the night.  That's when the previous day's snow melt reaches this far downstream.  The water recedes back to a whisper during the late afternoon and then begins to gain in volume right about campfire time.  By the wee hours of the following day, we can hear it through the thick walls of the straw house.  When Beaver is really cranking, it can actually wake us from a deep sleep.  It's a wonderful time of year when Beaver Creek Speaks.  We love it.  Here is today's USGS hydrograph.  If this warm spell continues (it was 74 here yesterday) Beaver might speak a wee bit louder in the nights ahead.  Campfires are near perfect when the Beaver is talking to us from across the Old Field.

Thanks for all Your Best Wishes

Thank You So Much for each and everyone of Your Best Wishes.  Some sent e-cards, some sent postal cards, some sent emails, some made blog comments and some made phone calls.  Did I forget smoke signals and carrier pigeons?  Regardless of the medium, everyone sent something and all Your Best Wishes were (are) so very much appreciated and valued.  They meant more than you can know to Susun and me, too.  We could both really feel your support during these days just gone by.  THANK YOU~~THANK YOU! You really touched both of our hearts with your kind words and thoughts.

Don's services were very special and touching, of course, as they should have been.  Over 75 people showed up, including numerous people Roger or Susun had never met before.  They read about Don's passing and came to pay their respects.  The little chapel was full and some people were seated in an overflow room.  The youngest was Baby Ella at a mere 3 months and the oldest was 90-something.  The white-robed minister dutifully intoned all of the appropriate Old and New Testament scriptures and the music was just right.  There were only two people who stood to speak about Don.  The Drewster was the first and I was the second.  I know it would have been too hard for either Roger or Susun to stand and say something in front of the attendees.  Drew made a fine speech, reading from carefully written notes.  I almost clapped and whistled for his speech but, of course, knew that would be wildly inappropriate.  I DO have some manners, afterall!

I was surprised when no one was standing up to say anything so I took the podium and winged it.   I didn't write out what I said so I don't know what I said. All I know is I stood up and said something straight from my heart.  I reached forward from the podium and tried to stare directly into the eyes of each person there.  When you make honest eye contact with people at a funeral it's real special.  I even made 'em chuckle out loud. The acronym for that is COL.  It's different that LOL but similar.

Basically, I talked about Don' rock steady, even-keeled personality.  I said I considered that to be the Lesson Of Don's Life and a gift to each of us.  He withstood incredible physical challenges that few others could have endured.  Nothing ruffled Don's demeanor and I said that should be an inspiration and a challenge to all of to emulate.  I closed by saying the Minister forgot one important thing about Don, "He was one heck of a cribbage player and that's a great gift to me."  That's when everyone COL.

Roger and Nancy each gave me a great big hugs for my words and many, many of the older people in attendance personally thanked me for my remarks.  Since I can't remember precisely what I said, I must have said something special  for so many people to make a point of saying something to me.  I learn a long time ago that if one truly speaks from their heart, it is their heart that is talking, not the actual brain of the person.  There's a subtle difference between the way brains and hearts make speeches.

I do recall mentioning the irony of the moment.  I met Don for the very first time right there in that room they day of Susun's Grandfather's funeral.  So it surely was ironic that the only other time I had been in that room was to say goodbye to him.  Odd how life works like that.

After the short 40 minute ceremony, about half of the attendees reconvened at Roger's Place to enjoy a finely wrought catered luncheon of smoked salmon and spiral sliced ham with all the trimmings.  Copious beverages flowed and a good wake was had by all.  One of the highlights among the attendees was none other than Craig Arnold, Stasea and Sarah's Father.  That's Craig at left above with Susun and Roger. It was so great to see Craig--he drove over and back from San Diego in one day just to attend the services!  We both enjoy Craig so much--he's a Great Dad and Grand Pa.

The afternoon passed in the blur sort of way that such afternoons are wont to do.  There were many fleeting and memorable vignettes worthy of a description.  However, we shall let them pass un-noted here as they would each take far too long to embellish.  I stood outside alone in a sunny niche and reflected on the life and times of the Meldrum Family.  I sure wish I could have recorded the stories of Doris & Don.  Susun was ever the gracious hostess, visiting with as many of the guests as one could possibly do in such a short time.  And, poof, it was all over seemingly before it had begun.

We have already selected two places where we are going to scatter Don's ashes.  One is from the middle of the Old Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry.  The other will be in Payson, Utah, his birthplace on the northern flanks of Mt. Nebo.

As the evening drew to its inevitable close, I noticed Arlyn was doing some homework for her ASU college art class.  So I asked her to make a logo for Zuks of Arizona that I could use for our own two Samurais.  You can click the small version to see the large one.  THANKS, Arlyn, you helped us bridge ourselves Back To The Future in fine style.  It's time to proceed on.

Many Cheers!  jp--The Man In The Hat

Time Marches On

Happy March First!   'Twill be a busy day and an emotional one as well.  Roger, Nancy and Susun have all kept busy and well occupied since Don's passing February 17th.  All of their preparations are finished and double-checked and today's the day everyone gathers for Don's funeral.  I'm pretty sure today is the day The Family's tears will flow.  They've all kept a real tight lid on their emotions  throughout this whole milestone in life.  I've admired and marveled at their ability to "carry on."  The Service starts at 2 pm.  Send some thoughts and prayers for strength to them this afternoon.

Life IS for the living and so life will go on.  It is in those brief moments of memorials and funerals that we humans really come face-to-face with our own mortality.  There is a primal part of all of us that knows our day, too, will come.  The purpose of a funeral is finality and closure, a large group "goodbye," if you will, a waving of Bon Voyage from a crowd of well wishers at the pier as another ship sails into the Night of the Great Unknown.  It appears the crowd of well-wishers today will be rather large, I'm guessing at perhaps a hundred or so.  We shall see as I really don't know what to expect.

But Time Marches On today and, after the services, a large group will reconvene at Roger's for a catered and well-lubricated wake.  There's no doubt it's a very big day.  I wonder as I write these words this morning, just what I will have to say tomorrow looking back on what now lies ahead.  We shall see, as they say.

Since life is for the living, we shall proceed on.

There's an old saying I grew up with about March: "In like a lamb, out like a lion" and "In like a lion, out like a lamb."  I don't know if that saying applies to the Western United States but it always surely seemed accurate for The Cornbelt.  Clearly we are coming into March like a lamb today.  The rebound from our weekend storm has been amazing.  It was HOT yesterday afternoon and likely to be still hotter yet today.  Believe it or not, today's high temp is likely to be 73-75 degrees!  Talk about a rebound.

I put a lot of miles on the Nissan yesterday, free-ranging throughout the East Valley.  I managed to get the oil changed early in the morning and then ran far too many errands to describe here.  A goodly portion of the day was spent finding various accouterments for the Tuesday Target Shoot.  The real Main Event of the day left me dizzy with dazzlement.  Here's how it all happened.  I was in Far East Mesa visiting a Sportman's Warehouse and, on a whim, decided to drive to Far West Mesa to go to a scrap metal yard.  I was looking for a needle in a scrap hay stack.  Sure enough, I found my needle.  I offered to pay for it but they gave it to me for free.  The place was a buzzing hive of bustling worker bees.  Some of you may know that China is driving our scrap buying frenzy.  China's voracious appetite for base metals has every Sanford & Son hauling all manner of junk to the scrap yards.  It's pretty amazing to watch.  And if you don't watch your step in one of those scrap yards you could get run over in a heartbeat--they are THAT busy.  It's amazing to see, actually.    Well, since the scrap yard was only a half mile from "Dee-Eye," I thought, "What the heck, let's go look for another golf cap."  You see, I've decided to make a collection of golf caps.

Sure enough, I found a nice 2008 U.S. Open Torrey Pines golf cap for a mere dollar and I was pleased.  So, I decided to saunter into Dee-Eye's back 40 to gander at golf clubs and bags and such.  A crumpled golf bag caught my eye on a shelf.  As I reached for this old bag, my heart skipped a beat.  There it was lying unseen in a pile of non-descript stuff.  Could it be?  Was it real?  I could feel my pulse rate pick up as I pondered the impossible.  Surely, it couldn't be real.  Surely, something was amiss.  It simply couldn't be what I thought it might be.  I asked the clerk if I could undress the package on an idle checkout counter.  One-by-one, each piece came out in pristine, unused condition.  Each and every piece of the original set sat in immaculate condition in front of my eyes.  I say this a lot on this blog but I was truly stunned.  I stood transfixed staring at my find in near total disbelief.  What an incredible stroke of pure luck.  In my mind, I heard the crack of that baseball bat when it connects with a home run and I felt the felt sailing high, long and far out of the park.
I had just bought a $300 croquet set for a mere $18.  This is not your ordinary croquet set--this is a professional grade set far, far above the likes of the sets us normal people use.  This set is even more amazing than The Spudboater's set.  It weighs a ton and each wicket looks like it is made from vinyl coated rebar.  The mallets are incredible and the end stakes are dazzling.  It even has a small slide on "protector" to shield each end stake from potential marring when they are being pounded into the ground.  When I got out into the parking lot, I called Susun on the cell phone and hyperventilated about my find.  I didn't tell her what it was, just that it was one of the finest thrift store scores of all time.  When she actually set eyes on it for the first time, she practically swooned. We studied the prices of various comparable sets online and she has been claiming it's a $700 set.  I won't go that high but I'm positive there would be no debate about it being a $300 set. (We actually found a $6000 croquet set online, by the way.)

This croquet set will NEVER be used for extreme croquet.  It's the type of set where we will all have to wear white pants and shirts to use it.  Ladies and gentlemen under parasols will lolly gag on the sidelines sipping mint juleps when we use this croquet set.  This set will never be used for casual "have-a-hoot" backyard croquet.  Nope, this is the set we take to a well-groomed shady park during High Summer.  It's amazing, that's about all I can say.

Well, what was the needle in the scrap stack I was looking for?  Actually, it was a brass needle but I settled for aluminum.  It's not quite an inch wide, slightly less than a quarter-inch thick and about 6-7 inches long.  It weighs hardly anything, of course, since it is aluminum.  I am going to use it to make a much more spiffy battery hold down for SuziQ.  Ultimately, when we get back to Idaho Falls, I will have Jim's Trophy shop do some engraving on it.  It will replace two pieces of bale twine and a cable tie.  Yeah, I know, some of you think the twine and plastic tie has a lot more innate class and style but I really want to elevate our battery hold down to a much higher level of consciousness.

So it is in the life of the living as Time Marches On!

Have a great day & Cheers!  jp