Steve's new adventures

Happy New Year !

2012-01-09T12:29:00.004-07:00

The year ended with a bang: my usual Christmas Eve gathering, then friends Dave & Mona came in from KC for a week, a NYE party and LOTS of college football. The weather has been even better than usual, and now settling to our normal 60s temps for January.

This allowed us to take in a ride on the Desert Belle, a tour boat that allows to you to see some of the desert beauty from the water side on Lake Saguaro.

The holiday season

2011-12-18T09:56:00.003-07:00

Well, after returning from MO for Thanksgiving, it has been the usual holiday rush to get a tree, decorate, and do that holiday shopping. Oh, and of course, hit several holiday parties. With a few holiday happy hours behind me, this is an event-filled weekend. Parties on Friday & Saturday night, and then one this Sunday afternoon will leave me glad for the new week to start so I can rest! This week also includes some final planning for my traditional Christmas Eve Open house, and then friends arrive from KC to enjoy holiday weather in AZ! Party pics will intertwine this blog as they happen - Happy Holidays everyone!

Las Vegas races

2011-10-21T03:50:00.002-07:00

I finally got to the NASCAR truck race I had planned on going to some 2 years ago, but was delayed due to the motorcycle accident. This year LVMS had reconnected the truck race with the IndyCar series as I had seen in 2005. A great weekend overall, with the weather being sunny but almost too hot, and a surprise as some friends were traveling through and attending the race as well. This made for a good time except for the tragedy that ended the race weekend. 12 laps into the IndyCar race, a huge wreck took out 15 cars and sadly ended the life of one of the drivers - Dan Wheldon. The rest of the race was cancelled, and it is a solemn reminder how tenuous the grasp we have on life can be.

I returned home and searched through my memorabilia to find I had a ball cap which had been signed by Dan Wheldon in 2005, the year he won the championship. That means all the more to me in light of the tragedy that occurred.

the end of an era

2011-07-18T08:19:00.005-07:00

Well, I did it. I retired. There, just saying it gives it a little more credence. After 28+ years of being an air traffic controller, I made the choice to retire effective July 2. Not that it was easy to do, as you always wonder if you should stay longer, put away more money into the 401K, etc. But after much thinking, looking at finances, and talking to MANY people that have preceded me in this decision, I made the jump. It still has not really set in, as mentally it just seems like I am still on vacation, but I know this will pass. Folks from work threw me (and my friend Mike, who retired the same day) a grand party last Friday night. I was flattered so many people came to wish me well. Plus, they had chipped in for a present, and along with the usual plaques, gave me a new iPad - WOW! That will come in very handy with the next career in car sales, as I need to have something to look up information on while at the auctions.

It was a great career that I literally stumbled into, and for that I thank my friend Dave McNay, as he first talked to me about it. Odd how choices you make can lead you down new paths, and I am glad I had the ambition to make that choice and see where it led me. It was a great path, with many personal and professional achievements, and more importantly, allowed me to meet a great number of people who I came to like and respect. Now for chapter #2 in life - off into the wild blue yonder, as they say !

Estes Park

2011-07-17T23:05:00.004-07:00

This year my timeshare came back around for use, so I once again vacated the heat of AZ for the cool mountain country of Colorado. I fell in love with Estes Park the last time I was there, so a return trip was in order, and it did not disappoint. This time, as I had to travel solo, I decided to do a lot of hiking, and intersperse it with a few car trip. The weather was mostly beautiful, with only the normal afternoon showers, and great temps. Shocking as it was, the mountains were still covered with snow from the record-breaking winter they had in CO. Even the locals told us we were seeing quite an aberration as we hiked to low mountain lakes and had to traverse snow banks to reach them. As I was up there for Independence day, I was treated to a great fireworks show over Lake Estes. All in all, a super vacation, and a great way to escape the heat !

June trip

2011-07-02T07:05:00.005-07:00

After getting the house painted, it was time for a little RnR back in MO. I flew into KC on Wednesday afternoon to catch some incredibly nice June weather for most of the week I was there. I started off the trip there by meeting friends Roger & Eileen to watch the Royals and Diamondbacks play an inter league game, and what a great time! Thanks to you guys for grabbing us some great seats! It was a perfect night to sit outside and watch baseball, and the game did not disappoint, with the D-Backs holding off the Royals in the bottom of the 9th to win 3-2. After that, I headed to spend some time with my Mom, and help her get some things done around the house.

Thursday night I zipped down to the lake to finally get in a little boat time this season. Though it rained several times that weekend, it did not really impede my fun on the boat. Sunday was perfect, with the weather being warm, inviting me to run down the lake to a great lakeside bar - Coconuts - and hang in their pool for a while. Then it was time to put the boat away and head back to help Mom a little more, as she is putting the place up for sale.

June ended with a big bang for me personally, as I decided to close the door on my 28 year career with the FAA and retire! I will start the next chapter of life by heading to Colorado for a week, then come back and delve into my next passion - automobiles - by getting my dealer's license, and seeing what opportunity that opens to me. While it is a little scary to leave my job, I think this will be a grand entrance into the next phase of my life !

house upgrades

2011-06-17T11:43:00.005-07:00

This week was spent doing a couple of big upgrades to the house, namely repainting and some additions to the landscaping. Although the landscape stuff was fairly minor, I am happy with how it turned out. The big project was to repaint the interior of the house, as this had not been done since new. I decided to add some rich color as the white walls had become boring to me. It amazed me the crew of 3 people were able to get the house done with 2 11-hour days. Here are the before and after pictures.

the month of May

2011-06-02T07:24:00.003-07:00

Well the month started off easy enough, and I took a week off work to go back to Missouri and help Mom with some things around her place that needed to be done, plus play chauffeur to her doctor's appointments. It was a nice week there, except for the more-than-needed rain that permeated the week. Still, it was great to be able to be there for Mother's Day and her birthday before I headed back to Phoenix.

Then, just over a week later, Jim, Jule, and Grace came to Phoenix to pay a visit, as Julie had a conference here. We had a nice weekend that included a off-road tour of the desert in a Hummer, and then a relaxing Sunday night at a free concert in the local park. As they left on Wednesday, I decided to relax during the rest of my vacation week - I did not even go back to the Ozarks like I have for the past 14 years! It was nice to stay home and rest, though, and I enjoyed another Sunday night concert in the park with friends.

Verde Canyon railroad

2011-05-01T07:05:00.003-07:00

Caryl had found some discount tickets to ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad, a restored train that runs up in northern Arizona along an old mining track. Yesterday turned out to be the perfect day to go up there and use these tickets, as the weather was sunny, mild, and VERY spring-like!

We stopped in the historic part of Cottonwood for lunch at the Village Tavern, and then headed over to the train depot. I had been on this before, albeit 10 years ago, but Caryl had never done this, so it was a treat for both of us. We spend 4 hours (2 up,2 back) enjoying some fantastic AZ scenery (plus a glimpse of an eagle in it's nest). After that, it was back into town for a glass of wine at a great little place, and then head back to Phoenix.

ready, set, go !!

2011-04-30T04:53:00.004-07:00

I spent yesterday afternoon doing a little kart racing with my buddy Brian, and bounced a couple of ideas off of him, as he voluntarily left a comfortable state job to open his own company several years ago. It was a fun time, as usual, and he gave me some good info regarding stepping out on my own to that 'next phase of life as I like to call it. It seems all is a go to submit my retirement paperwork when I get to work on Monday ?!?!?!

Then Caryl and I met a friend up at a local shopping center amphitheater to listen to some live music to cap off the evening. The weather was perfect! A good night to sit outside, sip some wine, and listen to music. We have to take advantage of that while we can, as summer is coming!

An eventful week!

2011-04-25T08:24:00.005-07:00

Well I am now back home and settled into a normal mode. The past week and a half were dizzying fun, but tiring! I spent the weekend of April 15-17 over in Long Beach to see the LB Grand Prix with friends Stuart & Lisa. This was my 6th time to see the race and it never disappoints. As I may skip next year, it was good to get back, and the weather was perfect for racing! Also got to run into my friend Mike and his son who were seeing the event for the very first time.

Then it was back home to regroup ( and repack) and head off to Vegas for a couple of days. A newer hotel called The Cosmopolitan had sent an offer for a 2-night stay during the week, so I took them up on it. Couple with the fact that friends Dave & Mona had just wed, and arrived for their honeymoon, it was a perfect excuse to go play! The property did not disappoint, and besides a little extra sunburn to show off, was a grand time. Congrats to you, Dave & Mona, and see you at the lake this summer!

Scottsdale Art Festival

2011-03-13T22:58:00.005-07:00

It's the time of year again for all the art festivals to be in town, and the downtown Scottsdale Art Fair is one of the best. I spent 2 afternoons here this year - one with a group of friends, and then Sunday with Caryl, as she could not make it yesterday. Both days were fantastic weather, and some great art to boot (plus it did not help there was beer & wine tasting aplenty!). AS the weather warms, these festivals will yield to the summer temps, but always are fun to see what the minds of talented people can come up with.

A great loss

2011-02-10T23:51:00.005-07:00

January ended with a call announcing the untimely death of my stepfather, Bob Jefcoat. As he was recovering form November open heart surgery, all thought this was to allow him and my Mom several more years together to see and do some more things as health would allow. Unfortunately, the fates were against him and he died suddenly at home Friday, January 28. It was with a heavy heart I made the trip back to bury him and spend time grieving with the family. He was a great man, with a big heart, and he will be sorely missed.

January 2011

2011-02-10T23:43:00.003-07:00

Well the month ended with the MU Tigers being here for the Insight Bowl, in which they played pretty well but lost in the end. Then came the usual bevy of car auctions - I attended Barrett-Jackson again this year - and all the hoopla surrounding that. The last weekend saw great January weather so we got out on the Harley and made a local day ride to enjoy the temps and support a gal who had taken a spill from a bike as well via a charity event.

The holiday season

2010-12-26T08:13:00.010-07:00

Well, it is back to normal this year, as the holiday season was full of it's usual bevy of parties and things to do. It started off with the trolley lights tour ( the previous post) and revved up from there. I have been to the Desert Botanical Garden for 'las noches de luminarias', a Tuesday night party thrown by Groupon, 2 Saturday night parties, a Saturday afternoon motorcycling with the boys, a tequila festival + concert, been down to catch up with the MIZZOU alumni association for a watch party (the annual Busch Braggin' Rights), my Christmas Eve open house, and finally (so far) Christmas dinner at some friends house. It's a wonder I have time to go to work! Speaking of that, I continue to give serious thought as to when I will retire, but have not come up with a good date as of yet, so I will continue to trudge along for a while more.

Pictures from the entire crazy holiday season are at the usual link on this page. I still have the Insight Bowl and NYE to get through this week, and will make them their own separate post !

holiday lights by trolley

2010-12-05T23:06:00.005-07:00

Saturday night I went out with the local social group to view holiday lights via 'Ollie the Trolley'. A nice night of being driven around the town to view several neighborhoods that had great light shows, and some nice spiked cider to take the 'chill' out of the air here in Phoenix !!

Thanksgiving trip

2010-12-01T11:10:00.002-07:00

After having to take off a year to make the annual trek back for Thanksgiving, I was able to make the journey this year. The weather actually held up for me, with only some headwinds to tackle on the way back. As Bob had recently gone through heart surgery, this year was a little different. He could only have small groups at a time, so I did not get to see all the family I had hoped to :( Still, it was a fun, but exhausting trip - trying to see so many people leaves you feeling less like you were on vacation than other trips. Ultimately, though, rewarding, except for the fact that I ran out of time to see other family and friends. Next time !!!

I was thankful, though, to be alive and able to visit this Thanksgiving; it had a little extra meaning this year. Happy Holidays to all of you I did not get to see !

Fall NASCAR

2010-11-18T16:00:00.004-07:00

Well, the boys (and a few girls) were back in town last weekend for the Kobalt Tools 500, and what a great weekend for racing. Weather was perfect in the day and only a light jacket during the night races, which were dominated by Midwestern winners. Clint Bowyer took the Friday night truck race, and Carl Edwards swept the Nationwide and Sprint races. Way to go Ford Racing !! I went by myeself on Friday night, as Caryl had to work, but Saturday she got in a full day with me, and had a lot of fun.

On Sunday, I had the day off, so I stayed home and watched the final Formula 1 race of the season in the morning, the NASCAR race in the afternoon, and then went to see a blues concert by Robert Cray that night. What a way to close out the weekend!

SEMA show

2010-11-06T16:48:00.005-07:00

My friend Brian, who owns his own brake business, got me credentialed, and off we went to experience the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) show. This is the biggest show in the country for all the vendors to show their stuff to potential business clients, and it did not disappoint. The cars and equipment are fantastic, but everyone goes there just as much to see the hot models the companies hire to attract attention to their product, and attract attention they did! This may be a once in a lifetime event for me, so it was very cool!

LOTS more hot pictures in the photo album section !!!!

Happy Halloween !!

2010-10-31T07:53:00.007-07:00

A fun-filled night last evening as I ventured out to my first costume party in YEARS ?!?!?!?! The house was decorated hauntingly, and all ghouls, ghosts, and other assorted goblins were in fine form. Me, I went as "Big Daddy Money", which seemed fitting since I just bought the Vegas property. Today it off to work, though, and hopefully NOT a scary day from the Chiefs!

Indy Car drive

2010-10-24T22:32:00.006-07:00

This past weekend I did some catching up on things I was supposed to do last year, and went to Vegas to drive an Indy car @ the Mario Andretti racing experience at LVMS. The weather was perfect for a drive on Saturday, and I was stocked for the chance to actually get behind the wheel! The drive went great, and except for the need to go faster, could not have asked for more fun. To boot, legendary driver Mario Andretti was at the track for this, and I got a few pictures with him plus he signed my race photos !!! Caryl came along as the official photographer, and got a picture with Mario herself!

After that, we headed back to the hotel to relax and clean up, then off for some great tapas & sangria at a restaurant up the street, plus we grabbed some tickets and saw a performance of the Blue Man Group - a very entertaining show, if you ever get the chance to catch it! After that, Caryl wanted to do a little more gambling, so she set up shop at the penny slots. 3 times she tripled her money (although that amounted to 3 dollars total). Still a winner, though. And I did well to boot, as I had put some money down on MIZZOU to pull off the win, and of course, they did !

Las Vegas BikeFest

2010-10-04T04:56:00.006-07:00

Well, after having to skip last year because of the wreck, I was determined to get back to BikeFest for their 10th anniversary. I only had a few days, so I did not take the bike this year, but still had lots of fun seeing all the cool customs, partying with a few friends that came up, and listening to some good rock and roll music. All in all, a good weekend and I was glad to be able to be in attendance.

Route 66 Days

2010-09-12T23:23:00.005-07:00

Saturday, being my last day of vacation, I decided to head up out of the heat to Flagstaff for the day to attend the Route 66 Days car show. A few other gallant (and smart) souls headed up as well, and we were treated to a grand day of cool weather, very cool cars, and general frivolity! We started by having lunch on the patio of the Lumberyard Brewing Co., with spicy wings & cold microwbrews - woo hoo! Then it was on to several hours of looking at some awesome vehicles. My Porsche & Mustang clubs were both in attendance, with the 'Stang club really turning out in numbers! We took a respite for my ankle, then continued to gaze (along with hundreds of other people) at the cars. After this, my friend Barry took us to a local new restaurant which a former client of his had opened, and my what a treat. Exceptional food and beverage, I have to say - thanks Barry for the dinner and drinks! Then it was back down the hill to Phoenix, but the sun had gone down and the temperature was once again nice. All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday.

100+ more pics of the day's events in the photo album!

Labor Day @ the Ozarks

2010-09-09T07:28:00.007-07:00

Just got back from a great time - spent a week at Lake of the Ozarks, and got to hang with family and friends. The rain even played along - it rained the first night I got there, and then after I had put the boat up for the weekend. Except for a minor boat problem (easily solved) and a REALLY windy day on Monday, all was perfect! Here a few pics of friends/family I got to see - the rest can be see via the photo albums.

annual Corona party

2010-08-29T08:50:00.015-07:00

A fairly quiet weekend, which is nice with Labor Day upcoming. The highlight was yesterday as my friend Patrick hosted his annual Corona pool party. I had not been able to attend for the last couple of years, so it was nice to spend the afternoon 'chillaxin', even if the monsoon did drive us inside for a while with a quick afternoon storm. Still a good time was had by all!

D-Backs game

2010-08-27T00:09:00.004-07:00

Well, a little late, but a week or so ago, I took Caryl to the Diamondback vs. Reds game as her birthday present. I had purchased some sweet seats right behind home plate in a charity auction, so we went to enjoy the night's game. Too bad the team stinks so bad this year, but it was still nice to sit in great seats, and we even got a close-up from the 'Racing Legends' as they made their way up through the stands.

A little bonus as former pitcher 'Papa Grande' - Jose Valverde, now with Detroit was in the stands down from us cheering the team (and heckling the Reds)- woo woo!

Crown King

2010-08-05T17:08:00.007-07:00

Last Saturday was my only day off for the weekend, so I organized a quick day trip out of the heat to Crown King, a former mining town (if you can call it that) 2 hrs. north of Phoenix. So up I-17 we went to the exit, which is followed by 28 miles of graded gravel road to an elevation of 5911'. As we got on the gravel, we made our "must" stop at Cleator, AZ, which includes a store, a bar, and some ramshackle housing. It is a favorite for locals and tourists alike, though, and not to be missed, as it is the last bathroom until Crown King. It started a light rain, but that gave way to cool temps & perfect weather to sit, shop, and drink when we rolled into CK (at a VERY pleasant 68 degrees!).

So we spent the afternoon doing just these things, and then headed back down to Phoenix. Luckily for us, all the days rain had gone around us, and through Phoenix, so when we got back home, it was only 83 degrees here - woo hoo! Then Caryl and I set out to Kierland to hear some live music in the courtyard as it was the last of these events for the summer. An excellent way to spend the day!

As usual, more complete pics in the my photos section of this blog - enjoy!

July vacation (day 4)

2010-07-15T16:53:00.008-07:00

The last day of vacation before I have to head back to the searing heat :( I made it worthwhile as I visited 2 area National Monuments. I have now seen all three that exist here near Flagstaff. The first part was spent at Sunset Crater, which erupted about 1046 AD, displacing many Indian tribes farther to the north. Amazing to see what Mother Nature can do when she gets angry! Just as amazing was how light the lava cinders were - mostly air so lacking the weight that their ominous looks provide.

After that I continued around the loop for 22 miles to the Wupatki National Monument, along the way spying some amazing views of the Painted Desert in the far distance. A number of ruins exist from different pueblos well in the past, with the Wupatki pueblo being the centerpiece not only now but in Native American past, as it was a regional centerpiece of life and commerce. Very interesting info, especially how the Park Service used it's influence and force to drive people from their homes of generations because it was not 'in the people's best interest'. Sad to ruin people's life & livelihood simply for greed and to create a park.

As with all the previous days, look to the link at the bottom right for the full photos albums.

July vacation (day 3 )

2010-07-15T16:42:00.006-07:00

Today was the day the dog and I headed out to get our kicks on Route 66! The tour started here in Flagstaff and ended at Topock (@ the Colorado River).

It took us 6 1/2 hours from one end to the other, but was really cool to see this amount of history and nostalgia.

Amazing how many people I ran into were from other countries, still wanting to catch a glimpse of the Mother Road and her history!

July vacation (day 2)

2010-07-15T00:08:00.005-07:00

Well, a great adventure on my first trip (finally) to the Grand Canyon. I took the Grand Canyon Railway to check that out - it was neat, but not quite as cool as I thought it would be. A great thing if you are with friends, or family, but not solo - plus the strict time frame left me wanting to see a couple of more things, but had to be back to catch the train.

Otherwise, though, the canyon is SPECTACULAR !!!!!! Words really cannot describe it, and I heard from other folks that what you see from the rim does not do justice compared to the view from the bottom - perhaps someday.

Per usual, the rest of the pics are at 'my photo albums'

July vacation (day 1)

2010-07-12T15:38:00.006-07:00

Well, it is off the high country for this year's summer vacation, specifically Flagstaff as a base camp and then off to explore what No. Arizona has to offer. I arrived Sunday afternoon, checked in and took Coco for a nice, cool walk (70s), then spent a few hours listening to some live music at a local haunt.

Today, it was off to explore Walnut Canyon Nat'l Monument. An easy drive 12 mi. east of Flagstaff, and some spectacular views and Native American history. The dwellings in the side of the cliffs were a sight to behold, and the canyon itself reminds me why I love Arizona so much. Then it was back to town to relax and have lunch. Coco and I were relaxing on the patio of a local brewpub, when an afternoon monsoon storm rolled in and made us hightail it under cover. But it sure does cool the afternoon off nicely, and now is just perfect for sitting outside.

For full photos, see the picture link on this page (bottom right)

another fun weekend

2010-06-21T09:00:00.005-07:00

Well, as it is hot, you start searching for things to do. I had to work Friday night, but with a trade still got a 2 day weekend. Saturday morning I took the Porsche out to stretch it's legs. My buddy Gary also has a 911, so we tripped over to the local club's monthly breakfast meet. A nice group of people - I look forward to doing more things with them. Too bad I forgot to take the key out of the ignition when I got home. I just found out I ran the battery down, so am now in the process of recharging :(

After that, it was off to ride the metro light rail for the afternoon. The premise of this was to ride it to several pubs and have a pint at each - not a bad way to spend a hot afternoon in Phoenix! Then it was off to catch up with more friends at the Saturday evening concert held in the courtyard of a local shopping area. It was great once the sun finally set behind the buildings.

Sunday was time for relax time, and I spent it watching the Indy & NASCAR races. I just had time to sneak up to the Audi dealership and get my picture taken with (and in!) the Audi R8 Spyder that was featured in the Iron Man 2 movie - WAY COOL !!!! Then I headed down to meet another group and close out the weekend listening to more live music at the free Sunday night concert in the park

a nice, long (hot) weekend

2010-06-06T08:44:00.011-07:00

I did a trade with a guy from work, so I am at the end of a nice 3 day weekend. Not too exciting, caught up on a number of things from the 'to do' list, watched some racing, and hangin' by the pool.

Last night I went to a 50th birthday party to welcome one of our newest 'members', and even tried dancing on the ol' foot a little - it handled it well for the most part! A little sore today, so will relax with more NASCAR & pool time.
Tonight, as the sun went down, it cooled a bit, so Caryl & I went to a free Sunday night concert in the park to hear some rock and Motown music courtesy of The Groove Merchants. A nice mellow way to end the weekend!

Memorial Day vacation

2010-06-03T04:16:00.006-07:00

Well, this past weekend it was back to the Ozarks for the Memorial Day weekend. As it has been an entire year due to the accident, I was really relishing the chance to get out on the boat. A nerve-wracking start, as the airline had messed up my ticket, but once that was corrected, it was smooth sailing. On the way down, I stopped and met relatives for some mexican food in Sedalia - I had planned on seeing the parents but a nice surprise that my aunt and uncle were there as well!

After a hour or two of cleaning on Friday (plus a trip to the marina for a new battery) I headed off on the water to meet some friends for dinner/drinks. Saturday was spent on the boat cruising with different friends and then off to party with my brother-in-law Saturday night. My sis had a friend down for the weekend as well, so Jim got a kitchen pass - thanks Julie!

Sunday was more boating, and listening to live music on the water, plus the normal fireworks display. Per usual, on Monday most everyone heads back home, and that left me time to do a little research on vacation properties at the Lake. Then I kissed goodbye to the weekend by heading to a little bar on the water and listening to some more tunes before putting the boat away for the weekend. The weather really cooperated this weekend - not even the usual 1 day of rain. It was great to get further back towards normal.

Topless Road Rage

2010-05-02T12:31:00.005-07:00

A perfect weekend to have the convertible top down, so I headed out with other "topless" friends for a run; thanks to Wanda for organizing this! We road tripped up through Wickenburg, then on to Prescott, and Jerome before heading back down the hill to Phoenix. This route featured some great winding roads, perfect for opening up my V8 and testing it's limits through the twisties!

Then last night it was a relaxing night of watching NASCAR, and letting the ankle rest!

Salsa Challenge 2010

2010-04-25T07:40:00.003-07:00

Well another great weekend (and there are not that many left before the heat gets here), so I went to this year's version of the Salsa Challenge at Tempe Beach park. Caryl, plus my friends Mike and Linda joined in the festivities, and by the time we were through, we had stuffed ourselves with chips, salsa samples, and a couple of adult beverages to boot. Today is it time to relax and rest the foot before heading to work, as yesterday was fun but tiring on it.

AZ Bike Week

2010-04-22T04:23:00.004-07:00

Last week was the 2010 version of Arizona Bike Week, and another step in my return to normalcy. I tried to get out on my bike ( the one remaining one I own!) a little each day or night, and test the waters, if you will. Except for some trepidation each time I saw a car pull up to a corner, it went fine. Plus some of the time I was riding in a group, and that made me feel much safer, and hopefully more visible. Nothing too wild as the riding went, mostly up and down the city streets, but at least I can say I am officially back riding. I went to see the concerts all 4 nights, and that was probably as hard on my ankle as anything. Simply standing on it for several hours at a time gave me proof I have a fair amount of strengthening still to gain. Still, it was a great week to be out, and I am glad to be able to say I could do it.

There are more pictures posted via the 'My Photos' link at the bottom right.

the return of spring racing

2010-04-11T20:55:00.005-07:00

Well it was another fab weekend here, just right for NASCAR to return, and me return to it. After having to miss last fall's races due to the accident, I was chomping at the bit to be there live. As I still have a ways to go before the ankle is back to perfect, I decided to only go out for Friday night's Nationwide race. It was a great race, and my hat is off to Kyle Busch for showing his stuff, racing back after a penalty to take the checkered flag. Also thanks to my friend Randy for letting me kick back at his trailer on the property while the traffic thinned. The food, drinks, and friendship were much appreciated!

Then Sunday, as I had the extra day off, I went down early in the morn to watch the beginning of an event called the Copperstate 1000. There were some 90 or so vintage cars (1973 or earlier) that their proud owners had brought to show off before heading out on this road rally. Incredible examples of cars that could be in a museum, but their owners use them for their intended purpose - to drive! They filled the local baseball stadium grounds for all to see, and then one by one, were announced at they headed out on the rally. Truly a very cool sight to see for any car guy (or gal). You can check out the rally info on this link:
http://www.mensartscouncil.com/cs/cars_show.php

After that, it was off to my local Mustang club meeting, and then home to ice & recuperate the ankle for the work week.

the last of spring training

2010-03-28T08:25:00.003-07:00

As this is the final weekend for spring training, Caryl and I ventured out to see the Royal vs. Oakland A's game. Another perfect day - we had lunch in the sun over in Surprise at Hurricane Grill & Wings (on the patio, of course). This made us realize we had forgotten any sunblock, so after a quick stop at the store we were off to the stadium and still got to see first pitch. In the end the Royals were victorious 14-12!

That wore out Caryl, but I ventured out to a house party last night that was close to home. Each time I venture out I run into a few more friends that I have not see since the accident. I really appreciate the fact that they take time to ask how the recovery is going; their positive vibes are a great boost to me.

Julie's visit

2010-03-22T23:01:00.002-07:00

This past week my sis was in town on business, so she came up and stayed over this weekend so we could catch up a little. As you can imagine, it was great to see her, as I have not seen the family since the accident in August (and before). Saturday she arrived and we relaxed with some lunch and sunny patio time. Then I convinced them to go with me to my local Mustang club show to see some great cars and a number of people I have not seen for a long time as well.

Sunday we relaxed, and Caryl, she, and I went to Fountain Hills for a small art fair. While we were having lunch I got to watch the Tigers unfortunately succumb to WVU in the NCAA tourney, but at least they put up a good fight. Then we strolled through all the art, and finished on a close-by patio to enjoy a glass of wine before we headed back home, and Julie back to work. All in all, a great weekend.

when bad turns to good

2010-03-16T22:06:00.002-07:00

Well an interesting twist to the day. I went to Pt early on, as usual, and then had to make a quick trip to the dentist as my implant post had fallen out over the weekend. This was supposed to be a quick screw it back in and head for work, but the doc needed to do some cleanup work before re-installing the post. This unfortunately required some Novocaine shots, and thus, I ended up being in medical DQ status for work. After assessing what I would do with my new-found day off, I realized the Royals were playing ball at Surprise stadium, so off I ran. It was a great day in the AZ weather, and I got to see Gil Meche pitch. Unfortunately, the Royals could not give him any run support, so they lost 2-0......... :(

Scottsdale Art Festival + 3-way Birthday

2010-03-14T09:23:00.004-07:00

As I only had one day off this weekend, I tried to make the most of it. The nice weather has finally arrived! I met with my friend Patty Saturday afternoon, and we spent it strolling through the Scottsdale Art Festival. This is always a great show to attend, and when we needed a break we sat down and caught a blues band that was one of the many groups performing at the fair.

Then Saturday night Caryl and I headed to a party that was thrown to celebrate 3 different friends' 60th birthdays that occur in March. As I have not gotten out for a long while, I got to see many faces that I had not seen in quite some time. After that, it was back home to ice the ankle, as it was a long day (and night) of standing on it.

Before I head to work today, I will get to enjoy the kick-off of both the IndyCar and Formula 1 racing seasons - woo hoo !!!!!!

A nice weekend

2010-03-08T07:59:00.005-07:00

Well, as the weather was nice (rain held off until Sunday when I went back to work), I got a chance to do a few things. Friday I took in one of the Royals' first spring training games with my friend Jill (another MU alumni). A fantastic day as the weather was perfect, we got to see Royals ace Zack Greinke pitch, and the Royals won 4-2! After that a little happy hour to celebrate and the day was done.

Saturday Caryl and I went to watch the Tigers try and topple those hated KU Jayhawks with the alumni group, but it was not to be as KU proved too much for us. While down there, though, we took in the end of a little car show that was happening next door, and got to see a supercar that is produced now here in Tempe, called a Gumpert (the orange one). Very cool to be driving and come up alongside this thing. I even got a thumbs up back from them as we passed in my Porsche!

Sunday morn I attended church with Caryl, as she officially became a member of the Lutheran church here in Scottsdale. Then it was off to a rainy day at work.

closer to normal

2010-02-28T12:40:00.002-07:00

Well, I forced myself to get out of the house this past few days and do a couple of fun things. The Phoenix Open golf tourney is in town, and while I do not feel healed enough to spend an entire day on the course with the gallery, I did find time Thursday night to go to the after-party @ the Bird's Nest and take in a band - Collective Soul. I have liked them for a long time, and true to form, they put on a good show. The weather was nice, and a good crowd on hand as well.

Then on Saturday night, Caryl and I went a different route. The Parada del Sol rodeo was in town this week, so we went and watched that performance, and what a good one it was. Well, except for many of the riders, as the bulls and most of the horses won in last night's competition. Halftime was neat, though, as a guy came out and used his horse and a bullwhip to coax 2 buffalo around the arena, culminating in having them jump onto the back of a flat-bed truck and then up a ramp onto the top of a trailer! He and his horse then followed them up - quite a sight to see, to say the least. Alas, we forgot to take the camera, so no photos of this to show you :(

weekend in Tejas

2010-02-23T21:05:00.005-07:00

Well, as my ankle is healing, I decided to test it a little with a weekend trip. My parents are doing the snowbird thing in south Texas, so last weekend I made a quick trip over to say hi. Having not seen them for a year now because of the wreck, I thought it fitting. Plus, I move no faster than them right now, so we were a good pace for each other. Not a lot to do in the border area, really, but they took me to see the last remaining hand drawn ferry in the US.

After that we went to a little place on the Rio Grande that served lunch and had live music. Apparently it is wildly popular with the snowbird crowd as it was packed. So we had lunch, listened to some music, and enjoyed the nice weather. On Sunday, it was a day of rest watching the NASCAR race, and then out to a good Mexican restaurant they knew of to dine. Not a fast-paced weekend, but just what I needed to get out but not overdo on the ankle. At least it is a start back to traveling, right ?!?!?!

2010 first posting

2010-01-20T18:27:00.002-07:00

Well the New Year is here, and I am continuing to heal. While progress is slow, I can feel slight signs of improvement. I actually can take the dog for a walk (or hobble, at times) so that is something good. Tonight I went for 1.25 miles - not great but a start. We are getting rain here all week, weird for AZ. I had thought of going to the Barrett-Jackson car auction this week, but with a sore ankle and sloppy weather, will just watch it on Speed Channel and save the money. Not that I am dong a great job of saving $$$ right now. As a present to myself for keeping after the physical therapy, I just committed to buy a little toy to celebrate and keep myself focused on the grand prize - walking normally again. The link is below:

http://www.iautohaus.com/web/1541/vehicle/228954/2002-Porsche-911%20C4S%20Tiptronic--Tempe-AZ

As they say, there is no substitute...........................

The end of 2009 - finally

2009-12-31T19:53:00.002-07:00

This past week we took Caryl's mom to 'las Noches de la Luminarias' , an event at the botanical gardens where they line the pathways with luminarias, and have musical groups singing while you partake of the grounds. That was about the only positive for the week.

As a final insult to me, the past week since Christmas has added more grief to my life. First, the day after Christmas I contracted a sinus/bronchial infection which is still hanging on to this day. This forced 3 days off work sick as a dog, and has embattled my stamina and spirits. Then, I found out late Sunday night a relative had suddenly passed away, further dimming my holiday spirit. Thanks to my other relatives for keeping up to date as to the details of her passing. My illness was too much to try and overcome, so I was not able to be there for her funeral today. Kay, may you rest in peace. As a final slap in the face, MIZZOU produced a lackluster effort and lost their Texas Bowl game to Navy 35-13. So much for any NYE festivities this year.........

All in all, it is a year I never care to repeat, from the accident, to Caryl's breast cancer, to the previous paragraph's transgressions. 2009 - I am sick of you, and glad that you are gone!!!!!!

To all, I hope for a you a happy and prosperous New Year.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-20T09:22:00.006-07:00

A quick post here to say hello and Happy Holidays to all! I continue to progress slowly - much too slowly - but do see some signs of progress. I can actually walk around now without the boot as I see fit. It feels good to not have that clunky thing on, but does not take long for me to feel the effects of that lack of support around my ankle. This has been a VERY slow season for me, as I usually do not feel like doing much by the evening hours due to soreness. So no holiday parties to show pics of this year, and I had to postpone my Xmas Eve open house for yet another year :(

Caryl's mom has been in town since Thanksgiving to help her through the last stages of her chemo treatment. The final one was Wed. December 9 - YEAH !!!! Now at least she can start the healing process. They invited me over for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, and plan to do the same for Christmas, for which I am grateful . Speaking of food, a friend from back in KC sent me an emergency shipment of Kansas City BBQ (thanks Rog!). Caryl, her mom, and I enjoyed the balmy winter weather here yesterday (temps in the 70s) and I prepared that. We then went out for a little drive last night to look at Christmas lights around the valley.

If you are traveling for the Christmas holiday, please be careful so as to return safely home - Merry Christmas !!

Baby steps

2009-11-13T16:28:00.005-07:00

That is truly what it feels is happening. Last week I got the OK from the surgeon to start putting weight on my foot, and begin physical therapy - OUCH!!!! I am so sore that I can barely take anything but small, hobbling steps the next day. If this is progress, it sucks!! Still have to sleep with the other half boot on and that stinks as well. As it is too sore to chance, I have given up yet another fun thing on my fall agenda - the Phoenix NASCAR race(s). I will have to watch them from home and be content to have beer and the bathroom close and easily accessible.

To the left are pictures of the healing foot and new walking boot.

Now back to Caryl....

2009-10-03T05:53:00.003-07:00

Well, Caryl got the news she was not wanting to hear this week. After a second opinion concurred, she will need to go through chemo for her breast cancer. This will involve 4 treatments, spaced 3 weeks apart. Sounds like the holidays will be a bit less bright for her this year, but as we both can attest to, getting past it ( and this year from hell for both of us ) is worth it.

As for me, no changes to report. I still cannot put weight on the foot yet, but the external healing is mostly complete, anyway. I have had to cancel 2 trips to Vegas the last 2 weekends due to this, and am not happy about missing the fun I had planned or forfeiting the money on tickets.

that's all for now.........

Back home ............

2009-08-28T21:51:00.012-07:00

I was released from the hospital on Wednesday, and have been at home starting the recovery process. It is amazing, and maddening, what formerly simple things are complex, if not impossible, from the confines of a wheelchair. I am now starting to grasp what a slow and painstaking recovery looms ahead. Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers, calls, and show of friendship and support during this very trying period in my life.

God Bless!!

now bad news for me.....

2009-08-15T22:23:00.004-07:00

Well, I am writing this post from the hospital room at John C. Lincoln here in Phoenix. Last Tuesday night as I was riding my motorcycle home from work, some blind jackass decided to pull out in front of me and wrecked both the bike and me. Needless to say, this not only maddens me at morons who cannot seem to understand the simple process of looking for traffic before pulling out to cross the street, it is a huge statement as how EVERYONE needs to look out for motorcycles. I have been riding some 30 years, and work hard to survive other people's negligence. This time there was nothing I could do to avoid the impact, as this guy drove literally into the side of me. While I avoided death, I have had my life put completely on hold, as the impact broke my ankle and gave me numerous cases of road rash. I will require 4 surgeries and 2+ weeks in the hospital, and then continue to need months of physical therapy to get my life back on track.

Please people, pay attention while you are driving, and LOOK OUT FOR MOTORCYCLES!!!!!

Good news for Caryl

2009-07-30T05:16:00.002-07:00

A quick update regarding Caryl's breast cancer. This past Monday she went in for additional surgery to determine if the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Final report from the oncologist was a resounding NO - YEAH !!!!! This means she can opt for the short ( 5 day) localized radiation treatment, and be on her way to a full recovery. Thanks to all who have been keeping up with this, and for your support and prayers for Caryl.

July vacation (con't)

2009-07-27T18:49:00.018-07:00

The rest of the week was spent hiking on Tuesday and Thursday. plus a day of learning to fly fish in the middle on Wednesday. Caryl even decided to give it a shot, and what a hoot! As you can see, we did not have to go looking for local fauna, as it gave us a number of shots by wandering on the property.

Finally, we had to start back home, and spent a few hours on Friday at the Royal Gorge, home of the world's highest suspension bridge. I HAD to drive over the bridge to complete the experience! After that, it was on to Durango, CO, to spend the night. The next day, we stopped at 4 Corners (aptly named as you can stand in 4 states at once) for our final tourist stop, and a little shopping from the local native Indian artists. We had to fill up with gas in Flagstaff, and got one last taste of cool weather as it was rainy and cool there, much unlike the hot weather that awaited us as we reluctantly exited the truck a couple of hours later in Phoenix!

July vacation

2009-07-20T21:08:00.006-07:00

Well, I am a little late getting started on this, but will catch up tonight. It has been a fun adventure so far, and getting out of the AZ heat is good enough. The only downturn so far is that Coco (the dog) seems to have developed a stomach problem, if you will. Hopefully after a vet trip tomorrow, she will be fine until I can get home and look after her.

As for us, it has been a neat adventure so far. We left AZ on Friday and go to take in the upper Salt River Canyon, with it's cool streams and desert flora. Caryl was oh-so-happy to be able to dip her feet into a cool mountain stream! then we stopped at the VLA (Very Large Array) outside of Socorro, NM, to take in the sites of one of the world's larges radio astronomy sites. There are some very smart people doing this stuff ! After that it was a little dinner and on to Albuquerque for the night. The cool morning weather the next day made it difficult to leave, but we knew we had to press on! All that driving was worth it, as we made our way late on Saturday into the little mountain town of Estes Park, CO.

Sunday brought a relaxing day of walking their little downtown area, and we were not alone. The summer weekends bring herds of people to get out of the heat and play in the mountains.

On Monday, we set out for a ride through the Rocky Mountain National Forest, truly a site not to be missed. Not only did we get to see magnificent mountain ranges, but got to see some local fauna in the form of elk and marmot. No moose yet, but we are still hoping!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T14:08:00.005-07:00

Well another July 4 is here, and I hope this finds everyone out there well, and enjoying a good day of BBQ and fireworks. I was supposed to have to work today, but that got moved back to yesterday, so I get the day off to enjoy as well. It will be spent watching racing and a little BBQ here as well. If the monsoon storms do not rain it out, we will try to catch some evening fireworks here in the valley.

Last weekend was my only 2 days off in a row this month, so I did some catching up on the 'to do list' around the house. Then Saturday Caryl and I went to an ice cream social sponsored by my local Mustang club - yum yum ! This was followed by us taking some chairs and going to an outdoor shopping mall a mile from the house and listening to some live music by the Groove Merchants. It was a nice, albeit hot night, but we settled in with a bottle of wine, and the breeze after dark made it easily bearable. As this band is one of Caryl's favorites, she was quite happy to put up with the heat for a few hours outdoors!

Speaking of Caryl, a note concerning her. She went in for a lumpectomy 2 weeks ago, and this week we found out it was, in fact, cancerous. The good news it was only stage 1-2, so with some radiation therapy she will hopefully be good as new in several months. I will continue to update as we know more.

June happenings

2009-06-14T07:17:00.018-07:00

June has been a little bit slower month for things, as I have worked quite a bit of overtime, resulting in only 3 days off thus far. However, the last 2 Saturday nights have provided a little fun, as both have had parties. The first was to celebrate my friend Brian's passing the half-century mark. Welcome to the club, buddy!

On the following Thursday night, seeing as how the weather was still amazingly cool this time of year, I got the bike out and headed to a Thursday night bike gathering on the west side of Phoenix near the Cardinals' football stadium. The shopping/dining complex is called Westgate, and they have a real nice Thursday night happy hour, if you will. As I forgot my camera this night, photos are courtesy of Cyclerides.com, and you can access them via this link: http://www.cyclerides.com/ridephotos/westgatebikenight/wgbn041609/index.htm

Then this past Saturday night, it was the annual luau party at Shayne & Susan's house. They have a great backyard with sand and a palapa hut, plus the sounds of Alonzo, a talented musician who plays island music, plus all the dance stuff your could ever want to hear.

Susan's mom even got in on the party fun, as she offered up vodka-spiked watermelon - muy delicioso !!!

Memorial Day vacation

2009-05-27T07:47:00.012-07:00

Well, as usual, I took off the week of Memorial Day, and went back to the Lake of the Ozarks to play. This trip held a little anticipation, as I had the interior of my boat redone over last winter, and had not seen it except in pictures. I was happy with the result- it looks like a brand new boat! The weather was as forecast - warm and sunny the first part of the weekend, which made for some fun boating, and hanging out with friends in the cove. Sunday we tripped down the lake to a couple of bars on the water, and enjoyed some adult libations.

Then, as you can see by the picture, Monday (unfortunately) was as forecast as well. It rained most of the day and night, but that allowed for some grilling out and relaxing, as my parents made a trip to the lake house to visit. We even had time to watch the also-very-wet NASCAR race from Charlotte. Tuesday was back home, but the nice part is I still have the rest of the week off to relax and catch up on some stuff!

On Thursday, being somewhat caught up with errands, I took the day off to head to Lake Pleasant and hang with some friends on their boat. It sure was nice to relax and leave the driving to someone else!

An artsy, jazzy weekend

2009-05-08T07:11:00.017-07:00

Well, this weekend started off by zipping back down to the Chihuly exhibit at DBG, as I spoke of in the last blog. It was cool to see how the lighting added effects to the artwork. We even got to see a AZ King snake out taking in the exhibit and grounds as the night ended!

Then it was off to Stingray sushi in Old Town for a quick bite - yum!!

On Friday night, I tripped up to a local shopping district, as they had a outdoor jazz concert series in their little amphitheater area. Once the sun went down, it was a nice night to sip some wine and listen to some jazz. I even ran into a couple of friends, Leah & Diane, who had come for the evening as well.

Then on Saturday night, Caryl and I went up to a local resort which was hosting a live jazz concert. Craig Chaquico, formerly of Jefferson Starship, was in concert, along with a couple of local brothers who duet on the guitar. Having always been fond of guitar music, this was a great night under the stars listening to some fine jazz.

An everything Saturday.....

2009-05-03T12:19:00.003-07:00

Well this past weekend was fun, but really covered the gamut as to things I did. Friday was catch-up day, so I could play on Saturday, and play I did. I started out with getting a facial ??? Caryl had bought me a gift certificate for this, and I finally decided to use it. Actually, it was pretty nice and relaxing. I wondered if they would put those cucumber slices on my eyes, but thankfully it did not happen. I guess this makes me kinda "metrosexual", though, eh?

Then it was on to the Desert Botanical Garden. A renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly, had joined with the garden to showcase some of his talent by creating and installing pieces throughout the garden. It was partly cloudy and breezy, a perfect time to take in a stroll through the DBG and see this stuff. It was incredible, and glad we got to see it. We are going to make a quick trip back down this Thursday night, as the pieces are illuminated and supposedly give an even more beautiful view.

Then the day got decidedly more casual. I hurried Caryl into the truck, and we sped up to a sports bar near the house to catch the Kentucky Derby. I got Caryl to try a mint julep, even !! As we got there just before post time, I told Caryl to run and put $2 on every horse to win, just to add a little drama to the "most exciting 2 minutes in sports", as they call it. Turns out the horse that won was a 50/1 long shot, so our $38 netted us a $103 win - yeah !!!

After that we headed home, and just relaxed with dinner and watching the NASCAR race. I have to say, though, a fun and very diverse Saturday for the books.

Salsa Challenge

2009-04-25T17:16:00.005-07:00

Well, another fun annual event here is the Salsa Challenge. Basically, lots (I mean 30-50, depending on the year) of groups arrive, make, and let you sample their salsa recipes. The event benefits the AZ Hemophilia Society. For the minimum donation($10) you get as much salsa & chips as you can handle for the afternoon. Plus, there are booths to buy beverages as well, and why not have a cold margarita to boot? Today the winds were up, but that made for a great day in the sun, eating and watching the love bands that also play at the event. They have a margarita mix-off as well, where groups come up with some wild (sometimes awful-sounding) recipes, and they auction off items as well as a sample of the margarita for the winner.

On Sunday, as I had an odd Sunday off, it was simple R & R at the casa. I watched a full day of racing, washed the bikes (and the dog) and just relaxed. Nice to do that sometimes!

Long Beach Grand Prix

2009-04-21T22:10:00.042-07:00

Well, another year, another time for me to get away to Long Beach, CA, for the Toyota Grand Prix race. This is accurately billed as an event, not just a race. With 3 days of action, and 2 days of varied types of racing, it really is a race fan's dream. This year, unusually, was quite warm, with temps in the 80s and (unfortunately) record-breaking upper 90s - whew !!! Also this year Caryl accompanied me, the first time she has done that since 2003.

The ride over was uneventful, save for the ticket I got from CHP for failing to see a "no right turn" sign in Palm Springs - jerks !!!!!! We stayed at a European-style boutique hotel right in the middle of Long Beach. A very cool idea, but we agreed the room, however chic, was too small to repeat next time. We are used to big, roomy American hotel suites :)

Saturday was the usual fun - the Pro/Celebrity race, which never disappoints for action, especially in Turn 1. This year Keanu Reeves raced, along with pros like Al Unser, Jr., who incidentally won the race. A couple of wreck pictures to show why Turn 1 is the place to be! Then later in afternoon, the ALMS series raced, followed by a free concert by Puddle of Mud.

Sunday was the scorcher, but great racing nonetheless, with Dario Franchitti winning. Then the Speed World Challenge (SCCA) finalized the race weekend. All the drivers from this series were in an autograph session on Saturday, so I waited in line to have all of them sign the series poster. This should be a great addition to my "man cave " !!!

Also, it was fun to catch up my with my friends Stuart & Lisa ( and of course, their daughter Lily) for dinners, racing, and general merriment. Stuart provided me many good insights on why I should just bite the bullet and retire, and I admit, he makes a pretty good argument for it!

Happy Easter !!

2009-04-12T12:04:00.006-07:00

A Quick happy Easter to all. Caryl and I went to church this morning, and then it is off to work for me. Even Coco got in on the action, with her pink Easter bow!

We were supposed to go see the final ever race at Manzanita Raceway with some friends yesterday, but a rare April rain made them cancel and reschedule for today. Guess that means I won't ever get to see dirt track racing at Manzy, as the locals call it. A lesson to all; quit putting off things as the chance to do them may escape you .

Arizona Bike Week

2009-04-06T07:19:00.014-07:00

Well, this past week was another good one for motorcycle riders, as Arizona Bike Week was in town. While not as big as Sturgis, it is still a fun time to ride and see thousands of bikes in the valley. The weather mostly cooperated, with winds being the major culprit to a less than perfect week. The usual spate of activities happened, though this year work precluded me from taking in the early week fun. As of Wednesday, though, Cyclefest was is full swing, and I took in several of the nighttime concerts at least - a benefit to living only about 5 miles from where the main event was held. I got to see Gin Blossoms, Blackfoot, and on Saturday Cheap Trick, one of my favorite bands.

Friday was the Mesa Firefighters Benefit ride, and this event just keeps growing in popularity. This year it took a longer ride, which would have been great, except for the construction delay we encountered plus the gale force winds. All in all, still a nice day to be on the bike with friends. The down side of this was the winds took their affect on my health. Allergies from all the pollen being blown around turned into bronchitis, and so while I still tried to have fun, I was sneezing and coughing my way through the weekend. It also took a toll on my bike as well. When I got done with the ride and tried to start it - no go ?!?!?? Thank goodness for AAA, and the fact it happened at the end of the day only a few miles from home!

Saturday we took a ride (on my other bike) with some other friends out to a little town called Wickenburg, and then rode back through Cave Creek to some local biker haunts. As we anticipated, there were throngs of people out that day. We headed home so I could rest up, as we wanted to see Cheap Trick that night.

All in all, another fun week, my health notwithstanding, but that is what makes life worth living.

Sweet 16 - Ba-Beeee !!!!!

2009-03-28T20:05:00.006-07:00

Well, MU basketball has had a great season. Pre-season picks had us at No. 7 or 8 in the conference, but the boys had something to say about that. After being in the Top 10 on and off, they won the Big XII tournament and headed for Big Dance. March Madness bore out our great season, with initial wins over Cornell, and the Marquette. That allowed MIZZOU to head for the Sweet 16, which just happened to be held here in Phoenix - yeah baby !!

I headed over to the arena to hang out with other Tiger fans, and hoped to grab a unused seat for the second session, which we were in. I could not have asked for better..... Not only did I get in, but snagged a seat 6 rows off the floor behind the Missouri bench. To add to the greatness of the evening, No. 3 MIZZOU pulled off the upset against No. 2 Memphis, and in the process scored 102 points. A team scoring 100+ points had not been done in quite a while, though the specifics escape me right now. That does not matter, as seeing MIZZOU live in a great win is something to appreciate! Alas, when we hit the Elite 8 game, we finally succumbed to UConn 82-75, but not after another great game that went down to the wire. Congrats, Tigers, on a great season!!!

Scottsdale Art Festival

2009-03-23T08:34:00.010-07:00

This weekend we kicked off spring by going to the Scottsdale Art festival, in Old Town. As usual, the weather was good, if not a little hot, but a nice breeze kept it comfortable. Caryl and I had a nice lunch on the patio before heading in, and enjoyed a great afternoon. More pics in the 'my photo album' section....

Then later that evening, I took Caryl to see a show that was in Phoenix for limited engagement called Cavalia. It was done by one the founding members of Cirque de Soleil, and featured horses as the main part of the show, combined with some of their usual circus-type acrobatics. All in all, a pretty nice way to spend the day. If you want to see a clip of the Cavalia show, click on the link below.

http://cavalia.net/

The Wingert files (or trip, I guess)

2009-03-16T00:01:00.013-07:00

Well, this past weekend saw my friend Roger and his wife Eileen come into town for a bit of Royals spring training baseball. The weather gods smiled on us yet again, and provided for some great weather and baseball watching. We got to take in 2 games, Thursday versus the division rival Chicago White Sox, and Saturday, which featured my hometown AZ Diamondbacks taking on the Royals in Surprise Stadium. As Caryl was working for the first game, she was gladly in attendance for the Saturday event. For this game, I really have no way to lose, as each team resides in a different division. Oddly, though, it has been in the past a fairly close game, with the Royals in triumph. Not this time, though, as the D'Backs let fly and gave a good ol'-fashioned butt-kicking to the Royals. At least it is only spring training. As for my KC guests, though, at least they got to see the Royals return the favor to the Chicago White Sox, so as to at least get a split for their "series" here.

We also got to do a little hiking. Last year, Roger and I went off to check out the flora and fauna while Eileen spent time with her relative. This year she was having none of it, and so we all went to a trail on the east side of Scottsdale that provided some beautiful views and hiking. Nothing too strenuous, just enough to enjoy the day. After that, we relaxed on the patio of a nearby Mexican restaurant and celebrated with a margarita - not a bad way to spend a Friday!

As usual, if you want to see the entire slide show, click on the 'my photo albums' link to enjoy....

p.s. As you can tell by Roger's tshirt, our allegiance does not stretch to the college level. As of this writing, however, both our teams have made it into March Madness with high seeds. Congrats to all the Big XII teams, but GO MIZZOU !!!!!!!

play ball !!!!

2009-03-07T22:49:00.001-07:00

Well, it is that time of year - spring training is in full swing (pun intended, I guess). The temps have been great for an afternoon of baseball. The local news says crowds are a little down this year, and I can attest to that with my first Royals game. Just fine for us locals, though, as that is just more room to stretch out. And I even got to see the Royals win - yeah !!!!

Then Saturday, I got to do another of my favorite spring rituals, the Great Arizona Beer Festival. This is a charity event that has about 50 different micro-breweries from all over the West give samples of their beers. As the temp was barely 70 today, that made for some great tasting and enjoying the sunshine. Every year, though, this thing just keeps getting more crowded as the word gets out. I may have to skip it in a year or two as the bloom is off the rose.

Vegas NASCAR trip

2009-03-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, over this past weekend, I took my first trip to watch the Las Vegas NASCAR race. It was supposed to be a fine weather weekend, and that is not always the case in Vegas for this race. Also, as the economy is the worst in the nation for housing, I used this trip to look for a possible vacation/retirement condo in Vegas. On the way up, I took a little momentary side trip through Kingman and drove it's little bit of the old Mother Road - Route 66. There is really not that much distinctive left, but they do have a little historic district, and museum, along with a couple of nostalgic diners. Certainly not a destination anymore, but it was fun to say I have done it.

After that, it was on to Vegas for the real part of the trip. Saturday was as advertised, warm and pleasant for the race. That allowed Brian and I to do a little tailgating when we got there before heading into the race. A cigar, a libation, and the sounds of race cars practicing in the distance made for a good warm up. Sorry to say the race was not quite as good. There were 8 wrecks in the first half (100 laps) of the race and things got a little boring. But finally they got a number of laps of good racing in, and all was worthwhile.

Then Sunday, we headed down to the Strip to watch the race to the NASCAR Cafe in the Sahara, always a good time. As you would expect, the place was loaded with NASCAR fans and jumpin' !!!!

On Monday, it was off to look at a number of condos, and get some ideas regarding the possibilities. I will write more regarding this as it plays out.

Caryl's Mom visits

2009-02-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an eventful week or so. Caryl's mom, Lois, came into town from frigid Ohio on Saturday 2/14, and even with it being it a little cold for us (60s), she was glad to be out of the snow. We got her settled in, and went out for a nice Valentines dinner at McCormick & Schmicks - yum! The next morn, we met with Lois and went to the 5 & Diner - a 50s style diner that Caryl and I favor for breakfast.

After that, the girls split to go to an art fair. Me, as I have been having ongoing knee problems, set at home that day nursing it with with ice, etc. The only good thing was it gave me a chance to sit down and watch the Daytona 500. Also, as I have had a bad couple of weeks concerning electronics, it gave me a shot to check out my new surround receiver as well. The second part of the bad electronics is that my computer crashed later that week, so I am doing this post on a new computer as well. My work to keep the economy stimulated, I guess, much to my chagrin :)

Then it was off to work for the week, but that still left time to meet up for dinner a couple of nights. The best was dinner at Pinnacle Peak Patio, a cowboy steakhouse famous in these parts for their food, plus the collection of ties hanging from the ceiling (they cut them off anyone foolish enough to wear one into the place). I will post photos of this as soon as Lois sends me some :)

Then on Saturday we wore Lois out, starting with the Parada del Sol parade, billed as the world's biggest horse-drawn parade. This is a precursor to the rodeo that happens later that week, and provides some cool (and some kitschy) horse groups and floats.

Then it was off to the Fountain Hills Great Fair, another fine art festival to spend the afternoon. I think Lois, who always likes to be on the go, got all she wanted and more, at least on the weekends! Too bad she had to leave on Monday, when the temps here were in the 80s, and it was 14 degrees when she arrived back home in Ohio - brrrrr !!!!!

Auction Madness (redux)

2009-01-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, this last Friday saw me attend one of the other auto auctions in the area, this being the Kruse International. It is much more down to earth, being a regular guys (in the car guy sense) type of collector auction. Prices are WAY more reasonable, and you find a variety from daily drivers to classics to exotics. Last year I saw some smokin' deals pass through here, and so this year I bit the bullet and registered as a bidder. Truth told, I knew there were going to be a number of Hertz Shelby Mustang convertibles on the block, and was hoping to steal one with the state of the economy. Well, that did not happen, but I still got to see some pretty cool cars.

I did get in the action and bid on one car. It was a former Bondurant Racing School Corvette, which was still able to be registered on the street. I thought "wow, what a cool track day car". So yes, I bid it up a little, and apparently have bought a race ready street car !?!??! This could be the epitome of mid-life crisis !!!!!

A p.s. to this story. A glitch occured in this deal, as all was not as advertised; the deal ended up falling apart. Whew !!! Saved by the gods from myself again...... :)

Auction Madness !!!

2009-01-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Well, as January goes here in Phoenix, some of the big events are numerous classic and collector auto auctions, with the wildest and biggest hoopla being associated with Barrett-Jackson. It is truly beyond compare, with fabulous cars, a few stars, and lots of people watching as well. This year provided perfect weather, and even with the economy, there was plenty to see. As I had a 2 day weekend (rare these days with the state of the FAA) I took advantage Friday for a day of ogling all the automotive bling there was to be seen.

This events boasts not only cars, but a "lifestyle" area where automakers show off their stuff, including the 2010 Camaro, but many booths with automotive-related clothing, art, accessories - you name it- geared toward the well-heeled car guy (or gal).

After that, it was time for something a little more down to earth, so on Saturday Caryl and I headed a few miles north in the convertible to take in a fine afternoon of sun and art at the Carefree Art & Wine festival. They host these a number of times over the winter, and are a great way to spend an afternoon and see some fine original art. I even bought a couple of prints and a vase this time. Now if I can just find time to hang them!

The Big 5-0 !!!!

2009-01-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, it finally happened to me; I hit 50 years old. Still not sure what to think of it. I don't really feel any different, yet all those friends(and AARP) are doing a fine job of reminding that I passed a half century, and am now a part of the "mature" generation. To make sure that I did not forget my younger past, I went to Vegas to usher out my 40s and party with a buddy. Most of the time was spent watching football and enjoying a few adult libations, but I did manage to get him to go out to a club on Saturday night as well. It was a fun outing as we started in the casino/hotel, but then they felt the need to show me the "other side" as we headed across the street to the Longhorn (definitely a locals hangout). Saturday we headed down to the strip to see the Wynn resort, Encore. What a culture shock. Let me tell you, there are plenty of people in the world not affected by the current economic situation..........

On the way up, I stopped at a neat campground area with great views of the AZ scenery.

Then on the way back I took the truck off-road (sort of) to traverse Christmas Tree Pass outside of Laughlin, AZ. This is named for the desert shrubs midway through the pass that are year-round decorated by anonymous locals with Christmas ornaments. A cool little 15 mile jaunt, to say the least.

Then on Monday (the big day) I headed out to a local brewery, Gordon Biersch, to celebrate the night with Caryl and a few other friends. All in all, a pretty good way to usher in the age 50 !!!

By the way, tonight I spoke with an old friend back in KC as it is his 50th birthday today. John, Happy Birthday, big guy !!

Happy Holidays !!

2008-12-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

A belated Merry Christmas to all, and I suppose a slightly early Happy New Year to boot. This year, as usual, found me working on Christmas Day at the airport, but don't cry for me Argentina... As I take Thanksgiving week off to rest and/or travel, I try to work Christmas Day to allow fellow workers with children and family to enjoy that day. However, it is generally an easy, cookie-filled day - but not this year! For the first time in 14 years, it actually rained on Christmas and the couple of days before. Let me state emphatically that I do not like this :) It really dims down the gloat factor when your weather is as bad as the friends and family back in the Midwest. However, since then our weather has turned beautiful again and we are boasting the low 70s for the remainder of the week.

As for Christmas Night, some friends cooked a wonderful dinner and invited us to partake. It was a nice evening of new and old friends, and made the day a special one.

Then the next morning Caryl dropped me at the airport to catch a 9 am flight San Diego. This was for the purpose of finalizing a deal and taking delivery of a little Christmas present to myself - a 2002 Audi TT ALMS edition coupe! I had driven one of these about a year ago, and finally was able to obtain a deal on this car that I could not refuse. It was a fun drive home, with a stop at a great lunch place in El Centro, CA, called Burgers & Beer. The name says it all, and how could you not like that, right ? And you cannot drive through Gila Bend, AZ, without taking a picture of the Space Age Motel, an institution there. Since then it has been back to work, and wait for this next weekend, when I will celebrate my impending birthday. That's right, the big 5-0 !?!?!?!

I will post next week to let you know how that feels. And to to top off the week, I was able to get together with about 50 Tiger fans to watch our exciting (and more than a little lucky) win over Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl - GO MIZZOU !!!

Happy New Year !!!!!

Sedona Red Rocks Fantasy

2008-12-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Caryl and I took off for a quick overnight trip up to the high country. Every year a resort in Sedona (Los Abrigados) has a Christmas light festival on the property. This involves 20 or so families that are long-time owners (it's a time-share property) that come up and set up fantastic holiday displays in the yards in front of their condos. Caryl had a free 2 night stay at the property, and had never seen this, so off we went!

The weather was supposed to turn nasty over the weekend, and we did get a brief shower Friday while we were at dinner, but it ended by the time we headed out to see the lights. A perfect, crisp winter evening to put us in the holiday spirit!

On Saturday, we had planned to stay and shop in Sedona, but the forecasted weather started to arrive, and the wind made it cold enough so that even Caryl cried uncle, and we headed back to Phoenix, where the temps were milder, even with the wind.

It is sometimes hard to get into the Christmas spirit here in the desert, as there are no absolute seasonal changes. It sure helps to be able to drive 2 hours and be in a climate where the Holiday spirit thrives. As I watch the news this morn, they even got 3 inches of snow in Flagstaff overnight. Perhaps a prelude to a good Arizona ski season ?!?!?!

Thanksgiving trip

2008-12-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

Well, as usual, I headed back to Missouri for my annual Thanksgiving week trip. This is the latest I commit to going back to the frigid Midwest in the year; After that, they can come see me where it is warm in the winter! Quite unusually, I actually drove back this time. It's a hard 2 day drive, but my SIRIUS radio and Caryl along for the trip make it somewhat easier.

We stopped as we left Arizona to take a couple of pictures of our diverse landscape plus a sign that makes me chuckle whenever I see it. A "Dry Lake Yacht Club" ??? Sounds like a good excuse for the local boys to go drinking to me - "honey, I'm headed to the yacht club to meet the guys....". We also stopped by to see the world's largest cross. Caryl had heard of this but had no idea it was right off I-40!! Really quite an impressive spectacle, with the cross being circled by a bronze depiction of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

Anyway, it was a great week with unusually good weather back there. Highs in the 50s made for some late fall weather that was nice to be in, and made all the travel quite easy. As usual, it was great to see all the extended family I rarely get to see, and it was extra special this year, as my relatives Eric & Jennifer hosted the gathering at their new home just outside of Jefferson City. Congrats to you both for a beautiful home and a great dinner!

We struck out early Friday morning, as Caryl wanted to stop at some places in Springfield, MO, and do some Black Friday shopping!

As we headed back home, one of the impressive things was actually the Texas rest area and visitors center. It has a great description of the area and it's history, as well as explaining all the turbine windmills in the area. And, of course, being Texas, they had their state colors adorning the side of the building at night, reminiscent of the state flag. The downside of the trip back was having to listen to MU lose to those damn KU Jayhawks in our annual football showdown. Even though we barely lost in the end, it seems like a stake in the heart to lose to KU ever !!! All in all, though, a good trip, and we got to sample several fun restaurants along the way. My favorite was Ned's on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, a fun sports bar with a biker friendly attitude and some great food that included New Mexico's famous hatch chiles - aye carumba !!!!!!!

Then, as we crossed the AZ border on the way home, we just had to stop at the Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post- an Arizona classic rest stop! After that, it was hammer down time - rollin' home to get back to the warm AZ sunshine and say hi to the pets.

Fountain Hills Fair & wine party

2008-11-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

This last weekend saw another perfect weather picture here in Phoenix; a perfect excuse to head to the east end of town and see the fall Fountain Hills Art Fair. With temps in the 80s and a light breeze blowing, it was a great way to spend an afternoon. Obviously by some of the pictures, you can tell we were not the only people who thought of this!

After this, it was off to an evening wine tasting party that a friend on mine throws annually. With 40 wines to sample, some good appetizers, and the chance to catch up with many friends I had not see in a while, a perfect way to top off the day. Thanks, Brian, for hosting the gathering!

Fall NASCAR races

2008-11-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well, as you probably know, I am an avid racing fan. It's just too cool that Phoenix gets to host 2 of them a year, and as I had some planned time off, I got to go to the track and enjoy a couple of races. We went to the the truck race on Friday night, and this was even more exciting than usual, as the 2 contenders for the points championships entered the race separated by 6 points and ended it separated by 3 !! We then went back out on Saturday for the Nationwide race, and again saw a great race won by mere car lengths on the last lap. This is what you come to the races for!!!!

A special treat for me was after the Friday night race, we went to the new racetrack bar - the Speed Cantina - to wait for traffic to lighten before we left. As we were standing there, lo and behold, a personal favorite driver of mine (Robby Gordon) entered the crowd. Suffice to say, it was very cool to meet and get a picture with a driver I root for every weekend !

Copperstate Mustang show

2008-10-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well this past weekend, my local car club - Copperstate Mustang Club- hosted their bi-annual car show. This year it was a little more special event than usual in that is was also a sanctioned Mustang Club of America show. The event was held at the Wildhorse Pass Resort/Casino on the south end of town. A great place for the event; it numbered some 230+ cars registered for the event. Of course, I had to bring my Stang out to show off as well. It is not really a show car, but like many owners, we still like to show them off in the un-judged display class.

It was a tiring two days for me - I helped park cars on Friday and Saturday- but well worth the time and effort spent to see all the cool Mustangs in attendance. A couple of people even drove from as far as the Carolinas to enter their cars! And yes, this is my Stang, for those who may not have seen it before. The only problem with going to shows like this is you say - dang, I see lots of cool cars and add-ons I want for my car !!! This can lead to a depleting of the bank account without a fair amount of willpower and resistance. I was fairly good, buying only a couple more performance parts, and some new t-shirts to wear to club events.

I will end with a few more shots of some great-looking cars!

charity motorcycle ride

2008-10-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about living in AZ is that when motorcycle season is winding down elsewhere, it is just revving up here! A friend of mine is part of a great organization (Share the Magic), a charity group that benefits several domestic abuse shelters. They have for the past several years done a charity bike ride to raise money for this cause, and I have been happy and proud to participate. This year was no exception, so last Saturday off we went, as they expanded the event to a "ride & drive" . (This is mainly because Joan's fiance, Al, has both a bike and a Corvette, I secretly believe). Nonetheless, it added to the size of the ride and made for a great spectacle down the road as there were some 35 motorcycles and about 20 Vettes in the mix, plus a couple of other tag-along convertibles. It was a great day for the ride, of course, with the temps topping out in the low 90s. Here in AZ, with low humidity, that makes for a great day! Not to mention a pretty darn good excuse to stop and grab an adult beverage at the stops along the way!

After this, we went with some friends to a fun local biker hangout - the Hideaway, in Cave Creek, to finish up the afternoon. As it would happen, there was a radio station having a promo there and the fun just continued!

September in the Ozarks

2008-09-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Well as usual, I end the summer with a trip back to Lake of the Ozarks to enjoy the cooling weather and use the boat for a little fun. The weather is generally the best of the season, and this year was no exception. The first night there and the last night there, huge rainstorms swept through the area, but that simply cooled things off nicely. The rest of the time was great weather to be on the water - highs in the 80s and low in the 60s! Woo Woo!

Most of the time was spent hanging with friends and family, and then nightime gave way to a little partying at any of the the bars on the water. Not a bad way to spend a week!

Later in the month, I had some extra time off, so I came back to the Lake to watch the Offshore Super Series boat races. This was only the second year for this, but man, what a sight! The temperatures were once again perfect - highs in thd 80s/lows about 60 - and plenty of sunshine. It is really cool that they allow you to anchor your boat only 100 feet or so from the edge of the race circuit. That equalled 2 days of hanging in the sun and water (with some adult libations, of course!) I even ran into several formere co-workers, and we were able to spend Saturday night at a local restaurant surprising and catching up with many of them. As fall and winter are quicly approaching in the Midwest, this was a last great fling at the Lake. Following are several pictures of the racing and general merriment that weekend.

Vegas Birthday bash

2008-08-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend saw me trade hot, humid weather in Phoenix for even hotter, arid weather in Las Vegas. It was in celebration of my friend Rob's 50th birthday bash. (man, there are a lot of those starting to happen now - I really am getting old) Anyway, as I am not that much of a gambler, Caryl and I just saw to checking out the Strip and doing a little partying with friends. On the drive up, we took the scenic route and went over Hoover Dam for some cool pictures. Friday night was happy hour after we arrived and got checked in, starting at the Harley Davidson Cafe. A great place to check out bikes and pictures of some famous people seated on them. Then it was off to meet at the the new Planet Hollywood Casino & the Hawaiian Tropic Zone Bar. Good thing there was lots of TVs to watch sports, as then Caryl didn't mind me watching the help walk by !!

Saturday entailed just walking the Strip and checking out the interior of several casinos. As the high was 109 that day, it was perfect to be able to dive into a casino and cool off every little while. We soon discovered that a few of the casinos had way more to offer than just gambling, such as the Secret Garden at the Flamingo. Yes, it even had live flamingos in this area, along with a fabulous koi pond and lush vegetation. Saturday night was dinner and fun with the birthday boy, and then we all went downtown to the Fremont Street Experience. Some gambled, and some (like us) watched the video show there and then caught a couple of different bands. That kept us going until about 1 am!

Sunday I had plans to go the NASCAR Cafe and watch the race, but in advance of that, we had a little fun. My Vegas buddy Brian hooked us up with a free pass to the top of the Stratoshpere and a seat on their rides. I had previously done the roller coaster at the top, but they had since deleted this ride as they deemed it too tame ??? Sooooo, that left us with doing the next less wild ride - the Hot Shot. Basically, you strap in and this thing shoots you straight up for about 100 ft (with 4 Gs of take-off). Then, at the top you start a free fall until the hydraulics kick in and ease you back to the base. I talked my buddy Brian into doing it with me - Caryl would have none of it. Lift-off is the only way to describe the sensation, and you forget everything except to hold on for dear life! The free fall is equally stomach-churning until the hydraulics kick in to ease you back down. After that, no one dared do the other 2 - named, appropriately, the X-Scream and the Insanity. Perhaps some other time on my "bucket list" :)

cool Flagstaff weather - yeah!!!

2008-07-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to get a Sunday off work, so Caryl and I headed to the high country (again) for a quick respite in Flagstaff. At 7000 ft., the temps are much cooler than down in Phoenix. This weekend the highs were 80 on Saturday. Then with a nice, relaxing rain overnight, the temps stayed in the 60s the remainder of the time we were there. It was nice to be able to have dinner on the patio again. One thing I became acutely aware of, though, was how busy Flagstaff is as a railroad town. Trains came through 5-6 times while we were eating dinner at one of the restaurants, and the waitress said they probably get 60-70 trains a day ?!?!?!

Anyway, it was a nice time, and a special note to add. Saturday we had stopped by the animal shelter in Flagstaff to see what animals were there, and I ended up adopting a new one! She is a Heeler (cattle dog) mix, and I named her Coconino (as that is the county she resided in heretofore). I will just call her Coco for short, and have a attached a couple of pictures!

July 4th vacation

2008-07-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well, in the past I have usually set out for the Ozarks to again use the boat, but in the last couple of years have gotten away from that simply due to how the holiday fell. This year travel prices helped me come to the decision to make that a more permanent resolution - to stay closer to home for the July 4th week's vacation plans. It has been nice, albeit hot, here but nothing we are not used to by now. I got to see some fireworks on the nights of both Jul 3 and 4, so that really set the holiday weekend off in style.

A nice surprise was that my buddy Brian, another KC transplant to Vegas, called and said he was headed down to one of our regional lakes for a day or two. I took the opportunity to head out to Lake Pleasant and see him for a few hours on Friday. As one of his friends had their pontoon in the water, we went and coved out for some sun, swimming, and a few adult libations. Even the wild burros made an appearance in our cove!

Saturday held a couple of get together with friends: a pool party and then a trip to a nearby wine bar for some evening wine & conversation. On Sunday, Caryl and I took up some friends on an offer to meet them at a local indoor karting track. I figured it to be fun, but it was even better than I had hoped for! We ended up doing 3 separate heats, and in the final one I even got fast lap time! Driving around their short track for ~ 15 minutes increments gave a much greater appreciation for what professional racers go through, as they are strapped in for 2 -4 hours in a Nomex suit. Quite grueling to say the least......

The rest of the week was mainly spent up in Arizona's high country (I was at about 5000 ft) relaxing away from the heat of the monsoon season. I stayed at a rustic lodge outside of Payson AZ, called Kohl's Ranch. This is on the banks of Tonto Creek, and the weather was just perfect! Caryl was able to sneak away from work for the first 2 days, and we went to explore Tonto Natural Bridge state park. This is the world's biggest natural travertine bridge, and you can hike and crawl right through it. The remainder of my time was spent hiking a few of Arizona's many beautiful trails. I got in hikes on the Tonto Creek, Box Canyon, and See Canyon springs trails. As there is always a good chance of rain in the afternoon, I did most of these late morning through lunch time. Then it was time to head back to the resort, hit the pool, and relax in the cool mountain air with a bourbon and a cigar. Not a bad way to spend a few days! It finally rained the last evening I was there, and made for an enjoyable finale to my mountain getaway.

Dick's passing

2008-07-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Truly, I don't quite know what to write here, but feel I should say something. As we move away from places in our lives, there are people whom we have known that stay with us even as we live and change. Such is the case with Dick Mitby, a former supervisor, and then fellow Airspace & Procedures specialist with me during my time at Kansas City ARTCC. There are too many great memories and lessons learned to address in detail here, but suffice it to to say I admired, respected, and learned from Dick in the time I was able to know him. He had been suffering in the last year from an ever-increasing set of maladies, and thanks to his loving wife, Paula, for including me on those email updates regarding his condition. One of the last ones I received from her sounded hopeful, yet the tone regarding his condition hit me with it's impending finality. As I was back in KC for a wedding over Father's Day weekend, I made it a point to make a trip to his home in Olathe before heading back to Phoenix. Though Dick was immobile due to a stroke and his body giving out, the smile that I remember on a daily basis was ever-present during my visit. I received an email from his wife that he passed away at 4 am today, and while I and many others whose lives he touched are saddened to lose him, I am proud to have known him and thankful that I was able to spend even a little time at his side before he went peacefully into Heaven.

God Bless you, Dick, and rest in the peace that the last year has not given you.
Remember there are no bogies in heaven, just a multitude of mulligans!

It's a party !!

2008-06-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend of June 21-22 saw 2 of my friends (Donna & Maureen) celebrate the Big 50 ! It reminded me that I am not that far behind ..... hmmm. Of course, parties were in order. And since the temperatures in Phoenix were their normal June 110+ degrees, what is the only way to celebrate - a pool party! Always a great mix of people, some I don't get to see that often, were in attendance, so that added to the merriment. The picture is of Donna; unfortunately, I forgot my camera on Sunday so no pictures of Maureen - dang! This was also a going away party for Maureen, as she is moving to Norman, OK, to see her son through high school and then into the military. We'll miss you , Mo !!

Jeff/Chrissy's wedding

2008-06-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I made another trip back to Missouri over Father's Day weekend. Usually I don't head back there this quickly after Memorial Day, but this year was special. I got to see my nephew, Jeffrey, and his long-time (I guess, when you consider they are barely in their 20s) girlfriend Christina tie the knot. It was great to be there to witness, plus I got to see many relatives I often miss when I live half the country away, so that added to the pleasure! It was really quite a short wedding ceremony (much to most guests' pleasure) and then off to the reception to do some catching up.

Since I was back in the Ozarks area, I could not miss the opportunity to get up Sunday and spend one more day boating at the Lake of the Ozarks! All in all, a great, if not short, weekend back to good ol' Missouri. I even had time to stop off for an adult beverage at a fun little Lake bar, with one of the best names ever!

Oww.. wait, I mean, SWEET !!!!!

2008-06-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Usually when you get bitten by a bug, it hurts, but not this one. I went to the local NASCAR track and took a ride-along in a stock car through the Richard Petty Experience. Needless to say, I have been bitten and am hooked! I have done this once before in an Indy car, and I now know what I want to do. I can no longer be content riding next to the instructor; I'm gonna need to drive one of these babies ! Time to save my money up to do more of this.

As for the rest of May, it is starting to heat up here, so indoor activities are becoming the rule. A group of us headed over to the Glendale Jazz & Blues festival for one last nice, warm day of music. I got to take in a Diamondbacks game as well as one from the Rattlers (our Arena football team). The month culminated with a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. A nice, long, relaxing weekend was spent hanging out and boating. As usual, it rains sometime during this weekend in the Midwest, but the weather gods smiled on me. It was never raining during the time I really planned to be on the water.. sweet !!!

April = racing!!!

2008-06-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here in Phoenix, there are still a number of things to do, but high on my list is attending the spring NASCAR race, and all it's revelry. Being night races, it can lead to some cool temps, but this year the weather was perfect! The next weekend, I made another favorite trek to LA to catch the Long Beach Grand Prix. Having a long-time friend living there makes it all the more enjoyable, as they own a wine bar close to the event - woo woo !

The month ended with a fun Phoenix event, the salsa festival. Warm weather, tasty salsa, and a few margaritas to boot make for an enjoyable afternoon as the weather starts to warm here. All in all, this has been a cool spring for us, with temperatures staying in the 80s throughout the month and into May. Just why we live here!

Spring training

2008-06-02T11:35:00.001-07:00

As is normal in March, the buzz is all about spring training baseball, and in all fans' hearts, hope springs anew for their team. My friends Roger and wife Eileen stopped by for a few days to enjoy the great spring weather, do some hiking, and take in a couple of Royals games.

more catch-up

2008-06-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

In February, even though you do not think of AZ as a ski destination, we really got to do some of that here! The rains that drenched the valley this winter led to the best snowfall in some 10 years here, so I took off a few days and headed to Pinetop for the first time to ski at Apache Sunrise. This is actually close to the real skiing elsewhere. With 3 mountains and only the locals there for this trip, I got in more runs than I could count.

The first time!

2008-06-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well I finally made it! I had sworn to start a blog this year, but it took me until halfway through the year to get it done. Whew! It has been an eventful start, which had aided in my lack of ability to get to this point. The year started on a sorrowful note, with me losing my beloved companion and dog, Maddie. It is amazing how much we come to depend on animals to be there and simply give us unconditional love. However, I was blessed to have her company for 17 years, and she is now resting peacefully along side her sister (?) Candi, in a beautiful pet cemetery here in suburban Phoenix.

As for the rest of the spring, it was filled with the normal glut of things to do here in Phoenix. Our winter, if you will, is chock full of events, with a variety of things to do. I attended art fairs, motorcycle rallies, a charity beer tasting (always good!), the normal slew of collector car auctions, and even made it to 5 Royals' spring training games. Yes, growing up in Kansas City as I did, I am still a hapless romantic when it comes to rooting for the Royals and the Chiefs. The picture is of me (on the left) with my friend Mike in town for some spring fun. We had joined others at a popular hangout for bikers and tourists alike - Greasewood Flats - for some Sunday afternoon relaxation and libations!