June 19, 2010

Wow, this month is racing by, and we still don't know where next month will take us. But things have changed a bit from last week--something we're getting quite used to.

On Sunday of last week, Budd's boss called and told him not to come to work the next day. She had been given conflicting information about putting him to work on the 30-day emergency hire basis after his seasonal position ended. She chose the information that allowed her to put him back to work, but it turned out that the other information--that he would need a new background check--was correct instead. In fact, the background check the park service did for his seasonal hire last June was only valid for six months. On Sunday, we didn't know that though, so she thought he would be off for a day or two while she straightened things out. By Monday, she learned that he would have to wait for the background check, there was no help for it, and that it would probably take until the end of the month.

Meanwhile, she also found out that my time was NOT extendable. She told me on Monday that I would be done on the 24th, but, not to be denied the last word, HR counts it 60 days on the 23rd. So I'm done Wednesday. For the first time in a year, we will both be unemployed. (Well, I was self-employed last year, and more or less still am, but not counting that.)

The kicker is that Timpanogos Cave can't put Budd back on as a seasonal until that background check is done, so we'll be hanging out here waiting, not having anywhere else in particular to go. We should find out sometime this next week where we will go first (Timpanogos Cave, Canyon de Chelly and Denver are all possibilities) when things are straightened out again. At this point all we can do is laugh.

On a more fun note, I've been invited to participate in the saguaro harvest next Friday, and if it isn't 110 degrees out I think I'll do it. I've been noticing some red at the top of the saguaros, and couldn't figure out what it was because I'm half blind. It's the fruit, which bursts but stays attached to the cactus when it's ripe. How's that for handy for the birds?

Speaking of birds, we heard some absolutely hilarious stories about birds at a going-away party for one of the park guides who is transferring. She started the fun with a story about her last day here during a previous season, a Sunday. It seems that a tourist had seen a turkey vulture on the road and stopped to see if it was hurt or what. It seemed to be dead, or nearly so, so for some unknown reason he decided the thing to do was bring it to the Visitor Center. To do this, he had his wife get out of the front passenger seat and sit in back, and he strapped this large bird into her seat with the seat belt. A turkey vulture, in case you don't know what they look like, is one of the ugliest birds you would ever want to see. I'd guess they stand close to two feet tall, and they have probably a 4-foot wing span. They have black feathers with light undersides on the wings and tails, but the creepiest feature is their heads, which are bright red, seemingly featherless, with a cruelly-hooked beak. Meanwhile, back at the Visitor Center, the gentleman comes in and tells Kristi he has this dead or severely injured bird in the car, and what should he do about it. After explaining that in a wilderness park they always let nature take its course, Kristi nevertheless decides that they have to help this guy with the bird. But, since it's Sunday, there are no resource management people on duty, only law enforcement rangers. So she goes back to their offices and says, "Who wants to dispose of a dead turkey vulture?" This of course requires an explanation. Finally, one of the rangers says he'll do it, and he makes arrangements by calling the housing area and telling them that he may have to shoot a severely injured bird, they may hear gunshots, etc. Then he goes out to the car. That's when he discovers that the bird is seat-belted in. As he hits the release for the seat belt, the bird, who has been playing possum for a while, does what every turkey vulture does when it feels threatened (Kristi's description) and regurgitates its last meal. Of course, turkey vultures are carrion eaters, so this is not a pleasant occurence. At this point, the wife (who was not happy about being relegated to the back seat anyway) declares she is going to fly home to Oregon and divorce our unfortunate tourist. The ranger scrambles back out of the way of the angry bird, and runs back into his office to call for help from the nearby wildlife refuge that adjoins the park. They tell him to put the bird in a box and send the tourist back to Ajo with it. When he comes back out of the office, Kristi loses it and laughs at him, because he's wearing something over his nose so he can get near the mess it has left in the car. After a little struggle to find a box and wrestle an angry wild bird into it, they send the tourist on his way, presumably with wife...Kristi didn't say. The ranger mutters at her never to ask him for anything again and stalks back into his office, to the merriment of his co-workers, who have also been laughing at him the whole time.

We had barely caught our breath from laughing at this story (of course, this kind of story is always better in the first person, with gestures and voice inflection) when the next person chimed in with her story. It involved a British sports car with the top down, a bird on the highway and a truck driver. Apparently the bird (I forget what kind) lifted off a little too late as Betty approached it and lost lift when the car drove under it, because it hit the top of the windshield frame and flopped over into her lap. Fortunately, there was a red light and an opportunity to stop right away, and the bird immediately tried to fly out of Betty's lap. Unfortunately, it got its foot caught in the spokes of the steering wheel, which Betty described as resembling a bicycle wheel. So there it was, flapping like crazy right in her face, when the light turned green. She turned to look at the driver of the truck behind her, only to find that he was doubled over laughing at her predicament. She turned back just as the bird freed itself and flew away. This story was MUCH better to hear in person, as Betty was acting out not only her part but the bird's, with much flapping of arms. By this time, we were holding our sides and gasping.

That's when Sue told the last one, about a time when she was an interpretive guide at a park that I gathered was somewhere in the Pacific northwest. I didn't get the name of the park, probably because I was still barking with laughter from Betty's story. Sue's involved a juvenile bald eagle on a suspension bridge with four lanes of heavy traffic. Somehow she spotted it on the pedestrian walkway while driving across the bridge and had to drive back around to get to it, but as she approached it decided to walk across four lanes of heavy traffic right in front of an eighteen-wheeler. Sue described the look of panic on the truck driver's face as he looked first at the eagle, then at her, while applying his brakes for an emergency stop. Somehow he managed to keep the truck upright and in its own lane, but the eagle had decided Sue was the lesser of two evils and had turned around and made a beeline for the walkway, right between her feet. She picked him up and got back in her car with the baby eagle on her lap holding on to one finger with its talons, and after clearing the bridge she called one of her co-workers to meet her outside with a box. Later she learned that it wasn't too young to fly as she had thought, and that if she had helped it outside the wires of the suspension bridge and tossed it into the air it would have been able to wing it. But on the bridge and confused by the wires, it couldn't get enough lift from where it was to make its escape. So she probably did save its life.

I've been going in to work just a little earlier in the morning since Budd has been off. Found a ride with one of the other temps, as that drive is right on the edge of my distance limits after a long day and as hot as it is. The first day I drove it by myself, I fell asleep for a second just as I passed the town square and scared myself half to death. I was so grateful a pedestrian didn't step into my path right at that moment, and that I had made arrangements for a ride for the following day. Driving out earlier in the morning has given me the chance to see a little wildlife, first a coyote with a hurt foot right at the edge of town, and yesterday two little does. I thought they were babies, because they are much smaller than the mule deer I'm used to seeing in Utah, but my co-worker said they were full-grown. I love seeing deer--they are such pretty and graceful animals. These waited by the side of the road until we were right beside them, Ken slowing way down to avoid hitting them if they decided to run in front of us. Then they turned and ran away into the desert. I've heard there are big mountain lions around, but haven't seen one, and still have yet to spot a javelina, but I'm always on the lookout.

June 12, 2010

Happy birthday tomorrow to our grandson Andrew, who will be 12. They are all growing up too fast, especially now that we are too far away from them to see them every week. When we saw them a couple of weeks ago, they had all grown a foot it seemed. Chris's kids all now tower over me, but I still have Shawn, Andrew and Seth in the height department. Matt the younger is about the same height as me, maybe an inch or so taller at 15.

We survived the first week back at work after our two-week vacation. When I started working, I 'worked up' to my 5 a.m. rise time over a week or 10 days. This time it was cold turkey after backsliding while on vacation. The first two days were brutal, and I found myself nodding over the keyboard in the hot afternoon. But the weather started cooling off--relatively--by Wednesday, so it got better. I must be acclimated to it again--woke up at 5:20 a.m. today, without an alarm, after staying up until after midnight reading.

Monday brought a very sad incident that seemed close to home as we saw our first obvious group of three illegal aliens northbound on the road when we went to work. They were smiling, waving and waving water bottles as we passed, so we knew they were thirsty, and figured they had been traveling at least 5 hours by then as we were about 10 miles from the border. We've been told it's dangerous to stop for them, and in any case we had no water for them, so we continued south to the park. My boss had already called one of the park rangers at home by the time I reached the office, so we thought all was well. We soon began hearing radio traffic that told us we were wrong. This group told the rangers who intercepted them that they had left a woman behind in the desert because she couldn't go any further. They had become disoriented about their directions, though, and they couldn't give an accurate description of where they had left her. As the temperatures climbed through the morning and afternoon, it became a desperate search with no positive results. Meanwhile, another group of 26 was rescued just in time for five of them, who were well into the danger zone from heat and thirst. A few rangers were required to transport them and turn them over to Border Patrol, while the rest continued the search for the missing woman, finally calling out a helicopter and taking one of her group up for a look at the terrain to see if he recognized anything. Sadly, she was not found and has not been seen since.

I spoke to one of the rangers the next morning, learning this sad news and hearing with shock that they recover at least 10 deceased from the desert each year. While I have little sympathy for those who die bringing drugs into the country, the others, like the group of 26, are poor, ignorant peasants from deep in the south of Mexico or even further. They have been told that America's streets are paved with gold, and they pay their life savings to human traffickers, called coyotes, to be brought here to cities where they expect to find work and shelter. These coyotes have no regard for the people who trust them with their lives. They often dump them off just barely north of the border, away from roads sometimes, and tell them that Phoenix is just over the next hill. Then they are gone, back to Mexico with the money they've been paid to see their passengers to safety. The passengers often expire in the desert, searching in vain for a city that's over a hundred miles away. The longer we live here and hear the stories of people who have been here for years, even all their lives, the more we realize that most Americans have no idea of the extent of the problem or the reasons for it. For this I blame the media and politicians on both sides of the fence who are using it for their own political gain rather than trying to solve it.

Monday also brought the news that we had completely misunderstood what we were told about the timing of my temporary appointment. All this time we have thought it was 30-60 working days, and that the two-week interruption for our vacation would obligate me to stay until the end of July although Budd is expected in Denver sometime in July. After much discussion and negotiation, Budd had also started a 30-day critical hire appointment after we got back, as his seasonal position had ended on May 22. However, we learned on Monday that it was 30 calendar days, which means I will be done on the 25th of June, and he will be done on July 6. You'd think that would simplify matters, but no.....

We learned later in the week that my time off may have been entered as a leave of absence, which would allow the park to extend me for two weeks, leapfrogging over Budd's end date by a week. We also learned that Timpanogos Cave National Monument, whose cooperation in re-hiring Budd as a seasonal will allow him to fulfill the detail position in Denver, actually wants him to come back there for two weeks before going to Denver. Attempts to contact people at the regional IT office (where Budd will be working in Denver) for clarification and an idea of the schedule were foiled by the director being on travel until June 21 and the acting director not only being on travel until the 15th, but also not knowing the date they expect Budd to be there. Once again, we are up in the air, but by now we've learned to glide. In a week or so we may know enough to make some kind of plans. Maybe.

One of the many things and people we have to be grateful for is the understanding and cooperation of our landlady. Upon being told of our dilemma in not knowing exactly when we're leaving, but suspecting around the 7th of July, she has graciously indicated she will prorate the rent so that we won't have to pay a full month to stay a week. We hope so much that she will find a buyer or long-term renter from Homeland Security--she has been wonderful to us. I keep saying 'she' when it is really 'they'. Unfortunately her husband has suffered a stroke, and while he seems fully present mentally, he remains so quiet during conversation that I often think I'm just dealing with her. In reality, I'm sure they make decisions together. We were so happy they were willing to rent us the house even though they had wanted to sell it, and it has been very comfortable, even luxurious compared to park housing at Canyon de Chelly.

We haven't met many people here in town other than our co-workers at the park, but I wish I could remember the details of some of the stories my co-workers tell about the characters around here. Someone should write a book, really. About the guy they call Stinky, who prowls the town on a three-wheel bike with a walker in back and isn't allowed into any of the restaurants...they bring his purchases outside to him. Or the older man who used to walk on Saturdays the ten miles to Why to have one beer and then walk back (in spite of there being perfectly good bars here in town). They remember a time when there was a Coca-Cola bottling plant here, and they would all as kids collect bottles and return them there for the deposits, then someone would sneak around back to get the empty bottles stored on the loading dock and bring them around to sell them again. I once told them the story of the man in Moab who, when I was growing up, was said to have a seeing-eye pickup because he was too blind to drive, and how we would all get off the street when we saw it coming. They countered with similar tales. There's nothing like living in a very small town. I'll miss these guys when we leave here...I've never had more fun at work than with the crazy characters from the maintenance division.

June 5, 2010

Happy birthday today to my friend Sushma Supersad. Makes me realize how much I miss my friends from the Nouveau Riche community. Last year we all went to dinner to celebrate Sushma's birthday. Rodigio Grill in Salt Lake, mmmmm.

Happy birthday tomorrow to my brother. He knows who he is. I won't make any jokes about his age, since I'm older--as he constantly reminds me and anyone else who happens to be around. His hair is whiter, though. ;)

We are back from our vacation. Decided on the way that we can't really call it home, so it's now Base Camp Ajo. More in a bit about the job and upcoming relocation.

Vacation was a lot of fun punctuated by a lot of driving. We made a big loop, starting out by spending three nights in Las Vegas. It's about a six-hour drive there from here, and we arrived tired. Budd usually likes to be relaxed about getting started on the road, hates to be rushed. But as I went about a leisurely morning getting ready, he informed me that he wanted to be on the way by nine a.m. That was at about 8:30. Obviously that didn't happen! We pulled out about 10 and arrived in Las Vegas just in time for rush hour.

We stayed on Fremont St. at the Golden Nugget. Over the years we've come to enjoy that area more than the Strip, and there's no question it's more affordable. The Nugget is a 4-star hotel, and I think the room rate was about $64 plus tax. We were quite happy with the room, which was on the 21st floor. One of Budd's favorite silly things to do is bounce in any elevator he gets into. I'm always telling him to stop jumping in the elevators...but one of the days we were there he got in by himself to go get something out of the car. As I napped, I woke occasionally and wondered what was keeping him, but it never occurred to me that he was stuck in the elevator just above the 16th floor, a result of bouncing it too much. He was there about 20 minutes. One of the maintenance men who responded had to climb on top of the car to reset the brake system. Budd could hear him telling the other one that he couldn't tell which button to push. Budd called up "Don't push the one that says 'free fall'!" and heard both men start laughing. A few seconds later he was on his way again. But I still had to restrain him from doing it again each time we went up or down.

For those who have never been to Fremont Street, it is quite an experience. In fact, it's called The Fremont Street Experience. Millions of lights embedded in a canopy that covers two blocks show video every half hour or so, accompanied by a deafening music track. Queen was the featured artist while we were there, so 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are the Champions' are still going through my head. Along with the light and music show, it's a great place to people-watch. Among the tourists strolling the mall are performance artists, people in costume advertising the casinos and other businesses along the street, and kiosks where vendors try to engage one in conversation in order to make a sale. Most evenings there are live entertainers at each end of the mall, in the middle, and sometimes at odd intervals along the way, all competing for attention. On Monday night we had tickets to a singer/comedian/impressionist who made me howl with laughter. We found a club just outside the canopy that had a blues jam on Tuesday night, usually a night when all the live entertainment is 'dark'. We were most impressed by a man who had to be in his 70s at least. His couple of songs were exactly the right combination of blues and rock to get us up off our chairs.

Wednesday found us on our way to Salt Lake City, another six hour drive, not counting stopping time for food or gas. We rolled over the Point of the Mountain pass right at rush hour, again, and took some time to find our hotel. This one we wished we hadn't found, as it was dirty, smoky, noisy and altogether unacceptable. Unfortunately we didn't realize the extent of the problem right away as we just dropped our luggage and went to visit the kids. At midnight the fire alarm went off, fortunately before we were asleep or it would probably have given us heart attacks. We checked out the next morning after securing a room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Sandy. For essentially the same price it was 100% better, and we highly recommend it.

We spent the next four days visiting with the kids and doing a little essential shopping. Budd had surprised the girls and me with gift certificates to Elase Academy Spa, so we got thoroughly pampered with pedicures, manicures and more. In turn, the kids pampered Budd and me with hugs, laughs and food. Heather served an elk steak dinner with corn on the cob that Matt provided. Laurie and her husband Mike, known to the family as Huggy, took us out to Olive Garden on Sunday night. We spent so much time either with the kids or resting that we didn't get to see any friends, but we'll make sure to do that next time we're in town.

We had intended to jump up to Montpelier, ID to visit with Budd's brother and his wife, but that plan got scrapped when we learned that my sister-in-law had pneumonia of a type that is contagious. Before our trip was over, we learned that my brother-in-law had also contracted it. Fortunately, both report that they are doing better now. We were disappointed not to be able to see them this trip--it's been way too long.

From Salt Lake we travelled on Memorial Day to Grand Junction to spend a couple of days with Budd's mom and stepdad. I want everyone to know that I have the sweetest mother-in-law in the world. We have missed her so much, so it was wonderful to get to spend that time with her and visit. We also got to see Budd's sister and most of her family (missing only our niece, but we did see her little boys) on Tuesday for a family barbecue. My sister-in-law is helping raise her two grandsons, and I have to say she is amazing. Those boys wore me out, and all I did was watch them play! They are so cute, and full of energy.

On Wednesday we started the last leg of our trip, back through Moab toward Mexican Hat, UT where we spent the night. We paused in Moab where we visited Budd's other sister and got to see one great-niece and her baby, the other great-niece's toddler and a great-nephew. I also got to have lunch with two dear high-school friends who have remained in Moab. Donna and Judy (sisters) always catch me up on the news from the rest of the old gang while Budd and his sister get to spend some one-on-one time.

On the road again, we passed through Bluff, UT, where Budd spent some of his most memorable childhood years. We cruised around town for about 15 minutes (enough to cover every street, lol), and then headed south. I've never been south of there past the turnoff we took last winter that led us to Chinle, AZ, so it was new scenery that rolled by for the next 45 minutes as we passed the Valley of the Gods and entered the San Juan River valley where Mexican Hat is located. We stopped to take pictures of the rock formation for which the town is named, and then drove on into 'town'. Town consists of a gas station and three or four hotels, one trading post and two restaurants, one of which serves nothing but giant steaks. The hotel where we were registered turned out to be owned by a distant cousin of Budd's, but we didn't get to see him as he was out of town on business. Neither of us wanted a giant steak (well, Budd wanted one but conceded he probably shouldn't have it), so we went to the other restaurant, which we suspect was the cause of his food poisoning. The rest of the evening didn't go well at all.

Next morning, it was with trepidation that I went back to the same restaurant--the only choice for breakfast. Budd was in no shape to eat, so I found some Pepto Bismol tablets at the gas station C-store, but couldn't find ginger ale anywhere in town. I was at the wheel when we shook the dust of Mexican Hat off our heels and took off on the last long leg of the trip--7 hours to Ajo. Plans to stop in Phoenix for groceries were scrapped, but Budd was able to take over driving duties by the time we reached a pull-off opportunity in Monument Valley, just a few miles short of Kayenta. By the time we arrived in Ajo, we were both too tired to do anything but unload the car and drop everything just inside the living room door. I went out to get milk, eggs, bread and something for dinner, but forgot to take the water container.

Friday (yesterday) was the day designated for Budd to sort out all the conflicting information he had been receiving about his job situation while we were travelling. He spoke first to the AO at ORPI, then tried to call the regional IT director to get some information that the AO here wanted, only to find out that the regional person will be out of the office most of this month. There is an acting regional director, so Budd then tried to call him, learning that he will also be out of the office until mid-month. So our plans are still very much up in the air, as we don't know when Budd is expected in Denver. At the moment it looks like that can't happen because of logistics until mid-July at the earliest, so both of us will be back to work as critical-hire temporaries on Monday--me to finish my appointment, and him to start a new 30-60 day one.

In a funny twist to the end-of-vacation saga, I was sorting laundry and Budd was reading, still recuperating from his illness, when the front door opened and a real estate agent, client in tow, walked in yesterday morning. I had mentioned to our landlady that we would probably be leaving by the end of July, and told her we'd be happy to cooperate with showings if she wanted to list the house for sale again. Because of a development in town wherein Homeland Security is exercising imminent domain over a mobile home park, she did go ahead and list it. I hadn't called yet to tell her we were home, and the agent was waiting to talk to us before putting up a sign, so we didn't know it was listed. After an awkward moment or two, we allowed the showing, warning them that the house was a mess because we had just returned from vacation. I really hope for the sake of the owners that the house will sell, but it may mean our having to move again before we leave town. Of course we wouldn't want to stand in the way of a sale--those are too far and few between here.

On that note, I'd better get in gear and get the place ready for future showings...it's still a mess. So much for three days of rest before returning to work, lol. Oh well, 12 days of someone else doing the cooking and no 5 am rise times was enough rest for me. Time to get back in the saddle.

May 22, 2010

Well, I'm here after all, but not because we won't be going on vacation--we just decided to leave tomorrow instead of today. But, there's lots of work to do to get ready so this will be a short one.

First, our plans have settled and we know what we'll be doing for the next few months. Here's the plan: We'll be on vacation for the next couple of weeks, but then we'll be back here. Budd will accept a 30-day emergency-hire appointment (that's a technical term in government service that means they need a temporary worker) and I'll finish my appointment, or most of it. That's the only part that isn't quite settled. The days are business days, and they don't count my vacation, so when I get back I'll have 40 days left and Budd will only have 30. One of us will adjust, or he'll go ahead to the next thing without me while I finish up. That part hasn't been decided yet.

When we're done here, he will be re-hired as a seasonal at Timpanogos Cave and immediately be detailed to Lakewood, CO, near Denver, for a 60-90 day period at the Help Desk. This is to fill in for Budd's friend who passed away a few weeks ago, as I may have mentioned at the time. In government service, they can't just post the job and hire. There is a long process where the HR department combs through each application, which includes usually a resume and some essay questions addressing knowledge and skills related to the job description. HR 'rates and ranks' all the applicants, and then forwards a certified list to the department that's hiring. There is a lot more to it as I've learned from my friend Kathy, a long-time government employee, but it gets pretty complicated so I won't go into it.

The bottom line is that it can take months to get the new person into an open position, hence all the temporary types of appointment. We know of two types, the emergency-hire, which is 30 days extendible to 60 and no more (and can only be done once per year per individual); and the detail, which is when a park sends a regular employee, either permanent or term full-time or seasonal, to work elsewhere. That's the type Budd just finished up at Organ Pipe. I understand there are others, and each has its own rules and regulations, but I don't know anything about them including what they're called.

Our maintenance department, where I'm doing my temporary job, has a few workers who have been hired on a different type of temp appointment. Yesterday was to be the last day for one of them, but literally half an hour before close of business, someone called and asked the boss if he wanted to extend Mike for another 30 days. I wasn't on the scene when Bob told Mike, but I'll bet that was one happy worker. There is very little work in this area, so even 30-day appointments are precious. For the admin clerk permanent position that I applied for around Easter (thinking Budd would be here long-term), there were over 90 other applicants. The rating and ranking on us still isn't done.

I didn't get to help in other departments this week after all, as the superintendent had some projects for me and also gave Bob (my immediate supervisor) some others to give me. In fact, I didn't get them finished and will have a couple of them to come back to in June. My favorite was devising a way to collect the information for an annual energy report in such a way that it will be all ready when the time for it comes. Before now they have had to go back through monthly records and compile it, so the superintendent wanted to be proactive. My response was a monster spreadsheet, with separate worksheets for each type of energy or fuel we use and a summary worksheet that continually updates year-to-date consumption, pulling it from the individual worksheets as monthly data is entered. It links to other spreadsheets that are already kept on a monthly basis so that very little actual data entry is required, and it has embedded formulas to calculate totals. Creating it was a blast, but now I need to populate some of the worksheets with retrospective data from the beginning of this fiscal year. Others are done and already reporting YTD info. For those of you who aren't nerds, I apologize for putting you to sleep. This stuff is entertainment to me. Who was it who said, find employment doing something you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life?

So, it's time to do the laundry so we can pack and finalize where we'll be, when. We will be traveling through Las Vegas where we'll catch a show for which Budd has purchased tickets (I guess it's a surprise--he hasn't told me what it is yet). And then on to either Montpelier, ID to see his brother and sister-in-law or straight to Salt Lake City to visit our kids and grandkids. That part depends on whether Joy is finished teaching school and can visit. One way or another, we'll be in Salt Lake for the holiday weekend, through Memorial Day.

If Idaho doesn't work out, we'll go straight to Salt Lake and maybe then go to Idaho after Memorial Day. Either way, I hope to grab a quick visit with Budd's mom and stepdad in Grand Junction before returning here. If that doesn't work out, at least we can plan to see them when we relocate to Lakewood sometime in July. We have missed everyone so much, that it's really exciting to know we'll be seeing them soon.

With that, I'll say adios for the next couple of weeks, and see you on the flip side.

May 15, 2010

Happy birthday to my grandson Shawn, 11 today. I understand his Uncle Matt bought him a fishing pole and that they planned to go fishing today.

Another week gone already...it's going too fast. I can see the same thing happening here that happened at Canyon de Chelly, when we ran out of time to see the canyon from the bottom. We meant to get to Rocky Point, Mexico, but haven't had the chance yet. Next Friday is Budd's last day at work here, unless he accepts the emergency hire position that's been offered. We still don't know exactly how everything will play out, but my job lasts until mid-July. We have made some applications and enquiries, but no answers yet.

My work week was very interesting, as we at Maintenance were hosting contractors associated with a multi-agency communications installation up in the mountains of the park, where there are no roads. On Monday, two helicopters flew in and used the maintenance yard as a landing pad. Just before they got there, one of our guys went all around the yard with a street sweeper, but there was still enough dust to create quite a mess. I was trapped in the auto shop where I had gone to deliver a message, and my office is on the other side of the yard, with the door wide open. Although my boss and the park superintendent were just outside the door, neither of them thought to close it, so I had sand all over everything when I got back.

Over the rest of the week, we got used to the comings and goings, and I even worked through the take-offs and landings without getting up to close the door. At one point I realized how lucky I was to be doing office work in an environment where I could keep the outer door wide open and get the fresh air. My door faces north, so until 1:00 p.m. or so, it's in shade and the air currents are cool. After that, when the air conditioner comes on, I have to shut the door, but the guys aren't used to keeping it shut so I get my exercise getting up to close it after them.

They had two helicopters because one was to transport people, and the other was for cargo. I have some pictures for Facebook, but I'll say here that it was fun watching them stuff four big guys in the back seat of the 'copter, with one hanging half out the door as they took off, at least on the side I could see from my door. That first day they made three or four trips to take all the men up, and then the big helicopter started ferrying the cargo up, which took the rest of the day. Just before I left for the day, they lifted the biggest load of all--the building into which the communications gear was installed over the rest of the week. I got a chance to talk to the mechanic when he came into the office to borrow the copy machine, and found out some interesting stuff about the cargo ship.

First, it is the only helicopter in existence that can lift more than its own weight. It weighs 5200 pounds dry, carries 1000 pounds of fuel, and can lift 6000 pounds of cargo. The cargo is lifted in baskets (not the technical term, lol) or is just hooked onto the long tow rope (also not the technical term). It has two rotors near the front of the cabin, angled in opposite directions from each other, about 30 degrees off perpendicular in relationship to the body of the aircraft. They rotate in opposite directions, too, which stabilizes the craft and makes a tail rotor unnecessary. That's important because it's what makes it possible for the craft to lift more than its own weight. A tail rotor, the mechanic told me, takes up to 30% of the engine's production. I asked him if there were others like it, because I hadn't seen any. Other than the military ones that have rotors on each end of a long tube-like cabin. This is the only one that looks the way it does that's manufactured here in the US. He said there was a predecessor from the same company that had room for passengers, and that the Russians have a knockoff of this one and a different one whose rotors are one on top of the other. I asked him what happens if the blades of the rotors get out of synch and hit each other, and he said that's impossible from a mechanical point of view, but that inexperienced pilots sometimes whack one against the other because they are flexing up and down. That doesn't cause the craft to wreck, as one might expect, but the blades do have to be replaced, to the tune of $400,000. The mechanic invited me to take a closer look, and I said I wanted a ride. That's when he pointed out something I hadn't realized before...there's only room for the one pilot. He said they'd either have to duct-tape me to the side or put me on the pilot's lap--which I politely declined.

On the third day they were there, the park superintendent pulled some strings and they all went out into the desert back-country to locate a wrecked car that had been out there for about twenty years. Since it's a designated wilderness area, they hadn't been able to go in after it with a truck when it was discovered, so it was just out there slowly decomposing. The Resources Management person who had the coordinates wasn't available, so my boss, who had found it in the first place, said, "Take me up in the helicopter, I'll take you right to it." Anything to get a ride, lol. Less than half an hour later, they were back, the old wreck swinging beneath the cargo 'copter. That caused quite a buzz around the park.

In a funny side-note, I was asked to track down a recycling company that would take the car, and find out what documentation they needed to accept it. The Hispanic-accented gentleman I spoke to said, "Just a title, that's all we need." When I explained where we got the car, he said he would have to check with the company that would buy the car from them. The word came back that we could just write a letter on NPS letterhead explaining the circumstances. I was envisioning having to get a salvage title from the state, so it was simpler than we thought.

It seemed too quiet on Friday, after all the extra people and the helicopters left Thursday evening. At least I finally got the trailer out from in front of my window. My boss had told the contractors to park one of their trailers in front of it to be sure they didn't throw a rock through it on take-off, especially when they lifted the communications building. All of this was taking place in a yard that is probably just a bit smaller than a football field. I got used to walking between the helicopters, even when one of them was running, but believe me, I gave the back end a wide berth.

Next week I may get the chance to help another division. The Admin Officer has said maybe Resource Management, and my boss said maybe Law Enforcement. The only thing I can say for certain is that I've done just about everything I can do at Maintenance, clearing backlogs and doing inventories. There's not enough day-to-day work to keep me busy, as I can't do the most critical thing. That's the data entry to a massive database management system that keeps track of everything maintenance-related in the park. It requires a week of training to get into it, which they don't give to temp hires, so they won't let me do that.

Next weekend may be the beginning of a vacation, so I may not be back to blog for a couple of weeks...but I will be back!

May 8, 2010

I like warm but there's such a thing as too much of a good thing! Temps are running around 95 now, and I'm seriously worried about what's coming. Is there any place that stays right around 75 year-round? That's where I want to be.

Finally saw my first rattlesnake this week. It was in a corner outside the building furthest from my office in the maintenance yard, but the custodian came to get me to see it since I had complained that they were all pulling my leg about there being snakes in the park. It was beautiful, a pale tan-and-brown diamondback, with white and black banded rattles. I wonder if snakes all shed their skins at about the same time, because they all look brand-new right now. Those I've seen in co-worker's pictures, that is, as well as this live one. One of the guys came out with a lidded bucket and a hooked tool about 2-3 feet long, just scooped up the snake and popped it in the bucket, flipping the lid closed quickly. We could hear it rattling inside, guess it was not happy about the treatment. He let it go, far away from our buildings and the campground. Later that day we almost ran over another snake that was the prettiest pinkish-orange color. When I described it to my boss, he said it was a red racer, and that, though not poisonous, it would chase humans. Evidently just playing, as it doesn't try to bite. He said when he was a kid he would get one to chase after him and then he'd stop abruptly and watch it speed past him. I can never tell when they are teasing me, so will take that with a grain of salt until I can verify it.

I still haven't seen a gila monster, either, though I keep hearing of other people in the park seeing them. We are watching the progress of the saguaro cactus blooming, though. Right now many of them look like they are wearing little hats, as the flower bulbs sprout from the tops of the main stalk as well as many of the arms. Some have opened to these almost ridiculously-small white, flat flowers. I keep forgetting to take my camera to work, but will try to make it a priority from now on.

I don't think I mentioned last week that we encountered my boss and his wife at the restaurant we chose for Friday date night. I found out this week that they actually own it. Fortunately for me, I could truthfully tell him it's the best in town, with regard to both food and ambience. It turns out that the other temp admin person who started the same day I did used to be one of their servers, too. Small town fun.

So...I figured out what to do about the national debt. Found out that tens of millions of dollars of marijuana are interdicted just in the local area every year. We're only one of maybe half a dozen small towns that are on the carrier routes for the stuff. I think the government should make it legal, sell what they're confiscating, and use the profits to pay off the national debt.

In a related story, the local school district just got hit with a $1.2 million dollar reimbursement bill for including non-resident alien students in their claims for government education money. These kids' parents provided false addresses within the US, but there are pictures of dozens of them crossing the border every day to be picked up by school buses in Lukeville and transported to Ajo for school. All the locals say that school officials knew very well what was going on, but turned a blind eye in order to get the money.

We've had a bit of a shake-up in our expectations for federal employment, but we don't yet know which way it's going to go, so I won't say more just yet. Hopefully the picture will be clearer by next week. Meanwhile, Budd and I are both applying for fed jobs both here and elsewhere, just to hedge our bets. Watch for us, coming soon to a town near you (maybe).

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially mine and Budd's. We love you! Hope my kiddos call me tomorrow...I really miss them.

OK, it's time for basketball. Go Jazz!!!

May 1, 2010

One week down, and I'm surviving the new job and early hours pretty well! Although I did fall asleep for the first three or four nights almost as soon as dinner was over. And we did have to eat out or eat pre-prepared food three of the nights. Well, I'm sure I'll adjust.

It's fun getting to drive to work with Budd. His boss allowed him to adjust his hours to match mine (7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), and it gives him an excuse to leave on time, knowing that I'll be the only one left at the maintenance yard when he gets there to pick me up. I wouldn't be able to do any overtime, so I just have to wait there, or walk over to Budd's office, about a quarter mile. That wouldn't be a big deal right now, but will be when the temperature is over 100 degrees, beginning at the end of this month we're told. This week we had a cold snap that took us down to highs of only 65-70 degrees for a couple of days.

One morning Budd's boss had him collect me and meet her and her new temporary assistant at one of the buildings that's going to be repurposed. While there, she mentioned that we should be careful to look down as we walk, as the area abounds in rattlesnakes and scorpions. Two of my favorite beasts, lol. Later, the custodian (part of my department and the only other woman in the department) dropped by to visit me because all the guys were out on an all-day project. After she left, she popped back in to say, "Be sure to look for snakes before you step out the door. Last week there was one right here." Then she pointed down directly in front of the door. After forgetting to check the next time I went out the door, I posted a sign to remind me: CHECK FOR SNAKES! The guys are all making fun of me, but I don't have ankle-high boots like they do. Better safe and the butt of jokes than sorry.

My department consists of several permanent government employees and several more temporary-hires for special projects or who were hired with special funds. Maintenance takes care of all the buildings and the stuff that's in them with the exception of the computers, the park infrastructure (water, sewer, electrical), all the automobiles, and the trails. On my first morning there, I learned that there was a job requirement that hadn't been mentioned in the preliminary talks...seems my predecessor spoiled the guys with carrot cake for their birthdays. After a few days, I told them I couldn't make them any cakes because my cake pan isn't with me. There were two responses, 'You're fired.' and 'Let's take up a collection to buy her a cake pan.' lol. The guys are good-natured and fun, especially Alex, who is always quick with a joke or a tease, but never anything that I would find objectionable.

Maintenance has also been working on preparing a site for a communications center that will be shared by the rangers, border patrol, and customs/border protection for their equipment. I have yet to learn what the difference between those last two agencies is, but they evidently are different. Anyway, it was exciting to me because they cleared the maintenance yard so that a helicopter could take off and land there. The site of this communications center is inaccessible by road. They had to fly the equipment, the construction materials, and the workers there, staging everything at the trailhead and relaying them up to the top. They were all gone by the time I got there on Wednesday, and didn't get back until after I left. But on Thursday, I got to see it take off just 50 feet or so away from my office door. Yeah, I know I need to get out more.

Finally, the mystery of the difference between a National Monument and a National Park is solved! We always thought the National Monuments were sort of poor cousins to the Parks. That may be because we both remember a time when Arches near Moab was the former and then became the latter. Don't know how this new information jives with that, but I learned from the Employee Handbook, which I read during a two-hour electrical outage when I could do nothing else, that Monuments are formed by Presidential declaration, and Parks are created by Congress.

An interesting side note with this particular park is that the law enforcement role of the rangers is highly expanded and volatile because the park shares 30 miles of its border with Mexico. I have a radio on my desk, and it's very interesting to listen to the ranger chatter about the undocumented aliens they encounter every day. Our visitor's center is named for a ranger who was killed in the line of duty by drug runners he ran into in the back country without backup. As far as I know, though, no visitors have been harmed or even inconvenienced by this problem. Our rangers are very good at what they do, and they cooperate fully with the other agencies. Sort of a funny side note on that, Budd's boss says that when they have been here a while and then go to other parks, they have to be 'de-fanged'.

Even the custodian, who for some reason is out on the trails by herself when cleaning the comfort stations, mentions encountering them. One day she mentioned that she turned up an unimproved road only to be stopped by a big pile of brush that one had put in the middle of the road. She started to get out and clear it, then noticed him stepping out from behind some bushes, so she jumped back in the truck and tried to call for help on the radio. Unfortunately, she wasn't broadcasting and no one heard her. But the man got out of her way when she shook her head and waved him off. It could have been much worse. I don't know why she is unaccompanied on her rounds. Maybe it isn't as far backcountry as the areas where the Resource Management people are directed to have two rangers per RM person for protection.

I was given two major projects along with a number of minor and everyday tasks at the beginning of the week, and then left to my own devices most of the week because of the construction project that took everyone, including my boss, out of the immediate area. I managed to complete one of the projects and make a good strong start on the other one, so I'm hoping that will impress my boss enough to make him at least think about working to keep me on. He seems to be a nice guy, competent, but somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of work that he's expected to stay on top of. It seems that some, maybe almost all, of the department heads are 'acting' in their titular capacity, but also doing the jobs they moved up from so that they have at least the work of two people to do. It would be nice to be a part of getting the record-keeping, at least, organized enough to allow him to take care of the rest of his duties instead of worrying about that.

At least there will be plenty of work, not too hard but interesting enough to keep me from being bored. There's nothing I hate more than sitting at a desk staring at the phone and twiddling my thumbs. From what I've seen so far, I could do this until retirement without a problem. Now if I can just stay awake long enough to use the late afternoon for something productive, I'll feel like I can justify my keep again.