July 17, 2010

We're now at Timpanogos Cave National Monument, affectionately known in the NPS as TICA. The AO and Supervisor graciously made available a park housing unit that is currently empty, but will be rented to the new maintenance chief week after next, by which time we'll be on our way to Lakewood, CO. We've been here a week, more or less camped out with minimum supplies and furniture. Rather than getting lots of exercise walking/hiking around the park as I had planned, I've put about 50 miles a day on the car just getting errands done. I think I'll be able to stay put most of next week, though.

This house is a far cry from the little duplex apartment we had at Canyon de Chelly. A three-bedroom, bath and a half rambler with actual carpet and linoleum tiles that aren't white make it quite a liveable space. Add the spectacular views and the American Fork river running along the front yard about 15 feet below us, and it could be quite idyllic if we could only stay! I think I've mentioned before that the AO here is one of Budd's strongest supporters, and we had become friends with him and his wife before we left last winter. Last night they brought a Dutch oven dinner and their patio set to make us more comfortable, and we had a great time getting re-acquainted.

I promised an account of last Saturday's surprise birthday party for Budd's mom, one of the sweetest ladies ever. Various family members had been planning and preparing for this party for over three months, and it was a huge success, with all of Mom's surviving siblings and their spouses in attendance. Also some nieces, nephews, my sister-in-law Gaylene, most of Mom's grandkids and great-grandkids and all of the great-great-grandkids (two). Instead of being one huge surprise, it was a series of little ones as Mom saw one or two people she didn't expect to see between the parking lot and the park pavilion. When she realized the true extent of the party, with about 50 in attendance, she couldn't stop saying how surprised and pleased she was. It was a beautiful day, the wind and rain having stopped for the duration of the party. I was proud that we had all four of our kids and most of theirs in attendance. Missing only three of our eight grandkids, one at football camp, one on a previously-planned visit to relatives back East and one that we couldn't arrange transportation for. We saw relatives we hadn't seen in years, and our kids were even more happy to see cousins they hadn't seen in quite a while. Mom was still giddy the next day when we called to say 'bye' as we left town for the rest of the trip to Salt Lake. Budd's friend Doug said we should do it again in ten years, but I want a party just like it in 3 and a half when I turn 65.

The trip from Grand Junction to Salt Lake was relatively uneventful. We returned to Thompson to find our pickup and trailer just where we'd left it and none the worse for wear. I had asked one of the kids to ride with me and Matt volunteered, so we had a good visit on the way. Just one glitch held us up in Price when we stopped for gas in the pickup...we sat too long and the pickup refused to start again. An hour of jumper cable battery charging and a quarter of a tank of my gas later, and it finally did. Our hurried purchase in Arizona is coming back to haunt us as we're certain there's a problem with either the starter or battery, maybe both, and afraid there's a compression problem as well. The pickup is at the mechanic's now for a checkup, and I guess we'll find out Monday what the bottom line will be.

It's a little odd being up here in the American Fork canyon as far as communication goes. We have to drive about three miles to the mouth of the canyon to get cell phone signal. We had a park visitor knock on our door at almost 10 pm night before last, hoping to find a phone because he had locked his keys in his car. Luckily, I had insisted Budd get a key to the admin building which is just across the wide driveway, just in case we had an emergency and needed to phone out. Because we're only here for a short time we couldn't get internet service either. I'm lucky that my Blackberry acts as a modem, but only when we can get cell phone service. However, it is limited service, so I can't use the data service to get to Facebook. I'll have to wait until we're in Denver to post pictures.

Only one other happening of note this week. Budd looked up from the 'dinner table' (which at the time consisted of two tv trays pushed together) and noticed a doe in our back yard. When the picture through the window didn't turn out well, I slipped as carefully as I could out the back door and got within probably 10-15 feet of her for more pictures. Finally she looked up and just stared at me for maybe close to a minute, and then spooked and ran up to the back fence, just a few yards laterally and up maybe 10 feet. There she stopped and looked again, so I went inside to give her some peace to finish grazing. Unfortunately, there was nothing to rest my arms on and the light was going, so none of the pictures did the experience justice. I'll post the best one, anyway. What a beautiful creature! The next day someone from the maintenance department came with a weed-whacker and chopped down all the grass, so I don't know if she'll be back.

Maybe I'll see her on my walks next week if I get up early enough. There is a rough road that runs just behind our yard and then up the hill quite steeply for maybe a quarter of a mile up to a utility building and water tank. I've made the walk twice, stopping for breath every few yards and turning to take in the view across the canyon, then mincing my way down. The grade is so steep that if I don't watch where I place my feet the rocks roll out from under and I end up sitting, rather abruptly. That's happened twice, so I'm being more careful now. The last thing I want to do is wait until Budd discovers I'm missing before someone comes to help me with a broken hip.

The sun seems to be hiding, maybe we'll get some rain this afternoon. I had no idea how much I missed rain in Arizona, until we got some in Grand Junction. I'm ready for more!

July 11, 2010

What a week! Ongoing overheating problems forced us to decide that the old Ford Ranger wouldn't make it to Utah. While seeking other options, Budd contacted someone who had towing equipment, hoping to have the pickup loaded on a flatbed towtruck and the trailer towed behind. That proved quite expensive, but the man did have an old Ford F250 for sale, 1984 model with less than 58,000 original miles on it. (Yes, we checked the Carfax!). So one of our remaining packing days (and way too much of our reserve funds) was taken up by getting to Phoenix to buy it.

We left the Ranger in the hands of a friend in Ajo with instructions to sell it for as much as possible while telling the truth about the issues (we were beginning to suspect a blown head gasket or even cracked head). By the time we hit Moab, she called us to say that the pickup was sold for our asking price! Maybe we should have asked for more? We recouped about three-quarters of what we spent trying to fix it, so I guess it's a lesson learned. The new old pickup has issues that didn't show up on the test drive, but it's towing the trailer with no effort.

We headed out of Ajo much later than planned, at about 3 p.m. with a 6+ hour drive ahead of us. Both of us are night-blind, so we pushed as fast as we could, bearing in mind that pushing an F250 means getting about 8 mpg. Still, we pulled into Tuba City at nearly 10 p.m. after some very tense driving on two lane highways north of Flagstaff. Gas stops and driving under the speed limit added an hour to the time that Mapquest calculated. We were extremely happy to see the hotel in Tuba City! It's a beautiful new facility, the first hotel built on Hopi land in 50 years. It's called the Moenkopi Legacy, in case you need a hotel while passing through the reservations in northeastern Arizona.

The next day, somewhat more rested than the day before, we headed out at 8:30 and made it to Moab with no issues. A quick stop to say hi to Budd's sister and we were off again. Along the way we decided to leave the pickup and trailer at a Thompson Springs gas station while we made our side trip to Grand Junction. An extra, unnecessary 160-mile loop would have cost an extra, unnecessary $60 just in gas. So we got the rig settled, left contact info with the station manager (who had graciously given permission for this scheme), and hopped back on the road. I had been in text contact with our daughter Laurie, who was also headed for Grand Junction, and learned that they were passing through Crescent Junction, just 5 miles behind us, when we got back on the road. As Budd was now at the wheel, Laurie and I continued to text and next thing we knew, she and her husband were right behind us! We let them take the lead, which turned out to be very lucky.

Budd is waiting to pack the laptop so we can continue on to Salt Lake, so I'll make the dramatic story very quick... A few miles afterward, Budd glanced in the rear view mirror and was alarmed to note that the car following us was rapidly gaining on us, with no indication that the driver was going to change lanes. At the last possible moment, he honked the horn and swerved left. We don't know whether she was asleep, or what, but it appeared that the driver didn't realize we were there. She looked up, swerved right (thank goodness!) and passed us on the shoulder doing about 90. She swerved back into the lane between us and Laurie's car, around them on the left, and was at the horizon before any of us could breathe again. I'm so glad Laurie's husband, a much less experienced driver than Budd, wasn't faced with that decision!

All's well that ends well, though, so we're very lucky. I have to save the account of the surprise birthday party for another day, so Budd can pack up the laptop. Suffice to say a good time was had by all.

July 3, 2010

Happy birthday tomorrow to the USA!

This past week has really dragged for us, unfortunately. While quite a lot has happened or been settled, we don't have much to do except wait. Yes, we need to pack, but with 5 days still to go, there's only so much we can pack that we don't need. Today I'll tackle the office and decide what I dare store for the next 6 weeks or so, bearing in mind that we may or may not be able to get back to Salt Lake after that and before the next assignment. The logistics of this nomadic life are complicated!

So, we took the pickup to the shop for a tune-up and a new radiator, and it still overheats. It's back in the shop for a new water pump, and if that doesn't work we'll just have to drive at night. We will have officially spent more on repairs than the thing is worth, and it will have to last another 50,000 miles. It's got 260,000 on it already. If we had known what this would run to, we might have done better buying a bigger used pickup with only half that on it.

Meanwhile, manually pulling the trailer into the carport, Budd lifted it a bit too high and cracked the fiberglass trim on the top front. He went out yesterday before it hit 110 degrees to repair the crack so it won't leak. I haven't seen it yet, but he reports it's UGLY! Can't start loading it until we get the truck back, and we're now second-guessing whether to carry the boxes up the stairs in the back yard to load in the carport, or down the 45-degree angle of the driveway to the park strip in front and load in the sun. Decisions, decisions.

I finished a couple of handcrafting projects and started another, just to kill time. I wish it weren't so hot or that my WII were on a carpeted surface...I could use an hour or more of exercise a day because I'm getting FAT(ter)!!! Heat is in triple digits by 10 am each day, and it's long past 10 pm before it falls under that. With coyotes and javelinas roaming the town, I'm not too excited to walk in the dark, though to be honest I could do it at 5 or 6 am before it heats up too badly. The wind blew hard all last night. I think it's working up to a monsoon storm, which I would like to see before we leave, but not on the day we are trying to load the trailer, please.

We finally know that we are going first to Timpanogos Cave in Utah, and that they will be able to supply us with a small house for the time we're there. We'll almost be camping out in it, because at this point we know we won't be there for more than two weeks, possibly only one. There is still some question of whether he will have to start his detail in Lakewood on the 19th to satisfy the budget people at regional. The 19th is the beginning of a pay period. As a week, or even two, isn't enough to get internet service, we'll be a little handicapped with no internet (and no tv either!), but we will have cool mountain breezes and some great trails to walk. I'm saving my energy for that. We'll probably take the laptop to a wifi hotspot every couple of days to check email. And so the adventure continues, with extreme rural living in the heart of urban Utah.

Saved the best for (almost) last--our youngest daughter, Laurie called with exciting news last week, but I couldn't report it here until she had notified her grandmother, who reads this faithfully. Laurie and her husband Mike, affectionately known as Huggy, are expecting their first baby! We are all so thrilled, and of course I'm hoping for a girl. With four grandsons, three step-grandsons, and only one lonesome step-granddaughter, we need another girl! Unfortunately Laurie, who has inherited a bit of my grandmother's second sight, says it's a boy. We'll see.

While it's so exciting to know she is pregnant, I'm a bit unnerved by how early she found out. We have a looooooooong way to go. She doesn't see her OB until August, but she has used a couple of online calculators to determine that she is due around the end of February or beginning of March. She told me that between our family and Huggy's, there are about 20 birthdays between Christmas and the end of January...so they want it as far away from January as possible. Should have planned better. ;) (I'm kidding, Laurie.) Anyone with tips on easing morning sickness, send them my way and I'll pass them on. She is already sick most of the time, poor thing.

Well, next Saturday we'll be in Grand Junction for a surprise birthday party for Budd's mom. I think she has an idea that something's up, because she called yesterday or day before to ask when we might be coming her way. I lied and told her we may come that way on the way to Lakewood from Salt Lake. It's ok to lie to maintain a surprise, right? Last time I surprised her, though, it almost gave her a heart attack. We had moved to Virginia in March of 1983, and in July my brother flew just the kids and me back for my grandfather's 90th birthday. We went over to see Mom, and just walked in the back door as usual. The girls, then two years old, ran right past their grandma and headed for the toybox. When I got in, Mom was sitting at the breakfast table with a bewildered expression on her face, and when she saw me she burst into tears. The girls had flashed by so quickly that she thought she was seeing things! With relatives coming from near and far for this 80th birthday party, I've recommended to my sister-in-law that they soften the surprise somehow.

Today is the designated day for Ajo's 4th of July celebration, so I'm going to see if I can make my way through the parade and celebrants to get to the library for the $2-a-bag book sale. Have to stock up, as we will probably be back in Chinle before the end of the year.

June 27, 2010

Found a lucky penny today, and picked it up. Unfortunately, it didn't do its job!

I was actually on my way across a parking lot and into a Circle K in Tucson, hoping to hit a restroom before the two-hour trip back through the Tohono O'odam Indian reservation (read: no services). But this Circle K didn't have a restroom. :( So we got back on the road, and quickly had to get on the freeway that I assume is a loop around western Tucson. We didn't really have any time to see the city, this was a quick day-trip to buy a cargo trailer for our frequent moves. While on the freeway, trouble reared its head again in the form of overheating. As I drove my poor husband crazy asking whether he thought it was mechanical problems (the motor had been missing since we got to town) or the outside temperature or running the A/C or a combination, he was babying it trying to get to the point where we got off the freeway and on the lower-speed 2-lane.

I should mention that we were driving the 1992 Ford Ranger that we bought for $1500 in 2006, that has reliably moved us from Salt Lake to Chinle, and from Chinle to Ajo already. We had been discussing the fact that it seems to have a towing package on it and, with the bigger engine that was available that year, it should even tow up to a 21' travel trailer. Towing an empty 6' x 10' cargo trailer should have been a piece of cake.

After a very hot 5 or 10 miles with no air conditioner, as it had started blowing hot air, we finally we got to Hwy 85 and turned west, dropping our speed in the process. We limped through the outskirts of Tucson and were beginning to despair of finding a service station where he could add water to the radiator when we found--you guessed it--another Circle K. This one, fortunately, had a restroom. Unfortunately, the radiator wasn't low on water (which would have been an easy fix) so now we were going to have to travel the rest of the hundred plus miles home at 45 miles per hour, or forego the A/C all the way. Did I mention that it was 108 in Ajo today? A little cooler in Tucson and presumably across the res, as it's a bit higher, but still triple digits.

Before we settled into a rhythm that allowed for the greatest possible speed (almost 50!) while still being able to run the air, we stopped again about half an hour beyond the Circle K to let the engine cool off and went into a trading post to stay cool ourselves. I had been noticing an intriguing maze image with a man-like figure at the top, that seemed to be the central symbol of the Tohono O'odham much like the Kokopeli figure has come to symbolize the Anasazi. I first noticed it on a window sticker as we filled up just inside the reservation on the trip out, and it had been catching my eye all the way across. Here in the trading post I found jewelry, baskets and pottery all bearing the same image. The links for the image are too long to work here, but here is what I found by searching the name of the symbol, i'itoi:

Life and Choice, depicted in this common symbol, "the-man-in-the-maze" was originally created as an illustration of an emergence story by the Tohono o'odham or Papago Indians of the Central Valley in Arizona. The little man is named "U'ki'ut'l" in their language. It has been adopted by other people because it is significant of life's cycles and eternal motion and also of the choices we are confronted with. The right choices lead us to a point of harmony with all things, no matter how hard or long the road taken. This symbol is especially utilized by Hopi silversmiths as a way to showcase the quality of their technique.

Look up i'itoi to see this captivating image. As we are trying to travel light these days and I'm unable to wear silver jewelry anymore, I purchased a mug with the image on it rather than a strictly decorative item. This has some practical value as I drink hot tea year round, which certainly raises some eyebrows around here when I order it with my restaurant meals.

Back in the ailing pickup, we discovered it was now missing on more than one cylinder, but we had to press on. Budd eventually discovered that if he ran around 47 or 48 mph, he could keep the air on, but we were almost back to Ajo before he figured out how to make it cruise at that low speed. Luckily there wasn't too much traffic, although we did have a few exasperated people piled up behind us from time to time. There were no shoulders, so they had to wait for a straight stretch to pass.

We finally dragged ourselves in to Ajo around 5 p.m., grateful to have made it without breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

Now that we're all set with a way to move, we have finalized our travel plans--as much as we can call anything final--and will be heading toward Salt Lake by way of Grand Junction mid-week after the holiday. With luck, Budd's new background check will be finished and he'll start work at Timpanogos Cave again on the 12th. If my lucky penny still isn't working, it will be the 19th before he's back to work. The plan is two weeks at TICA, then on to Lakewood, CO for a short assignment there. After that, who knows?

Meanwhile, while we wait to leave, I think that pickup needs to go to the doctor...

Anyone who enjoyed Julie and Julia or likes fashion, check out my new addiction, a blog at http://newdressaday.wordpress.com. (Sure hope that works! Well, it doesn't, so you'll have to cut and paste.) The premise is a young woman who, finding herself unemployed at about the time she saw the movie, decided to do something similar to motivate herself and keep her spirits up. She decided to use her love of vintage clothing and her sewing talent to create a new outfit every day for a year, with a budget of just $1 a day! Most of the outfits she has created are darling and some are amazing. Her commentary is fun, too, and somewhere along the way she got a new job. I've decided I want to be her when I grow up...the girl seriously goes out somewhere fun every day. I started at the beginning of the blog, sometime last September or October, and have been reading a month's worth of posts each day to catch up. I'm up to the beginning of May and have decided to subscribe so I'll get emails about the posts each day once I catch up.

In fact, I think I'll go read May right now...

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.