Tis' the Season to Be Jolly, I guess . . .

Morning Folks!

It is another rather chilly morning here in Flagstaff, AZ. The temps have been in the single digits every morning since our bit of snow last week. There was not enough snow to go XC skiing; that is unless you have what some locals call "rock skis," a second set that you do not mind getting "scarred up" from less than ideal conditions. I do not have but one set that I love and would not think of using in that fashion even if I am starved for the action.

Having mentioned the early morning temps I should say that for the last few days the mid-day temps have risen to a balmy 41 degrees (F). However, it is still brisk enough with our breezy days to wear your fleece. It is my favorite time of year, late Fall and Winter but you must dress in layers.

As for the holidays, I am not sure what to make of them this year. I feel somewhat disconnected. I have done those things that should put me in "the spirit," but seem to be lacking in it anyway. My 4ft Christmas tree is up and is much less pitiful than the small table mounted one my dad once put up faithfully each year. The presents are under the tree ready to be loaded up and taken to California for the holiday trip there to spend time with family. Not only that but the Christmas package for Tasha and Jason has long been sent to Okinawa. But somehow, tidings of the season have escaped me.

I am not sure why I even bother with the tree. Have only been doing it the last couple of years. For most of those previous times I did not have one because I headed out to southern California where all my relatives had decorated trees. That seemed enough for me. Even Mom put up one even though those last few years of her life she did not feel much like doing it. She told Norma and Marlene (my sisters who actually did it for her) that she wanted that because I was going to be there. So, for me, Christmas is a melancholy time for me with her gone. I guess, in a way, my tree is a symbol of my parents and family in earlier, and what seemed like happier times spent with family members who are no longer with us, or have moved on to their "other" families. I know this blog entry is not full of happy holiday cheer but it is how it seems to me.

I do wish all of you out there a Happy Holiday however you recognize it. I hope it is spent with family who are glad to see and be with you, and kids that are excited over the prospect of Santa coming. I remember how excited we were as kids, Norma and I sneaking out early to get a look from around the end of the couch to see what Santa had deposited for us. Later, seeing our own children, and sometimes their children do the same was the essence of the day for me.

As for movies: After several prods and some good reviews I went to see The Muppets. I found it amusing and rather nostalgic, but not of my taste. For sure it is a nice film for kids and adults who were children growing up with them. A movie I had been anxiously awaiting, The Descendants, with George Clooney, finally arrived in Flagstaff. It is an excellent film. The story and the acting are superb. Although those seeking something with a lot of action should skip this movie. It is about relationships between the characters. The story takes place in Hawaii and is about a family coping with crisis. George Clooney, who I believe, like Robert Redford, is a much under-rated actor, does a great job with his role. His performance in this film is his best ever, very nuanced. All of the players are wonderful, especially the young actress playing his teenage daughter. I highly recommend this movie (with the proviso mentioned above).

Not to be redundant, but still being so . . . Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

Adios from Flagstaff!

Thanksgiving, Holidays, and Telephones

Past Thanksgiving with Daughter Natasha and son-in-law Jason

Good Morning Folks!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there who recognize this holiday. I am not sure how this one became such a "heavy hitter" as far as holidays go. It is not a religious one per se, although folks who are of that ilk pray their thankfulness at the grand meal of the day. Another interesting fact about this day is that there were no turkeys as the main feasting item at the first of these meals. When did that bird get the dubious recognition of being the guest of honor? In fact, Benjamin Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the nations symbolic bird instead of the eagle. Abe Lincoln legally proclaimed this holiday into existence in 1863.

These days Thanksgiving is seen as the prelude to "Black Friday." This follows the gorging of our bodies with food with gorging ourselves with consumer goods under the guise of gift-giving for the next holiday, Christmas. Interestingly enough, this "getting ready for Christmas" use to follow Thanksgiving, hence, "Black Friday" as it has become known. But there is a big "but," that is, Christmas decorations, and even the music, has creeped in before Thanksgiving now. I went to Wal*Mart the day after Halloween and there were Christmas decorations being put up everywhere as well as carols being played on the speaker system throughout the store. When I queried a young man working there about it, he said, "Well it is the day after Halloween." Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Another one of my major curmudgeonly pet peeves that I have meant to discuss in this blog can be transitioned into from the previous discussion, telephones. Remember back (some of you) to those nostalgic times when phones were kind of special thing. You would make that long distance call to family and friends on holidays. I remember calling home from Alaska while stationed there in the Army in 1964. I had to go to a special telephone center where I paid $50 to speak for 10 minutes to my family in southern California. That $50 out of the 78 I was being paid a month at that time. It was a big deal back then.

Your phone was a device for communication and it resided in your home or office.

As with all things change is inevitable. Now we have phones everywhere and people talking on them in their cars, at the gym, in stores and just about everywhere you can think of . . . I am not opposed to the the new availability and modernization of the communication device.

However, I am opposed to where and how they are being used in many cases.

I do not care to listen to your conversations, even if you had anything to say of substance. Why do people on cell phones have to ruin innocent bystanders peace and quiet with their incessant chatter? Have you noticed that most folks on these mobile devices tend to talk louder than normal? I do not want to hear your boisterous telephonic voice while eating in a restaurant, or at the grocery store, or even in the gym. Actually, I do not want to have to listen to them anywhere.

Much like my recent discussion of the lack of courtesy in other areas of life this behavior can be added to the list.

There is another issue with these more mobile forms of communication and that is their dangerous use while driving. I know we all do it. Last year I had to take a driver's safety course. This followed an photo-electronically detected violation I incurred. One of the things I learned was how dangerous driving is while holding cell phone up to your ear. No, not the possible cancer from the radiation, but the use of one hand on the wheel and the lack of full attention to the road.

Many people are being killed and maimed as the result of this behavior. This may be a positive thing from the point of view of population control but I would hate for it to be one of my family or friends. I always use a "blue tooth" device to free up my hands while driving. For most people this is just an inconvenience.

So much for this blog's curmudgeonly rant.

As for films: I would say that this period leading up to the "holiday glut" has not been all that inspiring for me. Recently I went to see J. Edgar starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Naomi Watts and found the acting superb but the film itself rather boring and long. I do not think that I have seen any others since my last blog. Usually there are some movies that come out on Thanksgiving worth seeing but only the children oriented ones have come to Flagstaff. I have looked forward to seeing Descendants, which has had good reviews, but it was only released at one theater in Scottsdale. That was a major disappointment. At any rate, I may go see Hugo, a fantasy (not usually my thing but what can I do) directed by Martin Scorcese (Sp).

For now, I wish you all a safe and happy holiday!

Adios from chilly but not snowy Flagstaff.

Where Did October Go?

Good Morning Folks,

In many respects it is a good morning. Flagstaff got its first snow of the season this morning. That makes me happy but am sure that is not the case for many here. I do not know why those folks live here if they are so disturbed when we get the white stuff.

As you can see by the picture to your right, I missed getting any shots of the fall colors here in Flag. However, I did drive up to the peaks the other day to get a stark view of the Aspens (my favorite tree) in their naked prelude to winter. You can just see Mt. Humphrey (highest peak in AZ) through the trees.

Somehow, with all my activities in that month, I did miss blogging in October. Isn't it funny how these months get away from you. I did get to southern California, i.e., San Diego County, to see most members of my family who still reside there. One reason for going was to see my grandson Zac play freshman football but alas, he was injured while I was in transit so did not get to watch him play. We did go to his team's game and it was interesting to be on a high school campus after several decades of absence from

same. Boy do the kids look younger at that age than I remember.

I did get to see my youngest grandson, Torin, play Pop Warner football, very interesting!

In the ongoing saga of the silent war with my downstairs neighbors, I finally had to call the police as suggested by the property management company. When I saw the age of the policeman who responded I was sure that they would side with the young males below me. Even though the officers looked very young, I could not have been more wrong. In fact, they were very deferential and understanding. Officer Sandoval even went so far as to say that most of their problems, outside of major crimes, are with college age males. He said that he did not want to be misunderstood. He was not indicting all of them only those in these situations. He said that they had no sense of decorum and lacked simple courtesy. Does this sound familiar? They told me to call if there were continuing problems.

I hated to call in the law. I held out for a couple of weeks but felt somewhat vindicated with the result. The neighbors seem to have taken this particular warning to heart to a degree. By degree I mean their music has not been at offending levels but I can now hear their TV a bit louder. For now, I am letting these things pass. But, I do have Officer Sandoval's card and can call if need be. As I told him, I do not want to be "that guy," the one who is always bothering them. His response was that I was not "that guy," and that I had a right to peace in my own home.

Andy Rooney died last night and it bothers me greatly. Daughter Natasha says that all I talk about is death and the "60s." In this case I do have to mention the passing of another of "my time's" icons. He was the "great curmudgeon," not to mention a wonderful writer, journalist, and astute observer of the 20th and 21st (at least the first decade, or so) century. He was WWII veteran and they are going by the wayside rapidly. I loved his essays on important issues and everyday life on 60 Minutes. He retired from that program only 3 weeks ago at the age of 92. He will be missed.

Many times in these "pages" I have written about memory and its foibles. I recently read a very good novella by Julian Barnes that deals with this matter through the eyes of his protagonist, a what he calls middle-aged man (I say he is older than that). The story centers around his memories of incidents of his younger life with friends and a lover. He comes to find out his reinterpretation of it in his mind throughout the years is very skewed. Again, this was another reminder to me that the way we look at our past is severely edited. The book is The Sense of an Ending.

As for films . . . Yesterday I viewed the revisionist historical conspiracy film Anonymous. It is a well acted (Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave) period piece presenting one of the theories that William Shakespeare did not write the plays attributed to him. Although the story is absurd the presentation of the period, the political conspiracies of the time, and the recreation of London in Elizabethan era is excellent. It is a film for those who love that period. The movie In Time was not that good even though it had an interesting premise.

Probably the best movies that I have seen recently were while I was in San Diego. The Way is a journey of discovery while trekking the mountains of Spain by Martin Sheen's character. Blackthorn is the story of Butch Cassidy in his later years had he and the Sundance Kid escaped their reported deaths. He is an elderly horse rancher in Bolivia who decides to go back to America in 1927 but becomes embroiled in the pursuit of a Spaniard who has stolen from mines in that country. I liked it a lot and that was probably because the title role was played by Sam Sheppard. The Big Year was a moderately funny movie about "birders" starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. Since I have had numerous contacts with these kind of folks in my role as a ranger I found it interesting.

Another very good film is 50-50. Although I am not a big Seth Rogen fan, he does a good job in this film where his character is not the focus. Gordon-Levit (whose first name escapes me) is the

main character who discovers he has back cancer. It is his exploration of this illness and his responses to it that make this film a good one. Of all the movies I mentioned so far, this is the one I recommend you see.

That's it for now. Hope everyone is doing well and is, at least moderately happy.

Adios

Autumn is Here!

Good Morning Folks,

My second favorite season arrived yesterday. However, it does lead to my favorite, Winter. The problem with the warmer times (and it has gotten relatively warmer again in Flag) is that there is only so much you can do to get cooler. The same is true for taking off your clothes. Even if cultural convention allowed it, taking all your clothes off does not necessarily make you cool in hot weather. Now, in winter, you can just keep adding layers. All of this is very elemental but this blog has probably never succeeded in getting beyond the mundane anyway.

I almost titled this blog "Neighbors" as I have been contemplating the vagaries of getting new one's because some of the condos around me are rentals. I had the delusion when buying this place that others would be doing the same to live in, and make them their homes. Boy was I mistaken! It seems a number of folks bought in to have rental properties, hence my current dilemma.

For the past couple of years the condo below was rented by young females and they were good neighbors. We had a conversation about noise levels and I told them if I was too loud (TV, etc) that they should let me know. My thing is to subtly, or maybe not so much so, communicate my sensitivity to the sound issue by putting it on me hoping they get the hint. Well, my new neighbors are "Testosterone" laden young college age males who have commenced to play the bass on their stereo loud enough to rattle my teeth. I have warned them several time that they need to turn it down, at least the bass. My final edict was to threaten to go to the HOA and eventually get them evicted if necessary. So far they have grudgingly complied. But they slam there door every time they come and go, it happens all night long. I do not think they do that on purpose but just do not think about the effect on others. What happened to common courtesy?

Too continue in this curmudgeonly vein, what did happen to courtesy? It is my biggest pet peeve these days. It seems to have exited the culture at some point. Look at the disrespect for the President. You can disagree with him but why all the discourtesy? There are numerous other small examples in daily life. People do not do the simplest things to be courteous. I guess the blame has to go to the 60s generation for which I am a member (also known as the "me" generation). We worked on trying to "free up " society but I think it went too far. Respect, common decency, and to a very large extent courtesy went out the window. It is all "I want mine," and screw everybody else. Yep, we changed the world and then lost it!

Enough of that . . . Monday I depart for a car camping and hiking trip to the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Cedar Breaks National Monument. In addition, I will stop off to see a couple of plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festivals fall presentations. This trip traces the route my youngest daughter, Natasha, and I often took on our summer forays into the west and its parks. We hit the road every summer from when she was about 9 through 16 or 17 years old. These were some of our best times together. Now I will trace these steps solo this time.

Movies: I have seen several films since those last ones that were marginally reviewed here. Yesterday it was Killer Elite with DeNiro, Stathum, and Clive Owen; an entertaining but overly long and violent international "thriller." The remake of the old and controversial Dustin Hoffman film Straw Dogs is probably not worth seeing. The original was much better. However, Drive, with Ryan Gosling, an equally violent film is very good with a strong cast and script. But, as I have often said, not for everyone. Contagion is interesting and again, the cast is strong, but the subject matter concerning the spread of a virus may be a bit too much for some. None of these films are what I would call "uppers," in that they may not give one a great feeling upon leaving the theater.

That's about it from beautiful downtown Flagstaff the mountain jewel of the Arid Zone.

Adios until next time!

Addendum to movies . . . just discovered I neglected to mention two excellent films I saw the first part of this waning month. Rachel Weitz did a wonderful portrayal of a policewoman sent to Bosnia during their problems. She discovers a cover-up of a UN peacekeepers running a white slaving operation. It was good but again a "downer." The film was The Whistle Blower." The other was an Irish film with Brenden Gleesen as policeman with the Garda, Irish police force. Don Cheadle was good as well as the American FBI agent. It was both a humorous and somewhat serious "heist" film. Both were great.

Hot and Humid!

Afternoon Folks,

As per the title above, it has been pretty warm and humid here in Flagstaff, AZ. When I was young growing up in San Diego, I loved this kind of weather and have to say I never noticed the humidity. But, after about 35 years in the Arid Zone whenever we get to the "Monsoon" season here the relative moisture in the air gets to me. I am not fond of heat either. My ideal "warm" temp would be about 60 degrees. However, my favorite season is winter. I love it when we start to get those freezing nights in the fall.

Technically speaking, it is still summer (and feels like it), but kids in Flagstaff have started back to school. Northern AZ University begins their Fall semester next week. It is difficult to believe that for most of my life the calendar was marked by semesters, first in grade school, Jr. High, and High School, then after the Army (3 years), 8 years at university and 27 years teaching college. Even far more difficult to fathom is the fact that it has been 10 years since my retirement from academia. It took several of those years to adjust to not going back to school (work) in Fall. The lack of what Spring Break use to mean was another time adjustment.

Now it is difficult to see those divisions of the year as a reality in my life. Each chapter of life feels like a different lifetime. When I look back at when I was a young soldier in the early 1960s it hardly seems real to me. It is amusing to contemplate in your own life how time itself, and how it is broken down, is just a social construct.

On top of all that we are constantly redefining our past life in terms of what is important to us now. A sociologist by the name of Peter Berger called this "Alternation, or redefining our biography." In addition, we selectively remember the past as well. An author whose name escapes me said he kept journals throughout his life. He came-up with what he thought was a "novel" idea but in reviewing these journals from his younger days he found that it was not a new idea. If we all kept journals we would probably discover more of our "real" past, not our reinterpretation of it.

Well, these are some of my musings for a warm Arizona mountain afternoon . . . as for films . . .

Last week I went to Sedona to see Ann Hathaway's new film, One Day. I thought it had some promise but was not very good. Since returning to AZ the best one that I have seen lately is The Help. The acting and the story are very good. While in San Diego I viewed Cowboys and Aliens with my grandsons. They liked it but I found it somewhat boring and overly long. In that venue (s. cal) Sarah's Key was extraordinary with Kristin Scott-Thomas giving an excellent performance in a French film about the round-up of Jews by the french during WWII. The story went back and forth through time telling the story of Sarah and her escape and the journalist's attempt to uncover it. Crazy, Stupid Love was an entertaining film that I enjoyed. I walked out of Tree of Life because it was so "overdone" in trying to be "Artsy Fartsy" and into Captain America, which I had not planned on seeing but was pleasantly surprised. It too was entertaining, at least for its genre.

That's it for the moment here in Northern Arizona. Until next time, Adios Amigos y Amigas!

Almost . . .

Hey Folks,

I "almost" did a posting last month after I returned from Yellowstone late in the month. Upon beginning the blog I realized I did not have much to say. I resigned my job there and returned to Flagstaff. There were many factors involved and have decided not to go into them. However, I wish to say my boss, Candice, was great, so that was not a factor in the decision.

Yesterday I returned from a trip to San Diego County to visit family and that went well, at least the family part. I have to say that as much as "Zoners" like San Diego I dislike it intensely, too many people and the traffic is horrible. They say, "but it so beautiful over there." My usual reply is that it was "beautiful " when I was growing up there. I know that no place stays the same but the main problem everywhere seems to be people and development. There are so many places where I grew up that were filled with canyons and open spaces we played in that are now paved over and filled with "strip malls" and more housing.

I had a discussion at my gym about all this with some "older guys" this morning. I guess we sound like a bunch of old geezers bitching about the "modern" times and wishing that things had not changed. It may be part of getting older and harkening back to the past more and more. I told them I wondered if my grandsons would be saying the same thing in about 50 years.

Change today is moving at an ever increasing pace. New media makes us instantly aware of things it took days and weeks sometimes to discover. We know too much . . . our grandkids know too much but are not literate. No one wants to read books and use their imagination. On this recent trip I had this discussion with my 12 year old grandson Cole. He seems bored if things are not happening around him all the time, especially this summer. I said why don't you read a book. Further, I said reading was one of my main escapes when young (actually, it still is). His reply, which echoes my other, and older grandson Zac, " I don't like to read." The "Kindle" and other such devices have been invented to attempt to capture readers again but if my grandsons are any sample of the population, this will not be successful.

As Aldous Huxley wrote in the 1930s, it's "A Brave New World." It does not seem to be a world I like very much. I know everyone will survive and adapt to it and that there will be "pockets of resistance," but it is not my world. It becomes more and more difficult to relate to the world as it has become. Probably that is the evolution of becoming older and realizing that you are not much of a factor in "the world," if you ever were. In all probability it is the reason why elderly Inuits (Eskimos) went out on the ice to die, and Plains Indian elder males did the same, or staked themselves out to die in battle. This is not to say that I plan to do anything like this . . . None of us knows where we will end up or, how.

I realize this has not been an up-lifting blog, but just felt like "blasting out there" a bit. At this point, since I get no comments on these things, I do not know if this is being read by anyone "out there." It is kind of like Bob Dylan's old song title, "Blowing in the Wind."

Cheers all!

"Old Faithful," the Inn that is!

Good Afternoon You All,

I am sitting in the Old Faithful Inn about 39 miles north of where I reside in the Park. This my "Ranger Sunday," Saturday to you all. My reason for coming here today is to get some exercise by walking the Geyser Basin, relax in the Inn, and be able to use my broadband. As I said before, or at least think I did, I get no coverage at the south entrance. Oh yeah, I must not forget the "pulled pork sandwich and mac & cheese I had at the Lodge. Had to do the walk to earn it.

This job as a "Gate Ranger" is much tougher than I first thought. Now that I have come close to mastering the cash register and the shift reports, it is the 9 hour days that are killing me. Plus, I only sleep about 6 hours a night. I feel exhausted most of the time. I

do get into the minuscule gym we have as much as I can (did some weight training this morning before leaving) but am pretty worn out after work. Most trails in the park are either still under snow or closed for bear foraging until July. Thought about hiking a bit in the Tetons, but there are a couple of Grizzlies with cubs in the places I would most likely frequent. That is the reason I came here to walk the 2+ miles of boardwalks for exercise.

ON my 3 day "weekend" last Thursday through Saturday I went to Jackson one day and to Bozeman, MT. over night the next two. My friend Cindy (Mooselee) Henry went with me. We "shopped until we dropped," as the saying goes. The only thing missing was my friend Ranger Bob (the younger), her husband. However, he was with us in thought and conversation. On our way out of Bozeman we stopped off to see our mutual friend and artist, DG House. She was having and "Open House" at her studio. It was nice seeing her. She is just so effervescent and congenial. It looks like Bozeman will be a destination for me at least a couple more times this season.

I have another 3 day weekend next week and need to figure out a place to go. I cannot sit down at the south entrance in my quarters for those days. Would love to go to Lander and visit Ron and Brooke Chesley but Ron is still in AZ dealing with some medical stuff. I am considering a possible trip to Cody over night. It would not be my first choice but have not been to the Buffalo Bill Museum in a few years, and there is a "Super Wal*Mart" and "Sierra Trading Post" outlet store there. It is nice to have the 3 days off every other week but it is difficult to figure out what to do with those days if it is not reasonable to do much hiking with all the snow and bear closures.

Tasha and Jason are doing well in Okinawa. They are going out and getting more exercise. She is on a strict regimen of varying forms of exercise, yoga, and concocting healthy recipes. Tasha may have some acting opportunities coming up but I will let her tell folks about that. I am happy that they are happy and doing so well.

Niece Kelly and her daughters Olivia and Ava are moving to Colorado to join her sister Kimberley and her family in the "Rocky Mountains." It will be fun to be able to visit both of them in one place again. Dennis, my nephew-in-law (Kimby's husband) has gotten her a good job, so Kudos to him! It is an exciting new adventure for them and I wish them well.

Movies: So far have only seen a one since my last blog. I have foregone both the new Pirates & Hangover II because of some bad reviews and a lack of desire to see them. Yesterday I went to Speilberg and Abbram's new film, Super 8. It was a very satisfying and enjoyable movie hearkening back to ET, but a bit darker.

That's about it from rainy/snowy, but sometimes sunny Yellowstone National Park. They say some my favorite trails like Mt. Washburn, will not be "hikeable" until the end of July to first part of August. It is going to be a short season for hiking this year. By-the-by, have been here a little over month now . . . almost 4 to go! I kind of miss my condo and Flagstaff.

Cheers All

Snowy Spring in Yellowstone Park

Good Morning Folks from the "Old Faithful" Inn,

I had to come up here to do my blog as we have no cell phone or personal internet coverage where I work at the south entrance to Yellowstone. It is my first trip up to the "Inn" this season as Craig Pass, the primary route here was still blocked with snow last week when I had my first days off.

The mountains of Wyoming have had 162% of normal snow fall this year and it is still pretty high on the sides of the road. When we moved into our apartments they had to bring in a "Bobcat" to clear a path. It is pretty incredible up this way right now. I love it!

The new job at the gate checking entry passes is nice because I get to sit down, not as much pressure on the "ol" back as standing for hours in a visitor center. The complicated part is learning all the different categories of visitors and translating that to the myriad of keys on the cash register. We sell so many different kinds of passes, and the real complexity is figuring out the commercial groups entry permits. The good part is that most people pay at the Tetons entrances, and since you get two parks for the price of one, that is nice! We just check to make sure they paid and give them the map and paper for Yellowstone.

One of the great things about being here is seeing my friends here in Wyoming. "Old Ranger" Bob and I went to Jackson on a "Geezer" shopping spree yesterday. Although, I did not see a film we had a good time. When first I got here was able to make our traditional "opening of Signal Mt. Lodge" Margaritas and Nachos fest with friends Darlene and Mike. I spent some time visiting with my friend Laine Thom (as well as others) at the Colter Bay Visitor Center, where I worked for 9 years. Today I am up at Old Faithful to spend the day with Cindy Henry, another old friend. It is too bad her husband Bob is up in Alaska. We had many good times together in this park.

As for my new acquaintances in my new position, I like those that have come in so far. I really like my boss, Candice. She is probably the best supervisor that I have ever had (so far). She is very patient and understanding in training us as well as just being a good person. My apartment mate, Jeff is a good guy and somewhat of a "geezer" too being 59, another good call by our boss, putting us together. Our apartment is only a couple of years old and Candice gave us the two bedroom, two bath place. Accomodations make up for the isolation we have at the Snake River Ranger Station (south entrance).

Movie update: I have seen two in Jackson since my arrival. The first, Thor, was kind of fun. I would normally not have gone to this one but read a couple of fairly good reviews plus, Kenneth Branaugh (Brit Shakespearean actor/director) directed it. It is a fantasy/super hero movie. The second was Bridesmaids, Kristin Wigg (she also co-wrote the script), who I love. It is billed as a female Hangover, but that is an oversimplification. Although I enjoyed that film, I think besides being very funny (and gross in some places) it has some depth to the story of the main protagonist's point of view. Plus, it is more a female view of life. I liked it a lot.

In addition, I want to send tidings, and get well wishes to my niece Kimby who will be having surgery this week.

Well, that's about it from here. I have go meet Cindy for a bountiful breakfast buffet here at the Inn.

Cheers all, until we meet again, here in this blog or else where in person, e-mail, or Facebook.

Back and Gone Again . . . Soon!

Good Afternoon Folks,

My trip to southern Cal went really well a couple of weeks ago. I got to see most of my family members (not sister Marlene, nor niece Ashely Louise, mores the pity). But I spent quality time with daughter Tania, son-in-law Steve, and the three grandsons. I got to see Pony league baseball games of Zac, Cole, and Torin, and in addition, one of Cole's basketball games. Of course I spent the nights at my sister Norma and her husband Scott's house. So, did get to have quite a bit of time with them as well. One evening, our youngest brother Russell came over and we had our usual riotous time together. Since Scott is new to the family, I don't know if he quite understands us all yet but seems to enjoy being with us. He is a great guy. Norma did well this second time around.

The weather over in San Diego County was sunny and warm the first half of the trip but turned to low clouds and chillier temps for the last half. I heard it cleared up again after I left. Such is life. But, as I said, it was a good trip.

Since returning to Flagstaff I have been attempting to get everything organized for the five months I will be moving up to Yellowstone to work. I leave the day after tomorrow and talked to my boss up there today. She said they are bringing the "front-loaders" in early this week to clear paths in the snow for us to get to our quarters and park our cars. The snow drifts are up to roof level, about 10 feet. She said bring warm winter clothes. I told her that I love winter and already have packed for that contingency. I am looking forward to a new challenge in my life. This job should afford that.

The winds have been pretty constant here in Flagstaff for about 3 weeks, anywhere from 15-30 mph, with gusts much more at times. It is driving most folks here a little crazy. However, it has been sunny. It will probably be fierce driving across the open spaces of the Navaho reservation on my way to Utah, Idaho, then Wyoming.

I saw three pretty good films while in southern Cal (one's that will never get to Flag). They were Win Win (4 stars), with Paul Giamatti, The Conspirator (4 stars), a Robt. Redford directed film based on the trial of Mary Surrat, accused as conspirator in Lincoln's assassination, a French film, Potishe (3 1/2 stars), with Catherine Deneuve. Before the trip I viewed Source Code (3 stars), which I found fairly good, as well as being surprised by Fast Five which turned out to be very entertaining (3 stars). I have no idea what films are in my future for the usually dismal summer season. Capt. Jack Sparrow will be back as will the usual parade of big budget CG films.

As I can, I will try to report back to those of you who still follow this blog. I have no cell phone coverage where I will be living, nor personal computer service, other than government ones. I will have to drive out on my days off to stay in touch. However, will be able to check e-mails on the gov't computers (no blogs or streaming).

Ciao All. Have a great rest of the Spring/Summer, and I will return to my beloved Flagstaff in the Fall!

I'm Up, So What the Hell . . .

Good Very Early Morning Folks!

I awakened at about 3:30am this morning and could not get back to sleep. I peered out my bedroom window and low and behold, SNOW. Not just a little bit of the white stuff but a fair amount. As I sit here two hours later, it is still snowing. I love the stuff but I have taken off the ski racks from my car and stored the skis. There was even a week and a half of weather that put me into my short sleeve shirts.

Most people in Flagstaff have been ready for Spring. They do not want snow. Funny thing is, this has been a very light winter compared to last. In fact, I was only able to cross-country ski about 1/4 as much as last winter. What most of these folks say is that they would rather have rain (which is what we got yesterday, with a little sleety snow). My preference is snow over rain. You can brush off the white stuff but rain can soak you. At any rate, the snow will not last, forecast for Monday is temps in the 60s again.

But, speaking of all of this, I am down to less than a month before my departure for the job in Yellowstone. Why do I mention this at this point? Well, they have had a ton of snow up there this winter and are still getting pounded with it. I will break into winter-like weather again when I get there early in May. We always had errant snow storms in May when I worked in the Tetons, sometimes in June as well. I imagine the snow on the sides of the road near the south entrance to Yellowstone will have been plowed to the level of about 6-8 feet and that they will have to use a front loader to make pathways to our quarters. I love it!

The last couple of months I have had two physical exams, one through the VA and the other a "Welcome to Medicare" physical with my new non-VA doctor. In addition, this week, I had a colonoscopy. Next week my dental check-up is on the agenda. So far, everything looks good. I seem to be in excellent health, all things considered. All of this, along with getting my car serviced has gotten be going in my 65th year, and ready to leave for 5 months in Wyoming.

Before heading north I am going west to southern California next week to visit family. I am anxious to see my daughter, grandsons and sisters. The boys are getting older and taller and I am feeling more "Gramps-like" everyday. My hope is to spend some quality time with them, but with Zac being 14 and Cole 12, they may have other interests that will not coincide with spending too much time with a "geezer." Oh, they will be happy to see me but will race off to be with friends shortly after greeting me. That is only to be expected. Perhaps Torin, the youngest will be more amenable to being with Gramps.

I have noticed a corollary to something my now deceased friend, John, told me after he retired. He said, and I have mentioned this before, "once you retire it is like you become invisible," or words to that affect. But, it is not only retiring that makes you invisible, it is getting older as well. I have noticed that most people ignore seniors as they do the "homeless." It may be one of the reasons that many in this grouping become so outspoken, they just want to be seen/recognized. Many younger people just want us to fade into the background. We are considered to be a hassle to have around. I remember when I was much younger how we kids could not wait to see my grandpa, but my mother always dreaded their visits. Some may feel we should just go out on the ice and wait for death as they did in many Inuit (Eskimo) cultures in the past. Don't count on it folks, there are way more "Baby Boomers" than the rest of you!

I guess that is enough of a "Geezer rant" for now. As for movies since last we met in these pages, I cannot say they have gotten much better, but I persist in going to them. It is part of my nature. However, I did see a couple I liked. The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConnaghy was a pretty decent legal thriller. Limitless was not too bad either. Battle LA was more a live action video game but somewhat entertaining if you suspend reality and think of it as fantasy. Paul was amusing but some people made the mistake of taking children to it. The humor is a bit raunchy for that demographic. I liked Source Code with Jake Gillyanhall and Megan Monhaghn. The film was interesting and the acting was good. Yesterday I went to see Hanna, and even though Cate Blanchett, one of my favorite actors was in it, it was not a good film.

Thats about it from Snowy Flagstaff.

Cheers everyone!

What?

Spring is almost here Folks!

What? I am not ready for that. We had a nice 6-8" snow storm (depending what part of town you are in) here in Flagstaff last Sunday. I got a couple of days of XC skiing. But, it immediately warmed up all this week. Even though night time temps are still below freezing, it has been in the low 50s most days. Some mornings I leave for the gym and it is 10-25 degrees. By the time my workout is concluded, a couple of hours later, it is 48 and going higher. After the abundance of the white stuff last winter, I am little "bummed" with this winter's production.

I received word from my new boss in Yellowstone that I had successfully passed my background investigation so am indeed officially accepted to work there this late spring/summer/early fall. That is good news but did not really think I wouldn't pass the check. It looks as though, unless something unforeseen happens, I will be leaving beautiful downtown Flagstaff around May 4th and returning in early October.

I am quite looking forward to the change in my life. Afraid that I may have been getting a little "stale" of late. Of course, it was usually the case in the Tetons when I worked there that by the time August rolled around, we were all chomping at the bit to get home. Be that as it may, I love the Greater Yellowstone area, and the opportunity to be there for that long period of time. In addition, it is very nice to see my few friends who still work in the Tetons.

Not much else has been happening here. Tuesday was my middle grandson Cole's 12th birthday and next Monday is my lovely youngest (Tasha) offspring's 30th birthday. It is difficult to believe that my daughters are in their 30s and 40s. Where did the time go? For a person who never desired children I love them dearly and cannot conceive that they would never have been in my life. So Happy Birthday to Cole and Natasha!

Speaking of B-Days mine passed by with a bit of snow on the ground and a nice Mexican dinner made for me by an old friend, Ruth DeBoard. She even made me a homemade cherry pie, always my favorite instead of cake. All-in-all, it was a nice 65th birthday as I fade into "geezerhood."

Movies: Since last I blogged, I have seen a few more films during this period where the releases are usually the ones that would not make anyone's best films list (with very occasional exceptions). However, I continue to go to the movies. It is in my blood, or at least maybe my psyche. The Unknown with Liam Neeson and Diane Krueger was a fairly fast paced international thriller. It is one of my favorite genres and I liked this film even though one has to suspend logic/reality for some elements of the plot. I had great hopes for Hall Pass, well probably not "great hope," but at least a bit of expectation as it was a Farrelly Brothers film, but it was crap. The film I viewed today was much better and interesting. Again, it was one that there needed to be a bit of suspension from reality but it was a fantasy that asked us to look at the idea of "fate." Plus, it was a nice love story. The Adjustment Bureau, with Matt Damon and Emily Blount (I love her), is not an extraordinary film, but highly entertaining.

That's about it from here in Northern Arizona.

Adios Amigos y Amigas

It's Been A While!

Finally, I'm Back . . .

Haven't really been anywhere but just have had no motivation for writing this "thing." So, it is the first blog of the new year.

Much has happened since last chronicled in this medium. By the same token not much has really happened in my life. In other folks lives a lot is going on. I am especially concerned about my niece Kelly and her girls with a life changing divorce and their possible move from New Hampshire to Colorado. I wish them all well.

I guess the "biggie" for me is accepting a Park Service job in Yellowstone this coming spring. I applied for several positions in different parks but vowed to take the first offered. Since accepting this one I have received some other queries that were turned down. There are still a couple out there, one in Glacier, and one in the Tetons. As I told my friend Ranger Bob, the elder, even if other offers come in that might be more desirable, I will honor my commitment. Besides, it will be my first time working a season in Yellowstone, the first National Park.

It has been two years since I worked for the Park Service, and this will be a totally different job, something new to learn. I will be a "Gate Ranger" at the south entrance to the park. In actuality, they call these positions "Visitor Use Assistants." I am pretty excited about working up there for almost 5 months, May 8th - Sept 30th. One of the upsides is that I will be only 18 miles north of my friends at Colter Bay in the Tetons. The only minor (I hope) downside is that I will have to have a roommate.

My 65th birthday is coming up this Sunday. I guess this is one of those milestone b-days, or so it seems. I am now officially "elderly" as I am on Medicare. Funny thing though, it has been difficult to find a doctor here in Flagstaff that will take a new "Medicare" patient. Finally, with the assistance of my former "Lady friend" (from the early 90s) Ruth, a Nurse Practitioner in Flagstaff, I secured a doctor she knows, who, by the way, wasn't taking new patients in my category. Thanks to her though he accepted me. So much for medical care in the USA, maybe the federal government should do what the state of Mass. does, do not grant medical licenses to those who do not accept Medicare or any other low income folks insurance. I'm just saying . . .

As for this birthday, I am hoping for enough new snow to go XC skiing. There are storms coming starting tonight, but little snow accumulation is expected. At any rate, the aforementioned Ruth wants to do something with me on this momentous occasion, so we will XC ski if there is snow, or possibly go up to the Grand Canyon for the day if there is not.

For my birthday, I bought myself an Apple Mac Pro laptop and am learning how to use it. In this endeavor I travelled down to have a "seminar" from my friend Cindy Henry who has become quite a Mac proponent in the last year and a half. We went to lunch at P.F. Chang's (my first visit) and then commenced to spend working about 5 1/2 hours on the Mac. Again, one of my reasons for converting from PCs is to learn something new. We "seniors" have to keep our minds active! And it is quite a challenge for someone who is, somewhat, technically "challenged" to begin with!

That's about all the news from here, or least that I can think of at the moment. Tasha and Jason seem to be doing well in Japan. The same is true for my busy eldest daughter, Tania and her family in San Diego County. The only exception is that my grandson Cole has to have his "umpteenth" ear surgery since his birth 12 years ago. That is coming up a couple days after my b-day. I'll be thinking of him. Hope this one works better than the previous ones. I miss seeing my offspring and their offspring.

As for films . . . as might be expected this time of year there have not been too many great ones, and only a couple entertaining ones. The Way Back with Colin Farrell and Jim Sturgis (SP) was interesting and about prisoners who break out of a Russian Gulag (prison) in Siberia during WWII. They walk thousands of miles to India. It is based on , or at least inspired by a true story. Country Strong with Gywenth Paltrow is a sappy story but she sings well in it. Dilemma with Vince Vaughn being Vince is OK but not funny as advertised, a bit more serious. I finally saw 127 Hours and thought it was a good but not a great movie. Franco's performance is worthy of the Oscar nod though. The last movie I viewed was The Eagle, an old fashioned sword fighting Romans against Scots in 140AD Britain. It to was entertaining and somewhat enlightening about the time period. Jamie Bell did a good job acting but Channing Tatum (or is it vice versa) was a bit wooden in his performance. As you can see my cinematic viewing has been less than impressive of late.

Hopefully, if there are any of you out there still, I will have another blog sooner than later.

Adios!