Good Morning,

    It has been very long time since last I posted on this blog. Think it was 2017! Reading over the last one on a whim was amazed that I was worrying about, or at least mentioned, that I would be turning 71 years of age. Well, now the three quarter century mark passed me by in February!

    This aging thing really slips up on you. In your 60s (especially the early ones) the thinking is that you have a lot of time left. Of course you take passing note of the number of famous folks that have started dying in their middle to late sixties. However, once the 70s hit, there is a marked increase in those "passing on." Your antenna takes note.

    In my case the fairly recent, and unexpected death of my good friend, and ranger colleague Bob Hoyle at 75 years of age in 2019 was another "wake-up call." Granted he had always been rather sickly, at least as long as I had known him. 

    I was no longer a ranger but we had planned our 9th trip to Glacier Park for mid-June, 2019. I had reserved lodges within the park. His responsibility, as was our usual arrangement, for those outside the park to include his favorite, the Isaak Walton Inn. When I arrived at Teton Park he was ill having just gotten over pneumonia. I asked if he wanted to cancel; his reply was in the negative. We proceeded to Bozeman the next day where he spent the whole balance of the day in the motel room. The next day was to be at the aforementioned Inn. He was a bit better. He always perked up around trains, and the Inn is an old railroad hotel. The next two days were in the park. First of which he slept most of day and night in our room at Like MacDonald. At the Many Glacier Hotel he rallied some and was able to sit in the lodge by the fire. We bot loved this old hotel. Again, another RR tie in, built by the Great Northern.

 During the whole trip his lower back was in pain. On a stop on the way up in Yellowstone I bought a small pillow to support his back. I cancelled our last night at Roosevelt Lodge because of forecast snow and did not want him to be uncomfortable. The following day, after our return to the Tetons I departed for

home. Little did I know that would be his final trip to a Glacier Park, a place we both loved. Not only that, it was the last time I got to see my friend. We exchanged a few calls in the ensuing months but that was it. 

Two weeks later his wife Blair came out and flew back with him home to North Carolina. He spent the next months going through cancer treatments and died in early March 2020. He was a good friend and I miss him.

    To make this blog a bit more ominous for me is that I can not stop thinking about at least three important folks in my life who have passed on at the age of 75. First of those was Dad. Although we were never very close he was my father and I was there at his death with my sister Norma. Second was my good friend and mentor at Yavapai College, John Haynes. He too left this existence at that age. Now there is Bob! 

    Have been told by at least one of my daughters that I seem to be somewhat pre-occupied with my demise. That may be true. The thing about turning 70, much less being 75, is that it was the first time I began thinking about my mortality. As stated above, even in your 60s you believe there is still plenty of time (even though that may be an illusion). Once you hit the that seventh decade you realize the greatest part of your life is as Crosby, Stills and Nash said, "the past is just a goodbye."

    Did not mean for this latest blog to seem like a "downer," just wanted to put some thoughts down in writing. I am not depressed, as one reader years ago replied. Am just reflecting on my life and departed friends. After all, we made it through the pandemic, at least it looks like that so far.

Cheers!

  

Good Day,

and Welcome to 2017, three years since my last blog. Guess I haven't really had much to say, or maybe too much. A lot has happened in my world and the larger one out there, not all of it good. The most monumental was the upset presidential election this past year. It is a travesty that so many American people are so ignorant to have voted in such a racist, misogynistic and egocentric maniacal person.  I am afraid with what he has done so far that we are in for a tumultuous 4 years. That is not to mention his cabinet choices. I fear especially for the environment, the National Parks and Wild lands.

I did my last season working for the Park Service in Grand Teton in 2015. Instead of going back as an Interp. Ranger, I worked the backcountry permits office at Colter Bay. The two seasons there (2014 & 15) back in the Park I began in 1999 were, for the most part, great. I got to spend some time with my friends there. Plus, an added bonus was that my sister Norma and her husband, Scott visited the Park for the first time ever. In addition, I was able to be their tour guide for Yellowstone as well. And of course, there are those beautiful mountains.

I

I will be 71 years old later this month and am feeling it. Went down to Prescott VA Hospital for an Echo Cardiogram and an eye appointment. Both exams came out positive so that is a good thing. This  getting old is not for the faint at heart, especially when you think about how much more time you may have . . . My friend Paul who turned 80 a couple of months ago is thinking in terms of ten year increments. For myself, my thoughts tend to go for 5 years at a time. What weighs heavy on my mind are all the icons in the entertainment industry, that I grew up watching (and some I didn't), that have been dying, many in my age range, and some a bit younger.

Another thing that "ages" you is seeing your Grandchildren grow up. My eldest grandson Zac, is 20 years old, 20! It is difficult to take that in. I was getting ready to get out of the army at 20. Cole, the middle grandson, will be 18 next month, the youngest Torin, 14 this summer. Time really does catch up to us all, even if the majority of so called "baby boomers" do not want to think of themselves as "old."

Enough of the curmudgeonly statements for the moment!

Guess I should do my 2016 best films, actors, and directors (not that anyone really cares):

1.   Lion
2.   Manchester by the Sea
3.   Arrival
4.   Hidden Figures
5.   Hell or High Water
6.   Hacksaw Ridge
7.   Fences
8.   Nocturnal Animals
9.   Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
10.  Cafe Society

Actor:                         Casey Affleck, "Manchester . . . ,
Actress:                      Amy Adams, "Arrival" & "Nocturnal Animals"
Supporting Actress:   Michelle Williams, "Manchester . . ." & Viola Davis, "Fences"
Supporting Actor:      Dev Patel, "Lion" & Jeff Bridges, "Hell or High Water"
Director:                    Kenneth Lonerg
an,  "Manchester by the Sea"

Again these are selected from me actually sitting in the theater watching the films, no "NetFlicks," "Amazon Prime," or DVDs.

And so it goes . . .

Cheers

A New Year . . . and Friends?

Good Afternoon Folks,

Felis Anos!

Been gone a while from this medium. As I have said in the past, it seems my heart is not in it much anymore. I started doing this because my friends Bob and Cindy Henry had a blog and Cindy urged me to do one. Their blog, "Henry's in the Hole," has long since been defunct. I kind of miss it. It was far more interesting than mine. As a matter of fact, I miss them too. Haven't seen or spoken to them in a few months.


That seems to be the way of the world with friends and acquaintances. You let some go over time, or time gets away from you and it doesn't seem worth the expenditure of effort. Other times those folks just move on to others, or as I have stated before, other "friends" are important only in certain contexts. When those contexts are not relevant, neither, it would seem, are the relationships. And of course there is that other corollary mentioned a while back as well, the hierarchy of "friendships." That is when you prioritize by importance to you, some being the higher when in the presence of others. Since I limit myself to few friends most of these "attributes" mentioned I do not practice, but many of my "few" friends do. Of course, I am single and much more isolated from them. You know "out of sight, out of mind." Since, in many cases I have been the one to make the contact I have decided in this new year, I will no longer "plead for friendship." If I do not hear from these "friends," so be it.


Enough of this . . . on to the next items to be Curmudgeonly about:

Am hoping for a good New Year since Christmas pretty much "sucked!" Firstly, on the way to southern California for the holiday I was run off the road by a semi-truck at Sunset Point, North of Phoenix. I was towed into the Subaru dealer in Prescott. Luckily I have Subaru Road Assistance so that cost me nothing. However unluckily, Tim's Subaru pretty much gouged me on the replacement of two tires that had been blown being forced off the road. Nice way to start a trip.


Upon my arrival I found out that my daughter and one grandson were ill and I could not visit them. But further by the next day the other two, plus my son-in-law were all sick. Finally, was able to visit them a couple of days later and took the grandsons to a movie.  Christmas Day I came down with the vomiting and diarrhea that they all had. I spent all of the day secluded in the upstairs bedroom when not in the bathroom. I left California the day after the day after Christmas. However, my sister, who I stay with there, and her husband came down with illness. I felt guilty for bringing this home to them and probably other members of my family who spent the holiday at her house.


I was glad to get back to Flagstaff even if there is not enough snow to go XC skiing. The last business of the old year is to post my ranking of films that I saw in 2013, along with my rating of the performances. They are as follows: (I saw 75 movies in theaters. That is the basis.)

Best Films:
                      1.   12 Years a Slave
                      2.   Gravity
                      3.   Nebraska
                      4.   Saving Mr. Banks
                      5.   The Butler
                      6.   Captain Phillips
                      7.   All is Lost
                      8.   Tie between Philomena and Mandella
                      9.   The Hobbit
                     10.  Quartet
                    
 Honorable Mention:  Dallas Buyer's Club, Much Ado about Nothing, Mud, Star Trek, 42, and World War Z.


Best Actors:    Bruce Dern, Nebraska, Robert Redford, All is Lost, & Indris Elba, Mandella
Best Actresses:  Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks, Judi Dench, Phillomena, Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Supporting Actor:   Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips, Jerod Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Supporting Actress:  Lupita Nyongo, 12 Years a Slave
Director: Alphoso Cuaron, Gravity, Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave, & Alexander Payne, Nebraska


These are my selections with the understanding that there is every year a number of worthy films released in limited theaters before the first of the new year and do not come into general release until January. One that looks particularly notable is August:Osage County. I look forward to seeing it and I know the awards folks have already nominated from that film.


Cheers to all for New Year!

Good Bye Yellowstone, Hello Flagstaff . . .

In the interp. ranger's office at Mammoth

Hey Folks,

My season in Yellowstone comes to an end on Monday, Labor Day. I am sitting here reflecting on the "good, the bad, and the ugly." Not too much of the latter. The bad (or good, depending on how you view it) was my final revelation that I do not want to deal with these people any longer. Not necessarily the Park Service folks but in saying that there was not as much camaraderie here as I have had in other places. Possibly this is the result of being so close to headquarters and/or, maybe, it is just my personality that most of my co-workers did not get.


However, what I do mean in reference to "these people," are the park visitors. Many are very nice, most do not have a clue as to why they came to Yellowstone. They do not research their trip, have no idea what to expect, or any plan whatsoever. Instead of answering questions about hikes and explaining features of the park they want us to plan their trip for them as if we were travel guides. I knew that I was done with this type of work for sure when I had to "act" tolerant of these visitors, when in fact, I was far from it.

view from my quarters front door

On the good side, it was great to be up here in the greater Yellowstone ecological system. I did not get out into the park as much as I should have but was limited, somewhat, by the fact that my days off did not coincide with anyone who I could have hiked with. One does not hike alone in Grizzly country. I did stay in several of the lodge's cabins on days off. I know it is probably blasphemy to say this but enjoying Bozeman, MT was one of my regular activities on many days off. Next to Flagstaff that is where I would not mind living.



Yet another positive aspect of the job was my boss putting me in an apartment by myself, and it did not hurt that it had a great view. Having a roommate probably would have had me gone before my contracted time had expired. Still, at times I was on the verge of leaving for other reasons.

I guess that the "ugly" was the attack by a Grizzly sow with a cub on my young fellow ranger Dylan while he was off duty hiking in the central part of the park. He and his fellow hiker did everything right to include playing dead and emptying their bear spray canisters on the animals. It probably saved them further injury although Dylan suffered having 15 staples in the back of his head and 19 stitches on his right thigh. He is doing well and back at work. But best of all, has seemingly no psychological trauma. He is out hiking this very weekend again. So much for being 24 years old. On another note, the Grizzly is not being sanctioned because she was protecting her offspring.


Monday after my quarters are inspected I am out of here to the Tetons to spend one last night with friends. It is my friend Laine's 61st birthday so hope I get to see him. I went down on my last days off and had really quality time with many of my friends there. Had drinks with native artist DG House, Laine, and Bob. Got to converse with folks at my old visitor center, Colter Bay, and even got to see Tom and Dola Berg with whom I spent many an evening around a campfire in years past. It was good times!

Bob Hoyle, Me, and Tom Berg, members of the old "Gorilla Club" of  Colter Bay

This may be my last time up this way for awhile, if ever. All-in-all it was a good experience in most respects. I will miss the area and my friends, not so much the job. Being a ranger "ain't" what it use to be!


As for movies, I've seen quite a few this summer some of which I mentioned in my July blog so will just let you know what I think was good. Two very good films that were my most recently viewed were The Butler with Forrest Whitaker, and The World's End. Each was excellent in its own way. World's End is humorous coming from those who brought you Shaun of the Dead (which I did not care for) and is not what it seems. It is really about the homogenization of the modern world. It has many different levels on which to enjoy it. Elysium with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster was quite good as well. There were a few others but none worth mentioning from my point of view.

Adios from Yellowstone National Park!

Will write next from home in Flagstaff.

On the Border, of Wyoming and Montana that is . . .

At my duty station, Albright Visitor Center

Morning Folks,


Last entry in May was titled "Been Awhile." Guess this one should be "Been a Long While!" Since arriving in Yellowstone for my new seasonal ranger job I have been trying to get adjusted to my new new surroundings and the work itself. I had not done Ranger programs since the 2008 summer season and not had to put together all new programs since 1999, my first year in the Tetons. It has all been pretty exhausting for me.


 I think I may be getting too old for this kind of work. Not only that but it does not have the same excitement for me any more. However, it is fitting that if this is my last season with the Park Service it be working in the oldest and "grand daddy" of them all. Yellowstone National Park.


I have to say that they have done well for me here in some respects, starting out with giving me an apartment by myself instead of the original shared quarters I was supposed to have. My boss, Brian e-mailed me on my way up that I was getting this apartment. That has turned out to be the most important element for me sticking things out here. The first week I was here out my front door is where the "Buffalo Roamed." That is not to mention the great view.

My front Porch at Mammoth in Yellowstone

Probably have not taken full advantage of the park as I should. The thing is, the people I work with are OK but it is not as close knit a group as I had at Colter Bay in the Tetons. The days off that I have do not lend themselves to having anyone to hike with . . . and, hiking alone here in Grizzly country is not advised, nor would I chance it. I have taken one trip down to the Tetons and Jackson to visit friends and get a haircut (will go again next week). In addition I have stayed at Roosevelt Lodge cabins and gone over the Beartooth highway, as well as a stay in the Lodge cabins at Old Faithful. So am taking full advantage of being up here. I do love the area.

The Beartooth

My most frequent weekend destination (my ranger Lieu Day as they call them, Thursday and Fridays)  has been Bozeman, MT. I have been there six times, twice overnight for both days off. It is the closest place to reasonably see movies and do some shopping. Plus, I just like the town. When Mom died I considered moving there. Over the fourth of July, my most recent day off I spent them there partially because the park has become a zoo with all the "visitors."

One of my reasons for heading to Bozeman last "weekend" was to finally go hiking in Hyalite Canyon, a place 22 miles outside of the city. I had read about it a year ago in Bozeman Outside and thought it looked like a nice place to hike. Friday morning I awoke very early, as usual here, to find it raining heavily. I had thought this would cancel my hike, and it did to a certain extent but decided to drive out and take a look at the place. It was really beautiful forested canyon. There was a let-up in the rain so I was able to do about a mile of walking before it started up again. It is definitely a place to file away for a future trip. Plus, there were numerous campgrounds fairly near the trail just off the road. May try to plan a car camping trip up that way before I leave.

 Hyalite Creek Trail

Even though the job is not for me anymore it has afforded me the opportunity to be up here and I am thankful for that. And, of course I will be the best ranger I can be while on the job. But as I mentioned above I think this is my "Last Hurrah" at it. Eight hours on my feet five days a week just does not cut it with me physically. I have never had to do that before, even in the Tetons, and most especially not in my career as a college instructor. No matter how much time I spend in the gym that amount of time on my feet is too tiring for me.


As for films . . . I have seen too many to mention here since my last blog so will just note some of the best and worst (in my opinion).  The most recent and disappointing was The Lone Ranger. I had hoped for much better as I did with "gal pal" cop film with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, The Heat. To be sure there were some funny gags with McCarthy, but overall it was not that good a film.  My favorite of the summer so far has been the new Star Trek movie and I am not even a "Trekie!" Before leaving for Yellowstone I saw Mud featuring Matthew McConaghy. It was an excellent film, probably the best I've seen so far this year. Gatsby was OK but a bit of a disappointment.  Now You See Me was interesting and not bad. The new Superman offering, Man of Steel, was pretty good as well. I was pleasantly surprised by Brad Pitt's film, World War Z. Usually Zombie films are not my cup of tea but this one was done well and more a comment on contagious desease than zombies. In a way it is much like the movie Contagion that came out last year. So, as is usually the case with summer films, there have been some hits and misses. I know there have been some decent animated films out there but I do not do those.


Cheers all!

Been Awhile . . .

Afternoon Folks (if there are any of you still out there),


I know, I know it has been since February when last I blogged (is that the right terminology for what this is?). There are no excuses, just did not feel like it. I suppose we could say a lot has happened, or not. Had kind of decided to "bag" this blog thing but here I am.

The biggest news is that I am returning to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem once more after saying I'd probably not work up there yet again. Don't worry I have been called on that statement many times by fellow "workoutees" at Flagstaff Athletic Club. "Hey I thought you weren't going to do that anymore" is the common refrain. So, guess what? Not only am I doing it again, but am back with the Park Service working Interp. (what we use to call Ranger Naturalist) out of the visitor center at Mammoth Hot Springs. I leave Monday. My tour of duty is about three and three quarters months. My last day is Labor Day.


It is difficult for me (it seems) not to head up to Wyoming and Montana in the spring and summer. Have been doing so as a visitor, ranger and volunteer for over 24 years, starting out taking Natasha, my youngest on summer camping trips that I never got to do as a kid. After my years as a college instructor this has been the most influential part of my life, especially the latter phases of it so far. For a guy whose family never took him, or his siblings on any vacations this has been it for me.


Had been thinking about doing a blog around the theme of an old Bob Dylan song from my younger days, "The Times They Are a Changing." It is difficult to get a grasp on this as a concept because change has been so exponential in my lifetime. I think about my grandfather who died many years ago but who had spanned a time frame in which the Wright Brothers invented actual human flight and men walked on the moon. That is a lot to comprehend in a lifetime.


I would guess that the information revolution has been at the forefront of my life. I was in my formative years when we watched our first war on TV, Viet Nam. Now, I can talk to my youngest daughter who lives in Okinawa face to face on Skype for free! When I was stationed in Alaska in the army in the 1960s it cost me $50 to talk for ten minutes to my Mom long distance on the phone. At the time I was making $75 a month. With this change has come the concept that nothing is private, or sacred any longer. It all comes out now that everyone has a camera on their phone and "Twits" (haven't succumbed to that yet).


With the danger of being called the "old fogey" that I probably am, am not sure I think all this is good for us. It was nice in the past that there was a little "mystery" to life. Not that I really care about who is "doing who" but think it was a lot nicer when we did not have to hear all the sordid details of our past President's sex lives. Still think that our secret services, i.e., CIA, etc. should be able to keep some secrets. Really do not know what I am trying to say here. Yes it is good that some things are more clear for us, but maybe everything need not be. And, if congress wants to know everything, then maybe they ought to get off their collective asses and get something done rather than constantly working only for their next reelection!


As for films . . .  Have seen many since my last blog so will only mention a few that I liked. Most notably was the most recent, Mud, with Matthew McConnaghy. It is an excellent character study. It doesn't have any major explosions or CGI but very good acting and character development. It is a modern day "Huck Finn" of sorts. It will in all likelihood be too slow for most. Another good movie is directed by and stars Robert Redford, The Company You Keep. It deals with the FBI finally catching up with the 60s "weatherman" terrorists, or trying to. Susan Sarandon turns herself in after her children are grown and it snowballs from there. It is an especially interesting film for we of that generation. Place Beyond the Pines is another film with extraordinary performances by actors Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. This is a slow developing dramatic experience, not for those who are "action junkies." Of course there is the biographic film 42, about Jackie Robinson, the first black player in major league baseball. It was very well done. Again the performances are excellent. I liked it quite a bit. I saw numerous other films during my hiatus from blogging but choose not to mention them here.


That's about it from Flagstaff, AZ. The next edition of this blog, if there is another, will come from Yellowstone National Park.

Cheers all!

Another Birthday! What again?

Howdy Folks,

I do not seem to be very diligent at this blog stuff any more. It is not like I do not have the time what with being retired and all. Mostly, it is just about motivation. As the blog title "Curmudgeon" would indicate I should be railing about something, but lately there have been so many things that tend to irritate that I have been hesitant to go on and on about them. In fact, this last month leading up to the aforementioned anniversary of my birth has been pretty good on a personal level. No, I do not mean I have a "love life" after a couple of years. I am fairly certain that part of my life is over. But, little things have been going relatively well.

To start off with, I got a pretty good size tax return and have been putting it to good use with some changes to my condo that I had wanted to do for awhile. Secondly, I played the "age card" with my HOA and got my carport parking spot moved closer. It is more sheltered from the weather. The space I switched with was one from an unoccupied condo (1 1/2 years) that had been a repo by the bank. Lastly, there has been decent snow fall, off and on, and I have gotten to go XC skiing more than last winter. All-in-all these may seem to be small things but they have contributed to a bit better outlook on my part. In addition, both of my lovely daughters and their families seem to be doing well and this contributes to my better view of the world as well.

As for films, I have seen a few since my last review, many were not really noteworthy. The most recent, in fact, today on my birthday was Stand-up Guys featuring Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, and Alan Arkin. It did not get good reviews but I enjoyed it. Guess I liked the "old" criminals getting back together. Last week I saw Quartet, Dustin Hoffman's first directorial effort about aged musicians living in a retirement home for same. This film featured several "older" British actors to include Maggie Smith and Tom Courtney. Although, again one with mixed reviews, I thought it a wonderful small offering, especially for this time of the year when there is a dearth of good movies. The absolute worst film I've seen lately was A Good Day to Die Hard. Bruce Willis needs to give up this series. I liked the others but this one was garbage. Side Effects turned out to be a half way decent thriller, not what I expected. Second worst film was Stallone's Bullet to the Head. Broken City was disappointing as was Parker. Lastly, Gangster Squad was entertaining, kind of a throw back to the Untouchables.

So you see . . . this blog is a fairly mundane and boring one but I felt I should get one out there even if I did not have much to say.

Cheers and Adios from wintry downtown Flagstaff!

Post Holiday, New Year, and my Annual Film Rankings

Good Morning Folks and Feliz Anos, or Happy New Year!


The holidays gave me a lot of good family time in my old home state of California. I spent the most amount of time with my daughter, three grandsons and son-in-law that I have gotten in recent past Christmas's. As usual I stayed with my sister Norma and her husband Scott and had again a great reception and cordial visit. Their hospitality and kindness to me is unmeasurable.

Norma & Scott Nash

The weather in southern Cal was rather cool and down right chilly at night. We had a bit of rain a couple of days but no where near as bad as a couple of years ago when the whole time I was there we experienced a deluge. Christmas Day was sunny and clear with both my sisters, Norma and Marlena, her daughter, my niece, Ashley Louise, bro-in-law Scott and my brother Russell all in attendance for Christmas Dinner. With Russell in the area there is no lack of mirth. Later, in the early evening I visited daughter Tania and her family. Only difficult thing is not seeing my other daughter Natasha and her husband Jason around the holidays. However, Skype helps a lot.

Brother Russell & Me

All-in-all it was a great holiday. One striking thing was the amount of growth in my middle grandson (13) Cole since last I saw him in September. He has grown at least 5 inches and is as tall as his 16 year old brother Zac, the firstborn. They are all growing fast and are great young men.

Cole & his pet pineapple with Torin & Zac

I know this blog does not have much in the way of curmudgeonlyness ( a word I think I just made up) but it is a new year and you can expect quite a bit of grumpiness yet to come in future blogs.

Now to the important part, my top films as seen by me in theaters for 2012. I must make a note here that one of these films was seen yesterday but was in limited release in December. In the past these have not made it in but I am making an exception here since I endeavored to go see what turned out to be my top film in the first week of January, so am giving it a waiver to be included.

1.  Zero Dark Thirty, it also wins my best director, Kathryn Bigalow, best actress, Jessica Chastain, and best screenplay.

2.  Lincoln, winning my best actor, Daniel Day Lewis

3.  Argo, runner-up best director, Ben Afflek, best supporting actor, Alan Arkin

4.  Django Unchained

5.  Silver Linings Playbook, runner-up best actress, Jennifer Lawerence, runner-up best sup. actor       Robert Deniro

6.  End of Watch

7.  Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, runner - up best supporting actress' Judi Dench and Maggie Smith

8.  Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

9.  Skyfall

10. Perks of Being a Wallflower

Honorable mention:  Looper, Moonrise Kingdom, Bourne Legacy, 7 Psychopaths, Amazing Spiderman, & Arbitrage. I viewed 65 films this year in theaters.

In addition I did not pick a supporting actress in my top films because she was in a movie I hated, Le Miserables. As a general rule I do not like musicals, but have enjoyed some in the past, i.e., Hair (not the movie the stage play), and Chicago was OK as were a few others. But, I have to recognize the acting in this film Le Miz as they call it. It was excellent for the whole cast, especially that of Anne Hathaway, my best supporting actress of the year 2012.

Thats it for now from very chilly downtown Flagstaff. Again I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Cheers!

The Holidays . . .

Good Afternoon Folks and Happy Holidays,


As my youngest reminded me, Happy Holidays means Happy Holy days. This nugget of info is for those of you who think Merry Christmas as a salutation has become marginalized in political correctness. We seem to get upset over the silliest stuff and not so much on the more serious aspects of life. Just take any greeting as one of recognition of a special time of the year. I more prefer the certainty of the Winter Solstice as a time for celebration. And lest we forget remember Festivus. So, Happy Whatever to all!

It is just days from the official one that marks the beginning of winter. We had our first major snow storm last weekend here in Flagstaff. And, with that I got to don my XC skis for the first time this season at the Flagstaff Nordic Center. The snow conditions were great and I was happy to find out that I still have some semblance of balance left. As you progress through time you are not sure each year how your body will react in physical situations. I plan to head out again tomorrow morning to make sure there are a couple of times under my belt before leaving for my holiday visit with family. My hope is that this year will not be a repeat of last where I skied a couple of times before departing and came home to no snow until March. I am assured by the National Weather Service that it is supposed to snow Christmas Day. If it is a big storm, there should be enough snow upon my return.




I have been watching a show on the Science channel on DirecTV called An Idiot Abroad produced by Ricky Gervais and Stephan Merchant. They send the hapless Karl Pilkington around the world. To begin with he is supposed to see the "Seven Wonders of the World."The kicker is that they send him on side trips that involve things like Sumo wrestling where he has to get involved. Much like me, even with my anthropology background, he is appalled by most of the customs he encounters, especially what people eat. He is seen gagging in a Chinese restaurant and has to deal with many other scenarios that either place him in difficult or strenuous situations. Even though these are meant to widen his horizons he usually has a negative reaction. It is a funny show. The reason I am writing about it is because in most cases I seem to agree with him. Even though it may be a form of ethnocentrism (the big sin for an anthropologist), I do not want to eat the things most people in other culture's eat. I do not mind understanding other cultures but really have no desire to participate. This TV show brought that to the forefront of my consciousness. So to my darling daughter Natasha who lives in Japan and wants me to visit . . . this show points to why I will not. It does not mean I do not love you. However, maybe we can meet in Hawaii!


As for movies and my very brief reviews of same . . . Since last we met I have viewed three films. The most recent was The Hobbit, another Peter Jackson extravaganza with Martin Freeman in the central role. The first 45 minutes were fairly boring but got better after that the pace picked up. The movie is about 3 hours long and I endured it. I liked the latter part of it, but it left us with a cliff-hanger ending "setting us up" for the next installment. I think I will pass on it (**1/2). Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt has gotten decent reviews but again, I did not find it all that compelling. The acting is good but I find none of the characters to have any redeeming qualities (**1/2). The best of the current movies I have seen was Silver Linings, A Portrait Bradley Cooper, manic individual living with his parents after being institutionalized after the break-up of his marriage. He has a complicated relationship with his father (played by Robert DeNiro). He ends up having a relationship with a woman who is a young widow. This is the kind of film you classify as a drama/comedy. I liked it (***1/2).

I look forward to seeing several films being released over the next couple of weeks. Zero Dark 30, the Kathryn Bigalow dramatic offering about the chase for Bin Laden is number one on my list. Surprisingly, I want to see the musical, Les Miserables. Usually, they are not my thing. I know it will probably not be a great film but I want to see Billy Crystal's new comedy with Bette Midler playing grandparents. In addition, the Bill Murray film where he plays FDR is another on my wish list as is Hitchcock.

Have a great holiday season. Mine has started out wonderfully with two cross-country ski sessions before my departure to Prescott tomorrow and on to Southern California on Friday.

Cheers to all!

Thanksgiving?

Good Morning Folks,


It has been awhile! Even though retired, with a bit of time on my hands, I haven't felt the urge to write any thoughts down. It has been a beautiful Fall here in Flagstaff and we got our first dusting of snow last weekend. The picture to the right gives you just a little indication of the colors here during this season. Although, I do have to say that most of these leaves are gone now what with high winds and some snow (very little).


We have not had a lot precipitation yet so the drought continues in the southwest. However, with the leaves disappearing from the trees and the nights being below freezing we have the beginning of the "winter look" in these parts, my favorites season. I just hope we have a good snow year for cross-country skiing.


The Thanksgiving holiday is on us this coming week. But, it is somewhat diminished these days with the early appearance of Christmas decorations and music in the stores. In many cases this started before Halloween. We old codgers remember the days when it began the day after Thanksgiving. The mighty dollar and merchandizing prevails. We lose some value in putting priority to giving thanks.


Personally, I will be headed down to what we here in Arizona call "the valley;" that is generally the environs of the Phoenix area. Most specifically I will be spending a couple of days with my friends Bob  and Cindy Henry in Goodyear, AZ at the foot of the Estrella Mountains. Now, for me, that is something to be thankful for. If you cannot spend holidays with close family certainly good friends are the ticket. Not only that but I get the bonus of heading from the valley to Prescott on Saturday to spend a couple of days with my other very close friends, Marc and Carol Hammond.


It is a time to be thankful, as is anytime you wake up above ground at this age. I am most thankful for my daughters, their husbands (which are the best, especially considering my families penchant for poor choices in regards to spouses in general), my grandsons, sisters and brothers, my Aunt Roby, last of my parents generation, and the few good friends that have kept me around in their universes. My nieces and their children are also persons important in my life. Outside of these folks, I am thankful for the reelection of the President, who I do not always agree with, but in general has done the best we could expect after the debacle of Bush. I am thankful for my general good health and Medicare which assists in keeping me that way a long with daily exercise. So, Happy Thanksgiving to all!


Movies: I have seen several since the last entry in this cyber-space blog. Most were rather ho-hum, some entertaining but not extraordinary with a few that were excellent! First the latter category will give me a positive start here. By "leaps and bounds" the two best films I have seen have been historical with excellent acting and compelling drama. They are Ben Aflick's Argo and Speilberg's Lincoln. Argo deals with the almost forgotten rescue by a CIA agent (played by Aflick) of five individuals from the American embassy who got away during the Iran hostage crisis and hid out at the Canadian ambassadors house. It is excellent drama. Lincoln is led by the tremendous (as usual) performance of Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role. The film covers the period before Lincoln's assassination when he was pushing for the 13th amendment that really frees the slaves. It is the depiction of the political infighting that took place over that issue. It does not seem to different from the contemporary congressional situation. There are many performances within the movie that are notable as well to include Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln and the many other character actors most film buffs will recognize. Plus, the staging of both films both cinematically and staying true to their periods is absolutely right on!


I thought Flight with Denzel Washington was a bit boring and overly long. He does give a good acting performance and will be nominated for awards. Even though many critics liked it, I did not. I have no interest in watching an alcoholic pilot go through his denial for two hours. I had no empathy for his character. Chasing Mavericks was interesting surfing movie because of my beach upbringing, but was not an especially great film. Alex Cross was just disappointing. They went with action over the more ceribreal character that is in the books and was interpreted so much better by Morgan Freeman. Tyler Perry is just so-so in the role.


Lastly, there is James Bond. Daniel Craig is the second best Bond ever. No one can replace Sean Connery but Craig does an excellent job for these times. Skyfall is a very good film of its genre. My favorite Bond films have been From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Dr. No, Casino Royale (the Craig version) and now Skyfall. I liked none of the Roger Moore movies but did like Pierce Brosnan as Bond.
If your are a fan of James Bond you must see the 50th Anniversary film.


I am looking forward to the further holiday faire which usually gives us our best films.


Have a great holiday season. Cheers to all!

Autumnal Reflections

Another Good Afternoon Folks,


Guess it is about time to write something down again. Having returned from San Diego a little over a week ago I have been reflecting quite a bit on the past, or I should say my past. One of the events that put me on this course is meeting up with an old flame from High School, well maybe not quite a "flame" exactly because we only went on one date.


My sister Norma and I rode the trolley from Santee (in east county) to downtown San Diego to visit with Jodie Hulden, a high school classmate of hers, and the aforementioned lady in question. Jodie had a photographic showing at the Art Walk on the Bay. We had a "jolly fellows well met" time of it with her and I bought one of her exquisite black and white photos reminiscent of Ansel Adams work. While conversing it dawned on me that it was maybe 50 years ago that Jodie and I had gone out on that date. Wow, that is half a century! Incidentally, she looks as beautiful as she did at 15, or so. I am not sure why we did not go out again but am sure it probably had something to do with me. But, for as little good as it does me, I have a huge "crush" on her yet again.


In peering back through the reverse telescope of time it is often interesting to see how we interpret our past. For instance, Jodie mentioned that she had been somewhat frightened of me at the time. I queried her on that because I always thought of my self as pretty unintimidating where girls were concerned, in fact not very confident. Her reply was that, "You were EVAN RAGSDALE!," as if that meant something in the High School hierarchy of the time. We discussed it and my whole perception of myself for that period was thrown off. Which points to the fact that you never know how you may be perceived by others, especially in those teen years.


The trip to San Diego county was a good one and I got to visit most of my close relatives with the exception of my sister Marlene and her daughter Ashley Louise. As is usually the case I ran up and down the county to catch up with my daughter Tania, my grandsons, and her husband Steve. The boys  were busy with all the athletic teams they are involved with. I did get to see each of the three in a game each while there. I had more quality time with the two eldest of my grandsons, Zac and Cole. That was nice! Torin, the youngest, was usually on the computer. And, as I say every time, Norma (sister) and Scott (bro-in-law) were more than cordial and hospitable in allowing me to stay with them. In fact this was the first trip over there for me since Norma retired. Hence our trolley trip, movie and seeing a bit more of each other.


The only really "down thing" about the trip was the intense heat in southern California. Many of the days were in the high 90s, and occasional 100s. With the humidity there it is definitely not my kind of weather. Again, making reference to that reverse telescope of time, Norma and I discussed the fact of "climate change" and it's affects on our hometown and local environs. We both did not ever remember hot weather this warm, and of this duration while growing up there.


Daughter Natasha and her husband Jason have had to endure two very large typhoons in Okinawa in the passed couple of weeks. Although they made it through them fine their apartment was flooded under their hardwood floors from water that blew in under vents on one side of their upstairs abode. Now, with the exception of a couple of rooms they are dealing with torn-up floor boards and a construction zone in their living quarters. The weather has put a crimp in her new found passion, sailing. She recently was certified to solo in that regard. In addition, she is, as is her custom, planning for her favorite holiday, Halloween. Perhaps she should be a pirate for Halloween as they were sailors!


As for me I am "plugging along" here in Flagstaff waiting for winter, and hopefully snow, to do some XC skiing. The leaves are beginning to turn here. It is this beautiful sight that is one of the reasons I live in Flagstaff. This weekend I am going to try to get up to Lockett Meadow to take some fall pictures. The colors should be coming into their glory on the other side of the Kachina Peaks.


Movies: I saw quite a few while in southern Cal. Norma and I went to see Trouble with the Curve featuring  Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams. Although it was OK, I had thought it would be better. I like her a lot as an actor. End of Watch was the best film I viewed there. It was very well acted and gripping police film. The other two were Arbitrage with Richard Gere ad Susan Sarrandon, an interesting movie about high finance and embezzlement , and The Master with Amy Adams, Jacquin Phoenix, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It was a well acted movie but I did not think a very good one. It was big disappointment to me. Upon my return home I saw Looper, last Friday. I found it a very compelling film. I am very much looking forward to the fall films as they will be, generally of higher quality, especially Speilberg's Lincoln with Daniel Day Lewis.


That's it from fairly temperate Flagstaff, AZ.

Cheers ALL!

Happy, Not Unhappy . . . Just Content!

Good Afternoon Folks,


Guess it is about time for another entry in the chronicles of Evan, although I do not think that there is much to say at this point. I have been back in Flagstaff for a little under a month and have stepped back into my old routine.

I did take a trip down to the insufferably hot balmy valley to visit my friends the Henry's and to see how he is getting on in his new teaching job. As is usually the case, we had our evening of "Margaritas." This time Cindy's concoction was made with watermelon juice. Have to say it was not bad. I had way too many and it was a good thing we were at their house nestled up against the Estrella Mountains. The only down side of the whole trip, besides the unbreathable heat and humidity, was the flat tire I got. We spent part of the next morning getting it fixed while we ate Breakfast at the Paradise Cafe Bakery. It was good to see my friends again and catch up.


My other close friends, the Hammond's were up this way last weekend as part of the culmination of their Sedona 39th Anniversary trip. We went to the used bookstore here and lunch. From there they were off to a seminar about RV generators at Camper World, how romantic.


Since coming home I have spent most of my time getting stuff done. The condo needed cleaning after being gone three months, the car serviced, medical appointments and such. I have gotten back into a more constant gym routine than my job in Gardiner afforded me. I have no new neighbors yet. The bothersome four college "boys" moved out while I was gone and I have had a quiet month, so far so good (hope I haven't jinxed myself).


 On another tact that was presented to be by one of my blog readers (one of the few), I wish to comment on this whole concept of "happiness." This person said that from my blogs I sounded depressed and that maybe I needed to get help. They even went so far as to say that "maybe" I should move out of Flagstaff. This irked me no end. My response is that I am not the eternal optimist, nor am I the "half full" kind of person. I do not think that one has to be "bubbly" and cheerful all the time. I am not unhappy, nor am I happy . . . however, I am pretty content with my life. I am glad for the people who are incessantly happy, I just do not want them around me. Besides folks who are constantly in that state of euphoria are annoying, and in many cases seem to be a bit on the edge of hysteria. Trying to convince yourself that you are always "happy" seems a bit neurotic to me. They seem to have a need to be loved by all those around them. That is not me. I am a curmudgeon; that is who I am. But, that doesn't mean that I am not a nice guy.

This will be my only words on the Presidential political race. You folks who support Romney are just ridiculous. First of all, his policies are those of the previous republican administrations. You know the ones that got us in this financial mess in the first place, not to mention the wars. Secondly, even though Obama was not my first choice he has brought us back from financial disasters and you rich folks are doing better than ever on the stock market. The housing market is getting better and he did get us out of Iraq. And finally, I believe it was under his administration that we finally got Osama Bin Laden. When he was running for president everyone wanted universal health care. He got a system passed (and very similar to Romney's in Mass.), now you don't want it. Romney and Ryan will be a disaster for this country, especially for older folks on fixed incomes and Medicare. Stay the course!


Well, after all of that it is time for the movie report, such as they were . . .
The first film I viewed after my return was the remake of Total Recall. It was mildly entertaining but I do not see the the need to remake movies that were not all that interesting the first time around. Hollywood seems to be without much creativity these days (but maybe that is how it has been for several years now).

Hope Springs was a nice little relationship film with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones who are married couple who go off to get marital counseling. Of course the husband is resistant while the wife wants it. It is done pretty well even if a bit predictable.


The Bourne Legacy was a film that I had awaited anxiously having enjoyed the previous triology from which it carries on. Many  critics did not like it but I did. I think Jeremy Renner is a credible character of Aran Cross to follow the Jason Bourne of Matt Damon. It ties together many loose ends from the previous films and promises more for the future. Rachel Weitz was very good  in her role as well. 


The first Expendables was good but sequel is not. I went to see Celeste and Jessie Forever with Bob and Cindy and found it to be a self indulgent film for Rachida Jones who starred in it, co-wrote the script, and co- produced it. i did not like it at all.

The last two films I saw last week were Hit and Run, a very forgettable offering, and Premium Rush.
The latter film harkens back to Quicksilver, an 80s Kevin Bacon vehicle. Both are about bike cycle messengers in New York City. It was an entertaining film and Joseph Gordon-Levit does a great job in it.

That's about it from warm Flagstaff. I will be making a trip to southern Cal next month to see my family members so will report on that next time.


Adios!

Leaving Gardiner, Montana

Evening Folks,

My time is almost up here in Montana. I have three more days of work and am out of here on Wednesday. I am headed down to Utah for a couple of plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival  in Cedar City. It will be 21 years of the Bard in that venue. I did miss a couple of years in there somewhere but replaced summer attendance with their Fall offerings when those began. The first years were with daughter Natasha on our summer road trips.


These three months of my absence from AZ have been a good experience for the most part. However, I am ready to go home. I have met some nice people that in all probability I'll never see again. Besides, none of them I would call "friends," just acquaintances. Even though the job was fine I will not return (even if I were asked, which might be doubtful). First of all, they are going to make them paying jobs that go from May to October. I am not interested in long seasons any more. Secondly, and most importantly, they have no single housing so you will have two housemates. Having one this time has been less than desirable. I am done with "shared housing," to old for that.


I haven't "gone off" in my curmudgeonly mode in a while but I think it is time again. Like Rosanna Rosanna Dana I am going to start off with "what's all this stuff about . . .?" In this case, having dealt with the public, and had some of what I call "word inflation" running rampant around me all summer, I wish to take folks to task about the word "awesome." It is supposed to mean something that is extraordinary, not everyday and mundane. But that is what it has become. If everything is "awesome," then it is only average and not fabulous. A pure and simple case of "inflation," the word no longer means what it was intended to mean . . .


Then there are the common expressions in current usage. One of which is, "It is what it is." If I hear this major "cop-out" phrase again I may "freak-out." I wish that I could believe that people were intellectual enough to think they were existentialists. That is expressing the main tenet of that philosophy, "existence precedes essence," but I know that is not the case. They are just Parrots mouthing the words.
Of course nothing "is what it is." Every bit of experience is how we perceive it and that is not precisely the same for all. Unless of course you need another crutch to justify your life.


Lastly, on this tirade, I will mention the shorter phrase, "no problem," another catch all. When I worked as a ranger at an information counter with some younger rangers they would often respond to a park visitor's Thank You with a whinny no problem. My response to them was that they were being discourteous and rude. The response to "thank you" is "you are welcome." Of course it is "no problem," it is your job you wankers. If indeed something is no problem and it is the appropriate rejoinder then I say I do not have a problem.


That is probably enough of that for now. On to the movies . . .
Since last I communicated in this space I have viewed a few films. The plethora of comic book inspired super hero movies has continued across my summer. Two that I have seen lately were pretty good, even though not my favorite genre. The Amazing Spiderman was a lot better than I thought it would be, and in fact, and in my opinion is slightly better than the one's of just a few years ago. My most recent "flick" of this nature was The Dark Knight Rises, the end of the triology directed by Christopher Nolan. Even though I found it entertaining, I do not think it as good as the two previous. It was overly long, could have used some editing and the script could have been tightened up so as not to be the "hodge podge" it was. Having said that I did enjoy it. In both films the acting was very good.




Moonrise Kingdom was  a quirky little film with Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis and some kids that were the real stars of the film. It takes place in the 60's on an island off of New England somewhere and focuses on an outcaste "boy scout like character" and the girl he runs away with. All the adults, scout masters included become involved in the hunt. It was a nice, and strange film. I liked it a lot.


Well, that's about it forever from beautiful downtown Gardiner, Montana.


Adios . . . see you in AZ

4th of July . . . Gardiner, Montana

Good Morning Folks,


Happy Independence Day all! This day was important to our fore-fathers, and ultimately to us, for what it represents as an achievement other countries have attempted and failed. But, the holiday itself always leaves me a bit ambivalent, as do many we celebrate, especially the summer ones. All this BBQing, over indulgence in drink, fireworks, and such, really do not, nor have they ever, held much excitement for me. As a matter of fact for most of the last few years I have worked on the 4th. When a ranger I liked working because it meant double pay. From Memorial Day to Labor Day when you are working with Park visitors everyday is pretty much the same.


Today in beautiful downtown Gardiner, with the almost full-moon setting at the dawn of this holiday there will be no fireworks this evening. The fire danger has become extreme with temps in the 90s and hot winds blowing everyday for the last few weeks. Funny thing is that here in Montana and in Wyoming I have noticed they are big on fireworks. The booths selling them were up and running in earnest a week and a half ago, but with the ban on setting them off I am not sure how things will work. No one has shut them down so I expect there will be a lot of illicit activity regarding them this evening.


I am beginning to miss being in Flagstaff. Am glad that unlike working for the Park Service, where I was gone for almost 5 months, that this volunteer job has only taken me away for three. Having visited Bozeman several times on my days off I have determined that I could live there, and if I did, I might not miss Arizona as much. I think it is just that where my "stuff" is located is what pretty much defines "home"for me. It is not like I have that many friends in Flag (of course the same is not true for Prescott). Financially, and emotionally I could not move to Montana. I am pretty much stuck with my condo since housing values went down. Plus, the amount it would cost to move, even with my meager belongings, would be too much. On the emotional side, I could not move that far away from my family in southern California. As it is I have missed too much of my grandsons growing up.


As for movies: Yesterday I was in Bozeman again and saw People Like Us, featuring Elizabeth Banks, Chris Pine and Michelle Phifer (sp). It was a very good relationships film where the performances by the actors were excellent. Elizabeth Banks is a very underrated  actor. This movie is not recommended to "summer action movie males" (A.D.D. guys). They will find it slow and boring. Previously I went to see Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, with Steve Carrell and Kiera Knightly. Another "relationship" film posing the question, what would you do if you knew the world was coming to an end in just 3 weeks? It was an interesting and thoughtful film but not a great one, just pretty good. Prometheus was an overly long, and need of editing "fair" prequel to the Alien series of movies. Noomi Rapace took the place of Sigourney Weaver (before her character was born) as the female heroine and did an adequate job. However, she was much better in the Swedish version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.



I am looking forward to the brief visit of my niece Kimberley and her family, husband Dennis, and great niece and nephew, Melissa and Kyle on their way through here on Sunday. They will have "bagged" three more, new for them, National Parks in the Pacific Northwest on this trip. I am just sorry that I have to work that day and will not be able to spend much time with them. They, next to my friend Marc, have been my most faithful visitors during my past 12 years, or so, working summers up this way. They will be staying at my favorite lodge cabins in Yellowstone, Roosevelt.  I hope they like it as much as I do.


That's about it for this go round. I have withdrawn from Facebook so this will be one of my only methods by which folks can follow my "exploits" from this point on . . . well, there is e-mail and the phone. In a future blog I will discuss this "Facebook" thing.


Cheers, and have a safe holiday!

Happy Father's Day!

Good Morning Folks,

It looks to be a beautiful day here in downtown Gardiner, MT on "Father's Day." This is my third Saturday (even though it is Sunday) as my daughter Natasha calls it. I work four days and am off four so there are three Saturdays and one Sunday according to her. It just points again to the fact that how we measure time in many many ways is a social construction of reality.




I had the biggest camping debacle of my life the day before yesterday. I had gone down to Norris campground about midway through the two loops in Yellowstone. It is a great campground and I got an excellent tent site . . . but, while putting up my tent I was attacked by swarms of mosquitos. So, after getting my abode for the night up, I headed out for the day. I returned in the evening to no little insects flying around. Had eaten dinner at "Old Faithful" so did not need to do that. The tent was nice and cozy and I retired relatively early. At about 2:30am I awoke freezing. My forty degree bag let me down for the first time. Tossing and turning and awake the rest of the night; as soon as it was light (about 5am) I got up to make some coffee. That is when I found out my fuel canister on the backpacking stove was empty. Still freezing with my down sweater and knit cap on I tore down the tent and headed to "Canyon" for coffee and breakfast.


I had planned to camp two nights but that was not going to happen. After a "hardy" breakfast at the "Canyon Cafeteria," I headed down to get some shots of the falls at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. As usual, it was spectacular. I love that area much more than the geysers. From there I went over Dunraven Pass hoping to see a Grizzly or two. But, alas, that was not to be. However, near Roosevelt there was a Black Bear sow and cub. I could only view them from my moving vehicle as there were too many people on, and all over the road to stop. Then it was back to Gardiner to recover  from my ill-fated camping fiasco. Thus ended my endeavor in the "great outdoors."


Time here seems to be flying by. I have a little less than a month and a half left. The job is good and the people are, for the most part, great. As mentioned before it is a lot like working the information counter as a a ranger. It has gotten, by degrees, a lot busier. The plan after departure from here is to head up to Glacier Park for a few days before heading back down to home, Arizona. Perhaps on the way I will hit a couple of plays at the "Utah Shakespeare Festival."


We had a big "to do" here last Thursday. The governor of Montana and the high "mucky mucks" from the park had a ceremony to sign an agreement which will provide for a new gateway into the park for the north entrance. The famous Roosevelt Arch will remain the icon that it is but will be more approachable for photographs with out stopping the traffic through it. They are going to build a bypass road into the park, new entrance stations, and spruce up the area around it. This all took place in front of and across the street from my work position. They even had a stagecoach pulled by horses to take the governor and park superintendent the 100 yards from our building to Arch Park for the "signing" and speeches. There was quite a crowd in attendance. It was "big doings" for Gardiner, MT.


My last thought for this blog is a recognition of the passing of a wonderful man this last week. That was my first father-in-law, Paul Bissonnette. He along with my grandfather Stan Sausser were the most respected male role models in my life. May he rest in peace.


Again, Happy Father's Day to all of you for whom it is relevant.


Thats about it from here in Montana, granted it was "slim pickens" this time.


Adios!

Guess It Is About Time . . .

Good Morning Folks from Gardiner Montana,


It has been awhile. I haven't felt much like "putting pen to paper," as the old saying goes. Yes, I am far from my Flagstaff home for awhile working for the Yellowstone Association just outside the north entrance of the Park.


I arrived here on May 7th and have so far taken a three day "Wolves of Yellowstone" course with the Yellowstone Institute, and begun training and work with the association. Being up here on the Northern Range so early in the season I have seen lots of wildlife. Coming into the Park on my first day I was rewarded with a Grizzly Bear sighting.


The folks who work and volunteer (as I do) for this outfit are very nice. As a group probably the nicest I have ever been around (so far). I share a condo with a woman who is also a volunteer. We go our separate ways and have different shifts and that is good for me. We are very different people but respect each other's space. At this stage of my life it is very difficult living with someone.


The past few days we have had snow here. This is something I like. Most visitors to the Park are not that enthralled with it. To be honest it does inhibit their movement with roads closing and reopening hours later. Guess it is especially distressing this being the "Memorial Day" weekend (usually the unofficial start of summer, even though "real" summer is 2/3 of a month away).


Last Thursday night I stayed in the majestic "Old Faithful Inn." I wanted to get a room in what they call the "old house" and was lucky enough to get a cancellation there. In the "old house" you have to walk down the hall to the bathrooms but it is in the original building (circa 1906). In addition, for no extra price, I got a room with 3 beds, so I invited my friends Bob and Ben Hoyle, both rangers in the Tetons, to join me, and they were able to work it out. I love to stay there when I can. We had a great time even if they had to leave early the next morning. They were worried about getting over Craig Pass and back down to the Tetons with the snowy conditions that had arisen over night.

Not much happened during the time period in which I did not Blog. It was pretty much a routine spring in  Flagstaff. My friends Marc and Carol came-up to see me off and buy a farewell dinner. I went to a party/BBQ at a relatively new friend's house before leaving. Also, there was the quick trip to San Diego County to see family. I was lucky that my niece Kimberley and her family were there for their Spring Break so got to see them. I went to a couple of my grandson's baseball games. It is always a pleasure watching and seeing them. Again, with my daughter and her family's hectic schedule I did not get to see as much of them as I would have liked, but such is life. Norma and Scott were perfect hosts as usual.


My job here in Gardiner is as volunteer information specialist. Basically, I do what I did as a ranger when working a visitor center info counter. The main differences are that I do not work for the Park Service nor do I have to give programs. The latter is nice in that I have no late nights, 8-5 is my shift, and am on 4 days and off 4. I get free housing and a small stipend. The biggest bonus is that I get to be in this beautiful part of the country.


As for movies, I will not go through all that I saw during my hiatus from blogging, but only those I have seen lately. Most have been just OK. I saw The 5 Year Engagement in Utah on the way up, and thought it a terrible movie and only went because I love Emily Blunt.  I have traveled to Bozeman, Montana (closest relatively big city) and seen three films. Best of these was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It has a very fine cast of older icon British actors, including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and Celia Imbrie. All characters are elderly people looking to get out of England and go to India for various reasons. The ensemble cast is great. A "super hero" film fan I am not but did enjoy The Avengers, especially Mark Ruffalo's characterization of "the Hulk." And of course Scarlett Johannson looks great in her outfit playing her "kick-ass" character. Battleship was entertaining but not great. Guess it was based on the board game, kinda of weird. As is usually the case the "pickin's" have been pretty slim in the start of the so-called summer film season. I hope there will be a little "gem" buried amongst them.


That's it for now from Montana.

Adios Amigas y Amigos

Vernal Equinox . . . Spring has Sprung!

Good Morning Folks,

This early morning awakening got me thinking how my blog is much like one of my favorite periodicals, Mountain Gazette. This magazine is anxiously awaited each month but is very erratic in its appearance, sometimes first of the month, others, the middle, and as seems to be the case this month not to be seen yet. Now, this is not to say my blog is of the same quality, nor is it anxiously awaited, just variable in timing. This morning it just seemed like it was "time" again.

Funny thing about "timing," we had our biggest snow storm the last two days of official winter. At my condo there were 24 inches of the white stuff measured on the top of our carports. Most of the this winter we have had "piddling" little 1 1/2 inch storms. My XC skiing endeavors were severely curtailed, limited to a couple of sessions before Christmas, and a couple more earlier this week. Since our big storm, temps have arisen to the mid-50s and beyond. After my last skiing session on Wednesday morning I removed my ski racks from the car and stored them and the equipment away for the year. And so it goes . . .

A couple of weeks ago I got to go down to Goodyear, AZ and visit my good friends Bob and Cindy Henry. I spent some time with Cindy last summer in Yellowstone but had not seen Ranger Bob in over a year. Bob was down on furlough from his ranger job at Denali National Park. We "hung out," drank "Margaritas' (as usual), and went to an MLB spring training game. We always have a good time together. It makes we wish I could see them more often.

Today I "hit the road" again to first stop off and see my friends in Prescott, Carol and Marc Hammond, then head on to southern California to visit family. I guess this would be my Spring Break if such designations were still relevant in my life. After eleven year of retirement from the academic world dividing my life into segments of an academic year have finally departed my consciousness

This trip to my old hometown is the last for awhile. I head up to Yellowstone to work May through the first of August. I had decided to forego working for the Park Service as a seasonal ranger this year but got an opportunity to take a volunteer position with the Yellowstone Association. I will be working at their visitor center in Gardiner, Montana as an Information Assistant. Basically, I will be doing what I did as a Ranger in the Tetons giving out Park information to visitors (for Yellowstone Park). I get free housing and a daily stipend. It will be a different experience for me and the season is not as long as the last few years as a ranger. I am very much looking forward to it.

As for movies . . . A Woody Harrelson film about a "bent" LA cop in 1999, Rampart, was a great acting performance on his part. The movie is very "gritty," and disturbing. It is one of those I liked, thought was very good, but never want to see again. A definite waste of time was Wanderlust, with Paul Rudd and Jen Anniston. I should of known, most Paul Rudd movies are crap. Act of Valor billed as starring real Navy Seals was just what I thought it would be, a live action video game and recruiting film. 21 Jump Street got some good reviews so I went to it. It had some laughs but was not a very good film. The cinematic pickings have been very lean to say the least. I am hoping the trip to San Diego will afford the opportunity to get to see some good "Indie" movies.

Adios Amigas y Amigos