Good Morning Folks,

After a couple of weeks now of being "under the weather" (where does that expression come from?), I am finally beginning to see some daylight. It seems that the heavy winds we have had here for weeks may have caused allergies to develop into Sinusitis (possibly a cold thrown in). Thanks to a trip down to the VA hospital in Prescott I am now on antibiotics. At any rate I'm on the road to recovery and am even going to try the gym this morning.


The temps in Flagstaff have made it feel like Spring and almost summer. But, the aforementioned winds have been pretty crazy, 30-50 mile an hour stuff everyday for about 6 weeks now. What was a good winter for moisture is now being sucked out by these winds making for a dry fire season here.


Joanne and I are progressing along quite nicely. She had to go to Newport Beach (her hometown) for a memorial service so was out of town for several days this past week. I picked her up at the train station early yesterday morning and we spent a nice and low key day together. I had all but forgotten how nice it is to have someone in your life. Of course the added bonus is that we are so "gaga" about each other. We have discussed all the limitations of a "May/December" relationship and she knows marriage or even living together are not options and she is fine with that . . . She has her kids and is not wanting to be married again. Neither of us were looking for a relationship, it just happened. I am happy for the first time in a long while and so is she.



Natasha and Jason are thriving in Okinawa. He is working very hard at his job and she getting set-up to start classes at the Univ. of Maryland, Asia and checking out the job scene. Along with that they are preparing for their move from temporary housing on base to an off-base house at the end of this week. Coincidently, their furniture and stuff will arrive on the same day after two months getting there by sea transport.



While ill I did get out to the movies a couple of times. Most of you know me well enough to know I'd have to be on my death bed not to get out to a theater. At any rate, the summer film fare has begun. I saw Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchette's (I love her) new semi-historical opus, Robin Hood. Most of the critics didn't like it but I did. I found it entertaining and fun. I am a sucker for a big epic and all that sword play. Mind you I'm not saying it is a great film but enjoyed it in the way that I did Errol Flynn's version, pure escape. The second movie was Letters to Juliet. Again not a critics favorite but an enjoyable romantic story. I loved seeing Venessa Redgrave again. What with many of the great acting family of Redgraves dying fairly recently (to include her daughter Natasha Richardson and sister Lynn) she is nearly last of a dynasty. Most critics do not seem to like most offerings in the romance genre, but I do. Besides that you get a view of Verona, Italy and surrounding areas. So, I give both films three stars (out of 5) and a thumbs-up, but not way up!


Cheers, until next time!

Wind and Illness

Hey All,


Am sitting at home this morning instead of going to the gym. I rarely miss a workout day during the week. But it seems my allergies, after continuous strong winds here in Flagstaff, have evolved into a bad cold. Colds seem to enter my body at least once a year. The older I get the more annoying these maladies become.



Illness is interesting in how it affects your psyche. In light of the fact that I get all my immunizations and flu shots as a preventive action it always suprises me how the common cold persists as an uncurable ailment. I try not to let it get me down by attempting to combat it through the usual means but at the same time it is difficult to stay home all day. Luckily, it does not "lay me low" so the only limitation I place on myself is to cut-out my workouts for a couple of days. Even though I have not taken advantage of it, it is nice to have woman in my life who is a nurse.




Speaking of which, Joanne and I had a very good weekend together, especially Friday and Saturday. We continue to get to know each other better. Even with the illness life seems a bit more interesting these days. I do not know how long things will last between us (hopefully for good while) but there is a definite upswing in my attitude and demeanor. Romance may be my drug of choice. It is difficult to say since it has been a good while since I've had that kind of "buzz" in my life.




At any rate, life is pretty good these days all things being equal. Since I have not gotten any notification from the park service for this summer, I have begun to plan some trips. June will be my month for a sojourn to Colorado and Wyoming. In July my tentative plan is to hit the Shakepearean Festival in Cedar City. My goal is to see Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. In August I will make another trip to southern Cal to visit family. September is still open. If I can pull together the funds I'd like to visit Ranger Bob, the younger, in Alaska. Another possiblity is trip back up to WY to go to Glacier Park with Ranger Bob, the Elder. As you can see it is a very robust plan and other factors may cause changes, not the least my new relationship. I may need to shorten some of these trips in order to be able to spend time with Joanne, or not.



Movies: Since my last transmission, I have seen two films. Iron Man II, with Robert Downey Jr in the title role. This movie is very entertaining. It is worth seeing but not as good as the first one. The second, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an excellent Swedish thriller. It is rather long and has subtitles but well worth it. Also, I should warn you that there are some pretty graphic rape scenes in it, not so much nudity as violence.


I am looking forward to this Friday's release of the Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchette's version of Robin Hood. I have read that this will be a different, non-traditional approach to this often produced fabled story. It seems to be much on par with the reinterpretation of King Arthur featuring Clive Owen a few years ago. At any rate this is only the beginning of the summer onslaught of films that will be, for the most part, pablum for the masses. If we are lucky there will be a few gems buried amongst them.




Cheers all . . . Adios for now.

California and Back!

Hey Folks,



I'm back in Flagstaff after about 8 days in partially sunny southern California. It rained a couple of those days, one of which was while I was attending my grandson Zac's baseball game last Tuesday. The umpires let it go to the 5th inning. Thought they stopped baseball for rain, guess I'm getting old. In all, between the three grandsons, I went to 7 games. It was good seeing the boys. They have grown substantially since my last visit in September. Zac has sprouted up and become a lot leaner. He is no longer the small guy on his teams and now that he is 13, a full blown teenager with all that comes with that.

Zac, Torin & Cole

I stayed with my sister Norma and "her guy," Scott. He is the nicest guy you would ever want to meet and as cordial a host as is my sister. They are a good complement to each other. I told her she made a good choice to finish out life. He is a kind man and shows in many small ways how much he cares for her.

Of course I had many good meals prepared by my eldest daughter Tania. She is excellent in that regard and I enjoy her company and my son-in-law Steve's, when he is around. He is always at work, or coaching/managing all the ball teams the boys are involved with. They are good parents.

So, I'm back in Flagstaff and getting into the "swing of spring." It looks like I may have a new "romantic" interest as well. Her name is Joanne and we have been acquaintances for a bit but have turned things up a notch upon my return. We spoke quite a bit on the phone while I was in California. It is kind of "May/December" thing if you know that reference (she is 42). Today was her birthday and she took the day off so we spent most of it together. We had fun and laughed a lot. That will probably "titillate" some your interests since she is a bare 2 months older than my eldest and a matter of a couple of days older than niece Kimberly. But she is interested. What can I say?

No word from the Park Service so my days as a Ranger are probably over. It was a good run and I will still visit the Tetons this summer.

Movies: I went to what I thought were three good independent films while in California. The first, Greenberg, featured Ben Stiller in a different kind of role as somewhat despicable 40 year old house sitting his brother's place in Calif. This is a good performance by him but not an especially "up" kind of film. I liked it and do not usually like his stuff. The second, The Joneses, with Demi Moore and David Decovney (sp) was an interesting comment on consumerism in the US. They part of a put together family that goes into affluent neighborhoods to live and display all of their new gadgets, getting their neighbors to buy them through peer pressure. The last one I saw was the best of a good lot. That one was City Island with Andy Garcia and Julianne Marggules from The Good Wife and ER . It is about a NY family living in an Island part of the Bronx. They are a pretty dysfunctional group, but fun to watch. The young son is fixated on really large women and is on the Internet looking for those sites. Garcia's character is a prison guard who secretly goes to acting classes while telling his wife he is playing poker. All these films were thoroughly enjoyable viewing.

Adios for now!

Good Afternoon . . .




And it is a good afternoon here in Flagstaff, AZ. It has been a week of "comings and goings" in my life and those around me. Firstly, from the beginning of the week through the middle Natasha and Jason made there way through various stops in Arizona to Seattle and to their final destination, Japan. The early week was fraught with anxiety, angst, and nervous energy as we all tried to get them on their way. The last minute, and final (most crucial) obstacle to their departure was the government $$$ being put in their account on Monday. This they needed to pay for lodging and meals on the way. After an arduous and exhausting 20 hour trip they finally arrived in their new home, Okinawa.




They are finally on their own in an exciting foreign country. Tasha called and related their adventures getting there and how wonderful Jason's new boss was in getting them into their temporary housing, stocking with groceries, and taking them to dinner. I would say that is a good start for them.






So much for one of the important "goings," as it were. As to the comings, niece Kimberly, her husband Dennis and my great niece and nephew, Melissa, and Kyle arrived Thursday evening on their way home from San Diego to Denver (their Spring Break). We had a great visit and took a trip to the Grand Canyon together on Friday. They left early this morning for their marathon drive back to Littleton, CO. for Easter tomorrow and school and work on Monday. It was a nice visit and fun to have them be the first family members (outside of Natasha) to spend a couple of nights at my condo.










Now I sit here all alone in my solitude. I am not lonely per se, but do feel a "twinge" knowing that it will be a little more difficult to live here without being able to talk to my youngest offspring as frequently as in the past. For that matter I wouldn't mind being able to talk more often with my eldest. Even when Tasha lived in London we were able to talk several times during the week, in New York it was almost daily, and here, in Flag, it was daily. So, that will be something I will have to get use to. But, life is change if it nothing else.





In most cases Movies have "sucked" lately. This is what one might call the doldrums for film releases. This is usually the time of year when the studios dump their not so excellent works, that is, after the Oscars. The other day, in between the departures and arrivals mentioned above, I went to see something that I would not have gone to had I not read a couple of good reviews. It was heralded as being as good as Hang Over, a surprising funny comedy. Do not bother with Hot tub Time Machine, enough said. She's Out of My League was not bad. The best by far in my estimation is one of those little gems that sneak in during this period, The Ghost Writer, with Ewan McGregor and Peirce Brosnan. Roman Polanski directed this political thriller and it is very interesting and well acted.





In additon, the Vernal Equinox, beginning of spring, happened a couple of weeks ago and the days are getting longer again. Let me wish all who still read this ode to nothing, a happy spring and may it bring new growth to all!



Cheers!

Mornin' All . . . that is if there is still anyone out there.




It has been almost a month since my last posting here. Not that my life is so busy that I do not have time to write, it is just that I have lost motivation to do it, not too mention anything to say.






Most of what has taken up my time, at least in my head, is getting Natasha and Jason off to Japan. There have been delays with government paperwork and a further trip down to Luke Air Force Base. It looks as if they will be flying out of AZ on March 31st, and Seattle the next day. This has been a stressful time for all of us and a combination of that and excitement for Tasha and Jason. Finally, they will be on their own as a married couple albeit in foreign land. Ah, to be young and have the whole adventure ahead! I will miss them.






The weeks have seemed to fly by and the winter has been long here in Flagstaff. However, I have enjoyed it with the opportunities to go XC skiing so abundant this season. Spring will be on us in another week but who knows if the global weather patterns will oblige with warmer weather. Many here in Flag are ready for it but I would not mind a few more days of skiing. Last weekend was Natasha's 29th birthday and we went skiing on Wednesday as part of her week long b-day celebration. This is her second time this winter after an 11 year hiatus. She has done well with it, not to mention having fun. But, from here on her outdoor fun will have more of a tropical bent in Okinawa.









There was a job offer in the Tetons but I turned it down. It was my dream job to work in the backcountry permits office. But in order to accept it I would have had 3 roommates, one sharing a bedroom with me. I am too old for that. I could share a place but not a bedroom. There is still a chance for an Interp. Ranger position but if it has the same arrangement in accomodations the decision on my part will be the same. I think they are trying to tell me something up there. At any rate, there is still a Grand Canyon gate or campground ranger position still in the wind. But, travelling this summer sounds a lot more enticing.







Movies: The Oscars and other awards shows went pretty much according to script. I was happy about Jeff Bridges and The Hurt Locker winning. Films I have seen lately have not been all that exciting to me. I took Tasha to see Alice in Wonderland, as I did when she was a child. She liked it very much; I thought it only OK. I saw Green Zone yesterday. I liked it but it is very politically explosive. Matt Damon is good in it. But, it is not Bourne like, a bit more real. The worst movie I have seen lately is Cop Out with Bruce Willis and the guy on 30 Rock. It was absolutely terrible. I wasn't expecting a great movie just good entertainment . . . I was wrong.






Adios for now!

Another Sunday Morning in Flagstaff . . . Good Morning Folks!


After a few inches of snow last weekend it has warmed up here in the mountains. Yesterday it was 51 degrees, practically summer. I hurried out last Monday to ski on the fresh stuff and it was excellent. The slopes of the AZ Snow Bowl (downhill skiing) have been so full on the weekends they have had to close them to further traffic up the mountain by about 9am. The folks from the valley head up here in droves. This long weekend for some is no exception.


I know that I have been remiss in blogging for a while. It is just that I haven't really been in the mood. My friend John Haynes died almost two weeks ago and it has hit me pretty hard. He had given up on his "chemo" treatments and wanted to go home to Prescott. I visited him Monday two weeks ago, as did many others, and he died the following night.


John was not only a good friend but he was my mentor at Yavapai College as well. I knew him for 36 years, one of my oldest friends. He was there right after my youngest, Natasha, was born and he and his wife Carolyn were at her wedding a little over a year ago. We hiked/backpacked many a trail in the Grand Canyon together. In fact he was the one most responsible for getting me in the canyon in the first place. He was my first Liberal Arts Division Chair at the college and I was his division chair when he retired. If we had been cowboys (he was raised in Kingman, AZ) I would say we rode many a trail together. Even though he was a life long atheist, I wish him happy trails. He was only 75 and in very good shape when I visited him in September. We will honor his life tomorrow at a memorial in Prescott.


As for other news . . . Natasha and Jason's progress toward moving to Okinawa for his government job took a few steps toward fruition this past Friday. We went down to Luke Air Force base for his "physical" and some preliminary processing for their flight and movement of their household goods. The only thing holding up movement forward is getting his official orders. The government moves slowly. Right now their tentative date for flying out is March 18th. They are very excited about this new adventure.


My life is plugging along as usual. Near the end of next week I will be 64 years old, another milestone along life's path. As much as my daughter likes to deny it, I think I am officially old now. I know, "you are only as old as you feel!" Well, I look in the mirror and I am there . . . as they said on the old Seinfeld show, "not that there is anything wrong with that."


Movies: The highlight of the films viewd lately was Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges in the featured role of an old country singer, much like Merle Haggard or Waylon Jennings. He is absolutely great in it and has won the Golden Globe and SAG awards for best actor. I concur with these accolades and feel he should take the Oscar as well. In addition, I have seen Edge of Darkness with Mel Gibson in his first acting film in a few years and Extraordinary Measures with Harrison Ford. They were both entertaining in their way but not great films. The latter was surprisingly good even though a bit of a "tear jerker."


Well, that's about it from beautiful, and sunny downtown Flagstaff garden spot of AZ!


Adios Amigos y Amigas!

And so it goes . . . time that is . . .

Good Morning from the mountains of AZ,

Wow! It is mid-month in the New Year already. It is difficult to believe how fast time seems to be hustling along. The last few days I have been reflecting on what it means to be 64 years old (almost, but in my 64th year). I think about how old folks use to seem at this age when I was younger, and also, how they are perceived today with all the changes in diet and exercise, etc. Guess that I have been lucky, appearance wise, in that for most of my life I have looked about 5-10 years younger. This doesn't come from my own delusions but from othe people's comments.

Just this week a couple of younger folks who work out at my gym were genuinely shocked when I told them my age. The problem is that I do not feel all that junior, especially when I look in the mirror in the morning.

However I am viewed, the fact is that I am on the downhill side of life even if my youngest daughter wishes to deny it. I know all that crap about "you are only as young as you feel." One thing that bugs me the most about all this is the way you are perceived by the opposite sex, especially those a bit younger. And, I am not talking about pedophilia, just folks who would have fallen into my old "10 year down rule." I do not mean a woman who is younger than her 40s, 50s, or low 60s. They do not seem to be interested anymore, or at least the one's I'm interested in pursuing. I am not the least bit interested in a "matronly" looking woman of my age, as it seems a former relative by marriage seems to be. So, I will just plug along.

On another front, my daughter Natasha and her husband will be on their way to Japan (Okinawa) for a government job he has secured. This is great news for them as it will get them out of Flagstaff where there are few meaningful employment opportunities for them. They are both excited about the change. Natasha is an inveterate traveller so the new horizons will give her a chance to experience the Orient (as we use to call it, now more PC, Asia). I will miss having my daughter so close and treasure this almost two years (by the time she leaves) that we have had together. I wish them the best on their new adventure in life.

A week, or so, ago I got to visit my good friends the Henrys, Bob and Cindy, down in Goodyear, AZ at the foot of the Estrella Mountains. Last March was my last visit with them. As usual we had a good time together. I miss seeing them more often. What with Bob working as a Ranger in Denali Park in Alaska, it is difficult for us all to get together.

Cindy & Bob Henry, Goodyear, AZ

We are expecting a whole week of snow storms beginning Sunday night/Monday morning. The predictions from NOAA are anywhere from 3-7 feet accumulations. If htat happens that may put everything to a stop here in Flagstaff. The first major storm that dropped 2 feet in December nearly did that. The good thing is that it bodes well for skiing here. The downhillers will have great conditions at Snowbowl, and we XC skiiers should profit as well. The only problem will be getting out there if they do not get the roads plowed.

Me and Jon Marie at Flag Nordic Center

As far as XC skiing goes, I hit that magical mark last Sunday while skiing with my friend Jon Marie. I have now broken even on my season pass to the Nordic Center. This is the earliest that has ever happened, and in many years have not gotten to the even point.

Movies: I have seen only two in the New Year, one only fair, and the other not that good at all.

It's Complicated is an OK comedy for us "older" folks with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. It is amusing in places but drags a bit. It might be something for your "Netflicks." The other, The Book of Eli, with Denzel Washington is another of these Apocalyptic films that seem to be in vogue presently. Even though I like him, I found the story stupid. Gary Oldman plays his usual menacing "bad guy." I think you can skip this one unless you are "into" the violent scenes. Besides we never find out where Eli learned all the marshal arts he displays. This was definately a waste of Denzel's talents and my time.

That's it from beautiful downtown Flagstaff . . . Ciao All!