Thursday, July 30, 2009

Jon's Party

I had to stay in Show Low until after the big social event of the season - Jon's Birthday Party. Jon cooked ribs and chicken and the ladies (Judy, Patricia and Ellie) made coleslaw, potato salad and macaroni salad. They served liquid refreshments and birthday cake. Also, Jon hired a 3 piece Country Western band to entertain us. Jon's sister Jane was there also. Jon and Judy share the same birthday, one year apart.
The weather was perfect, and the food and the band were great!! Everyone had a great time!! I can't wait to see how he tops it next year.











OOOOPS!! I didn't get a picture of the Birthday Boy. = (

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Sunday Happy Hour

Here's my patio all ready for the party-----------




Here's all the happy Happy Hour guests----------


We spent almost two hours dodging rain, wind and blistering sun. But everyone had a good time consuming chips, dip, salsa and engaging in stimulating conversations!! I'll have to do it again next year.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Summer Reading Continues, and..........

Summer reading continues......

"1st To Die" by James Patterson. This is a series of ten books, so far, by Patterson which take place in San Fransisco. The lead character is Lindsey Boxer, a SF Police Lieutenant. I enjoyed the characters and the story. It was kind of gruesome, but not too bad. I'm looking forward to reading the whole series.

I skipped "2ND Chance, and then read "3rd Degree." Again Lindsey Boxer was involved in solving a string of murders, including the murder of one of her very best friends.

"Hello, Darkness" by Sandra Brown. This was Brown's 17Th novel and took place in Austin, TX. The lead character was Paris Gibson, a late night radio DJ. The reader is treated to a little murder, mayhem, and romance, of course.

"Hot Mahogany" by Stuart Woods. This Stuart Woods' series takes place in New York City. The lead character is Stone Barrington. He's a former NYC Police Officer, now a highly regarded Lawyer. This is the 15Th in the Stone Barrington series by Woods. Not sure I'll go out of my way to read the other 14.

"North of Montana" by April Smith. I expected something up north, maybe in Canada, but the story takes place in Los Angeles. North of Montana refers to north of Montana Ave. in the Santa Monica/Westwood area, not too far from where I grew up. The lead character is Ana Grey, an FBI Agent. This was April Smith's first novel and a very good one, in my opinion!!! I think there are two more Ana Grey novels. I will be looking for them.






Here's a picture of the little patio I built, using 12" pavers. It's a cozy little spot to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening. If Dan ever shows up I'll have to make it a little bigger.





This morning I went to Show Low for a little shopping.
Here Annie is taking a rest after killing her new stuffless, double squeaky Bunnie. It took her about ten minutes to totally destroy the squeakies. I don't give her stuffed stuffies because she eats the stuffing.



Here's Murphy with his new red ball. It's almost soft enough to sink his teeth into, but not soft enough to bite off a chunk and eat and get stuck in his intestines.


And what did I get? A bag of Double Chocolate Milano, and Mint Milano cookies. = ) YUM!!

Friday, July 10, 2009

A little Quiz on American Priorities

Ed McMahon died this week. He was a great entertainer, but prior to his stage accomplishments he was a distinguished Marine Corps fighter pilot in WWII earning six Air Medals and attaining the rank of Colonel. He was discharged in 1946 and was later promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in the CA Air National Guard.



Farrah Fawcett died this week after a long career in Hollywood as an actress. After she was diagnosed with cancer, she became an activist for cancer treatment and devoted her last remaining years encouraging people to seek treatment. She documented her plight on film and used it to encourage others to stay positive and upbeat despite their diagnosis and suffering.



Michael Jackson died this week. He was perhaps one of the greatest singers of modern time. He will also be remembered for his eccentric lifestyle that included sleeping with a chimpanzee, living in a carnival-like atmosphere at Neverland, his fascination with Peter Pan, and his numerous masks and costumes. He also admitted to finding pleasure sleeping with young boys and paying out millions of dollars in settlements to the families of these boys despite being acquitted by a court on one allegation of sexual molestation.



QUESTION - Which of the above did the House of Representatives declare a moment of silence for today? (Hint - It wasn't the first two.)



QUESTION - Which of the above's family received a personal note of condolence from President Obama? (Hint - It wasn't the first two.)



Need we say more??

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Fourth of July BBQ in the Hood

The neighbors all gathered at the home of Ted and Mary Ellen for the annual 4th of July BBQ. Ted barbequed and everyone else supplied all the additional goodies. I baked the traditional 4th of July pumpkin bread. It was good.






Here's a picture of Murphy and Annie. It's hard to get a picture where they both look their best. This one's not too bad.




Here's a picture of one of many beautiful sunsets here in the mountains.

Friday, July 03, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

And now some history. A good read.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men

who signed the Declaration of Independence ?

- Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,

and tortured before they died.

- Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

- Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;

another had two sons captured.

- Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or

hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,

and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

- Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

- Eleven were merchants,

- Nine were farmers and large plantation owners;

men of means, well educated,

but they signed the Declaration of Independence

knowing full well that the penalty would be death if

they were captured.

- Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and

trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the

British Navy. He sold his home and properties to

pay his debts, and died in rags.

- Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British

that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.

He served in the Congress without pay, and his family

was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,

and poverty was his reward.

- Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,

- Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

- At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that

the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson

home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General

George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,

and Nelson died bankrupt.

- Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.

The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

- John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.

Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill

were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests

and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his

children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and

silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many

people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism

is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer,

picnics, and baseball games.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

100 miles of steep grades and hairpin turns..

Last Saturday, July 27Th, I went on another great motorcycle ride. This is a ride I've wanted to do for several years. Again, I headed to the charming, mountain town of Alpine. Last time I went east out of Alpine into Mew Mexico, but this ride took me south out of Alpine down HWY 191. It used to be known as HWY 666. aka the Devils Highway. I'm glad the number and name was changed. It's now called the Coronado Trail, (Clifton - Alpine Highway). It's very long and winding. I didn't do my homework very well and I thought the whole ride would be about 250 miles, but again I found myself on a very long 330 miles ride. It was a long day, with threats of rain, but at least I didn't encounter 125 miles of strong headwinds, and no hail!!

Here's some pictures I took along the Highway:








At the end of the Coronado Trail I found myself in the town of Morenci, the location of what is the biggest copper mine I've ever seen.

I Googled Morenci Copper Mine and found this:

http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/morenci/
"Morenci is the largest copper producer in North America and remains a major contributor to Phelps' copper output, which is second only to that of Chile's Codelco."

The mine is so huge the Highway goes right through the operation. The towns of Morenci and Clifton both seem to be Company Towns, and are both very unattractive and very unappealing looking towns in which to live. I kept thinking, I'm sure glad I didn't have to grow up here!!!

Here's some pictures I took of the mine:









After leaving the mine area I headed to Three Way where I gased up then turned left onto HWY 78, and traveled NE which took me into New Mexico. 35 miles later I hit HWY 180 and turned north, which took me on a very scenic and pleasant 75 miles back to Alpine, AZ. In Alpine I headed north, then northwest, and 60 miles later I returned back to the garage, where I put my bike, Lucky, to bed for another week or two.