Recent Graduate

My neighbor recently got his B.A. in Agriculture. Here's his graduation photo...

Quiet Neighbors

For those who haven't visited yet, we're a mile or so down a gravel and dirt road in a rural area of Northern Arizona. Houses are widely spaced. Our nearest neighbor is about half a city block away. The highest concentration of people is down the road a bit, but they are very quiet and don't cause any disturbance. They don't even entertain visitors.



The cemetery "closed" in 1934, though a few spouses have been added in more recent years. This was the cemetery that was built when a major influenza outbreak occurred in Jerome (just up the hill) back in the late 1800s. Most of those buried here were poor and Hispanic, so the grave markers are often plain cement or a cross made of galvanized pipe. Most have deteriorated to the point of being unreadable or just broken pieces. I've only seen one person visit in the last six months.

You Don't Know Jack

Well, here he is...saw him while walking out back (not on the "outback")



Hard to sneak up on him though.

Cornville Puppy

There's a neighboring community called Cornville (Cornhole to some) that many kind of disparage. References to the trailer parks and white-trash abound. Recently an Airstream trailer was spotted floating down the flooded river during the storms--we called it a "Cornville Cruise Ship".

Rumor has it that some of the residents practice "animal husbandry" to use a euphemism. This puppy was found wandering around after the last thunderstorm, if you recognize him, let us know so we can get him back home. I hear there's a strong resemblance to the father.

End of the day storm clouds

Well, I'm back in Arizona again. I had my California trip last week. Got to breathe the scent of technology again, see friends, eat sushi--the few things I've missed since moving. I was ready to come back though...I've never honked at anyone here and had to do it 4 or 5 times in the short visit to SJ. You know the ones who need it, those reading the paper on the steering wheel; phoning in their stock trades while weaving through traffic, and the others who just can't stay in between the lines. Ugh.

The next planned trip is in April to Louisiana for Susan's wedding. I'm the "staff photographer" for the event. Might be able to swing getting a new 20D if I can sell off the D60 in time.

California here I come!

I leave Thursday for the Bay Area. This is my delayed birthday present--a trip to visit friends, eat sushi, and shop at the local flea markets and thrift stores in search of items to sell on eBay. I'll be back on Saturday 2/19, but will post while "on the road".

Deb will be at home working and keeping the dogs fed and happy.

Back Country Cruiser

When Deb and I go out exploring the back roads of the area, this is our preferred transportation. When the weather warms up in Spring, we'll remove the hard top and go open-air! This is a 1989 Jeep Wrangler (YJ model) with about 132,000 miles, but it still has lots of life left.

Watch for pictures of this baby in different locales later on. This shot is up on Schnebly Hill Rd. above Sedona.

Pine, AZ

Took a trip to the local mountain areas this Sunday. This is a barn in Pine that probably looks like it did 50 years ago. It's not all desert around here!

Sunday Afternoon Thought

If your name is on a building, you are wealthy. If your name is on your desk, you are well-off. If your name is on your shirt, you probably work for a living. If your name is on your underwear, you may be in prison.

Super Bowl, what Super Bowl? We went for a drive in the mountains instead.

Flagstaff

Went to Flagstaff today. Traded in some used books and magazines and wandered around downtown a bit. The weather was great--about 55F--and there are still big piles of icy snow in spots where it has been pushed into hills. Interesting fact: Flagstaff has the highest cost of living in AZ according to the newspaper. Wouldn't have guessed.

Sam's Watching

John asked to see a picture of Sam. So, here he is, sitting for his portrait. He's wearing a fleece sweater from the "K9-couture Collection". He's my constant shadow, keeping tabs on where I am around the house. Sometime's he's too smart for his own good. Case in point, during the summer months Deb and I went to the neighbor's house down the road to drop off a package to them. The drop off turned into a glass of wine, then into dinner. At about 9 pm (the dogs' feeding time) I heard a noise at the neighbor's door. I looked out and Sam was there waiting for me. He had found a window that was open about 12" in my office, and pushed the screen out and exited. He tracked me down to the neighbors to bring me home. The other dogs (and cat) were asleep on the couch when we got back.

Rule of thumb--deadbolt the doors and close the windows when leaving. (He can turn the doorknobs with his mouth and open the door too...)

Water, water, everywhere

I looked out the window and saw the geyser. First thought...what the heck? Then I remembered that the water company has a valve at the rear of our property where they occasionally flush out the water lines. This was the day.

The stream was putting out several hundred gallons a minute and ran for almost 10 minutes before they shut it down. Free irrigation to the mesquite trees on my back lot and a small stream down the dirt road behind the property.

Too bad they couldn't do this in summer or arrange for me to "store" the water for later use. Oh well.

"10"

Practice, practice, practice.

This is my version of a "10", call it the Arizona 10.
10 shots in the "10" ring at 10 yards.

This was using my Kimber Ultra Carry II, pictured at the bottom. For those unfamiliar, it's an alloy-framed, stainless steel .45 automatic, with tritium night sights, and a set of Crimson Trace laser grips. When you hold the gun in a firing grip, the laser is turned on and projects a dot where the bullets will go. It's right on at 50 feet, haven't tested farther yet. You can see the dot on the target as well.

As an Arizona CCW* holder, this is the weapon I carry day-to-day. No, I don't plan to or want to shoot anyone, but if it's a matter of my life or theirs, it's not going to be mine if I can help it. The first choice in any confrontation is escape--get away if you can, avoid the issue. If you have to make the choice, you better be sure there's "AOI"...Ability, Opportunity and Intent. Basically the person on the receiving end of your gun has to have the ability to do grave bodily harm, as well as the opportunity to do it, and the intent to carry out the action.

Let's hope I never need to test my skill in a real-life situation.

*CCW means "Carry Concealed Weapon"

So what does 25 tons of gravel look like?

I had 25 tons of gravel delivered about a month ago to complete the backyard area and spread around on the driveway.

I'm getting to the end of the project, but here's the beginning. It's been "loads" of fun moving it around with only a wheelbarrow and a shovel. How come no one with a tractor stopped by?

Looking down the road

Here's a photo from Jan 28, 2005

Located in Sedona, AZ, the day after a snowstorm.

Not much snow left at the lower elevations. This was about 5:00 PM with the golden light of the late afternoon.

I'll post some others soon.

Why I'm Doing This...

I'm starting this blog so that my friends who are scattered around the country (and sometimes the world!) can check in and see the latest of what's happening here in beautiful Northern Arizona. Pictures of local scenes as well as some of my other photography will appear here, along with some occasional side notes.

So come back and check in to see what's happening. Comments are welcomed.

N