Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Computer User Discussion Group

The group discussion gets underway next week. Monday at 10am. Hope to see some of you there.

Happy New Year

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year. Let's hope it's better than most people think. My Social Security starts in May, so that is positive!

We have the $5 Formal tomorrow evening; I'll post some pictures of us. Should be a fun time and Donna has invested a small fortune in her formal attire.

Hey, Barb. What's happening at the Dairy Queen?

Monday, December 22, 2008

Trip Canceled

As you can probably tell from the previous blog, our trip to MO/AR was canceled because of the weather. Last Friday it looked like ice and snow on the day we were to travel from Desloge to Ft. Smith. It's supposed to rain here this week. Maybe Christmas time is a little late in the season to be planning trips. Just ask Keith and Connie.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Another Trip to "Matt's"

Yesterday we took Gail and Linda to "Matt's Big Breakfast".  Again, it was a great meal.  We had a fairly long wait in the cold (it's supposed to be warm here), but it was worth it.  After breakfast we headed across the street to the Phoenix Farmer's Market.  A nice sized event and many unique food items.

That evening, the Jensens had us over for dinner - a unique grilled salmon.




Monday, November 17, 2008

Well, not quite Fountain Hills ...

Didn't make it to Fountain Hills.  Instead, we ate breakfast at "Matt's Big Breakfast" in downtown Phoenix.  Connie V has several diners on her list - this was one of them.  A very small building - had to wait outside for a table.  Breakfast was very good; thick bacon.  By the time we left, the outside crowd had grown considerably.

 



After "Matt's" we stopped at Fry's Electronics; from there to the Ahwatukee Farmer's market.  We planned to get some relishes from "Terre Verde Farms", but they were a no-show.  Bummer.  Their Spicey O's are VERY good.  We did get tomatoes and olive oil.  Then on to Ikea to buy furniture for Donna's work, and  to Chandler to try some wine at Kokopelli's first annual zydeco festival.  Problem - the festival ended on Saturday.  A misprint in the paper!  Lastly, we visited Queen Creek Olive Mill - brought home a jar of Wasabi-Ginger olives.  They are very good in gin.

We returned back home early afternoon after a short detour via Florence (we didn't believe Keith's GPS and took the REALLY long way home)!

For our next trip, Donna and I are taking LaMarr to the Steel Pan Band at ASU.


Thursday, November 13, 2008

Discussion Group Update

Our group is still small - not much discussion on Ubuntu.  We've changed the agenda to cover all computer concerns and hope attendance will increase.

Fountain Hills

I think we're going to the Fountain Hills Arts Festival on Sunday.  They expect about 500 artists and over 200,000 people during the three day event.  Should be some very interesting art - hope we can keep our expenditures very low.  I'll take some pictures.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Anne's Dilemma

Anne says she has not had a night of screaming in at least two years!! Please send her your suggestions.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Giant Hamburgers

Took a road trip to Giant Hamburgers. Online reviews said this was a great place for breakfast. So-so. Still like breakfasts at Cracker Barrel.


Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Pigeon

Forgot to tell you about the Pigeon.  It arrived on our deck one evening and wouldn't go away.  Turns out it was a homing pigeon that lost it's home!  After checking several web sites, I was able to determine it's owners.  They lived in a nearby community and retrieved their bird the next morning.  There are some good pictures of the bird and Donna on the SmugMug site.

Just an Update

Donna is working in the Activities Office, setting up the Halloween Party tomorrow, and I'm shopping for supplies for the porch screens.  Rather than paying someone $200 for each removable screen, I'm gonna do it myself (Donna will do all the sewing).  We modified the first screen a couple of days ago - it looks good.  Now I think we're qualified to go on the the larger ones.  We need to have them up before the first RV arrives next door.  The afternoon sun shining on a white RV causes much squinting of eyes on our deck - the screen should help.

The first wine tasting was a little cramped.  We had to have it in a smaller room because the ballroom was in use by the Holiday Rambler rally.  I'm glad we don't have to do that very often.  Much too loud.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Things Have been Stowed

It's amazing how much "stuff" Junior holds.  Yesterday, finally, everything has been stored; the patio has been reconstructed with the appropriate furniture; and the "big house" looks good inside.  Everything has been hidden behind doors and I'm not sure I can find anything - but all outward appearances indicate we are organized.

The home network is running with a Kyocera KR2 router and an Alltel broadband card.  I'm getting speeds in the 1600 kbps range; that's about the best we can expect here until Wiimax becomes a reality. 

Our next step is to purchase a couple of cactus - the front yard needs a little face lift.

The neighbors across the street arrived today, so now we have four couples back on British Columbia.  Let the parties begin!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Ubuntu Discussion Group

We've added a Linux Interest Group meeting to the Park Calendar. We'll meet every Monday at 10 am in the Prickly Pear room. If you're interested in getting rid of that slow Windows operating system and trying something a little faster and FREE, stop by. BTW, we'll be discussing all sorts of computer stuff.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

We're Home

Plans were to leave the North Rim at 5:30 this morning. However ... lot's of wind last night and we lost power about 1:30 am. Larger "things" were dropping on the RV and we couldn't go back to sleep. So ... we left at 3:30 am!!! We encountered several fallen trees on the road, but luckily they were all broken into small enough pieces to easily move to the side or enough smaller pieces that we could drive over them. A little exciting.

We had breakfast at about 7 am at the Cameron Trading Post - biscuits and gravy and hash browns - yummm.

Arrived home at noon and proceeded to unpack junior. Boy, did we have a lot stuff stored in that small space.

Lots of things piled on the deck and inside, but we're so tired, I think most of the restoring will be postponed until tomorrow.

A good summer, but we're glad to be back home.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Kubuntu

Hey guys!  I'm beginning to think Linux (Ubuntu) IS THE operating system !  Boot up and shut down are very fast AND there are thousands of FREE programs to use.  I'm currently in the process of upgrading my older HP to the Kubuntu version of Ubuntu.  Kubuntu looks a little more like windows, so the comfort level is a little higher.  I highly recommend that anyone with an older machine that's thinking of buying a new one, should first update their old operating system with Ubuntu/Kubuntu and try that for a while.

In fact, I'm now recommending that serious users install a dual-boot system so they can switch back and forth between the two systems before they give up on Microsoft FOREVER!

Email me with your thoughts.  I think I'll have an Ubuntu class this Winter.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Ubuntu Update

This OS is working pretty good!  It's very fast, both in booting up and shutting down.  And, there are a lot of free programs to work with it.  I think it's a very good alternative to Windows.  If anyone is interested, I'd really like to show you how it works.

Cold Weather Coming

I thought we'd get out of here before the cold weather -- maybe!  This weekend the forecast is for a low of 31 degrees with a high of 50!!! Sounds like Winter to me!!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

New Photos in SmugMug

I've added a few photos I took a couple of weeks ago upon leaving the Park. A beautiful sunrise was presented about the time we passed through the area of the 2006 forest fire. You had to be there - the pictures aren't enough.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is installed and working on my older laptop. It boots very quickly and shuts down even faster. It doesn't have all the pretty stuff that Vista has, but it has promise. All of it is free!! Once I get home, I will try to use it most of the time.

Two Weeks

Only 11 working days to go. About the only visitors now are tours; last night was very slow - no customers in the store at closing time.

It's now official - the Shop will stay open until December 1. There should be lots of snow by then and no customers. How will the staff stay busy???


Wednesday, September 24, 2008

New Internet Access

This Winter I'm trying Alltel's EVDO, Rev. A internet access as a replacement for the park's DSL. It provides speeds up to 3Mbps (althouth 1.2 to 1.6 might be typical) and it's cellular based. This means my computer has a small card in the pc express slot. I'll also use a router at home so that all devices can access the network. This card has an external antenna capability that should provide excellant signal strength. I've been given 30 days to try it out. Last night it worked well in Gold Canyon - doesn't work here at the Grand Canyon (I have no external antenna).

The Trip

It was nice to visit "the big house" again.  I discovered why our electric bill was so low this last month - the air conditioner was turned off.  Don't know how that happened; maybe I did it in July when we last visited the house.  Anyway, it was 95 degrees inside when we arrived.  A couple of candles had melted a little; otherwise, things seemed ok.

We spent some time at the Alltel office.  Turns out our phone has a reception problem (the reason for all the dropped calls) and a replacement phone is being shipped to us at the North Rim.  I also signed up for Alltel's internet service, rather than continue with the DSL in the park.  I'll use Kyocera's small card and will be able to access the network in most locations in the country.  Initial tests indicate the speed at almost twice that of the park's DSL.  I already have a Kyocera router that will use the card at home.

We cleaned the deck; not sure we removed much dirt, but the carpet "looked" cleaner.  And, we brought back a lot of stuff we won't have to try to pack in a couple of weeks.  It was great to see some HD television again.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Deck Cleaning Trip

Man, are we anxious to get home!  So much so, that this next Monday & Tuesday we're driving down to deep clean the deck.  Donna will schedule an eye doctor visit, and Steve will try to help Connie with some computer problems.  I know it's a long trip, but some days away from Junior are always nice.  Consider it a mini-vacation.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Chrome Revisited

I've used Chrome for a while now; I like the apparent speed and the minimalistic style.  However, I find myself always returning to Firefox as the browser of choice.  I guess I have too many added features to Firefox that I enjoy.  I'll try Chrome again once they've added additional features.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Four Weeks to Go!

But, who is counting? Me!

Nights are getting a little cooler - it was 50F this morning. I'm hoping we can leave before the first significant snowfall. More Aspens are turning yellow in their top branches. And work is slow. I think we had a couple of bus tours yesterday (and they spent the night), so activity in the Store was a little higher.

Today's our "thursday", so the weekend is near. I think we'll go to Kanab and have my blood viscosity checked; and, get some groceries.

Donna is making dinner. Picking our pills for the next week is next. Must go.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Five Weeks to Go!

The last few days at work have been very slow.  After school started, the attendence seemed to drop off quite a bit.  We are getting some tour buses, but not many so far.  I think I've hit a wall -  I want to return home and work on the "big house".  A change of scenery, I guess.  We only have five weeks, and I suppose it will go fairly quickly.  I think we both agree that about 4 months in Junior is max.

We go to St. George this Monday for an overnight trip.  We seem to take more of these trips this year - it's nice to have a "vacation" with a big bed.  And, eat out.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Google Chrome

There's a new internet browser out there - Google Chrome.  It's very fast and with very few settings.  A little different interface - try it out.  I think I like it.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

I'm sick again

Guess that trip to LV was too much for me. I really deteriorated Friday, and the trip back home on Saturday was VERY LONG. I tried to give her a nice experience, but the germs didn't cooporate. I'll try again next year.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Donna's Birthday

In two days Donna turns 58! We've been planning a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday, but she was sick a week a go, and this week I caught her bug. Although I'm still puny, we forged ahead and came to the bright lights of sin city.

We arrived yesterday afternoon and spent a few hours in an outlet mall near our hotel. The goal was for Donna to get some replacement shirts for her aging wardrobe. She found nothing!

Today we visited a couple more shopping areas and she did find one shirt!! I started to poop out, so we are now back at the hotel, reading books. When you get to a certain age, birthdays are not as exciting as they used to be. We tried.

Here's a picture of Donna at the Claimjumper (Las Vegas) in the Town Square Shopping Center.


Thursday, August 21, 2008

Is an RV Search Next?

An interesting thing happened today at work.

Next week there will be an inspection of the property to support acceptance of Forever Resorts into an ISO and OHSAS compliance program. This is something that Forever wants and would be a significant step in showing the world that Forever is dedicated to the safety of the employee and the protection of the environment.

The interesting (and disturbing) thing is that our lockers at work (I know - it's Forever property) were searched without our knowledge and we were told we could not have hand cream or sanitizer solution within. So, we had to remove those products and take them home. We sell hand cream at the store. Do you think it would be ok to have that cream in our lockers???? Apparently not.

This bothers me. Will they search our rv next?

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Job Extension

Looks like we're staying on the job until October 10. Donna has accepted a Lead position and has promised to work until then. It's a little later than we had planned - maybe the snow will wait!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Cape Royal Storm

Today was a day off for us. We had our normal breakfast at Jacob's Lake Inn - very good. Then it was on to Kanab for groceries. On the way back we encountered some heavy rain showers (normal for this time of the year). It began to look like viewing the Canyon might be interesting. So, a short detour to Cape Royal gave us some of the most colorful views yet. Take a look at the latest on our SmugMug site.

Monday, August 4, 2008

BookCrossing.com

Just came across a free service for readers. www.bookcrossing.com

It's a very interesting concept - read a book, then release it to the wild. Record the information on it's release and then track it's journey. Kind of like - "Where's George" for the dollar bill.

I've set up an account and have registered all the books we have yet to read - quite a pile! Our user name is "sshaff" if you'd like to take a look.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Widforss Point

We hiked to Widforss Point today - 10 miles round trip. This is the longest hike for us in many years. Lot's of sore muscles!

Widforss Point is at the end of a trail just West of our location at the North Rim. It affords more expansive views of the Canyon. I took a few pictures, but the overcast did not allow any good shots. Take a look at them on SmugMug.

Tomorrow we rest.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

50.8 MPG!

Yes, we just measured 50.8 mpg in Doodle! From the North Rim to Verde Valley (I know, all down hill, but we were loaded with stuff) we have obtained the best mileage yet. I think it's because I added 3 psi to each tire - thereby decreasing the rolling resistance. I'm pretty excited.

Mileage from Verde Valley to home (and some travel around town - I'd forgotten how bad the traffic is) and then back to Verde Valley was only 40 mpg. Still pretty good.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Gold Canyon Trip

It's halfway through the season and we need to clean up a little. So, during our next days off (Friday & Saturday) we're going home. Taking back a lot of things we haven't used and will pick up a change of wardrobe, my better camera, some computer software, etc. It'll be a long trip, but a good change of pace???!!!

The car is now packed and it's full!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Intention Experiment

One of my favorite movies is "What the bleep do we know?". It suggests that our collective mind is a very powerful force, and that everything in the universe is connected. Consequently, I receive email from an associated organization.

This organization has performed experiments that indicate groups of people who focus on solving some problem, do have an effect on that problem. To this end they are trying a much larger experiment. You can read about it here - http://www.theintentionexperiment.com.

Think about participating.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Computer Sold

Sold the Acer 2GB with Vista a few days ago. That helps the cost of the new computer a little bit. Still have an XP HP that I might sell when we return to the valley. Don't know yet. I've always wanted to spend time with Linux (Ubuntu), so may install that first and then reinstall XP to sell machine. Let me know if anyone has any interest in either.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Shoes

I didn't get those expensive shoes (mine cost about $100), but I did get some that have a 30 day return policy. That should give me enough time to see if they're comfortable. They seemed good in the store - time will tell. I'm also trying some new socks - Therlo.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

St. George - Again

Last weekend we stayed in the Park - didn't want to get out in the holiday traffic. We are now depleted of many food and supplies, so need a city fix again. It's amazing how little we can store in the RV - even with the extra power cooler (that's mostly used for wine!).

Anyway, we leave tomorrow for another weekend outing. I'm not ready to spend the whole day driving to and from, so we've reserved a room at the Fairfield Inn. We will visit a specialty shoe store in hopes of finding something that makes standing for 9 hours a day a pleasure! Our neighbors have ordered some sort of weird shoe that eliminates their knee and back pains, so we want to see them for ourselves. They are a little pricey at $270!!

It's Here

The computer arrived about a week ago - much earlier than promised. It is very small and with the screen folded over it can be easily held on the lap or in the hand. Still a little heavy. The battery sticks out the back about an inch - something I hadn't realized from the descriptions. It should be very easy to transport and, hopefully, last several years.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Jumper

Just read a couple of books recommended by a guest (she knew I liked Science Fiction). "Jumper" by Steven Gould and "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. Very enjoyable. I'll be reading the sequels to Ender's Game, plus the rest of Card's efforts. Gould has a sequel to Jumper, called "Reflex". That'll be on my list, too.

Highly recommended.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

St. George Vacation

Hi - We spent last night at the Marriott Courtyard in St. George. They had a special for their Hotel (a little bit off the normal price) and we decided a break was in order. A big bed and a tub!!! I had a couple of glasses of "Big House Red" while in the tub - later we met Jim and Barb at "Scaldoni's"; an Italian Cafe. Very good; a nice change of pace. In fact, we've decided that about once a month we should take this vacation again.

Had our weekly happy hour tonight. A new guest - 24 year old girl that has hiked the canyon rim-to-rim in 9 hours!! Very interesting person - hope she visits us again. Good to have a younger point of view during our heated conversations.

Work again tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

New Computer

Work here at the North Rim is going well; I am looking forward to our return to the Valley of the Sun (even though it's pretty hot there, now).

I've ordered a new computer, so my other two laptops will be for sale. One is a 15" HP with XP, extra memory, and a high capacity battery. A very nice machine that includes a case. The other is a larger laptop. It's an Acer Aspire 5100 with extra memory, Vista, and a case. Both have been very good laptops, but it's time for me to try a notepad - and HP just came out with a new one.

Still hoping other highspeed options will be available internet access in the Valley. It looks like that Wimax is a distinct possibility. Very exciting.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Moonrise

Last night was the full moon. Rather than going straight home after work, we decided to take a few pictures (and drink a cold beer). It was very nice on the Veranda.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Bold Xanterra Employee

Last night we had two male employees in the store from Xanterra on the South Rim. One spent a long time trying on a girl's t-shirt. He changed clothes in the Native American room. Once he and his friend decided upon the shirt size, he give me the clothes he had tried on and picked a shirt from the folded pile because the shirts he had tried were now "old"!! Weird, gutsy, rude.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Toroweap


We made it! Beautiful views - a long way down. The dirt road became progressively bumpier (they called it "primitive" near the end), but Jim's truck had no problems with clearance or power. This spot would be a great overnight camping experience. I'll bet the stars are awesome. I've uploaded some pictures to the Picasa site and am trying to upload a short video, too.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Toroweap is on for Friday!! Wish us luck in getting there. Take a look at this site -

http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np.grand-canyon.5.html

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Away for the Summer

I'm currently working at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon; will return to the Valley in mid-October.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Toroweap?

We might be able to get a ride to Toroweap next weekend. That's my goal for the summer. Do a Google search to see what it looks like! I hope we have pictures next week.

I've added some Gift Shop photos to SmugMug and Picasa - take a look.

It's been a good weekend. We just finished our Saturday night happy hour and are looking forward to our "Monday" morning tomorrow.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Page, AZ

Yesterday was our weekly trip to civilization (aka shopping). This week was to Page with stops at Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. Both were very beautiful. Photos can be seen at either SmugMug or Picasa Web.

We had made Antelope Canyon tour reservations with a company called Antelope Canyon Tours, but upon arrival in Page, we soon discovered our mistake. This company's philosophy is to cram as many tourists through the canyon as possible. Although the canyon was quite beautiful, it was very busy. Lot's of tours and tripods! We later learned that a couple of smaller tour operators provided a much more intimate inspection of the canyons (Overland Canyon Tours appeared to be one of the small operators - www.overlandcanyontours.com). Also, there is an opportunity to be on your own in the Lower Antelope. We'll try the Lower Canyon next time - take a look at this photo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lower_Antelope_Canyon_entrance_01.jpg).

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Warmer Weather?

It has been very chilly here the last few days, but it seem like it might get close to 70 today. We bought a few essentials (foam mattress cover, some stick on lights for reading, and wine) during our last trip to St. George. We may try Page for our next day off and combine that trip with a small hike to a Colorado River overlook.

Our electric space heater failed yesterday morning, so I'm getting a replacement shipped in from Amazon. We'll see what that service is like.

Even though the weather has been cold, the crowds are large. CJ and Woody are here, and providing entertainment in the evenings for the dinner crowd.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

SNOW!

Wow! Cold here today! It snowed most of the afternoon (it didn't stick), and was below freezing when we got off work. The water hose to the RV was frozen - glad we had a little water in the tank. It's supposed to be below 25 tonight. Brrrrrr! Chance of rain and snow for the next three days. I'll bet Phoenix is great right now!

Many, many guests have been caught without the proper clothing. Too bad the Gift Shop didn't have more sweatshirts and pants. The canyon was cloud-enshrouded most of the day, but the photo opportunities when the sun shone through were quite spectacular. Wish I had the time off with a camera.

Tomorrow we travel to St. George for a shopping trip. And, some meals out!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Next Day's Off

Hey, it may snow on our next day's off - Friday and Saturday. What timing!

Yesterday was a very busy day in the store - kind of like opening day.

Friday, May 16, 2008

First Day Off

Yesterday was opening day at the Store - very busy. Much busier than I expected - folk must have been lined up at the gate. Everyone very impressed with the store and it went rather smoothly for an opening day.

Today was the first of two days off and we went to Kanab and a couple of overlooks near here. Picasa web has some of these new photos from Point Imperial and Cape Royal. Also found a clinic in Kanab that will perform my monthly coumadin check. We bought groceries and ate dinner at Nedra's (a pretty good little Mexican restaurant).

Tomorrow, Donna irons (we tried the campground laundry this evening) and cuts my hair.

This sure is a nice area - too bad Buddy and Suzi aren't here.

Friday, May 9, 2008

St. George

Whew! That's a long day's drive to St. George. We did laundry, and purchased groceries and other items. Donna found some new hiking shoes - the last shoes she bought caused her problems shortly after she tried walking up and down hills. Maybe these shoes will work better - they're Vasques.

Kind of slow driving after we turned south into the park from Jacob Lake - deer everywhere. It's amazing those little suckers are almost invisible until your right on them.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

GCNR

We've been at the North Rim for about a week. The Gift Store is coming together, and it's going to be one of the best looking we've worked. Forever Resorts believes in quality, and it shows!

We have tomorrow off and will be spending the day going to and from St. George. Seems we forgot a few necessary items for the summer.

I'll post a few Grand Canyon photos on SmugMug.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Headed to the North Rim

We left Gold Canyon at 9am this morning. After 200 miles into a strong headwind, we've stopped at J&H Campground in Flagstaff. Temperatures are expected to get down to 25 tonight - a good test our first few weeks at the North Rim.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Cell Phone Pictures of Recent Times

Smoking display in the non-smoking section of a Cracker Barrel.

A recent hail storm in Ft. Smith, Arkansas caused a considerable amount of damage. This a car at K-Mart that had a little more damage than most. Note the broken windshield.


A Target parking lot on a windy day in Oklahoma City -

And finally, this "boat" was the summer home of these Canadians from Alberta. They had spent the summer in Galveston. It looked home-made, and I'm sure it had more room than our small RV. Interesting.


We arrived home about 2 hours ago. It's nice to not be driving right now. This trip included 7 days in the car! Out of a 14 day visit. We might look into airfare for the next one back to family.

BTW, we got our best gas mileage yet - Holbrook to Apache Junction - 48.7 mpg!!!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Oh, and there's more

The hotel has HD tv, the first we've seen in a hotel. We've stayed at one that had the HD tv set, but the service was SD. This is HD service! No wonder we're paying top dollar for this room.

Albuquerque and the Elephant Bar

After a long drive from Ok City, we've arrived at the Marriott in Albuquerque. We're staying at the one on Louisiana and I-40. A very nice room. They've put us on the concierge floor with a free breakfast. The only drawback is having to pay extra for internet service.

We ate in a new shopping area across Louisiana. We had a salad and fried fish at the Elephant Bar. It was very good. And, it appears to be a popular place. We have one only about 25 miles from us in Chandler; we'll have to try it sometime.

Back to Gold Canyon tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Desloge

We're now visiting Donna's parents. Yesterday we ate at Steak n Shake - we do this twice a year. Great onions! George's hamburgers are better.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Hamburgers in Ft. Smith

Just had lunch at "George's Restaurant" in Ft. Smith Arkansas (2120 Grand Ave). Very popular, very good, and inexpensive. Excellent hamburgers and lot's of fries. Give it a try!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Computer Stuff

I use Stumble! to take me to random sites containing my favorite topics. Just found a site that has several useful software tools that might be handy - http://www.beyourownit.com/tools.html

Monday, April 14, 2008

Cellphone Photos

Took a picture today with the cell phone, but now can't download to pc to put on site!!! I have bluetooth connection with pc, but can't see files on phone. I didn't bring the usb cable because I thought I wouldn't need it.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Evidence Found on Advanced Nebraska Technology


After having dug to a depth of 10 yards last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their New York ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by New Yorkers--in the weeks that followed, California scientists dug to a depth of 20 yards, and shortly after headlines in the LA Times newspaper read: "California archaeologists have found traces of 200 year-old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers."

One week later, the Minden Courier (a local newspaper in Minden, Nebraska) trumpeted the following discovery: 'After digging as deep as 30 yards in cornfields near Heartwell, Nebraska, Larry the Cable Guy, a self-taught archaeologist and dyed-in-the-wool Husker fan, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Larry has therefore concluded that 300 years ago Nebraska had already gone wireless.'

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Another happy hour tonight; we've just about cleaned out the cupboard. Doctor appointment tomorrow 7am! Whew! And, even then they won't be ready to take me - seems you must wait a while, no matter what your appointment time.

Another little party on Saturday and then it's an early departure on Sunday. Hope the midwestern storms are gone by then.

A Test

I'm trying ScribeFire to add a blog directly from Firefox. So, this is only a test, had this been an actual emergency, you would have been told ..

The Latest New Blog Site

I was trying to do some things with the previous site (it used Tumblr) and found that the program wasn't getting much support anymore. Also, I couldn't find much out about the technical aspect of the service. So...... I've switched to Google's Product - Blogger. We'll see how this goes.

Take a look at some the more recent blogs at the old site (link is on the left side of this page). I'm starting to look for Grand Canyon photos, and the one at Toroweap is pretty tense.