Valley of the Sun

It has been warm here lately. The monsoons have still not started. I took this pictureof the sun on Pusch Ridge last evening.

I wore this T-shirt that Haley got me for Christmas.

The shirt was made famous by this historical event.

We moved Nina Dixon yesterday from her house where she manages the storage facility. She is marrying a man from Goodyear, AZ.

Eric's choir tour started. They apparently had a service project making origami swans.

Haley presented her senior project this week and that went well.

Last year I replaced my Ridgeline battery with an FVP battery installed by Jiffy Lube.

It lasted less than a year and was supposed to have a full replacement warranty. When I took it in they said I would need to call the manufacturer and get their permission to pay for the new one. He said that would take a while. My other choice was to just replace the battery and deal with the warranty afterwards. I couldn't have a car that needed jumping every time I had to go anywhere so I had them replace the battery.  When I called the number for warranty replacement, all I got was an answering machine.

In my final thoughts for this week, I am posting a picture of the man who would be king.

Seemingly unfazed by the threat of a lawsuit, President Obama on Saturday vowed to press on and use executive actions wherever and whenever possible.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/28/obama-ignores-boehners-lawsuit-threat-ill-keep-tak/#ixzz364h6VZfW

No president has stretched the limits of the separation of powers like this one.

It's the Star's Fault

Friday night we went to see the movie about about faulty stars. I was one of three men at the movie. It had good moments and a few uncomfortable moments, like the scene where the oxygen-deprived girl passionately kisses her amputee boyfriend in Ann Franks attic - and people start to clap afterwards.

Haley had her Senior Project show but, apparently, the power went out during the show.
Save the Music Rexburg

I had to work Saturday morning, but Saturday evening we attended Garrett Bedford's wedding open house. They were married at the Manti Temple. Apparently she served her mission in Tucson. She went to school at BYU-I. Garret said to say hello to Gordon and Eric.

We talked to the Heflins and Thurbers at the open house. Madie Thurber is freshly back from her mission in Houston but didn't want to come to the open house because she didn't want to have to "answer a lot of questions from people".

We went to Carraba's afterward and waited a few minutes on the patio.

 Luckily, the Pellegrino was opened without bloodletting.

 Eric is trying to work out a summer job or an internship. We are waiting to see his plans so we can arrange things.

We went to Madie Thurbur's homecoming talk today from her mission in Houston. Little Davy Spaulding was the youth speaker before her.  She said that in some ways it seemed like she never left and in other ways it seemed she was gone a long time.  She said Davy Spaulding did not look like that when she left. He is now 6'2".

She said that while on her mission she had taught in trailer homes and million dollar mansions and everyone was looking for the same thing (whether they know it or not), and that is true and everlasting joy that only come through activating the Saviors love in your life. She gave a good talk.

The guy who gave the opening prayer was funny. He started out:
"Heavenly Father, we are a bit perturbed by all the turmoil and strife going on in the world".
Luckily he didn't say anything worse than that.

A New Kind of Father's Day

This is my first Father's Day without a father to send a card to or call on the phone. I miss him.

Here is a random selection of photos of my children....

with Grand-baby John

Eric getting sick at Benihana's

visiting Gordon and Alison in Houston

BC

Sabino Canyon

Karioki

Eric and Haley perform live

the real hike

be careful Haley

the race

Florence quad rental

Back to the present, here is what I got with birthday money from my Moms...

I wore it on my ride yesterday and every time I saw a policeman I worried he would be influenced by my jersey.

The Golden-Flowered Agave were blooming on the Oracle Control Rd going to Mt Lemmon.

Can you pick out the subject of this picture?

Here is a close-up

Felicia and I went to see the bats come out at bridge at Campbell and River.

 The speckles in the sky are the bats. Their numbers aren't at peak until August, we were told.

 One of the bats in this group was snatched by a falcon (Night Hawk) in mid flight and carried away.

This is the bridge that they all sleep under.

Yet Another

Another Happy Birthday for me.  Felicia got a strawberry ice cream cake for me.

I got some nice shirts and and checks from my mother and mother-in-law (thank you). Gordon and Alison gave me an Aerostich gift card to allow replacement of my old Elkskin Ropers. The old ones are pictured here with my run-over garage door opener.

Two weeks ago I had clipped the garage door opener to the cross-bar support for the Honda's handlebars. The bar didn't have as big of a diameter as the one on my KLR.  Apparently it flew off while I was riding on the trail. When I returned to the Charouleau Gap the next week, my garage door opener was sitting near the sign-in book at the trail kiosk.  The visor clip was smashed flat.  When I tried it at home, it still worked.

For my birthday dinner we finally we able to get in to Cafe Poca Cosa.

The menu is on a chalkboard because the chef often changes it, supposedly.

We arrived early to beat the crowds.

I ordered watermelon juice

It was ok. The salsa was very good.

I ordered the Cafe Poca Cosa surprise where the chef gives you whatever he wants to.

I got Pollo Mole, Asada Zapoteca, and Tomale Pie. That was fun. Across the street was the Space Emporium. I have no idea what that is but we kept seeing musicians with instruments going up and down the street.

Well California Chrome came up short.  The breathright nasal strips couldn't do it for him. I'm sure the injury to his foot didn't help. Another year passes without a Triple Crown winner.

Milkshake Gas

I went to the dermatologist this week and had several AKs frozen off my face using one of these liquid nitrogen guns.

This is really a simple device. It is a thermos bottle with a trigger lever that opens a valve that directs the liquid nitrogen though the nozzle.  LN2 changes phase at 77K.  The changing of the LN2 phase creates the pressure in the bottle to force the LN2 out when the valve is opened.  As simple as this sounds, it costs $600 to get one on ebay. This is why medical devices are a lucrative business, or they were before Obamacare.

Anyway, several were removed from my forehead and ears.  I went to the dermatologist this time because I was paranoid after my Dad passed away from Merkel cell cancer. She didn't find any of that on me. I asked about several dry scaly bumps and she said they were benign and hereditary.

Friday we went to the Gilbert Temple.  We got there at noon and decided to eat at Chick-Fil-A before the session. They were advertising a peach shake special that I couldn't resist.

The Gilbert temple is nice with a simpler and more classic decorations than the Mesa Temple. I took the name of Charles Griffiths, brother of Lewis.

There was a tour helicopter flying over the temple when we arrived. The temple has lots of low-water-use water features.

During the session I developed significant gas pain from the milkshake.  I never remember having that issue before.  Well, I made it through the session and was much improved by the time we left Deseret Book to return home.

Saturday I tried to ride the little Honda too aggressively and fell over on a rock. Once again, the hand guard saved me.

But I will need to order another mirror.