more pics

I attended one of the many Tax day Tea Parties held around the nation. The crowd in Salt Lake City was about a 1000 strong. The protesters were polite and well behaved. A lot of the signs were directed at Obama but many were bi partisan as was mine. The government is out of control in its spending and the folks in congress are more interested in staying in power then doing what is good for the country. The turn out across the nation was incredible but you are hard pressed to find it mentioned by the main stream media. It seems that the average citizen is dismissed by media giants ABC, NBC, and CBS. The only full coverage was done by FOX news.

If you watched FOX would have seen 15000-20000 protesters in Texas, 1000’s in New York City, Boston, and cities all across the nation. The speakers asked that we keep the movement alive by burn up the lines to the White House and congress, to use our e mail and blogs to keep information moving. There is a good chance that you will see more of a political slant in my blog, and I will try to keep in bi partisan. If you sit back and take a long hard look at both parties they both are working towards big government and take more control in our daily lives Both parties have spent us into debt, both parties waste money on pork. Both parties have to wake up and listen to the people. After all it is We the People. BTW President Obama said he was not aware of the protest. Maybe he should look out his window.




















I took about 80 pictures but I am only going to post a few.
Above is a shot of the crowd.

















Yep that is me.

My buddies, I took this just as the protesters were starting to assemble. The middle guy is my buddy Nate from Wasted Electrons.

I am headed for a Tea Party in the morning. The federal government is out of control. They no longer repersent the people and it is about time we make some noise.

Happy Easter

He has risen

With this kind of mind set the days are number for the United States.

MA: State Representative Pam Richardson WANTS Voting Rights, In-State Tuition, and Driver's Licenses for ILLEGAL ALIENS

Garden boxes

I have built two garden boxes, now all I need is dirt. The land fill (county dump) has "green area" where you can buy mulch and compost for a good price. I think it is about $10 a truck load. So next week I will make two or three trips to the dump and buy my compost. Many tomatoes and peppers will be grown this year. The bride and I will figure out just what to plant. I have tried gardens in the past but I traveled so much for the government when I came back it was to weeds and dead plants. Now that I am retired I should have a much easier time with the garden. I'll keep you posted.

red river flooding

I am so confused, where is the riots, the looting, the masses waiting for someone else to do the work? click here

Got this in a email

So, Let's Recap--

1. The American people elect a black president with a total of142 days experience as a US Senator from the most politically-corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to order the close of Gitmo and make sure terrorists civil rights are not violated. (He screwed up!!)

2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists.

3. The CIA Boss appointee, Leon Panetta, has absolutely no experience, has a daughter Linda we find out, who is a true radical anti-American activist and a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere.

4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State; bought and paid for. (You can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still have cankles!)

5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes.

6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges.

7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges.

8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct.

9. A Sec'y HHS nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes. (

10. Multiple appointments of former lobbyists after an absolute campaign statement that no lobbyists would be appointed. And that's just the first three weeks. . . but who's counting?

America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ~ Barrack, Nancy, and Hilary ~ and they are still trying to define stimulus..."it's spending"....

The congress passes the $800,000,000,000 (that's $800 billion)pork loaded spending bill where the government gives you a smidgen of your tax dollars ($13 perweek) making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated] that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!

Yee-haw!!! Only in America, what a country... We are lost... Here's the good news though... Obama took Air Force One to Denver to sign the stimulus package, wasting as much as 10,000 gallons of fuel. Don't you just love this guy? In these times "I'll keep my God, my freedom, my gun and my money. You can keep "THE CHANGE".

I have been a busy boy for the past few days. I don’t think I accomplished anything but I have been busy. If the weather holds I will build my garden boxes tomorrow afternoon.. I plan to build two right now and maybe more later. I have all the lumber stacked up in my shop just hoping the snow that is forecast holds off until the evening. The bride and I are going to a birthday party this evening and I know we are going to have fun. She is catching a few winks in the recliner right now. I am going to make mom some dinner before we leave or she won’t eat.

The plumber is down in the basement putting in a new water heater. The old one was 13 years old and had just started to leak. I looked into the tankless water heaters but decided on a traditional tank heater. In case you are wondering it is a 50 gallon tank.

Wallowing in my own self pity did not work out to well. Nobody seemed to care. So I quite after about 30 minutes. One thing that helped me was I noticed one of the bird houses I built seem to have a bird living in it. I think that is about as cool as it gets. I have plans to build some garden boxes next week. I think that above ground gardening in the way to go. It really cuts down on weeds and having to bend over. I plan some tomatoes, peppers, and what ever else the bride suggest. I have some gourds seed that I want to plant and use the gourds for bird houses. I am going to be a busy man. To bad it is suppose to snow today.

I sold my ATV yesterday. I was in a pretty bad accident last November and decided it was in my best interest not to ride anymore. I have to admit I am bummed that I got rid of the machine. I am going to wallow in my own self pity for a little while just to see how that works for me. I'll keep you posted...

I went fishing yesterday, it was cold and the water was murky. I lasted about 40 minuets and head off for different adventures. First stop was harbor freight tools. I picked up a saw horse, a bunch of shop rags, and something else I can’t remember right now. My daughter called and wanted me to go pick up a kennel for her new puppy. She had found one on KSL.com and told the folks I was on my way. I got to the street and called the kennel people because I could not find their house. I was told that they had sold it just before I got there. Ticked me of but what can you do? I did find a great kennel out in Morgan for the price of free. I figured I could afford that and I took it.

It looks like Barry Obama is starting to show his true colors. He wanted to start charging the wounded vets of the war for their wounds. He figures he could save 540 million dollars. This is the same guy that just gave 154 Billion bucks to AIG and did not say anything about the Hugh bonus ($10’s of millions) the executives received until the public out cry was too loud to shut out. It seems that when Barry was a senator from the great state of Illinois he took about $100,000 from AIG. Could it be Barry is as dirty and crooked as his Chicago cronies?

The speaker of the house, third in line for President Nancy Pelosi was caught on tape talking with a bunch of illegal immigrants and saying that they were patriotic and that our immigration laws were UN American.. It seems that the democrats are bound and determined to ruin this country

Had a nice weekend hanging with friends and doing guy stuff, we went to the sportsmen’s expo on Friday and out to the desert Saturday. The desert consisted of many guns and a lot of expended ammo. Many cardboard targets and soda cans died that day. I spent a couple of hours on Sunday cleaning guns. I have to admit I love the smell of Hoppes #9. I think I am going to go fishing sometime this week, it all depends on the weather. I have to admit I am blessed and I am loving life..

We had a party and it was great. At least I think it was great. Everybody seemed to have a good time. Many friends and some family were there all to celebrate mom’s 88th birthday and the burning of our mortgage.

My sister left this morning and is on her way back to Georgia. So we are putting the house back together and will return to normal in a day or two. By normal I mean consumption of food. I believe we put away enough food to feed a small African nation for a week. I know my cardiologist is going to yell at me. I‘ll see her a littler later this month.

This Friday I am hooking up with some buddies and headed for the sportsmen’s expo. There will be a lot of Alaskan outfitters there, this will allow us to pick one for our upcoming salmon trip (planned for 2010). Saturday may include a trip to the desert with a different group of desperados, although my normal group will be invited. I figure the more there is the more guns there will be. See-ya

I am having a great visit with my sister; she has been here since Feb 26th and will leave March 8th. We have been on the go everyday seeing and doing. Today the bride and my sister will go and order stuff for my mom’s birthday party this Saturday. We have invited many friends and family and this is going to be a good time.

I have noticed that some of the smaller bodies of water are ice free so I plan to buy my new fishing license and hit some local fishing spots after my sister leaves. This is not serious fishing; it is getting out of the house fishing. I am just about tired of winter and look forward to spring.

I recieved this in an e mail

I honestly believe Obama is bad for the country and if this comes about we are in for a world of hurt. Please read the following:

Is President O laying ground for an Islamic America? Don't want to be an Alarmist, but does this make sense to YOU?

Subject: Actions of our President- (DO YOU WANT this to happen?)
Messiah or Anti-Christ? You decide! Put that darn Koolaid down my friends, clear your mind, turn the head lights off and start looking at what is really going on!


Go to the following site and you'll see the document signed by our President.http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/retrieve.html-
Check 2009 and ..go to blank at page bottom to enter page number 6115. On page 6115 you can read the actual Presidential Document signed by Barack Obama. ...and begin to WORRY.
Obama Signs Executive Order Allowing Palestinians Loyal to Hamas to Resettle In USPublished: February 7, 2009 - 3:01 PM

President Barack Obama has signed an executive order allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to resettle in the United States . Sure, what can go wrong when we allow hundreds of thousands of people who have been, as Mark Steyn memorably described, "marinated" in a "sick death cult," who voted for Hamas, and 55% of whom support suicide bombings live here and at the American taxpayers' expense:
By executive order, President Barack Obama has ordered the expenditure of $20.3 million in migration assistance to the Palestinian refugees and conflict victims in Gaza .
The "presidential determination" which allows hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with ties to Hamas to resettle in the United States was signed on January 27 and appeared in the Federal Register on February 4.
President Obama's decision, according to the Register, was necessitated by "the urgent refugee and migration needs" of the "victims."
Few on Capitol Hill took note that the order provides a free ticket replete with housing and food allowances to individuals who have displayed their overwhelming support of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election of January 2006.
Let's review some of Barack Obama's most recent actions since he was inaugurated a little more than two weeks ago:
His first call to any head of state as president was to Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah party in the Palestinian territory.
His first one on one interview with any news organization was with Al Arabia television.
He ordered Guantanamo Bay closed and all military trials of detainees halted.
He ordered all overseas CIA interrogation centers closed.
He withdrew all charges against the masterminds behind the USS Cole and 9/11.
Today we learn that he is allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refuges to move to and live in the US at American taxpayer expense.

Anyone else seeing a pattern here?

Today is my birthday and the bride had a surprise for me. My sister came to town which was no surprise. She comes to town this time every year to celebrate mom’s birthday. Mom will be 88 next week. What the surprise was two tickets to see Rascal Flats in concert tonight. The bride does not care a whole bunch for country music but my sister does. So my sister and I are going to Salt Lake and have a great time. This is going to be fun.

6:30 in the morning and it is just me and my coffee. I did have the company of two of the dogs until they figured out I was not going to share my toast with them. I am sure they are now curled up sleeping on my pillow.

This evening the bride and I are going to see Celine Dion in concert. The bride has seen Celine once before in her Las Vegas gig. The bride is very excited and this should be a very fun night. Seeing how we are going to be in the nose bleed section I am taking my 16X60 binoculars so the bride can see what is happening on the stage.

Obama has signed his stimulus package into law and on the confidence of it doing nothing good the stock market continues to fall. I will admit I do not like Obama but I am going to wait and see what happens, because that is all I can do. I am sure that this next four years is going to be interesting and I wonder what the country is going to look like at the end of it. My suggestion is to pray, buy guns, ammo, and hang on for the ride.

We got another 17 inches of snow yesterday. I would post pictures but I figure you guys already know what my yard filled with snow looks like. I have my driveway and mailbox all dug out and I cleared the snow off my back deck. The forecast is for warmer and sunny days for the next couple of day and I'll let the sun do the rest of the work. I am ready for spring. My sister is coming to town next Thursday. She will spend eight days here and we will celebrate mom's 88th birthday. She did call this morning with some bad news. The company her husband worked for just laid off 8000 people and he was one of them. My sister lost her job about a year ago and has not been able to find work, with the economy in today's world this is a scary thing. I think the worst is that they have lost their health insurance. Bummer

Happy Valentines Day, Now that I have said that I really think Valentines is all about the sale of greeting cards. I honestly believe that February 14th is a gilt trip that forces men to spend money on cards, flowers, and candy. Wait don’t forget about the prime rib dinner that is coming this evening. Don’t get me wrong I love my bride and I buy her stuff all year long. I just don’t like a holiday made up to boost the profit of Hallmark.. But if you do buy cards buy American.

We were suppose to get about an inch of snow today. I had plans to run a bunch of things on my to do list but I don't think I'll leave the house. UPDATE: I just checked and there is 17 inchs of snow in my driveway.

I am suffering from a head cold. This is no fun what's so ever. I did take mom out yesterday for the free Denny's Grand slam breakfast yesterday. We drove by two Denny's and the lines were unbelievable, and I was not going to stand in line for what I am sure would have been over an hour, in 32 degree weather for a free $6.00 breakfast. Mom and I ended up at Village Inn. The Village Inn was also very busy. It seems a bunch of folks did not want to stand in line for a free breakfast. The news report that Denny's served over 2 million breakfast nation wide yesterday. That is a lot of pancakes. it seems there was reports of a few fist fights in some of the lines. I don't understand folks sometimes. Come on a fight over bacon and eggs. Get a life I am heading back to the recliner with a nice cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice and nurse myself back to health.

Got my machine back just a few minutes ago...

it looks like I have been infected by a virus and/or spyware. I have ran Mcafee a few times and I am still infected. So I will take my computer into the shop and get it fixed. See ya later

The new treasury secretary Timothy Geithner’s failure to pay self-employment taxes for four years did not seem to matter to Republican Senator Orin Hatch. Good old Orin is in lock step with his democratic buddies singing the praises of Geithner. Orin seems to have forgotten where he came from and who is supposed to represent. Senator Hatch is truly a Republican in Name Only (RINO). What would have happened if Secretary Geithner would have been a republican? The wailing and gnashing of teeth from capital hill would have been heard around the world. But being a democrat and all “missteps” and crimes are overlooked. Utah has lost its voice in Washington, and it makes me wonder how RINO Hatch can look at him self in the mirror.

Very quite rainy morning, the bride, mom, me and the dogs enjoying coffee and a fire in the fireplace. Life just doesn't get much better then this

The Bride turned 56 today. Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you , happy birthday dear bride, happy birthday to you

I saw to day that President elect Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of The Unknown Solider. Someone correct me if I am wrong but Obama is not the President yet. He is still just a citizen of the United States. Sure he will be president on the 20th but he is not now. Also what was the occasion for the wreath? The President lays a wreath on Memorial Day, not on the day before Martin Luther King Day. In my opinion Obama no right to perform this publicity stunt. Can we all say PHOTO OP?

I have a choice to make. The snow is receding in the backyard and there is much dog poop to pick up. I am not very interested in the playoffs since San Diego got knocked off last week. I could go out and clean up the yard now or I could wait until they swear in Obama. I think I would much rather pick up poop then listen to this joker get sworn into the office of President.

The season is over for my San Diego Chargers. They were knocked out of the playoffs by the Steelers. But such is life...
I did not go to the gun show this weekend. The news reported 11,000 people showed up on Saturday alone. This is the last big gun show for this area before Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. This is going to be interesting time in America's history. Mr Bill Orielly had a poll on his web sight asking if you were rooting for Obama to succeed. This was a yes or no question. This question goes so much deeper then yes or no. If I want Obama to succeed in unfettered abortions, stripping away the bill of rights (doing away with the second amendment). spreading the wealth around, deploying his citizens force as well funded and well armed as the military (his words not mine). Then NO I do not want Obama to succeed. Do I want him to fix the economy, then yes I want him to succeed.

It is nine days until Obama takes over. I have to wonder if he will turn his back on Israel. In one of his books he stated that if things go bad he will stand with the Muslims. Going to be intresting. I will pray for my country and for it's leaders and wait to see what happens.

There has been an Ava sighting

Grandkids are the best

Tomorrow is the big day, I pay off my house. I have been looking forward to this day for awhile now. Life is good, I really do feel blesssed.

Scary stuff at my house last night, Mom was sitting at the kitchen counter and said she did not feel well. Her voice got very soft and was incoherent, and then she was totally unresponsive. Mom got very pale, her hand began to twitch. The bride called 911 as I stood next to mom with my arm around her to make sure she did not fall. To me it looked like a stroke. After what seemed like a life time mom started to come back around. By the time the paramedics arrived mom was back to normal. We still sent her to the hospital were a whole bunch of test were ran. .It appears mom was dehydrated from the stomach flu and it caused her blood pressure to drop. Mom is home with me now puttering around the house like nothing happened. What away to end the year.

There has been a stomach flu going through the family. I had it, my son had it, my bride had it and now mom got it. She got sick this morning and threw up in bed, going down the stairs and in the down stairs bathroom. Plus the dogs pooped in the house, other then that my morning is going well. I got mom in my room while I wash her sheets and stuff. I got the house cleaned up and I am trying to get some liquids in mom. Dehydration is not good for old ladies. I will work on getting the Christmas stuff put away and getting the house back to normal. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year as we celebrate the birth of the Lord, and I love the way it feels. But I really don’t like the way it disrupts the house. If it was just me I am sure I would not put up the decorations, but I have been known to be a humbug. So I will wish everybody happy new years and hope and pray the best for all of you.

Denver 21, San Diego 52 Go Chargers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas

My youngest son is in town with his wife, and all the kids and grandkids were over last night for our taco feast. For over thirty years we have tacos for Christmas eve dinner. It is nothing but fun. But as every Christmas eve for over thirty years I ate too much. I have been awake for hours, no it is not because I am too excited about Christmas. One of the dogs woke me up around 1:00 this morning and I have not been able to get back to sleep. I did some reading, drank some coffee, and watched the news. Now I am just waiting for the family to get up. So again I want to wish everybody

Merry Christmas

I did it, I cleared the base and I am retired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was really surprised how fast 35 years went bye. I enjoyed my career and it had been good to me over the years but it was time to move on. This is going to be fun....

BobG had this meme on his blog and had the things he had done in bold face, so I decided to copy it and have the things I have done in boldface. Kind of fun :



1. Started your own blog.

2. Slept under the stars. (Some of my happiest childhood memories)

3. Played in a band.

4. Visited Hawaii.

5. Watched a meteor shower.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain. (Hiked up to the top of a mountain, does that count?)

9. Held a praying mantis. (Lots of times; I think they are cool.)

10. Sang a solo.

11. Bungee jumped.

12. Visited Paris. (

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.

15. Adopted a child.

16. Had food poisoning.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

18. Grown your own vegetables.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.

20. Slept on an overnight train.

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitch hiked.

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (Hasn't everyone?)

24. Built a snow fort.

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny dipping.

27. Run a Marathon. (Are you kidding?)

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice. (Been to Venice)

29. Seen a total eclipse. (Only of the moon.)

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.

31. Hit a home run.

32. Been on a cruise.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.

35. Seen an Amish community.

36. Taught yourself a new language.

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.

39. Gone rock climbing.

40. Seen Michelangelo's David.

41. Sung karaoke.

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. (Several times)

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.

44. Visited Africa.

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance.

47. Had your portrait painted.

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person. 5

0. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain.

53. Played in the mud.

54. Gone to a drive-in theater.

55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.

57. Started a business.

58. Taken a martial arts class.

59. Visited Russia.

60. Served at a soup kitchen.

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.

62. Gone whale watching.

63. Got flowers for no reason.

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.

65. Gone sky diving.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.

67. Bounced a check.

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.

71. Eaten Caviar.

72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square.

74. Toured the Everglades.

75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.

77. Broken a bone.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book.

81. Visited the Vatican.

82. Bought a brand new car.


83. Walked in Jerusalem.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper.

85. Read the entire Bible. (read the new testament a few times.)

86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.

88. Had chickenpox.

89. Saved someone’s life.

90. Sat on a jury.

91. Met someone famous.

92. Joined a book club.

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby. ( I helped my wife have a few in my own small way)

95. Seen the Alamo in person.

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a law suit.

98. Owned a cell phone.

99. Been stung by a bee.

100. Read an entire book in one day

It has been 12 days since I rolled the ATV, I am doing much better. We are going to celebrate Thanksgiving this evening. I was still in ICU on Thanksgiving so we will go with it tonight. . We have invited friends and family over and I except it will be fun. The bride has a 20 pound turkey ready to go into the oven and I just picked up 10 pounds of potatoes that need to be mashed. The bride makes killer dressing and I will eat myself into a stupor. I’ll open a couple bottles of wine but I won’t partake, I’m still using some painkillers.

The ATV is in the shop getting repaired. I will get it all nice and shinny before I put it up for sale. I do have mixed feeling about selling. The ATV was the most fun I had in a long time and I enjoyed it a lot, but if I can’t keep something with 4 wheels on the ground with out tipping over I am not sure I should be on anything. My daughter says I am allowed to work in the garden and out in my shop, nothing else. I may work a fishing trip in to the mix but I guess I’ll behave myself as much as possible.

I will be going back to work on Monday. I need to figure out where I am on my leave so I can clear the base (I work on Hill AFB) on the 17th and spend the last 2 weeks of the year on leave before I retire. As of January 3rd I will be gainfully unemployed and I am looking forward to retirement. Time for a pain pill and some recliner time., see ya.

Here is my buddy Jim on our ATV ride, so far so good.

Here is the emergency personal working on me on the ATV ride, things not looking so good right now!

Here is what they needed to get me to the hospital trauma unit on the ATV ride, fun level about zero.

Things did not go well, I just got home from the hospital today and I am still in a lot of pain. Broken sterum, seperated ribs, internal bleeding and a busted tail bone. I am doing better now but I have a long way to go.

UPDATE: I feel good enough to write a little

It has been a week and I still have a lot of pain. We were out in the the desert just north of Delle by I 80. I am not sure what happened , I was going along a trail, Jim was a little in front of me. I came to a stop and was looking down at my front tire next thing I knew I was tumbling down the hill with my machine right behind me, when the ATV landed on me was the worst, I knew I was hurt but did not know how bad. Jim came running back up the hill towards me to see if I was okay. I asked him to go back down and get the machine back on it's wheels. I figured I could ride out to the truck. He go the bike upright but I could not get up. I could barley move and I was hurting. I tried for 10-20 minutes to get up and told Jim he should call 911. With GPS and cell phones I only laid on the mountain for less then two hours. I spent the first three days in ICU and I was released from the hospital Saturday.

I am not sure I am going back to work before I retire, all I have to do is finish with the out process checklist

Went to the gun show and I have never seen crowds like yesterday. I talked my two buddies into getting there before the doors opened this has always worked in the past for beating the crowds. It did not work yesterday. There had to be 100 in line to buy tickets and 500 plus in line before the doors opened. The lines just as long when we left 3 hours later. Ammo was flying out the door. I bought a 1000 rounds of .223 and 100 rounds of .380. But I saw guys pushing dollies full of ammo out the door. Everyone I talked to said the same thing “they are worried about Obama” There is one more gun show before Obama is sworn in and I am sure that I will have some more money saved up by then.

But it was a fun day spent with some friends. We had lunch after the gun show and met up with some other friends. Swapping lies and just relaxing. I made Nate drive and on the way home we were talking about close calls we have had while driving. Nate mentioned he has rolled 3 cars in his life. I turned to Jim and said ” I think I will drive next time” But Nate got us home safe and sound. Jim and I finalized plans to go ride our ATVs next Tuesday, I am sure I will blog about the ride. With pictures.

I was going to post about the fishing trip yesterday, but my buddy Nate beat me too it. Check it out

Ann Coulter has a very good piece on the election, I believe I agree with the last paragraph

It has been one year today since I had my first knee replacement,. The second one was a week later. I am glad that I had the procedure and I am happy with the results. I have just spent an hour working out with the Wii fit, don't laugh you can get a pretty good work out if you apply yourself. I am off to see the Doctor that did the procedure and then take mom out to lunch. Got to go the shower is calling my name

With the election of Obama to the office president I believe America has taken a giant step towards socialism. Obama said he needed to spread the wealth around, do away with the 2nd amendment (his proposals on disarming citizens are too numerous to mention), socialized medicine, do away with the 1st amendment by pushing the fairness act (doing away with conservative talk radio). The left has increased control of the house and senate and it will be very difficult for the Republican Party to stop the far left agenda that is heading our way. You will see the wholesale slaughter of unborn children; you will see hard working Americans punished for their success with increased taxes so the government can redistribute money to who they decide is worthy. Can you say welfair state?

In the coming months I believe you will see the true colors of Obama and his wife and their radical and racist views. You could not sit under the tutelage of a “pastor” such as Reverend Wright for twenty years with out the influence of hate that was spewed from the pulpit. I believe America will be forced to turn it‘s back on Israel, Obama is quoted in one of his books that he would stand with the Muslims.
You will not see energy independence with Obama at the helm. You will not see off shore drilling which is needed as a bridge to alternative energy supplies. I don’t believe you will see much done in the area of developing alterative energies most of the research money will be spent on the new, bigger , better and improve welfare state. But what you will see is Obama bowing down to enemy states begging for oil as he bankrupts the coal industry as he stated earlier this year.

Talked with a co worker this morning and his analogy was “it feels like the morning after a car wreck”

The concert was better than great, the dinner was great, the room was great, all and all I had a wonderful time with the bride. I do have to admit it was funny the listen to Amy Grant sing all her old contemporary gospel songs with some in the audience standing hands raised praising God and others rocking to the songs slamming back beers and margaritas. The bride has always loved Amy and we were no more then twenty feet from the stage. Fun time and the bride did nothing but smile the whole evening. Now we start on the next thirty six years

The bride and I are headed off to Wendover for the night. Amy Grant is in concert out there and The bride loves her music. My daughter is coming over and spend the night with mom. This weekend is an early celebration of our 36th wedding anniversary. Should be fun

A lot of snow fell in the yard yesterday. I woke up t about 5 inches of snow and it snow most of the day. The fact it has been warm is the only reason it did not pile higher. This morning there is still about three inches of snow on the lawn. It looks more like January then October. The brides sister and her husband are in town for a visit. Curt (brother in law) had a multi city business trip ending up here in Layton. They will leave tomorrow morning for the drive back to Denver. The weather is going to be nice, that is a good thing. Interstate 80 through Wyoming can be very bad in winter conditions.

I will not be at work at all this week as I am burning up a lot of my leave before I retire. I figure I will be in the office about twenty days between now and end of year. I honestly believe that if you stop work all at once it can hurt you, so I am easing my way towards retirement. Just don't want to strain anything at this point in time.

I had given serious consideration to taking the ATV and going bird hunting this morning. It is cold and raining and should be snowing in the higher elevations (that’s where the birds are). I guess I can be called a fair weather hunter and I would not mind. I’ll try some other weekend but for now there is much coffee to drink and a fire in the fireplace to tend to.

Michelle Obama's intellectually refined racism should give all

Americans pause for deep concern.

I made it home safe and sound, my team the Chargers lost due to a bad call. The referee even admitted it was a bad call but because of the rules he could not change it, Bummer. This past Saturday I took my ATV out to the desert, my youngest son’s father in law (Jim) and my buddy Nate went along. Jim has a ATV but Nate does not. So Nate rode on the back of mine as we scurried around the desert and a dried portion of the Great Salt Lake bed. We each had a number of guns with us and did a little rabbit hunting. I managed to throw two half hearted shots at a rabbit, but were no rabbits endangered by this hunt but there were tire tracks every where. It was just a good time all the way around. The bride and a girl friend left for a four day cruise this morning. Her friend has been under a lot of stress lately and I suggested they take a road trip maybe to Las Vegas and see a couple of shows. Some how it morphed into a cruise, I am still trying to figure that one out. But I am sure they are going to have a good time. Jim, Nate and I are planning to go grouse hunting soon. It will not be this coming weekend, the bride will have just gotten back from the cruise and I could not stand the heat if I left to go hunting. So we have planed to head out the following weekend (Oct 4th). We will take the ATVs out once again and try to cover a lot of mountains around Soldiers Summit. It is a fairly long drive but I just love it down in that part of the state. I spent many a deer hunt down at Soldier’s Summit and have some great memoirs of the area. Jim and I talked about going deer hunting next year. I have not deer hunt in years but I think I could give it a go again. I guess I should break out the old .270 and the 30-06 and practice a bit. I will have to talk Nate into buying a deer rifle, I am sure he will want to come along.

I leave Friday morning for Denver. I am going to spend a few days with my youngest son and his wife. Saturday evening we will go to the Rockies baseball game and Sunday my son and I will be at the Chargers/ Broncos football game. Both my son and I are big Chargers fans and we wear our colors with pride. I will stay out there until Tuesday. The boy wanted me to stay and watch Monday night football with him. It is going to be fun

Monday the bride goes to see the surgeon to schedule surgery for her back. She has been in a great deal of pain and it seems to getting worse. Tuesday she will go see a pain doctor and get her third shot to help with the pain. I hope that it does her some good. She and a girl friend are taking off on the 22nd for a four day cruise to Mexico. So mom and I will be home. I figure mom and I can go crazy with out any adult supervision.

Last week my buddy from Pennsylvania came out for his visit. We trade off every other year. He comes to Utah one year and I go to PA the other. We spend most of our time fishing. It is a great time when ever we can get together; I am already looking forward to my trip next year.

Reading the obituaries this morning and I saw the obit of a man I worked with some twenty plus years ago. Willie Rogers was an interesting fellow, he was born and raised in Texas and was a Texan through and though. Heck of a nice guy, and I had wondered from time to time what had become of him. I saw that he had retired just four years ago. Not much time to enjoy his retirement after putting thirty years with the government. I pray his family will come be okay.

I find things of this sort do make you ponder on your own mortality, and for me causes a great deal of reflection on my own life.

Not much going on in my life. I went to work one day this past week. I am burning up a bunch of leave before I retire at the end of the year. The shed I am having built in the backyard is coming along; the remodel in the master bath is progressing slowly. We had a custom vanity ordered and that may take up to a month. We are redoing the laundry room. Having it painted and tile put on the floor. The bride decided that we could not put the old washer and dryer back in the remodeled laundry room so next Tuesday the new washer and dryer are being delivered.

We were invited to go the county fair with my buddy Nate and his blushing spousal unit. But the brides back in just giving her fits and we declined the offer. At dinner tonight we talked about the bride having surgery on her back. It seems to be the last option.

I bought a new toy the other day. A Polaris sportsman’s 500 EFI ATV. What a blast !!!

I went on two rides this weekend. The first one was out behind Wilard bay. This was pretty much a get me used to the machine type ride. I have never owned much less ridden and ATV. Jim (my son’s father in law) took me out and we put in about 26 miles. The Sunday ride was out of the Bear River services area in the Uinta Mountains, it ended up a 60 miles ride. A lot of fun was had and I found a few places to fish.

The group I went with goes out most weekends. A couple of the guys are both divorced and room mates, and asked if I wanted to go with them every weekend. I explained I like being married and really did not want to move in with them. They assured me that they had plenty of room and I was more then welcomed. I am sure that I will do the once in a while ride with the group but plan on staying with the bride.

This little guy was very friendly as long as there was some food being tossed his way.

Not all trips end up just the way you would like them too. This is the brand new tire and wheel on my brand new trailer I bought to haul my brand new ATV around. I went to the dealer that I bought my stuff from and explained that I thought I should get more then 200 miles from a tire and wheel assembly. They agreed and gave my a new one.

I leave in the morning for Fort Worth; I told the bride I believe this will be my last trip for the government. I am going to retire at the end of the year and I do not want to travel anymore. I was scheduled to travel to Korea in October but I told them (my boss) that I would not be going. 14 hours is a very long time in an aircraft, especially when you are in coach.

I broke a tooth this morning. I attacked a chuck of frozen chocolate and the chocolate won. It looks like it was a very old filling in the tooth and the remaining wall of the tooth is very thin, bummer.
Mom had her second cataract removed this morning and the surgery went well. I have taken the week off to make sure she gets all her eye drops in at the appointed time.
The weather has turned a little cooler, by cooler I mean down into the 70’s with a little rain. Very nice out side which is good for some of the yard work I want to accomplish. I have cordoned off a small section of the yard to keep the dogs in. I am replacing my old wooden fence with vinyl. I have seen the dogs testing the temporary fence looking for weak spots. I am going to have to make sure there are no weak spots. The fence will be down for about a week maybe a week and a half. The new post and mow strip have to set up before the fencing can be installed. I’ll be glad when it is completed so the dogs can rule the back yard again.

The bride and I
Ice burge , just not a very big one

We got home a little over a week ago from our cruise to Alaska. It was a fun cruise and the weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky for most of the week. Anyone that has spent some time in Alaska knows this is not the norm. We should have seen bunches of rain, but we didn’t.

The bride decided that it would be fun to buy jewelry in some of the ports we stop in. She got some nice stuff and was very happy. There was this Jewelry store she wandered into with me in tow and I sat down to mind my own business when one of the employees offered me a beer. Makes me wonder if he was just being nice or this was a marketing ploy. I guess if you give enough beer to the husband he’ll go along with what ever the women wants.

Like I said all in all it was a good trip, but I would rather go to Alasaka on a fishing trip.

Went to a concert last night, the bride wanted to see Richard Marx. He was big in the mid 80’s and early 90’s. It was a great concert and we sat about 15 ft from the stage, lot of energy and very loud music, good time.

We are going to be very busy today. We leave first thing in the morning for our cruise to Alaska . We depart for the airport about 5:30 tomorrow morning. We should be in Seattle by 9:30, and hopefully we will be aboard the ship by noon. We are taking two cameras with us and I am sure I will post some pics when I get back. My daughter will be watching over mom while we are gone plus her next door neighbor from San Diego is coming for a visit. Mom will be good hands. But if you would like, I would appreciate your prayers for her will being while I am gone. I will post sometime after the 7th of July. I hope all three of my readers will take care,

Went to the baseball game last night, Buddy Nate had four tickets and we took our respective brides. Good time had by all. The home team lost due to lousy fielding. But the food was great and it was just plain home town Americana. We had to leave during the 7th inning. My bride had to get up and go to work. I was more taken back by the view from the stadium. Tickets, food and all it was a fifty dollar night. Not bad for a few hours of entertainment. I do want to thank Nate for dragging me and mine along.

A nice quite father’s day, the bride, mom and I went to brunch at the Little America down in Salt Lake City. I have been puttering around the back yard, just a very nice day.

Mom is scheduled to have a cataract removed tomorrow. The Dr. will remove one now and the other next month. I will be taking time off from work to haul mom around and help her with eye drops and what ever else she needs.


We are having some work done around the house. Pouring a concert pad, I think it is 27’x24’ and having a new fence put in. The concert guys showed up yesterday and started to tear down the fence. Which would be fine except for the dogs, the bride called me (I was on the Bear River fishing) in a panic. I headed home to put up a temporary fence to keep the dogs imprisoned. I figured I had done pretty good job tying some chicken wire into the fence I had put up to keep the dogs out of the garden. Dusty discovered that if he hit the garden fence at a fast enough run he could pop right through. I was giving foxy a bath in the kitchen sink (she was a muddy mess) when the bride yelled Dusty is in the garden, and then she screamed he has gotten out. This is like Det com 4 or maybe 5 in our house. When the dogs get out they take off. I jumped into the truck the bride jumped into her car and the neighbor took off on foot. The little turd locker was seen going between houses and headed for the next road. I rounded the corner and headed down the road; the neighbor was already up there and had turned Dusty back towards the house. As I got home he was in the open part of the back yard running around. Sat in the truck opened the doors and yelled lets go for a ride. This works most of the time and it did again last night. He was home safe and sound and I was installing a chain linked fence at 9:00 that night. I have spent the past hour or so making sure the fence was dog proof. I think I have succeeded.

This is a good read

There has been an Ava sighting

Mom and Ava

















This may be a troll under stairs, never mind it is Ava

It is cold and raining, I am letting the fire in the fireplace die down. I was going into work for a few hours this morning then accompany the bride to the doctors. Mom fell this morning and that change my plans. I believe she tripped so this is not like the last time she fell where she was dizzy. There will be a burse on her face but she seems to be okay. Mom has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning and I’ll have the Dr. take a look.

It looks like we have sold moms house in San Diego. The housing market is considered depressed in Southern California and I am glad that we were able to move the property. The couple that bought the place wants to close by June 26. So this should wrap up quickly. I guess I should get ready, I need to run errands. Take care and God bless

Backyard

two fireplaces














Front

Busy, busy, busy, my daughter and her husband moved to a new house this weekend. The move was accomplished with the use of pickup trucks. Not the best way to move but we got it done. The house was built in 1959 and has been vacant for a while. The kids got a very good deal on the place and I think they will be very happy. I know that I like the school district better then the one they left, all in all a much better neighborhood for little Ava to grow up in.


I got a phone call from my buddy Jim wondering if I had smoked the fish we caught last weekend. Like I said I have been busy, it seems that he is a little worried that he may not get his share, he may have reason to worry based on history. I have told him that he wants to make sure that he gets some of the fish he had better be there when I pull it out of the smoker. I have been known to consume a lot of fish in the time it takes to come out of the smoker to a plastic bag. But I will try and be better this time. I just brought the fish up from the freezer to thaw and I will have it in the smoker tomorrow. It will be in the smoker 10-12 hours.

I need to jump into the shower, I am ushering at the second service this morning at church

A wonderful four days of fishing at Flaming gorge with a couple of buddies (Nate, and Jim). We caught a number of fish all were good sized. Most will end up in my smoker next weekend. I was plagued with equipment problems most of the weekend. I had a brand new fishing reel (Okuma) and it froze up solid. I could not get it to turn. It was useless and ended up tossed in the back of my truck. I had problems with my line on a couple of my reels. All the line was new, and my buddy Nate said I must have put the line on backwards. Which may be true but I think I should invest in a better brand of swivels if I am going to do much trolling with spinning type reels. I will have a bait caster before I go back to the gorge, much better for trolling. Lost some nice pop gear trying to bring in a good sized rainbow trout, the fish went under the boat just as it got up to the boat. . Cut the line and was gone. When the weekend was all but done and we had hooked up the trailer to my truck we went to pull chocks and I had a flat tire on the trailer. I pulled the 3 ½ ton floor jack (don’t leave home with out it) from the back of the truck and we swapped out the tire with the spare... But please believe me when I say it was a wonderful four day weekend. The three of us had a great time. Being guys we made fun of each other all weekend, and laughed a great deal.



All the salmon we caught was done by trolling, for those who do not fish this means we hook up about a pound or two of shinny blades, spinners and beads get it down to about thirty five feet in the water and drag all over the lake. It works good, even picked up a few rainbow trout. Now I have been trout fishing for more years then I want to think about. I have done all kinds of angling with a whole lot of different tackle to catch trout. When I watched Nate throw a white tube jig (bass lure) up next to the rocks I figured he was wasting his time. When he caught his first rainbow I figured it was a fluke, then the second one I started to watch him a little more closely (you should keep your eyes on him anyway). By the last day we all were using white tube jigs and hauling in big fish. The trout are in their spawning mode right now and very aggressive. This is the reason the technique worked. But it worked great.



The trip home was uneventful (360 miles round trip), and it was good to get home into a shower and to relax. Having fun is a full time job and when in your mid fifties can just about wear you out. I have skipped the gym today and will start up again tomorrow (maybe).

We leave at 6:30 in the morning for flaming gorge. I know I had said that it would not take long to get the trailer in order, well I lied I have been working on it for two nights. But the trailer is all packed except for my cloths and hooked up to the truck. I am ready for this trip. My buddy Nate will be here at 6:00AM we will throw his stuff in the trailer and be on the road by 6:30 to meet Jim (he has the boat) at the pre-appointed meeting spot. If all goes well we will be on the lake by 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon. Talk to you when I get back.

Went fishing today with my buddy Nate, and fishing was fantastic. The catching on the other hand was not so good. Between the two of us we did not have single bite. This is fishing most of the morning and afternoon in two different locations. But we had a good time. The first location was Willard bay. Good place to catch catfish and wipers (white bass and striped bass highbred) I wanted to see how my new knees (double knee replacement last November) would handle climbing over the dike. Going over the outside part of the dike was easy all dirt. The water side of the dike is very large rock all jumbled together. I have what Nate calls an industrial strength rod holder that I also used a walking stick to climb down and back up over the rocks. My leg strength was not what I had hoped and I did not have a whole lot of confidence. But I managed to get over the dike and back, which made me feel good. The second place we went was the Bear River. Much easier, you can drive right to the river or into it if your brakes don’t work.

I have put myself under the gun so to speak. I leave Thursday morning for a fishing trip to Flaming gorge and the trailer is still winterized. I have been putting this task off and I don’t know why. I will work o the trailer tomorrow after a mother day’s brunch at my daughter’s house. It should not take to long to get the trailer ready. Just need to get my butt in gear and do it.

Got home yesterday. The meetings went well and we got a lot done. I pretty much let everybody know that this may have been my last time attending the meetings. The bride and I have talked some about me retiring at the end of the year. I honestly thought I was going go until the end of 2009. But things are starting to happen at work that I just don't want to put up with. I'll have 35 year of service at the end of the year and I think that is plenty. Also I have mom living with me now and I think I should spend time with her. She is 87 and not getting any younger. So much to think about.

Back to the meetings I attended. As you can see not everybody was fully engaged at all times

I'll be out of town for a week. Be back the 3rd of May

The fish where not very big but it was fun to get out. As you can see Nate was pleased with his catch. All the fish went back in the water.

my buddy Nate and I went fishing this past Friday. Saw these birds and Nate asked what kind of birds where they. When I got home I looked them up in my bird book.

They are "Yellow headed Black birds. Go figure

Yes Foxy looks sad. Why is she sad you ask, she has been fenced out of my garden area. Foxy is pure terror on my feeble attempts of putting in a garden. Foxy is a digger, it's true. I believe it is a God given talent she has for finding holes. She will wander around the yard (mainly along the fence line) start digging until she finds the hole. The little darling will look up as f to say " Look dad I found another one for you". Last year when I put in a flower bed I am sure all she heard was bed. That is where is decided to sleep when she was not finding holes in the garden . I think this year is the year I will have a good garden. The dogs are fenced out and mom is here to constantly ask when I am going to get started. Yep this is going to be the year.

There was an Ava sighting at the house yesterday. Ava managed to grab a bag of potatoe chips and wander around until they were gone