Introduced Vera to the St. Vincent DePaul Ladies they threw Geoff a baby shower!
For the past year Geoff has been volunteering at the soup kitchen organized by St. Vincent de Paul. He's made some really great friends. The Friday before Vera was born, the ladies threw Geoff a Baby Shower. Since I just started my maternity leave, I joined them. We had a great time! We didn't take any pictures of the shower so here is one with Geoff showing off his greatest achievement.
December 26, 2010
Lacey's Birthday
So as I mentioned in Geoff's 31st Birthday blog entry, our birthdays are very low key any more. I had a wonderful day. It was quiet, but that was exactly what I needed. We went to dinner, but the coolest thing that happened was Vera laughed for the first time. We didn't have the video camera rolling, and even if we did it's really hard to tell the difference between her fussing and laughing. In fact, when she managed to squeak out her little laugh, she scared herself and started crying! It was the cutest thing! Mr Frog and Daddy are her two favorite toys.
December 25, 2010
View {Christmas Card from Vera}
Christmas day...baby's first Christmas. Of course Santa had to stop on by our house. Even though the baby has been getting gifts non stop since who knows when, somehow Santa still managed to bring gifts that Vera had not received yet. Below are some pictures of the morning event of opening gifts:
Boy laying around and watching other people open your gifts is hard work and tiring...
What's with Jebediah Yoder and the miniature old man??
A collection of some of Vera's new gifts from Santa.
Vera with her block from Grampa Young.
This was a little block from Grampa Young. It has the letter V on the front and then information about Vera and details of her birth scribed in on the other sides.
A Christmas gift to mom and dad from GOD.
Merry Christmas!!!
December 13, 2010 Vera's 2 Week Check Up
Here are some miscellaneous pictures of Vera doing activities around the house:
This was after Vera's first bath at home. Here she is getting her sponge down one section of the body at a time and not enjoying it very much. She didn't mind the water running over her head but does not like the individual rub down.
Here is a happy Vera laying on the floor in the family room playing with some of her buddies.
Vera playing with Santa. She really liked Santa and his bell.
Sleeping Vera taken while family was in town.
A Vera burrito sleeping in the vibrating bed attached to the pack-and-play in the family room.
Before Sunday church we were getting ready to go while fussing on the floor in the family room in our pretty polka-dot dress.
Some more fussing and rolling aroun.
Vera sleeping on a towel in mommy and daddy's bed.
Another bath. We love bath time. It is now a favorite event in the house for Vera and mommy and daddy.
Sleeping in mommy's arm on the couch.
Excited bath time again!
From December 2nd until about December 11th we had a couple of family visitors staying with us to share some time with new baby Vera. Prior to that we had local friends and family stop on by to visit. Below are some pictures of those family members who were in town:
Michele and baby Vera at the hospital on 11/24.
Here is Val and Vera.
Carrie Van Dyke and Vera (Hope I spelled your name right Carrie)...
Matt Van Dyke and Vera...
Mike (mbl) and Vera...
Shirley and Vera...
Aunt Chelsie and Vera...
Gramma Markowski (bunny gramma) and Vera...
Grampa Markowski and Vera...They almost have the same haircut.
Grampa Markowski reading to little Vera.
Grampa Young and Vera...
Aunt Chelsie teaching Vera how to text.
**More pictures to follow**
December 8, 2010
Vera’s Grand Entrance Tea Party
December 2, 2011
Vera 8 Days Old
Video Clip 1 Click Here
Video Clip 2 Click Here
Video Clip 3 Click Here
Video Clip 4 Click Here
Video Clip 5 Click Here
November 30, 2011
Anthem Outlets
November 29, 2010
Vera 4 Days Old Watching the Browns Game
Video Clip Click Here
November 24, 2010 Vera's Birthday! See Post "Vera Has Arrived" for birthday Details
November 5, 2010
LA Trip
Video Clip Click Here
So this past weekend I headed out to LA for a conference with Primerica...I left Phoenix on Friday afternoon and came back home Sunday afternoon. The trip was great! A lot of great information was shared at the conference and a great time was spent with Vern and Josh at their place in Burbank:
I stayed in Burbank with Vern and Josh at their "bungalo". This building dates back to the 1920's and was supposedly owned by Universal Studios back in the day. These rental spaces are small....like a sardine can! Everything is small in the LA area! The city is huge but it is super cramped! The Burbank area was definitely pretty impressive. I didn't tour much beyond their immediate neighborhood but the history in the architecture is cool.
This is Vern and Josh's backyard. It is quaint. This was a project of Josh's putting it together. I guess once upon a time it was just dirt.
Hanging out at night in the backyard. Sorry about the image quality for the next couple of pictures, the camera on the phone is not that great at focusing.
I had to put the giant bird of paradise in the mix. Josh and Vern are very proud of this plant. It is pretty impressive.
This is the living room of the bungalo. Above the tv is a surf board that Josh painted.
This is a picture of Vern and Josh's bungalo complex from across the street. Theirs is the orange one.
Just down the street, about 700 feet is Warner Brother Studios. I love this side of the building because I love the animated series of Batman that they produced!
Here is a night shot of the building face. They have the blacklight villains come out at night!
These are just posters along the street side wall of one of the studio buildings.
Here are some more studios and people getting off of work. This was taken around 10:30 at night. People work crazy hours in Hollyweird.
This was a statue on the corner of a street across from WB.
WB...
Picture of downtown LA at night while trying to navigate out of there.
Some of LA during the daylight hours. Traffic isn't too bad at 8 in the morning on a Saturday....but it is in the afternoon.
Sunday morning I went down to Santa Monica Pier. Vern, Josh and I were gonna do this Saturday night but we got tied up in conversation and wine. So I took a visit before leaving LA on Sunday.
As we all know, the famous Route 66 begins and ends at the pier.
Proof...
Views of the pier...
Views from the pier looking along the rugged Pacific Coast of California. It is truly beautiful.
More pier shots.
Another view from the pier looking back on land.
Some ocean crashing wave shots.
Beach shot.
Beach bum shot (birds)
Waves...
A look back at the pier from the beach.
Some waves crashing under the pier.
And on my way back to Phoenix. These shots were taken coming into the Palm Springs area. Palm Springs is well known for its windmills. They were all running today. A cold front off of the Pacific came through Saturday night and it was blustery through this pass!!
Winmills as far as the eye can see!
And finally above is a picture of the raging Colorado River! It doesn't rage much once it leaves Hoover Dam and this close to the Pacific it is like the Cuyahoga River back in Cleveland.
Arizona!The End.
November 4, 2010
Geoff's 31st Birthday
Wow - our birthdays keep getting more and more lame. We exhausted all of our fun-having abilities when Geoff turned 30! Now we're just happy to go to bed on time! We had a nice little dinner and I stopped to pick up an ice cream cake.
October 31, 2010
Lax
A couple of weeks ago I got a bug up my butt to play some lacrosse again. Hockey is too expensive and my skates are still broke. This opportunity came along and it was cheap and fun. So two weeks ago I went out to the field to check it out. It is pretty unorganized but fun none the less. After being off the field for about 12 years now it was tough getting back into the routine. It is still a work in progress. Anyways, below are some pictures of the event this past Sunday:
Hall-o-Ween !!! 2010 :()
It's Halloween again! My favorite holiday! So I started posting early since I took some pictures. I will continue to update this blog post as the holiday nears and we get our costumes on, pumpkins carved and tricker treators coming around:
Updated pictures of everyone in costume. This is Jefe as an Avatar!!! OOOOOO!!!!
I will explain as we progress down the line of pictures. This guy was stalking the streets in the neighborhood that we visited after trick or treat. Further explanation below:
In the Cortessa neighborhood across the street, this guy supposedly does this every Halloween. He takes his single car garage slot and turns it into "Goulz Cafe". It is pretty good for a house job! The stalker above is the house owner. He wanders the cul-de-sac with his bag of body parts and a knife and scares all of the little trick or treaters. Above is his front yard and a silouhete of his body moving through the shot with time lapse.
A shot inside the cafe of a guy being electricuted behind bars.
Her is the cafe itself. Pretty cool. The whole place is dim with sound effects, strobe lights, thunder and lightning clashes, a guy twirling over a pot....
And in the back room is the butcher shop. This is a body with its innerds scraped out...and in place of that is the candy. So you have to reach into its stomach hole to grab the candy.
Here is the butcher above.
A view of the garage from the outside.
We managed to find a costume in the tote of costumes that would "stretch" around Vera so Lacey was a witch this year.
Here is the house on Halloween night with our luminaires lit up.
Here we are at the front gate where we handed out candy. I am supposed to be a dead Amish Man...
Lacey and Vera.
Me...
Me again coming out of the front door with some smoke clouds behind.....OOOOOO!!!
Some interior decorations:
I love the Halloween knick knack crap so it is all over the house. Every year I acquire more during the after Halloween sales at Target and Walmart. Never pay full price for Halloween junk!
A table of Halloween Knick Knack!
Lit up!
The "haunted village".....OOOOHHHH!!!
This is Sonny and Cher.
Sonny and Cher again...
More Sonny and Cher through the cob webs!
The knight always dresses up for Halloween too. He has been the alien for about 5 or 6 Halloweens. He needs a new costume.
Front door decorations...and an Aunt Arlene bat!
Our welcome sign.
A night view of the front courtyard area.
Same view with a flash.
Oh...more Sonny and Cher.
Decorations from last years Halloween party from the backyard have been moved to the front since we are not partying this year. So hear is a haunted pumpkin rising out of the front yard landscaping instead of the back.
Another night view of the front courtyard.
Cruising creeper on the roof.
Flash view of more crap in the front yard.
Night view.
More decorations...
More decorations...
More views of decorations....
And more....
The living room cob webs....
Kitchen table....
And the scariest decoration of all......A SLEEPING LAZER!!!!!! OOOOOOOO!!!!The End.......FOR NOW.........ah ah ah ah!!!
October 26, 2010
Preparing the Nursery
Video Clip Click Here
This is the finished project with some minor touch-ups needed.
Lacey's sewing desk all folded up and positioned for some more sewing projects.
Who doesn't do home improvement projects in their boxers!?!?
Tape and prep work for painting the stripes. The colors in this room are like a cameleon! During the day the colors are more yellow looking. They are actually shades of green. The lighter color looks like Kermet the Frog in the evening and like yellow during the day. The same happens to the darker green. During the day it looks like pea soup and at night it looks more lime green.
Round one of the light green (yellow) stripes.
The very beginning of the project. Since I am not very good at using this website I am not sure how to re-organize the pictures so the first are the last and vice versa. So you get to see the completed project first and the progress last.October 4, 2010 Baby Bookshelf Project
So I started building a book shelf for the kid books that will go in the nursery back about a month ago. It has been a drawn out project due to my schedule but I finally got it finished. Started from scratch using Pine plywood and Pine hardwood. Of course, as usual, I forgot to take progress pictures so all you get is finished product pictures. It turned out pretty good. I like it and it was a hell of a lot cheaper to build it than buy it!
Here it is all packed up with books and stuffed animals so far.
Trying to get a shot of the color and sheen of the urethane coating.
Another shot from another angle.
The end.August 2, 2010
The nursery is almost finished and ready for the new kid! Below are pictures of the work that has been done up to the date listed above in the title:
Above are the cabinets that I made from scratch and scraps. The counter top will be used as a changing table. The wood species that the cabinets are pine, birch, oak and poplar. Like I said....they were made from scratch and scraps.
The window seat bench is currently being worked on as we speak. The wood is cut and stained. I am putting laquer on it and then will trim it in around the wall.
The new baby's name in wood letters above the crib. This crib has housed 13 Markowski kids...soon to be 14! Bedding is compliments of Lacey's sewing talents!
Another view of the window seat.
Details of the crib dressings that Lacey has been working on.
Mr. Frog. I don't think he officially has a name yet.
Vera's name plate again over the crib.
Lacey's sewing table all folded up the way it will be once the baby is born. No more sewing for a couple of months....:(
Below is a youtube video of the nursery as well for a 360 view:
Click Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFwCVYUHUTY
May 11, 2010 Cradle Refinish Project
Well as mentioned in the Highchair Project Post, the parents brought out some old furniture from childhood. This cradle was actually built by my grandfather - Henry Markowski. Below is the process of refinishing it to match our bedroom furniture:
As you can see above, the original finished stain on this piece is probably a walnut or similar stain. Our furniture in the master bedroom is more of a red mahogany finish. This piece I did not take apart or strip the original stain off. The piece never had a finish sealer on it so I just wiped it down, thoroughly with some mineral spirits and started staining.
This is the frame for the cradle above. This piece already has the red mahogany stain added to it. I gave it 2 coats of red mahogany and one coat of ebony.
This is the cradle piece with 1 coat of red mahogany on it.
Above is a shot of the cradle with 2 coats of stain on it.
Here is the finished product with the 2 coats of stain and 2 coats of shellac. Not too bad of a match aye?May 11, 2010 Highchair Refinish Project
With all the other crap that the parents brought out in April was some furniture from my childhood. We wanted it for our future kids but I wanted to re-finish the wood so that the stain would match our kitchen furniture. The original stain was probably a walnut color. It had a mat finish to it. Below are a few progress pictures of the project for the highchair:
As you can see I have already removed all of the origninal stain. I forgot to take pictures before I removed the original finish. I think the wood is a white oak. I started with an 80 grit sand paper and removed the stain. Then I worked the wood down to a 150 grit, 220 grit and finally a 300 grit before prepping the wood to take the new stain.
Because the furniture is at least 30 years old, the glue was pretty dry and crusty. Most of the pieces were loose so I took the entire piece of furniture apart to re-glue and add some screws to give it some additional support for sturdyness.
Here is a collection of the rest of the highchair.
After removing the old glue, I reattached everything for staining.
This staining process consisted of using two different stains. Of course I forgot to take a picture of the first stain coat. The first stain coat was a red mohagany. After the first coat dried, I resanded the piece with 150 grit to remove some of the first stain and bring it back to the bare wood. Then I touched it up again with some 220 grit sandpaper. After which, I added ebony stain as the second and third coat. The ebony gave some darkness to the red mohagany and also stained the bare parts a little darker to give some contrast. This is the piece with stain only.
Above is the tray with all 3 coats of stain and one coat of shellac. I will eventually give this piece at least 4 more coats of shellac for a nice hard, protected surface.
This is the piece with all 3 stains and one coat of shellac.
Another view of the piece with stain and shellac.February 18, 2010 Nursery Cabinet Project
October 10, 2010
Mount Lemmon Ride
Well, last year I missed out on the Mt. Lemmon Oktoberfest ride because we were planning our Hawaii trip. So this year I made it again. This will have been our 4th trip.
Mike Toczko and Drizzle rode up with me. The weather was great. We started out early in the morning from Drew's house and made it up to the top by 10am. The sky was clear and the temps at the top were in the mid 60's. It was a perfect ride. Not much traffic either on the way up so we could hit the twisties with some speed!
Mike posing for an unexpected camio shot!
View of the parking lot. Because it was so warm out here this spring and late summer the aspens have not yet begun to turn color yet. Every other year we had come up they were already in full bloom. I was looking forward to some fall colors but not this time.
View of the ski area and where the festivities take place.
A German flag...
The food preparation area and tables. As I said, we were there early so not many people had arrived yet. The dancers and musicians hadn't even arrived yet.
After eating some brats, sourkraute and cabbage, Drew and I rode up to the very top. They finally paved the rest of the road to the top so we took it to see the view. It was pretty nice. Above, if you can see, we saw about 6 or 8 turkey roaming through the trees. Of course I see them when it is NOT turkey season!
Picture of Drew on a boulder looking out at Tucson below.
A view of Tucson to the south.
Looking out to the southeast.
Looking out to the east through all of the burn areas from the 2003 fire.The end!!
September 12, 2010
Bike Ride with Chris & Kelly
While in town for the Ohio baby shower I (Geoff) had some time to spend hanging out with folks. So the one day Al, Chris and Kelly decided to take a bike ride around northeast Ohio. It was planned by my dad. Unfortunately this route was not one of his best choices. It started out alright but then we ended up spending most of our time on the busy route 21 during rush hour! This was a pit stop at a cell tower pull off on some country road. Don't ask me which one. Anyways, the weather was perfect and the ride was great!
Another view of the participating bikes.
Again. This was our only stop so that is all I could take pictures of.Browns vs. Bears
Last game of pre-season NFL football ---Browns vs. Bears in Cleveland. Of course I am gonna get in any game I can while in Cleveland! So me, my dad, my sister, new guy (Mike) and Mike Mac went to the game. We ended up meeting up with Chris Lewicki and his bunch outside the stadium at the muny lot for some pre-game tailgating. Good times!
Here is Mike Mac.
Jefe and New guy and Mac. Of course the usual person with a beer in her hand!
Family photo before the game.
Some images of the game.
Pictures of us in the nose bleed portion of the "Dawg Pound". It was a pretty humid warm night for a football game. It felt more like baseball weather than football but is was still a good game. They actually won for us too!!!!....with a last minute field goal by Phil Dawson! The greatest Browns player to live!!!
A picture of dad sleeping on the bleachers. Who would actually fall asleep at a football game?!?!?
We decided to up and leave dad sleeping on the bench so he would have a heart attack when he woke up to find us all missing. It didn't turn out the way we were hoping but it was still fun to screw with him.
Fireworks after the game. The best part of the game....will have to admit...the game was pretty boring.....third stringers.
And of course, the crowded rapid ride home from the stadium. Tradition!September 6, 2010 Ohio Family and Friends Baby Blast
Well, I can tell this post already looks like a long one so I am going to keep the tagging to a minimum. These are from our baby shower (blast) in Ohio. We had it at swine creek...the same place we had our engagement party 3 years ago.
Most of this is self explanitory anyways. I will let the pictures do most of the describing and pipe in when necessary...
Oh yeah....for those reading that did not know....Lacey's sister Kylie is also pregnant. I think she is about 2 months behind Lacey. She is having a boy.
Of course....more gifts....
The centerpiece....compliments of mom (Betty's) design intellect.
Lacey next to some panty-ho frogs.
The picnic pavilion in the background and some more panty-ho frogs in the foreground.
Real frogs in the pond.September 4, 2010 Kylie’s Baby Shower for Keegan
August 29, 2010 Arizona Friends Baby Blast
We had our baby shower (blast) for our Arizona friends and family on August 29th, 2010...just a couple of days before we left for Ohio for that baby shower (blast). We had the shower at the Club at Coldwater Springs, the reception center at the apartment complex that Val lives at.
Another view of the facility from the street.
Here we are taking our picture next to the cake table. Shirley Theissen made the cake and cupcakes! They were delicious!!! Boy I look pretty smart with glasses aye?
The poster for the event that I made.
Some centerpiece arrangements...
Another view of the cake.
A shot of some flowers next to the cake.
Lacey and Shirley showing off the cake.
Here we are cutting the cake. Reminds me of the wedding reception.
A picture of folks enjoying themselves, the diaper cake, etc.
Michele doing some reading of people's names for the raffle. In the background is myself, Drew and his son Taylor.
Now onto the gift opening part of the event. Above is Lacey showing off a "onesee" (I don't know if that is the appropriate way to spell that). Shirley made the onesee and when I say "made" I mean ironed on the logo.
More onesee's and some bibs.
Sitting around opening up gifts.
More opening...
Me and my bromo Kevin.
Opening, opening, opening....
Okay you get the point....gifts...tons of clothes....tons of pink stuff!
This was my favorite gift. I think I am going to keep it for myself!
Yes you are correct!
Here is Lacey with her gift opening partner Hannah.
I got a gift too....more Malibu!
Carrie, Lacey and Michele posing for pics.
Lacey and Tyler (Tybo).
Carrie Van Dyke and Lacey.
Val and Lacey.
Barb and Lacey.
Kevin, Lacey and Erica.
Erica and Carrie.
Lisa, Drew, Lacey and me.
Kathy, Lacey, Shirley and Dorothy
Gosh there are alot of pictures on this post!!! This post was done by Lacey as you can tell. I am running out of quirky responses to these pictures. Here is us and Kathy and Jimmy.
Amity, Lacey and diaper cake.
The end...finally!
Kevin, Lacey and Erica.
Erica and Carrie.
Lisa, Drew, Lacey and me.
Kathy, Lacey, Shirley and DorothyGosh there are alot of pictures on this post!!! This post was done by Lacey as you can tell. I am running out of quirky responses to these pictures. Here is us and Kathy and Jimmy.
Amity, Lacey and diaper cake.
The end...finally!
August 16, 2010
Camping in Vernon
Video Clip 1 Click Here
Video Clip 2 Click Here
About a year ago we had some hooligans trespass on our property. They left a beat up Ford Ranger lying in the wash where they got it stuck on some large boulders. So for the past year we have been trying to figure out how to get it out. After talking with our neighbors up in Vernon on the 4th of Joo-lie we decided that he (B0b) could get it with his truck some time in August. So this was the week that we were gonna do it! Well Bob informed me that they had been getting ALOT of rain in the area so it would be green and lush. Oh yeah...and the road had been washed out! So here is a picture story of our experience up in Vernon:
Upon arriving at the overpass on the County Road Bob's information proved to be pretty accurate. The road had been washed out and yes, the hillsides were quite green and lush!
This is a picture of where the road and culverts used to be...
Looking upstream?...I think. The detour is now a couple of temporary 12 inch pipes and some cinders over top. The original culverts were probably at least 3 foot pipe so I doubt this "temporary" solution will last long if more extensive rain storms persist.
Monday afternoon Bob and I headed out on the quads across the countryside to take in the scenery. He has been all over the range land and wanted to show it off to me. These are some sun flowers and verbena in the background. There are many patches of flowers across the range land and they look like little splashes of gold within a sea of bright green.
Most of Monday was overcast which was actually nice because the sun can get pretty warm at this elevation. Plus, as you can see, there is not much shade producing vegetation around. SO here is a look across the rolling hills and cindercones east of our property.
Looking south towards the White Mountains...
This is one of my favorite cinder cones in the area. I think it looks so unique with the reddish canyon serpentining out of the crater. These next few pictures are VERY green! And yes, it really did look this green! With the overcast skies and the reflection of color it looked like Ireland or something...maybe even Hawaii near Waimea.
Views from the top of my favorite cinder cone looking north at more hills and little volcanic burps.
I don't think I have ever seen a sunset in Arizona that was NOT beautiful.
Tuesday morning pictures from Bob's property. Ahead you can see the yellow "splashes" that I was talking about.
Views of the White Mountains with monsoon storm clouds building.
More views of the mountains and storm clouds. They never look as impressive up here as they do down in the Phoenix valley. Of course this is where they originate so they are still young at this point.
Bob and Kathi's kittens or "mouse control". These guys are super curious and inquisitive.
Of course I can't spend time up here and not hunt for horny toads! I found one in the morning in the front yard and this guy in the afternoon in the back yard. I played with him for about an hour or so...until the kittens found me with it. I wonder if horny toads are of the same family as bearded dragons? They are so docile.
Close up of my catch!
That evening around 5 or 6 a storm blew in from New Mexico (from the northeast) and came in. It looked a lot worse than its bite. Dropped the temps about 10-15 degrees, gave a nice breeze and shower, and some impressive lightning strikes. Storms always love mobile homes but this one survived...probably because it is not in a trailer park.
And on the way out Wednesday morning I decided to take a picture of the truck we dragged off of our property where we left it on the County Road. Glad to have that taken care of.
The End.
July 4, 2010
4th of Joo-Lie
For the 5th year in a row, we travelled up to our property and camped out for the 4th of Joo-lie (July). For the 5th year in a row we went to the 4th of July Taylor Night Rodeo and Fireworks. This year the rodeo was on the 3rd. We left the valley that Saturday morning and headed up to the ranch.
Here is our usual campout spot on our 40 acres. For the first time inour experience, the weekend was full of sun and completely free of clouds. It usually is cloudy and rainy when we go up, which is what we were actually looking forward to. Along with the clear skies and sun comes the wind. It was very windy Saturday and relatively windy on Sunday.
Here is a view across the plains, looking south towards the White Mountains. The spot in which this picture was shot was just behind and below the rock outcropping by the wash.
From the same position of the picture above, looking up the wash to the north, is our property behind our campout spot.
Again, same position looking up (east) towards our campout spot beyond the rock outcropping.July 3, 2010
4th of July Taylor Rodeo
Video Clip 1 Click Here
Video Clip 2 Click Here
Video Clip 3 Click Here
Video Clip 4 Click Here
Video Clip 5 Click Here
Saturday evening at 7pm, the rodeo begins with the traditional firing of the anvil, raking the dirt, national anthem and then the rodeo!
Another view of the rodeo complex...
Some cowboys and cowgirls waiting for some entertainment.
Before the National Anthem they did a thingy and these guys rode around the rodeo ring.
This guys is the main rodeo clown. The last 4 years we came, this guy was played by an Aussie. I don't know where he was this year but he was not here. But...this guy was a bull fighter last year and he actually got knocked by a bull and busted his leg all up. So I guess they gave him a promotion this year because of the incident. He had a limp.
A bare back rider getting bucked around.
Another bare back rider...
Lacey and I frying in the high altitude sun.
These girls do a choreographed ensemble. It is pretty empressive. There are probably 10 or 12 horses and they do things that figure skaters do in unison and stuff....pretty cool.
Here they are again doing some moves.
These guys are saddle bronk riders...
Here is a bull rider getting bucked. For the second year in a row all 12 finalists got bucked before making a complete ride. So the bulls win again!
Another bull rider....
On the actual 4th of Joo-lie we spent pretty much the entire day at our neighbor's house down the road. They have been building a masonry house for the last 6 or 7 years and are almost done. Anyways, they just got 2 new kittens to help control the mouse and rat population in the range. Lacey wanted to check them out and play with them so we did that most of the day, as well as shooting at prairie dogs. The kittens were pretty cute and fun to watch and play with. That night we BBQ'd at their place and I rushed out for some sunset pictures of the mountains and cinder cones around the range.
These cinder cones are just over the knoll from our neighbor's property. They can also be seen from our property at the top of the hill.
The sun setting over the range.
More sun setting...
Here is a picture of our cinder cone which our property resides. Our camp is just behind the little rock cropping just above the saddle of the two mounds.
This is Greens Peak off in the background which has a summit elevation of about 9000 feet. Our property rests between 6800 and 7000 feet.
A close up of one of those cinder cones....
Another close up of one of the cinder cones...
Below are some links to youtube from the rodeo and the finally of the fireworks display. Note: while watching the fireworks display, keep in mind that the camera was tilted 90 degrees so you have to either twist your head to the left or keep in mind that up is left....
Rodeo Videos:
June 13, 2010
Lacey's First Attempt to Decorate a Cake at Mike & Shirley's House
Shirley our neighbor from our last house taught Lacey how to decorate a cake. Over the past couple months Lacey has been baking on Sundays in order to learn how to make an edible dessert. She's finally got the edible part down, now she's learning to make it better looking.
June 2, 2010
Geoff's Cleveland Trip
Lake Erie
Video Clip Click Here
So it was determined by my mom that there was some home improvements that needed to be made to their house. We started talking about these back in February if I recall. Due to my financial position, I was flown back to Ohio to do a list of home improvement tasks. I did, however, find some time to enjoy some of Ohio and its much cooler and moister weather:
I flew home Tuesday night. It was a red-eye flight that landed in Cleveland at 9:30am. I got home and took about a two hour nap and then began on the home improvement projects in the living room. Later that evening (Wednesday) I met my dad up at Quaker Steak & Lube in the Valley for bike night. Because the weather was threatening rain not many bikers made it out but the weather ended up being really nice. The wings were perfect and so was the atmosphere.
I rode the Rocket up to the event. My dad rode the T-Rex 750.
A picture of "My" bike, the T-Rex 750. Not a bad looking ride. It rides and handles nicely too. Pretty impressive for enginuity that is 37 years old.
Here are the bikes....and dad. A couple of other bikes int he background too.
Fast forward....After completing many of the projects, I ventured on down to Columbus to spend some time with Joe and check out his new pad, which is now 4 years lived in! How time flies. My dad and I drove down to Kidron, Ohio to check out some wood buring stoves in Amish country and then I proceeded down the I-71 to Columbus. here is Joe driving me around Columbus for a car tour. We went thru downtown, around the OSU campus, up thru north suberbs, to Easton Mall for dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and then to the amazing Benitos Bar & Grill in Hilliard!
This is Joe's house in relaxing Hilliard, Ohio. Pretty nice spread. Nice neighborhood.
Here we are heading towards downtown Columbus, Ohio. I don't remember this street name but it goes thru a dingy side of town.
This area is just north of the downtown area. It is an artsy fartsy area with a lot of art galleries and specialty stores. These buildings are actually built on an overpass of a highway. Interesting. Nice murals too.
This building was across the street from the picture above.
Here is a new bridge being built over the river. It was an interesting design. It is a single arch design. Cool. Oh yeah, check out the infamous Ohio orange barrels!
Well Tuesday morning before leaving for Phoenix again I stopped at my Aunt Arlene's house for a visit and then on to my grandma's place. This is my aunt's geico money guy....and toaster oven.
Here I am with my Aunt Arlene.
So here are some pictures of the work I did. Before, there was wall paper on these walls with vertical stripes, yellows, greens, oranges, leafy patterns. I did a faux design. I wanted to add another darker brown to the mix but it was decided by the boss that it would be too risky.
Another picture of the faux in the hall. The dining room had a similar wall paper orginally. The paint under the paper was a hideous yellow-gold. So now it is a two tone with another faux type patter pained on the top half.
The living room finished. The orignal color was an off-white. I still looks a little off-white but the color is actually called "White Sage". Some people say it has a greenish hue to it. I don't know. It looks good though.
Here is the new tile job for the stove, trim around the tile, laminate to the right of it going to the front door and the new wood burning stove. This stove is much smaller than the one that was previously here. I like the new one. I think it will be a good fit.
Another picture of the dining room with the new chandelier hanging and the new paint job.
Again, the dining room.
I decided to take some pictures of the decorating of the front yard....not by me! If you go back into our Hawaii pictures last October, you might see a similar tree dweller in a tree over on the Big Island of Hawaii. This must be a unique, rare and desired design for tree art!
The mail box. Go Browns!!
The watch dog.
Chuck at the street corner of the driveway. These wood carvings have been made from old tree stumps of trees that were cut down in these exact locations. This is very intricate chain saw work. The tree that sacrificed its life for this piece of art was a sycamore.
Another piece of art near the garage made from an old maple tree
The Tuesday of my leaving, we went up to Lake Erie in the Lakewood/Rocky River area. This park was full of flying midges. I tried to get them in this picture but they don't show up. They were everywhere along this staircase.
Here is dad on the beach looking for wildlife or shells.
A view of the lake and the beach from up near the parking lot.
Mom and pregnant dad at the overlook above the beach.
Mom on the beach. I don't think she knows I took this picture.
A picture of the breakwall in front of the beach and lighthouse in the background.
Some dirty crashing waves on the beach at the other side of the breakwall. It just rained recently so the lake isn't usually this dirty looking. Honest!!
Back to Phoenix.....Booo :(
The End!
May 29, 2010
Memorial Day Weekend
We went up to Show Low for the holiday, as we always do, for both work and pleasure. We headed up early Friday morning to work on the rental properties for the parents and ours. Then, we relaxed....
The crawl space cover was rotted and falling apart so I rebuilt it to my parent's standards....hopefully. I added a vent to add additional air flow.
Also, I ordered 2 yards of gravel to spread around the back yard in areas where the gravel was thin.
We finished up our work around 5pm and were finally able to relax in the campground. Here is the inside of the camper.
Saturday morning breakfast preparation...
Here is the campground. We settled at Show Low Lake Park. The campground was pretty nice. The last time we stayed here was our very first trip up to Show Low, on a Memorial Day weekend...5 years ago. We were hoping to stay at Fool Hollow Lake but they were full.
On the way down the mountain, back to the valley, we were stopped by traffic due to a brush fire on the side of the road. For all of you out there who smoke....stop throwing your cigarettes out the window!!!! News flash, smoking lost its luster about 20 years ago! Give it up and stop ruining our landscape!
Pictures of the fire along the side of the road and the US Forest Service Fire Fighters...
Some more personell involved in the cleanup from someone's selfish, ignorant decision. The heat near these flames was intense. I could not imagine being a forest fire fighter! What a dangerous and uncomfortable job...for probably no pay....
Again, more fighters and equipment.
Here is the backup starting from the fire fighting efforts...Again, thanks for ruining our landscape smokers!
Happy Memorial Day!
May 29, 2010
Backyard and Vegetable Garden
Checking in the garden early Monday (Memorial Day) morning...
Me inspecting the garden. Everything is exploding.
Some tomatoes.
A pumpkin blossom.
More green tomoatoes.
Our crazy, out of control spinach!
A pumpkin coming to life.
A cucumber coming to life.
Here are some of the vegetables that we picked today. One tomato, one green pepper, chives, green beans...
....and spinach....lots of spinach!
For dinner tonight we had a loaded salad with spinach, tomato, green pepper, chives and green beans. The produce tasted great! mainly because it was just good produce and also because it was grown with tender loving care. MMMM.
May 3, 2010 Flowers
As the spring goes along, the cacti start budding and blooming their flowers...as well as the desert trees. Below are some pictures of the backyard:
Here is a bloom from that purple prickly pear in the back yard. It was a perfect bloom!
As the spring goes along, the cacti start budding and blooming their flowers...as well as the desert trees. Below are some pictures of the backyard:
Here is a bloom from that purple prickly pear in the back yard. It was a perfect bloom!
Another angle of the same bloom.
A picture of the Desert Willow tree with its blooms. They actually have a fragrance.
Another shot of the other Willow.
A picture of my overgrown backyard foliage.March 21, 2010 I Spy Yoche
This past weekend (03.20.10 to 03.21.10) with the warm spring days approaching we decided to bring Yoche out to the backyard to sample some of the warmth, sun and soft grass. Although she didn't spend much time in the grass, I think she had some fun.
Yoche eating her lunch on the back porch before venturing out into the yard.
Perched up near the top of the waterfall, Yoche sat and contemplated some of the deeper thoughts of the lizard life. She sat up here content for about a half of an hour which is pretty good for her. Most stops throughout the afternoon were a couple of minutes or so.
I don't know what is on this rock but she loved it and even tried to sample it a couple of times. I should lick it one of these days to see what the hype was all about!
See, lizards aren't that green!
Well we didn't get to splash around in the water but she came pretty close. This poor, suffering yucca in front of her was nipped at quite a few times. I guess the courseness of the leaf just isn't as pallatable as we hoped.
March 15, 2010 Humming Birds
I attempted to take some pictures of some hummingbirds feeding in the backyard. Let's see if you can find them in these pictures. Some might be alittle blurry if you click on them and blow them up because I cropped them to ease the search efforts.
Center of the picture
Center of the picture.
Center of the picture.
Towards the top left.
Top-center of picture.
This is a pretty big hummingbird. He/she frequents the backyard quite often. This tree is right above the flowers that they feed from.
Top-center of the picture.
Center-right of the picture.
Center-right of the picture.
You shouldn't need help with the rest.
There is no bird in this picture so don't strain yourself too hard. I just liked the layers of colors.April 19, 2010
The garden has really exploded! No fruit or veggies yet.
From left to right are the pumpkins. The squash are hidden underneath the pumpkins and potato plants and the cucumbers are hidden to the right of the potato plants.
From left to right - peppers and spinach.
From left to right - chives, green beans and tomatoes.March 31, 2010
Here is an update to the vegetable garden as of March 31, 2010. With the warmer weather, the plants are really starting to take off now! Hope to have some produce from them by the end of April.
From left to right we have pumpkins, summer squash, potatoes and cucumber. The squash and potatoes are a little crowded because I forgot where exactly I sewed the squash seeds. They took quite a bit of time to germinate. I planted the potatoes about 2 weeks after I sewed the squash seeds and the potatoes started sprouting before the squash. So now they are on top of each other. Oh well.
From left to right we have 9 pepper plants and the rest is to the right is spinach. The peppers range from jalapeno, green bell, habanero, banana and an assortment of seedlings strewn about below them. The milk jug in the back is our "cat deterrent" to keep the local alley cats from digging and crapping in my garden!
From left to right are chives, which are still pretty small and hard to see, green beans and tomatoes.
Another view of the tomatoes. We planted "Big Boy" and "Steak" tomatoes.March 7, 2010
We are going to attempt to grow a garden this Spring. If it goes well, we will plant in the fall too since we get two growing seasons out here. Below is the progress of the garden boxes as of the beginning of March. All seeds were planted on February 20, 2010.
From right to left this box contains tomatoes, green beans and chives. If you are wondering what the white pellets are, they are moth balls to deter the stray cats in the neighborhood from turning my vegetable boxes into litter boxes!
From right to left this box contains spinach and pepper plants. I am going to have to purchase some pre-grown pepper plants because I am not having much luck with them. Plus, this box was heavily disturbed by cats digging! The milk carton with water in it is another "form" of cat deterrent. A friend told us about it so we are trying it. So far it is working!
From right to left this box contains cucumber, potatoes, summer squash and pumpkins. The summer squash has not broke through yet. I might have to re-attempt. Might have gotten a bad batch of seeds.March 4, 2010 Spring Foliage
Spring foliage in the desert is actually quite beautiful. Because life is so fragile out here, the plants really make an effort to attract wildlife to help reproduction of its species. The heart of the flowering desert floor plants is best from mid march to late April, possibly early May before the 100 temps hit. These pictures are primarily of the plants we have in our front and back yard. Some are from last year, some are from this year. We will be updating this post as the spring progresses and we get out on the desert trails to take some pictures of the wild plant life!
Desert Marigolds and an Agave (century plant) in the front yard. These were taken last March.
Flowering Hedgehog Cactus taken in our front yard last March.
Brittlebrush bush flowering in the front yard beside a Saguaro Cactus and Ocotillo in the background. No Saguaro blooms last year. Hopefully this year!
Close up of the Brittlebrush flowers. Bees love the Brittlebrush. (Nice bees of course)
Brittlebrush in the front yard with small Yellow Barrel Cactus and small Agave.
Pink Penstemon blooming in the backyard. This is the only survivor from last year. All others were withered up in last year's extreme heat! These flowers really attract the hummingbirds. There is usually hummingbird warfare over this plant in the spring. I planted a couple more younger species of this around the backyard last November. Hopefully they will take and mature into an elegant plant like this one.
Close up of the Penstemon flower. (hummingbird's eye view)
This is a Baja Fairy Duster Bush, close up of the bloom. Bees love to hang around this plant. The hummingbirds sample from it every now and again as well.
Fairy Duster bush.
This is an African Daisy which is not native to the area but the flowers closely resemble the Desert Marigold. The leaves are more like a thick blade of grass and closely bunched together.
This is the Desert Marigold again.
This is a Firecracker Penstemon. A new addition to the backyard as of this past fall so hopefully it will take and survive the summer so next year it will be as full as the Pink Pentemon.
This is a close up of a Red Yucca. This plant is actually native to South Texas but they are very common throughout landscapes in Arizona. This plant is super hardy and attracts hummingbirds all year long because it blumes almost all year long.
A picture of the front yard on March 15, 2010 showing the purple Lantana blossoming. These plants are supposedly native to areas of the Sonoran desert but I have never seen them in the wild anywhere else but on the Big Island of Hawaii. The supposedly grow in the high desert. The purple ones crawl along the ground while the yellow breed grows more like a low shrub. There is not much scent to these, however, the yellow ones are very pungent. When pruned they give off a smell almost like citrus.
In this view you can see some yellow barrel cactus, a yucca and what is left of my Palo Verde tree up on the mound.
The bush to the top of the purple lantana is a yellow lantana that has not yet begun to bloom. To the right is a Creosote bush. This bush will produce small yellow flowers with 5 or 6 petals.
Another look at some yellow barrel cactus and the lantana. To the left is the skin of a Saguaro Cactus.
Some Purple Lantana creeping up my larger Saguaro.
This is a young Arizona Fairy Duster that I have planted in the backyard. The difference between this and the Baja Fair Duster is the color of the flower. The Arizona breed is more of a light pink color as the Baja is a deep cherry red. The Arizona breed does not get as large either.
Just a standard yucca. This really is not a native species but it looks nice. It is starting to grow its flower stock. Like agaves, the stock looks like an asparagus before it reaches maturity.
This is a globemallow. This is a very common "weed" of the desert. It is very hearty like the brittlebrush. It is I think the only orange flower in the desert. Some chollas have small orange flowers but not nearly as radiant as these.February 18, 2010
February 18, 2010
January 26, 2010 Arizona Sunset Pictures
These pictures were taken from our backyard in January. Since I don't know how to make a new post in an old month, you are looking at them in the March postings. Anyways, these are obviously looking west towards the White Tank Mountains which are about 2 miles from our house.
January 9, 2010
April 18, 2010
7th Annual Polish Festival
Video Clip 1 Click Here
Video Clip 2 Click Here
Video Clip 3 Click Here
Sunday morning we headed out to North Phoenix to Our Lady of Czestochowa Polish Parish for their 7th Annual Polish Festival. We attended the 9am mass and did not understand a single word of it. From there we proceeded to the event area after mass let out:
Our first stop was to the bakery line where we got rasberry Paczki's and then on to the Beer Garden for some Okocim beer! MMMM....paczki's and beer!
In the Beer Garden was a polka band playing some good old fashioned polka music. It was actually pretty good.
Here is a view of the beer line and its servers.
The Pastor of the parish and the event host and hostess presenting the opening ceremony for the event. The Polish National Anthem was played, followed by some speeches and moments of silence for the fallen president of Poland and other political personnel.
Around 1pm traditional Polish dances and songs were performed by a youth group from Tucson. Don't ask what any of these costumes represent or what the songs were because I do not know anything about Polish traditional history. We just went for the fun, food and booz. The entertainment was adequate.
Some young men doing a polish dance. It kind of the looks like the funky chicken dance or something right?
The ladies sung some song at this point.
Again, another dance with more traditional Polish costumes. Each set of costumes were described as coming from different regions of Poland, i.e. Central, Eastern, Southeaster, etc...
If I remember correctly, these costumes are from the central (Warsaw) region of Poland.
Some more dancing in costumes!
More singing.
And more dancing....
Again, dancing. I believe these costumes are the national costumes for men and women of Poland.
After the youth group was finished, a home grown (Phoenix grown) group came up for some folk music and more dancing. These costumes actually came from Poland. The men's pants are made of 100% lamb's wool. The leather belts are pretty elaborate too. Apparently these outfits were worn by northerners near some mountain range where they logged.
This guy spoke for about 10 minutes in Polish so I don't know what the heck he was talking about. You can see his hatchet in his left arm and belt. Pretty fancy. I want a pair of those pants!
The little boy in this picture was pretty cute and accomodating to the outfit despite the 95 degree heat of the day temps!
A Pope John Paul II statue memorial in the rear courtyard of the church.
Jefe posing with the statue of Pope John Paul II.April 17, 2010 Ford Canyon - White Tank Mountain Park
After packing up our gear and leaving Lost Dutchman State Park, we headed home to unpack and put away our junk. Then we packed up again and headed to the White Tank Mountains for another hike. Jefe was obsessed with being outside and hiking so we headed out around 10:30am:
We decided to hike the Ford Canyon trail because we have never done this one. This past winter I scouted this valley for deer and noticed that this trail had potential for some nice views and rugged terrain along the trail. Well, it turned out I was right. The trail was pretty fun. We saw lots of Chuckwallas and even a skink at our destination!
Some views from the trail looking north, back towards the trailhead.
This trail loops around a mountain peak and turns into another trail, I think the Waddell Trail. We stopped at the Ford Dam which is probably about 2.5 miles into the hike. This was a pretty neat area. As you can see there is some stagnant water hanging out in some of the pools around the natural rock dam. You can see why the mountains have the name White Tanks, due to the white/gray rocks in the wash areas that accumulate water.
A view looking north from the dam area. From this point, the wash drops about 150 feet. This would be a beautiful area to be near during a heavy rain storm.
More views from the dam area.April 16, 2010 Lost Dutchman, The Anvil Trail
Jefe arrived at 9:40pm on Thursday, April 15, 2010. The next morning we woke up bright and early, packed up the camper-trailer and headed to the east end of the valley to Lost Dutchman State Park for some hiking and camping:
First thing we did after pulling in to the park was pick out a camp site and set up the trailer. Site #2 was the choice.
After setting up and paying for the night, we suited up for Siphon Draw trail (no. 53) to the Flat Iron. For most of you who are unfamiliar with the Flat Iron, it is the rock outcropping in this picture. The summit is approximately 4851 feet above sea level. At the trailhead, the elevation is approximately 2100 feet above sea level. The hike is just under 3 miles to the summit and 3 miles back. So every mile we climb almost 1000 feet in elevation.
This picture was actually taken on the way down. That is why Jefe looks so tired.
The Lost Dutchman State Park borders the Tonto National Forest where the Siphon Draw trail picks ups.
A map of the trail system in and around the State Park and Superstition Mountains.
Jefe took this picture in the evening from the roadway of the Staet Park. It gives you an idea of the ruggedness of the mountain range and the trail we took to the top.
We hit the trailhead about 8:40am, heading east into the sun.
Again, the yellow flowers of the desert were absolutely splendid! It was like walking through a seas of yellow pom poms.
Nothing but yellow, everywhere!
I tried to capture and area where there was actually some other colors scattered throughout the desert floor. In this picture there are some yellow Desert Marigolds, orange Globemallows and some red Chuparosa.
A view from the trail looking west towards the trailhead. This is the easy portion of the trail. It only gets worse the further you progress.
Here is Geoff on the trail looking east towards the destination.
This is the Siphon Draw. The elevation at this point is about 3200 feet above sea level and about 1.5 miles into the trail. This area is solid rock at a slope of about 20-30%.
Once you pass through the Draw, the trail becomes a rock slide crevase between the Flat Iron and the peak of the mountain. Climbing through this next 1.5 mile portion of the trail is literally climbing. It is hands and feet scaling of boulders, cliff edges and tree branches.
Looking back at what we had already climbed through, back towards the trailhead and the Park.
Again, another view of the trail. Note, that portion which had already been traversed is nothing more than boulders strewn about.
Here is a cliff edge shot of the trail. One slip of the foot or hand and you have a good fall onto a jagged boulder below!
Finally, after scaling a 20 foot plus cliff edge and swinging from a tree branch, we arrive at the saddle of the trail. The last 800 feet or so is easy walking along the edge of the Flat Iron to the face of its summit.
As always, I gotta get a picture of the foliage on our hikes. Here are some hedgehog cacti at the summit of the Flat Iron. They look pretty similar to those at the base of the mountains, but a little smaller.
This picture is a little out of order. After walking to the edge of the Flat Iron and having lunch, we headed north to the summit of the mountain which is about 5000 feet above sea level....so another 200 feet to climb. The peaks of the Superstition are riddled with Hoo Doos which are very picturesque. The vegetation growing amongst them is impressive too....huge century plants, penstemons, sotols, bear grass, pinion pines and jojoba.
Here we are at the actual summit of the Flat Iron right at the very edge!
From the top of the Flat Iron looking down you can see the trail cutting through the sea of yellow and the trailhead at the campground.
From the Flat Iron looking north to the top of the mountain summit. We climbed though the Hoo Doos and up to the top of the rubble.
Jefe and Geoff at the summit of the Flat Iron looking west.
Along the trail at the top of the Flat Iron we ran across a couple of Collard Lizards. This guy was the most showy of them. His aqua green skin in the sunlight was amazing! This guy was pretty brave. We were about 2 feet from him taking pictures, along with about 7 other people. He was definitely proud of his beauty.
Another picture of the same guy. We must have taken about 20 pictures of this guy.
A close up with a hedgehog in the background. Of course the camera focused on the flower and not the lizard.
A view of the trail meandering through the Hoo Doos to the summit of the mountain. This picture was taken looking south.
Jefe and Geoff at the summit of the mountain looking west.
Along the trail up to the summit of the mountain, looking southwest back towards the Flat Iron.
Here are some pictures taken at the summit of the mountain looking at different viewpoints. This picture was taken looking southeast towards Castle Mountain.
Some more Hoo Doos along the trail looking west.
Jefe again along the trail amongst the Hoo Doos.
This picture was taken on the way down the trail at the Siphon Draw. Looking up to the Flat Iron you can slightly make out the location of the trail. It is essentially a rock slide crease between the two peaks and the Flat Iron.
On the way down we stopped for a break in the Draw for some trailmix and water.
Sitting in the trough of the Draw looking up towards the summit is what you are looking at here.
The sun popped back out from the clouds on the way down so I found a nice bloom of Globemallow amongst the Brittlebrush and marigolds.
Campground site #2.
Self explanatory.
Lacey showed up that evening to camp with us after getting off of work. She got to take part in the fun and relaxing portion of the trip.....dinner, camp fire and marshmellow roasting.April 15, 2010 Jefe Arrives
Well, shortly after the parents left, Jefe was arriving in Phoenix for a short visit of the brother and sister-in-law. Flight landed around 9:40pm on Thursday, April 15, 2010.
According to usual tradition, I pack up Yoche for a truck ride to the airport to pick up family members. What says welcome to Phoenix more than a large iguana on your seat?!?
It was late and some of us were unable to stay awake for the ride to the airport. I am sure you are wondering how these pictures are being taken while driving on the highway at 85mph....well that is top secret!
Here is Jefe upon arrival to the airport to be picked up.
And just as quickly as she arrived, we had to get ready to leave again on Monday, April 19, 2010. Monday morning on the floor in the living room we are getting ready to load up the truck and head back to the airport.
Here we are unloading Jefe for her trip back to Cleveland. It was fun and short but we will see each other soon.April 12, 2010
Attack of the Family
Spring Hike at the White Tanks
While the parents were in town we decided to take on some hiking trails to view some of the beautiful scenes of the desert during spring foliage.
We started the morning at about 8am and took a trailhead that was just north of the White Tank Mountain Park just off of Sun Valley Parkway. This trail was one of many that had become ATV trails. The property is State Trust Land and is now being preserved for soil stabilization and erosion control so it is open only to pedestrians and pedal bikes. Above is a picture of the northwest slope of a foothill with many Brittlebrush in bloom.
Here is a collection of California Poppies and Coulter's Lupine along the path.
Another view of a foothill slope with many Brittlebrush in bloom.
Here is a collection of Coulter's Lupine along the trail.
A Painted Lady butterfly stopping for some nectar and a recharge of sunlight. The saguaro in the background had recently fallen over and was broken into many pieces. In case you were wondering why things looked odd in the picture, that is the explanation.
As always, some members of the family enjoy "catching" wildlife along our hikes. this specimen in the hat was in the previous picture behind the butterfly. Since the cactus had fallen over and will most likely rot into nothing but a skeleton, we decided to save a portion of it to try and grow in the backyard.
Mom sporting her hiking hat.
After the White Tank trail, we went back home to dope up on allergy medication and refill our tanks with some food. After our rest, we headed south to Verrado where we picked up another trail that led us into the southern foothills of the White Tank Mountains. This is a picture of the desert along the trail. Wildlife is doing very well this time of year. The desert is magnificent looking this time of year.
Another view of the desert from the same stop.
On the other side of the trail are some old Teddybear Cholla that have seen better days. The flowers in the background are still beautiful!
This hedgehog was full of many arms with multiple blooms. The flowers look great in contrast to the needles and green skin of the cacti.
I liked this Saguaro. It was probably at least 20 feet tall and each arm about 10 feet long.
Some petroglyphs along the path, actually at the end of our trek into the mountains.
Here are the parents posing at the trailhead.Birthday number 62 actually does not happen until April 30th but since I won't be home to celebrate, we celebrated early out in Arizona.
Mom and her birthday flan.
Mom and dad and the birthday flan.
Mom and me and a bunch of paper. Since mom is now retired we have been working on providing information for her to get involved in some activities while retired. Rather than have her go back to work, we are gave her some volunteer applications. What a fun birthday gift!!
Mom's new bird book. Since bird watching is becoming the number 1 hobby amongst Americans, and mom likes birds, we gave her a book that has all song birds of the north and east of the US. It also has the bird's song which is playable by audio attachment to the book. I don't know if that makes sense or not but that is how I am going to explain it.April 9, 2010
Show Low Ride
Video Clip Click Here
With the start of Arizona Bike Week, what better way to enjoy it than to rent a Hardley and take the parents on a trip up north to Show Low to "check on the rental properties". So we fired up the twins, both vertical and offset, and headed north and east.
Our first stop was in Fountain Hills for a bathroom break, and a picture. The view is of a Hardley Road King and my parents (Al & Betty) and the Bonneville behind them.
Our next stop, after gassing up, was at the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park just outside Payson, Arizona. Here are the parents and the bikes in the parking lot. Not many people around at 10 in the morning on a Friday. Of course with the Arizona State Budget being all screwed up....still....and cutting funds to the parks, no one probably knows that the town of Payson actually donated $50,000 to keep the park open for the year! Thanks small mountain town for bailing out the State!
Al and Betty posing at the waterfall lookout. We never saw the waterfall because a "photographer" was set up but this was a good picture of falling water, moss and my parents.
A close up picture of some travertine and moss.
Stopping off at Tonto Natural Bridge just outside Payson, Arizona we walked out to "Viewpoint No. 2" which is from the top of the bridge and north. This is looking south at the bridge.
An east travertine wall of the natural bridge. Tonto Natural Bridge is actually the largest, natural, travertine bridge in the world! Interesting geology.
From "Viewpoint No. 2" looking north at the canyon. The walls of the canyon are faced with basalt and ruby red rhyolite and dyorite.
Now at the base of the canyon looking south of the bridge is the river and vegetation along the banks.
Al crossing the bridge over the river and to the base of the natural bridge.
From the south, looking north to the bridge, at the base.
The Tonto Natural Bridge looking north through its opening.
Healthy moss covering some of the rocks near the base of the bridge where the water falls from above and down into the river.
The river is running pretty good due to all of the snow melt from the winter snow.
A picture of the water misting/running from the top of the natural bridge down to the river below on the south edge of the bridge.
Al and Betty posing at the base of the Tonto Natural Bridge.
From the top of the bridge there is a peep hole that looks down to the river below. The peep hole tunnel through rock is only about 6 or 7 feet thick! The drop to the river is probably 150 feet or more. Pretty neat.
Looking through the peep hole beyond the steel grate you can see the river running below.
Some hanging moss and a stream of water being windswept by the pleasant breeze above.
From the side of the natural bridge looking back towards it, you can pick up a drifting rainbow through the mist of the water falling over the edge of the bridge down to the river below. OOOOH....AHHHH!
On the way out of the Tonto Natural Bridge Park we stopped for a quick picture of the Matatzal Peaks with snow on them still. Even though it has been in the upper 80's for the past two weeks in the valley, the snowfall received up in the desert mountains to the north of the valley had significant accumulation.
Al on my Bonneville at a turnoff just outside Forest Lakes, Arizona. The time was around 3 in the afternoon and the temperature was probably close to 55 degrees. There is still alot of snow lying around.
Here we are at the same roadside turnoff in front of a pile of snow. Down in the Phoenix valley it is probably 87 degrees and 150 miles north and east is a 4 foot snow pile!
The destination - Show Low - to check on the rental properties. Everything is in order. P.S. don't mind the date in the picture, it is inaccurate.
A quick, unscheduled roadside stop to take a picture of the Salt River Canyon just before entering into it. Again, don't mind the date on the picture.
A picture from the gas station outside of Apache Junction, Arizona looking at the sunset. This will be the last fill-up before the blast down the highway, through the city and out to our house in the west boonies.
The last fill-up.The End.
So the plan was to have the parents come out in the Spring to drop off some leftover possessions from Ohio that I have been wanting. Also, we were to get some baby supplies for the future Markowski such as a crib, cradle......and a whole bunch of other stuff, both junk and useful. Around 7:30pm on Wednesday they finally arrive in true Markowski fashion!
The Markowski Mobile makes it from Cleveland to Phoenix, with a tricycle strapped to the roof!
The theme of the trek was to "Keep on Smurfin" for obvious reasons, only known and understood by the driver.
A closer look at the catastrophe awaiting us. Unpacking this pile actually was not as bad as it looked. And surprisingly, the product in the van was relatively unscathed despite the organized system you see before you.
A happy unpacker.
A view of the "pile" from the pilot's chair.April 6, 2010
2nd Wedding Anniversary
As part of our celebration of our 2nd wedding anniversary, we decided to go back to the Phoenix, Desert Botanical Gardens. Our anniversary is actually on the 5th of April but we were unable to make our schedule work to do something fun, other than dinner at Pei Wei. So we started out first thing this Tuesday morning and had breakfast at Village Inn. Afterwards, we traveled east to Tempe for the gardens. Pictures below are highlights of the day!
This picture is of a fig cactus with some blooms starting to open up. The fig was probably about 12 feet tall.
Here is a Beavertale Prickly Pear Cactus with a couple of light pink blooms.
Above is an Engleman's Hedgehog Cactus with radiant violet blooms. Look closely and you can see a honey bee digging for pollen in the front flower.
I am not really sure what this cactus is. They are prominent in people's landscaping around the valley. If I had to guess, I would assume it is native to northern Mexico in the Sonoran Desert. The flowers are massive and look stupendous! A squirrel could pollinate this thing!
Another view of these flowers on the cactus. They bloom only once a year in mid Spring as you can see. The blooms don't last very long either. Most cactus blooms only last about 3 to 5 days.
Right now the gardens have a butterfly exhibit. They have set up a screened in pavillion with many trees and wildflowers. Butterflys flutter all over the place landing on plants, the ground...and if you're lucky, your shoulder. This species is a called a Zebra Longwing.
This guys is a Spicebush Swallowtail.
Here is a Julia.
I am pretty sure this was an upside-down Painted Lady but not sure. Some of them had completely different markings from the underside as opposed to the topside.
This is a Buckeye. There were a lot of these guys. They were a smaller breed...probably only 1.5 to 2 inches tip to tip.
These guys were pretty and very subdued. It is a Malachite.
Here is another Spicebush Swallowtail fluttering around a flower.
Here are two Buckeye Butteflys doing some x-rated actions for all to see!
This guy here is a Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly.
Another Buckeye Butterfly. See, I told you they might land on you. He liked my shirt because it was an Ohio State Buckeyes T-shirt!
This guys is actually not a butterly but a moth. It is a Luna Moth. I actually thought this guy was the coolest of them all. Of course they are nocturnal so it was not doing much of anything other than grasping on to this plant. It actually was not part of the listed exhibitors but still very cool. This guy is probably about 4.5 inches tip to tip and has a beautiful tail that is not in the picture. If you google the Luna Moth you will find some pretty good pictures.
Here is another Zebra Longwing Butterfly. There were many of them. Their size is about 3 inches tip to tip.
Most of those east and mid west folk know what this is....a Monarch Butterfly. They also were not part of the exhibit but we spotted two.
Here is a close up of a Malachite.
The best looking butterly and caterpillar in the exhibit!
Along the path we ran into a crazy guy taking pictures of the saguaros with this looming in the tree behind him.....a swarm of honey bees! They were pretty harmless. Neat aye?
Here is a closer up of the swarm. It is neat this time of year because the bees are waking up and migrating around the valley in huge black clouds. It is definitely a sight to see...and uplifting to know that there are many colonies doing well. Also, thank goodness none of them are killer bees...yet!
Here is a picture of some plants in the herb garden area. I have no idea what they are but they look nice.
A picture of us (Geoff and Lacey) in the herb garden area.
Another picture of a hedgehog species of cactus witha pretty orange blossom.
Looking up at some blooms from a tree yucca. This tree was about 15 feet tall.
A view from the front of the gardens looking in at some of the planters. There were so many beautiful wildflowers in the garden. They obviously take many species of seeds and sew them everywhere for the spring bloom period. The colors, variety and density were amazing! Unfortunately we did not take any pictures of them for some reason....Hmmm.
In front of the entrance to the gardens, a terraced rock walled, agave garden with glass sculptures.
Lacey and I near the agave garden area.
Here is a picture of some California Poppies and Desert Bells. So I kind of lied, we did take SOME pictures of the flowers. We missed the Penstemons, Desert Snap Dragons and the Red and Pink Globe Mallows....
These are called Scorpion Weed. They kind of open up like a fern and then throw out these pretty, lavender flowers.
Here is an agave stalk with blooms opening up.
Blooms of yet another species of hedgehog cactus.
These are so vibrant yellow! The blooms are by the hundreds on one plant. I don't know what it is but they are popular in landscapes.
And last but not least, my beautiful wife. Happy Anniversary!April 4, 2010
Easter
Video Clip 1 Click Here
Video Clip 2 Click Here
This year's Easter gathering was small as usual but still enjoyable. The food was very tasty. Many dishes were traditional and we added a couple more to make up for the down sizing in the meat portions.
A traditional plate of Polish sausage and red horse raddish. The horse raddish is never hot even though the jar says "Extra Hot!"
The group. From lower left and couterclockwise we have Chelsie, Mike, Val, Lacey and me taking the picture.
Here is the course - mac & cheese, deviled eggs, bacon, Polish sausage, farmers cheese, babka bread, noodles & cabbage and ham.
Here are this year's egg designs. I only did 8 and the designs have probably been recycled from the brain from years past. I just don't have the imagination I used to have, except for when it comes to blowing up lamb cake!
More pics of eggs.
and more and more....
We rent our our backyard for the neighbor's kids Easter egg hunt. Here are some of their eggs.
Ahhh....the two lamb cakes. The green eyed one is for blowing up and the purple eyed one is for eating. Yum.
If anyone would like to check out the "sacrificing" of the lamb cake, you can view it on youtube under these links. Enjoy!
March 28, 2010
Video Clip Click Here
March 27th and 28th was the 1st annual Arizona Bike Blessing hosted in Cottonwood, Arizona. It was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, Verde Council. Proceeds from the event went to Veterans affairs, Child Placement programs and other charities. Because it was the first time this event was ever hosted and advertising was minimal, the attendance for the two days was not what everyone was hoping for. None the less, everyone had a good time and hopefully the event will grow in years to come.
Just arriving at the event after a fast shot up the I-17 to Camp Verde and on into Cottonwood.
This is a quick snap shot to the north looking at the Colorado Plateau near Sedona.
Liz showing off her photogenics....I think that is the right word...
A quick snap shot looking south towards Mingus Mountain slopes. There still is some snow left on the north slope, probably a lot more than it looks like.
This is the coordinator of the entire event in orange. Thanks for your efforts Rich!
Here are many of the volunteers....most of them Knights of Columbus members.
Rich and his two daughters who also put in a lot of time and effort to make this event happen and to keep it fun and safe for everyone who attended.
One crazy trike!
Some of the bikers and their rides who attended.
Another look at some bikes....bikes of all makes, models and years. Of course we were the only ones with Triumphs. Most of the bikes were Hardleys, some Victorys and Yamahas...
Here is Miss-Liz's Triumph Rocket with custom embroidered union jack, heart seat.
Looks like some Hardleys.
Here is a group of crazy trikes! There were three of these, all with V8 engines!
A close up of one of these rediculous trikes. I bet you can do a mean wheelie with that bike!
Another one of those mean trikes with toting a trailer with some weird iron people things.
Like I said, iron people things. I have no idea what their intent is but they are definitely someone's unique imagination....or garbage collection. You be the judge.
I like this one. I know it is a poser but still looks good.
Geoff, Liz and Roger. We rode up together. There were 3 other riders who met up with us off the Carefree Highway but they decided to keep near town (Phoenix) instead of making the 80+ mile trek up to Cottonwood. With the tragedy that happened in Phoenix (actually about 1 mile from where we met upon the Carefree Highway) on Thursday afternoon, many bikers were reluctant to venture out very far. Also, a couple of other rides had already been set up for this weekend in rememberance of the riders who had been killed and serverly injured after the wreck on Thursday. For those who do not know, 4 bikers were killed and 5 were serverly injured when a dump truck ran into them from behind, at an intersection, like bowling pins. 3 riders were run over and the rest scattered like trash on the highway. The truck hit 8 bikes with 9 people and an SUV before bursting into flames. As of Saturday morning, a 4th had passed away in the hospital.
Sorry for the tragic, awful news.
A picture of the event host and the band, some religious figures and cops.
More bikes with the Mingus Mountain backdrop.
Of course the sexiest bike at the event!
This is a picture of everyone getting ready for prayers and blessings.
We gave honor and thanks to our veterans of the military and public service.
A picture of the Knights of Columbus flag and holy water.
Filling up with gas for the trip back into the Phoenix valley in Camp Verde.
From the gas station, you could see the San Francisco peaks off in the distance over in Flagstaff. The reports say that they received over 300 inches of snow on these peaks this winter which is the most in recorded history.
Looking east from the gas station you can see the Mazatzal mountains outside of Payson. You can see there is still some snow on these peaks as well. The last snow/rain storm to come through Arizona was about a week ago so who says Arizona is only full of sand, rocks, cactus and lizards?!
On the way back down to the valley, we stopped off at the Sunset Point rest area to take in some scenery and stretch our legs....and see the sundial.
Here is Roger with his Honda Shadow. I think it was a Honda?
Liz's Rocket.
The three of us again near the sundail. The picture was taken facing southwest towards the valley below the Bradshaw's.
A picture of the Bradshaw Mountains. As you can see, the desert is looking quite green this time of year with all of the rain and snow that we have received. Of course with that comes my allergies!
A picture of the event host and the band, some religious figures and cops.
More bikes with the Mingus Mountain backdrop.
Of course the sexiest bike at the event!
This is a picture of everyone getting ready for prayers and blessings.
We gave honor and thanks to our veterans of the military and public service.
A picture of the Knights of Columbus flag and holy water.
Filling up with gas for the trip back into the Phoenix valley in Camp Verde.
From the gas station, you could see the San Francisco peaks off in the distance over in Flagstaff. The reports say that they received over 300 inches of snow on these peaks this winter which is the most in recorded history.
On the way back down to the valley, we stopped off at the Sunset Point rest area to take in some scenery and stretch our legs....and see the sundial.
Here is Roger with his Honda Shadow. I think it was a Honda?
Liz's Rocket.
The three of us again near the sundail. The picture was taken facing southwest towards the valley below the Bradshaw's.
A picture of the Bradshaw Mountains. As you can see, the desert is looking quite green this time of year with all of the rain and snow that we have received. Of course with that comes my allergies!
The End.
A couple of prayers from the event...
A couple of prayers from the event...
March 20, 2010
Yoche in the Back Yard
Video Clip Click Here
March 9, 2010
Rising Clouds
This winter we have had a very wet season. To date (March 9. 2010) we have received about 7.5 inches of rain. Considering the average yearly rainfall in the Phoenix area is 9 inches, we have about 8 months of rain talleyed after only 3 months. Last year we were on track to have the 5th driest year in recorded history. Anyways, yesterday as the rain clouds were lifting out of the mountains behind our house I decided to take some pictures. I always thought mountains with rising clouds always looked so majestic and heavenly.
March 7, 2010
Aprons, Aprons and More Aprons!
It seems as though we have obtained an apron fetish in the house! For the past couple of weeks Lacey has been working on many aprons. Last weekend a friend of hers came over to make some with her. She did not have a chance to finish so Lacey finished some of them up and created more along the way. Below are some of those aprons. There are still ones being worked on as we speak and others which we have not yet taken pictures of. I am sure she will get on here and do some updating and correcting of this post. Enjoy!
This is a child's apron that she made with no pattern. Fabric was supplied by a friend and the apron will be going to that friend's young daughter.
A closer up view of the apron above.
This is an adult apron that was made amongst many others.
Here is a pair of matching mother-daughter aprons. The adult apron was started by Lacey's friend and finished by Lacey. The child's apron was sewn by Lacey. Both aprons are reversible, meaning, they can be worn either side showing (front or back).
Her is a picture of the same two aprons above, just the other side for the adult apron.
This the apron that I think Lacey is going to keep for herself since I have seen it hanging in the pantry and she wore it to make pineclogs (pancakes) this morning.
This is a bathrobe she made awhile ago. I think it is hers. It is a plush light blue velvety material.Motorcycle Mechanic!
I have had some long overdue projects pertaining to the motorcycle. Some of those include: new valve cover gasket, new stator cover gasket, repairs to my airbox replacement box and figuring out what is wrong with the charging system. Below are pictures of some of the work that I got into while tackling these problems:
As you can see quite a bit of the bike had to be torn apart to get to the voltage regulator. After running a bunch of troubleshooting scenarios on the bike, I concluded that the voltage regulator was the problem, or maybe just the wiring from the regulator to the battery. So after many weeks of research and inquiry on the internet, I found a quick, inexpensive fix (hopefully) to the regulator not supplying enough voltage to the battery. But because Triumph is so unique, they decided to place the regulator behind the rear tire. In order to get to it, the tire and swing are must be removed, along with everything else in the way of the tire and swing arm...
Another glimpse of half of my bike. Pull the tires and tank off of the thing and all it looks like is a lawnmower.
A close up of probably 3 years of road grit mixed with chain oil and every other piece of crap that gets picked up off of the roads out here. Also, if you notice, the grouping of wires in front are those of the regulator. Another ingenious decision by the manufacturer was to run the regulator wiring harness under the rear motor mount! And of course, the quick release plug is too bulky to slide out from between the motor and the frame. In order to drop the engine I would have to pull off the exhaust pipes and all the other motor mounts. Not gonna happen! So we will have to just make our splices where shown.
The modified airbox replacement box I made about 3 years ago (last time I had the rear end torn off) getting some much needed reinforcement. The front piece is a new add-on along with some tabs to connect a piece of trim that has been omitted from the bike for the last 3 years.
Looking at the underside of the bike. Don't make too many comments, she is very sensitive about her backside!
The airbox with a new coat of black "crinkle coat" paint. Notice the two new tabs for the connection of the trim piece.
While I had things apart, I decided to add some crinkle coat to the valve cover as well. The original color was a gray but over the years of spilling brake fluid and other stuff on them, they had become pretty stained. If I had more time and resources, I would have bead blasted them down to the aluminum and polished them up. Maybe next time.
Another close up of the paint.
More parts to keep track of to put back on to the bike.
Here is that piece of trim that connects into those tabs on the airbox replacement and the one tab that is welded on the frame of the bike. Matched up to everything perfectly! Can't wait to get everything together and sport it again.
Here is the new airbox replacement added to the bike with the battery and fuse pack placed in it. The extra red wire is the fix that will hopefully solve my voltage regulation problem. I spliced into the hot wire of the regulator and am running it directly to the battery. According to sources, this should give me my 14.6+ volts at operation speed. Right now I drop down to about 10 volts at 3500 rpm.
Another view of the cluster of crap that I have to shove into this box. Wiring harnesses, plugs, battery, ignition switch. Beautiful!
Side view of the box with the ignition switch in place. I figured the black paint on the box would hide some of the blemishes in my Polish engineering and when it gets dirty and gritty , it won't be as noticeable.
Another shot of the airbox replacement in the bike with all cables connected and the rear fender back on the bike.
Put everything back together and fired up the bike. Placed the volt meter on the batter and got 14.5 volts at idle! Revved the bike up to about 3500-4000 rpm and was still charging around 13.8-.9 volts. Before the splice fix I was dropping voltage around 10 volts before the fix. Hope this solves the problem permanently!
Most of the bike is now back together with newly painted valve covers on the bike.
Another picture of the progress of putting pieces/parts back on the bike. Replaced the stator cover gasket so hopefully that will put an end to the slight oil leak I was getting on the underside of the cover.
Shot on the other side of the bike.
Everything back together on the bike!
Got the air filters back on the bike. It looks so good all shined up, polished and clean! Reminds me of when I brought it home from the dealer 4.5 years ago! Unfortunately it will get all gritty and nasty again. For now I will enjoy the cleanliness via pictures.
Another picture of the bike all back in one piece ready to ride! Vrooom!March 4, 2010
Green Desert?
This time of year (late February to mid March) with all of the winter rains, the desert actually shapes up to being pretty green. Looks almost hospitable out there aye? Unfortunately by the end of May, every bit of green on the desert floor shrivels up and turns into dead brown. Once the summer winds and monsoons start coming into the valley, lots of it gets ripped up from the ground and blown across the landscape as tumble-weed. That is when we Phoenicians hunker down in our air-conditioned houses for 4 months straight.
mmmm. Green!
February 18, 2010
Backyard Waterfall
Video Clip Click Here
January 9, 2010
Lacey's Sewing Table Project
This is the desk at finishing
stage with two coats of
laquer over two coats of
danish oil and stain.
Completion of the desk without the opening in lid
Completion of the desk without the opening in lid
or hinged table top extensions.
Sewing table all closed up with knobs.
Sewing table all closed up with knobs.
January 1, 2010
New Years Day Ride to Tortilla Flats
These are pictures taken on my New Years Day Ride to Tortilla Flats. Every year since 2006 I have made this trip on New Years Day morning. The AZ RAT Pack meets in down town Tempe around 7 in the morning for some coffee and gawking at everyone's bikes. About an hour later we strap up and head out to the Flats in a group. The whole trip takes from about 8 to 10 to get down there. It is a brisk beautiful way to spend the morning. Then we get an early lunch or late breakfast at the restaurant down there and gawk some more. Other riding groups make this traditional ride as well. Around 12 noon the dirt bag Hardley riders show up and most people pack up and get out around then. I am usually home again by 2 in the afternoon to enjoy some sourkraut and keilbasa with the wife.
Enjoy the pictures
http://gm16sw.blogspot.com/2010/01/tortilla-flats-new-years-ride.html
No comments:
Post a Comment