First Rain

We have had no measurable rain anywhere (except one small storm in Laughlin) since we left Jackson on October 3. That is, until yesterday and last night. It was only a matter of time, but we did receive a whopping .01" during the 24 hour period. It actually impacted our plans slightly as we are looking to take a hike in the White Tank Mountains not too far from here. There are some interesting trails in the mountains aside from the one trail - the Waterfall - that we took many years ago. The park is close - about 5 miles from here - so it would be convenient to hike some different trails. Maybe we can do that sometime over the weekend.

There is a new Outlet Mall - Tanger Outlets - that is very close to opening in the area. Actually, the official opening is in the middle of November but we would like to go see where they are located and also to see the stores that will be opening there. That's on the agenda for today and there may even be some stores that are already open. A friend of ours - Jamie Rodriguez - whom we worked with at our first workamping job in Happy Jack, AZ is a hairdresser in the area of this Mall and has promised to help Josie locate a seasonal job through her friends and contacts. Yes, we are still looking for opportunities even though we are enjoying all this free time.

Tonight is the scheduled rematch in the third round of the state championship playoffs in Naperville, IL. Austin's team will face the only team that defeated them this year. We will be watching the game on a TV link beginning at 6 PM CST. It should be a great game to watch and we are confident that Austin will play well in this "payback" game...