Make it Four WMU Players

The tally so far is four WMU players taken this year in the NFL Draft. Yesterday, Keion Adams (DE) was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Zach Terrell was taken by the Baltimore Ravens. Zach Terrell is a neat story as he was the William V Campbell Trophy (Academics) winner in college football this year. He graduated cum laude in 3.5 years and was working on his Masters at WMU when he was signed by the Ravens. As it turns out, the backup quarterback to Terrell at WMU was Tom Flacco, the brother of Joe Flacco who is the Ravens starting Quarterback. There's another team to watch.

Our day yesterday turned out to be filled with unscheduled stops. We wanted to check out two campgrounds off of I-17 near the shop where Josie is currently working in case they offer her a role next season. The first one (Royal Palm Resort) was a pretty nice campground in a nice area while the second (Covered Wagon RV Park) was smaller and in a not so nice area. The office was closed in the Royal Palm, so we have to wait until tomorrow to get any info on availability and rates. It will be tough to beat the situation here at Pioneer, but the convenience would be worth the change.

We then went to Camping World to pick up some items needed to complete repairs and then we stopped at Sam's Club to get a couple needed items. It was a busy day topped off with grilling a couple burgers for dinner...

More on Draft

One update on the Corey Davis draft selection - I received this text from Patty yesterday:

"Guess who's coming over to pick up Austin and 2 teammates to go party in the city? Corey! Right off the plane from Tennessee! They will be celebrating big this weekend! I'll try to take a pic!"

It's really nice that he wants to celebrate with Austin and a couple teammates. It will be exciting to follow his progress through the early experiences with the Tennessee Titans. We will certainly be watching that team now.

Josie has two days off now and we expect to get lots of things done. She has some of her own items to take care of and we will make more progress with fixing more damaged or worn items in the RV.

The high winds have returned and I tried to make some adjustments to the topper awnings on our slide outs yesterday. The noise created by the winds is very annoying, but I discovered that it is also partly to do with the slide out seals which may be contributing to the wind noise. A full replacement of these awnings is required and I will probably have to complete that project in Wyoming. I am concerned that I may not receive the new awnings and install them in time before we leave. We'll just get by with the winds and hope that they end soon...

Corey Davis Goes Early

I was looking forward to watching the first round of the NFL draft last night. The word had been all along that the AZ Cardinals were in line at number 13 to draft Corey Davis - Austin's teammate and former roommate from WMU. Unfortunately for us, but good for Corey, is that the Tennessee Titans drafted him at number 5, eliminating the Cardinals' chances. We had visions of watching Corey develop as a Cardinal and getting some tickets for Cardinals games as he knows us from our association with Austin. What a great story as he is a kid from a poor background that has made something of himself. He will be a star in the NFL.

Josie worked until 4 PM yesterday while I did a couple more small projects around the RV. I also made a trip to Michael's to get materials for my next project which I hope to have completed in a lot less time than this year's project. It is a Native American piece that is, again, very different from anything else I have done.

I expect to receive more parts in the mail today to complete more of the to-do's and shorten the list to just a few more items...

And Still More

It appears that we will be going down to the final day with our repairs and replacement projects for the RV. Yesterday, we ordered more items from Amazon that are mostly small, minor replacement items. Thank goodness for Amazon and the "Prime" program which guarantees delivery in just a couple days. The major item which was not ordered yesterday is replacement topper awnings for our slide outs. I need help to measure for those as we need two ladders to have someone at each end of the awning. I will also need help to install them if I can somehow get them measured and ordered in time. The recent high winds have done further damage to these awnings and they are a high priority.

Josie is wrestling with her schedule and trying to get some time off to perform her must-do items. She will have Saturday and Sunday off this week which may be the only time she will have two consecutive days off before Mother's Day.

Along with everything else, I still have to finalize our trip plans. This year, we will take an extra day to drive to Wyoming which should make it a very enjoyable trip. We have always done the trip in three days which was OK, but made us feel rushed to get to our destination. This year, we also have a few more days between arrival and our start date at the Visitor Center in order to re-acclimate to the area. Both of us are getting anxious to return to Wyoming...

And More....

I finally got the hose repaired that I had to cut for removal when we arrived back from Texas. The hose was stuck on the connection to the RV so I had no choice, at the time, but to cut it off so I could use plyers to turn the end in order to clear the connection. I have been using a shorter and thinner hose until I made the repair yesterday. I still will replace the RV water connection with an easier water connection device that is available. I also picked up a quick-connect adapter for the hose, so water hookup and disconnect should be a lot easier from now on.

With the high winds we had yesterday and last evening, the problem we have with our deteriorating topper awnings became evident. The wind whips through the torn edges and results in severe flapping and noise. I haven't decided yet whether to just remove the topper awnings or replace the fabric on them. I already replaced the fabric on one of them a couple years ago and that one is still going strong. The two remaining are larger and more expensive. Decisions, decisions.

Josie did laundry yesterday and passed on her hair until her next day off. When she works so many hours, it is nice to have some free time to do nothing.

I'm looking forward to watching the NFL Draft later this week. Particularly, to see where Corey Davis, the WMU wide receiver and former roommate of Austin's gets selected and by whom. He is predicted to go in the first round. At one point, he was projected to be selected by the AZ Cardinals. It should be exciting to watch...

More Projects Done

The main accomplishments yesterday were the completion of replacing old and damaged latches outside. Also, we replaced our kitchen faucet with a new pull-down model. Our old one was getting difficult to work with as the damaged connectors in the faucet stem were worsening. Anyway, I tried to install the new one myself but ran into a problem and had to call our local RV repair guy to come in and help. He lives here in our park and he stopped by on his way home from another call to complete the installation. It took him 30 minutes and $50 to complete the job. We're happy it's done.

Josie is off today and, aside from doing some laundry, has a few items on her list to complete before returning to work tomorrow. One of them is to get her hair done and I hope she has enough time to finish her list of to-do's.

I found what I believe will be my cross stitch project for the next year and am excited about getting that started. Of course, it is another Native American subject and one that is very different from any of the previous ones I've done. We'll keep up with updates on that project.

Our main concern before leaving this area is making plans for the Fall. At this point, we have no commitments to return to this spot so we will also be concentrating on those plans over the next several weeks...

Day Off

We enjoyed one of the few days that Josie will have off between now and Mother's Day. There were a couple things she needed to get done and we went to a couple Malls - Arrowhead in Peoria and Anthem - and we picked up some items she needed. We watched a movie on TV in the afternoon and otherwise relaxed on this day. She is back to work today and we start one of the few remaining weeks left before our departure. We are now three weeks away from leaving for Wyoming.

A short and sweet entry for today...

Other Projects Started

The relief of not working about 8 hours per day on my other project was felt yesterday. I was able to go to the RV parts store and pick up some latches for the cabinets and the doors that needed replacement. The store was short a couple latches for the cabinets, so those will have to be purchased through Amazon. No big deal except that the local dealer prices were a bit less than Amazon's which is a rare occurrence.

We also switched our Verizon plan from the 30 GB shared data plan to the Unlimited Plan beginning with our next cycle. We have been running over on data usage and that gets expensive. So, with the switch to unlimited, we lose some account discounts, but with no overage charges, it balances out to be a better deal. This way, we don't have to worry about going over the monthly data limit. We'll see how that goes. We can always switch back - or change providers - if that doesn't work out.

Josie has the day off today and we have talked about driving to the city of Gilbert to check out the housing and the area in general. We don't know much about Gilbert, but it is one area that Patty has talked about looking at when she and her family move to AZ in a couple of years. Someday, we all plan to be closer together so the search is just beginning...

In for Framing

I did some final tweaking on my project before cleaning and pressing it prior to going to Michael's for framing. My Framer - Howard - was on duty and recalled assisting me on some of my other projects so it made it easier to explain the significance of getting the right "look" for the County Fair this year. Below is a shot of the finished piece before framing:

The picture is actually brighter than you see here, but the lighting in my living room wasn't the best. It is definitely one of the best pieces in my growing collection. He is named "Three Eagles" and was an associate of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe. The piece was designed from a photo of him taken in 1910.

Howard granted the 70% discount that actually expired last Saturday. He also gave me some other perks that weren't charged - upgraded backing foam, upgraded glass and upgraded packaging to keep it protected while traveling. I will post another photo of the completed piece after I pick it up which is scheduled for sometime between May3 - May 5. I still can't believe that I completed it on time.

Josie had another long day at her shop. She didn't get home until after 7 PM and she has discovered that this shop (7th St) is the busiest of all the shops she has worked. Actually, they need even more help but it isn't in the budget. She was asked to come in early this morning, so I would expect another long day.

I can now move on to my other projects. It is a huge relief that I don't have to spend so much time now working on one project...

Done

I finally got the cross stitch project completed last night. All that is left is to do a final check to make sure there are no missing stitches and to clean the piece to prepare it for framing. I will go to Michael's today to select the frame and components and to schedule the pick-up. There was a time when I thought it would be near impossible to complete in time for this year's trip to Wyoming, but many, many extra hours working on it paid off.

Now, I will be able to begin work on the many projects we have to complete within the time remaining for us. There is one project - replacing our kitchen faucet - that will require an RV service guy to come out. I just can't get to the area under the sink to work on the connections without hurting my back or worse. The area is in a tight location and requires a guy that knows exactly how to install the faucet. Other areas that need attention can be handled by myself. Most of the items are simple installations, such as the closet door snaps that need replacement and a couple of outside, plastic snaps that deteriorated over time in the hot sun. I should have plenty of time to complete those projects.

Austin received his MAC Champions ring yesterday and I have included a couple shots of this beautiful ring:

Wow! It is about the size of a Super Bowl ring and will be a treasure that we he will savor forever. Congratulations again to Austin! What a terrific way to end his football career at Western Michigan University...

Final Push

It was another day of pushing to complete my cross stitch project that I thought would be done by now, but there is a section of the piece that requires more stitches than I anticipated so it is taking longer. Also, I am getting tangles and knots in the threads that seem to be more plentiful and time consuming to fix as I near completion. I stayed up late last night to get some extra time working on the piece and hope to get it done today. I went to Walmart last night and picked up some GOOP to clean the completed project before taking it to Michael's. I have other projects that need to be completed before we leave for Wyoming, so this project needs to end sooner than later.

Josie had some discomfort yesterday from her shot but is feeling better overall. Her next shot will be one that (hopefully) takes away the rest of her pain in her back and legs. That is scheduled for early May before the Mother's Day rush.

We expect to hit 100 degrees by the weekend. We are locked into the 90's now during the daytime, so the hot, hot days aren't far away...

Visits to Doctor and Storage

The main activity for the day yesterday was to take Josie to her doctor to get her shot for her hip. There are two locations for the doctor - one in Surprise and one in Sun City. Of course, we went to the wrong location yesterday before ending up - on time for the appointment - at the right location (Surprise) for the shot. It was a relatively short visit as she received her shot and we left.

We combined the doctor visit with one to our storage unit in Glendale. Josie needed to locate her work shirts that we packed away before leaving for Texas. It was not a successful trip as we couldn't find the box, or container, where we packed them in February. That is not a problem, however, as she can pick up a used one at the shop for $7.50. That is much better than tearing apart our storage trying to find them.

Project update: I lost some time yesterday while traveling to our other activities, so I need to make it up today, if possible. I'm looking for a Thursday completion at this point. I will pick up some Goop to clean it before taking it for framing at Michael's on Thursday - I hope...

Normal Activities Day

It was another "typical" day for us at this time of the year. Josie went to work in the AM, I worked on my project most of the day and we had a small barbeque for dinner. The temperatures are forecast to be in the 90's every day for the next week and we are quickly approaching the 100 degree mark. There are a couple days - this weekend - that are suppose to hit 97-98 degrees and they could easily hit 100. Once that happens, it's "Katy-bar-the-door" and we will not see temps below 100 in Phoenix for at least 5 months. Of course, we will be enjoying temps in the 80's in Wyoming during that time.

Today, we will go to the doctor's office for Josie's shot to help relieve her pain in her hip. Hopefully, the effect of that shot will make it more comfortable for her to enjoy physical activities this summer. We hope to do some (painless) hiking and biking this summer as we normally do.

My project is nearing completion as I am on the final segment of the subject. I expect to have it completed by mid-week so that it can be taken into Michael's for framing.

That's about it for today...

Nice Easter Day

We finally made it to the church in Anthem yesterday for the Easter services. Our goal was to arrive before the expected crowd which we did at 8 AM for the 8:30 service. Since we had never been there before, we also wanted to allow some extra time for locating where we were to park and where to enter the church which had several entrances. It was good timing as we had many choices for seating. I only took this one shot which was taken shortly after we were seated and shows the kind of contemporary service we were about to experience:

There were no hymnals, no formal alter and no "typical" organ or seating for a choir. There was a piano and we were also "entertained" by a violin - played very well by one of the women from the church. It was suppose to be the "traditional" service of the day, but we thought it could also pass for the "contemporary" services which were at 9:30 and also at 11 AM. All in all, it was very good service and we will definitely return in the future.

We went to George and Cheryl's house for Easter dinner in the afternoon. Cheryl's friend, Joan, was visiting from New Jersey and we had a great time visiting with everybody and enjoying a wonderful ham dinner. Below is a shot taken of the ladies visiting while preparing the dinner:

That is Cheryl's friend Joan in the foreground. George and I were sitting in the family room watching the Diamondbacks game against the Dodgers. We are hoping that we get another chance to visit before we head out to Jackson in mid May.

Josie goes back to work this morning in what is a start to the Mother's Day season at the shop. It promises to be a fairly hectic couple of weeks ahead...

Ready for Easter

The day at Josie's shop was a bit shorter than expected yesterday and she was home by 4 PM. They were still getting orders for boutonnieres and flowers for the Prom, but everything was under control. She will be off today, work Monday and have Tuesday off for another follow up at her doctor's office. Other than that, she will be working straight through to Mother's Day with a possible one day off in between the weeks somewhere along the way.

We will be attending the early church service this morning at the Lutheran church in Anthem. We were also invited to George and Cheryl's for Easter Dinner today, so our day looks to be a busy one. It should be a rest day for Josie and pretty much a day off for me from working on my project which is about 85% complete.

Happy Easter everyone!

Long Hours at the Shop

I received a call early in the afternoon from Josie that she would be working late. She wasn't kidding. It was after 8:30 PM last night before she got home. It was a combination of Easter and a school prom that caused the extra hours. One thing is for sure, and that is the store is very thankful that she was available to help out during this period. It appears that business might slow a little bit until we get closer to May and Mother's Day.

It looks like I will lose the race to complete my cross stitch before the end of today. I have too much remaining to get done before it would be ready to frame. I hope that the store remembers that they promised the sale price for the custom framing whenever I bring it in for the finishing touches. I'm sure it has to be within a reasonable time frame, so I am keeping the pressure on to get it done asap. There would have been no problem at all if I didn't have that false start in the Fall when the previous attempt with a different subject was abandoned. Oh well, it should be worth the extra effort when it is all completed. In the meantime, all of the projects that need to be completed are on hold until it is done...

Doctor Results

As we all begin to suffer through effects of aging, Josie is seeing that nobody is exempt. The X rays taken the other day show that her pain that she has been experiencing in her hip and knee is a result of Bursitis. She has scheduled a time (Tuesday) to get her first of a possible three shots to help with controlling the pain. It is not fun experiencing the effects of aging on the body. The good news is that she did not suffer any bone damage in any of her falls over the last couple years. She was concerned that hidden damage resulted from those occasions.

The RV park is looking more and more like a ghost town as more folks pack up and leave each day. People head out when the temperatures begin to sit in the 90's every day and they get out before the 100 degree mark settles in for the summer months. We will not beat the 100 degree start to the summer months, but we expect to get out before the real heat arrives.

It's back to work for Josie today and I will continue the full court press to complete my cross stitch project before the frame sale ends at Michael's on Sunday. I don't think I'll make it in time, but I'm hoping that the "manager's sale" that was promised will still be available when I do complete the project. I'm looking to get it done within the next week...

Work Day at New Location

Josie's first work day at the 7th St shop was a good one. The manager and staff were all good to work with and she put in a full day for her first exposure to the shop. She will work every day but Sundays until she switches over to the 19th Ave store on the 3rd of May. Then, she will work every day through Mother's Day. The drive is not the best, but it is for a relatively short time so it should be OK.

I spent the day working on my cross stitch project and made some good progress. There is a special (and annual) sale at Michael's for custom framing that I take advantage of each year. Through April 15, they are having a 70% off sale on custom framing which is where I take my cross stitch projects every year. I don't know if I will make it by the 15th, but the store clerk in the framing department indicated when we stopped there a couple days ago that they would honor the 70% off price whenever I brought in the work as I am an annual customer. It is going to be close.

I need to finish that project soon as there are many other items that need attention before we leave for Wyoming. There are several repair issues and other duties that must be completed by then. There just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done. That's a common problem for everybody...

Work Schedule Change

The start date for Josie at the 7th Street store was moved up one day to today. She received a text that she was needed immediately and will work there  - probably 4-5 days each week - until she moves over to the 19th Ave store for the Mother's Day week. Her vacation has ended abruptly and this will be a new experience for her as she has never worked in that particular store before. It will be interesting to see if there is any difference in the way this shop is run versus the other two she has worked. Her hours are 8:30 to 5 PM and she will drive through the work traffic on I-17 which is not an especially fun drive. We hope for the best during the next couple weeks.

Josie also had her doctor appointment yesterday for her bothersome knee and hip. The doctor sent her to the Imaging Center for X-rays to help diagnose the problem. We are looking forward to doing some hiking in Jackson this summer, but she has to find out what is causing her pain in those areas. The review of those X-rays will be tomorrow AM, so she will have a late start at work on that day.

Our days will start to get very busy now as we near our departure date...

Truck Glazed

My appointment yesterday for the truck application of paint protector was at 9 AM. There was no problem getting there on time and the whole procedure took 1.5 hrs. This is a paint protector applied by the dealer that protects the paint from harmful UV rays from the sun and keeps the paint shining for six months. It was part of the purchase incentive and is good for 60000 miles which should be more than the lifetime of my truck. Now, with the second (Escape) vehicle, the truck will get very little use except for towing the fifth wheel and using for an occasional trip to storage or other heavy hauling. It is now good to go for another six months.

Josie has been invited to work at the 7th St store for Phoenix Flower Shops, beginning this Thursday. It was not planned, so she is still working out the details with the manager of that store. It is crazy. She offered her services to this store as soon as we returned from Texas over a month ago but just heard from them yesterday. The manager has a habit of waiting until he is desperate for help before asking. So now, it appears that she will work there until about May 4 when she will change over to the 19th Ave store where she has committed to work through Mother's Day. At least she had a few good weeks to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

I am gaining on my cross stitch project and am beginning to feel more confident about completing it before we leave for Wyoming. This one is very detailed and difficult but I hope the challenge will pay off in the end...

Surprise Masters Ending

All of my "favorite" American golfers that were threatening for the lead at the Masters this year, faded into the sunset. All of them (Michelson, Spieth, Couples, Fowler) were over par in the final round and a surprise ending made it a great tournament. Sergio Garcia finally won a major tournament after 73 starts. It was nice to see him finally win one as he beat out Justin Rose on the first extra hole. I was surprised that all of the Americans - except for Matt Kuchar who finished tied for 4th - faded at the end. Maybe next year my favorites will play well for four rounds instead of three.

I have an appointment this morning for the truck to be given its semi-annual coating of paint protector. I don't especially like going there to wait for almost two hours during the service, but it doesn't cost anything and it is good for the vehicle. The appointment is for 9 AM, so I hope to miss the work traffic.

I see that the temperatures are again hitting the low 90's this week. That means that the first 100 degree day is fast approaching. Once it hits 100, the air conditioners run non-stop and the electric meter looks like it is in a race. Of course, once we arrive in Wyoming in May, it is back to nice, comfortable days through the rest of the summer...

Pioneer Village

We try to either go to the fitness center or take a walk each day to get our exercise. Yesterday, we finally visited the Pioneer Village and History Museum that is located next to our RV Resort and is about a half mile from our RV. This is a Pioneer town that was constructed from donated buildings, artifacts, and anything that was part of the pioneer lifestyle. It only cost $8 each to do the walking tour and it was certainly worth the money. We took lots of pictures and below are just some of the shots that show the town.

Starting with a few of the buildings. This one is of one of the cabins:

and then a Victorian House and a farm house:

A bathroom for one of the houses:

The inside of the bank:

and finally the church. There was a wedding scheduled to take place here later in the day. They use the church for weddings all the time and they average several each month:

There were just too many neat buildings to show here: The Jail and Sheriff office, Blacksmith, Dress Shop, Print Shop, School House, Carriage House, etc.

The village covers almost 100 acres and is totally operated by donations and staffed by volunteers. We ended up walking almost 3 miles for the total experience.

The Masters Tournament is into the final rounds and the leaderboard is terrific. Although Phil Mickelson fell back, Ricky Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Fred Couples are still in the hunt. Today's final round should be fun to watch...

Masters Enjoyment

So far, through two rounds of the Masters Championship, it has been a super tournament to watch. The leaderboard has been full of favorite golfers of mine - Phil Michelson, Fred Couples, Ricky Fowler to name a few. Of course, two rounds don't mean much if they (Michelson and Couples, at least) can't remain among the leaders but it sure is fun watching them after all these years. Those two have such a huge following and are sentimental favorites every time they tee it up. The third and fourth rounds - today and tomorrow - should be spectacular as the weather is forecast to be near perfect. I look forward to watching the remaining rounds. I just hope that some little known European golfer doesn't come out of the woodwork to win the tournament.

It's a shame that April can't last for another 4 or 5 months. We are enjoying the free time and the, for the most part, nice weather. There's a chance for rain this weekend, but we have not had any real bad storms so far. The wind is common when those fronts go through and we have gotten used to that. With Easter coming next week, it is a great month to be relaxing and enjoying the weather...

Not Too Surprising Baseball Start

It is kind of ironic that after 6 games for the Rangers and Royals, they are a combined 0-6 for the season. It became very obvious to us during the spring training season that neither team had great pitching. It appears that the observation was right-on.

The Diamondbacks are off to a great start (3-1) but the Mariners are not (1-3) The Mariners opened their season in Houston, so I see them improving once they get home to open their season in front of friendly fans. Of course, the season just started, it is a long season and anything can happen.

We enjoyed the day yesterday with another relaxing afternoon sitting outside under our awning. Even though it was hot (92) in the sun, the cool shade under the awning was delightful. We expect another day today just like yesterday except that clouds are expected to roll in for a possible storm over the weekend.

I forgot to mention that we participated in a Webinar on Wednesday night with Thousand Trails. We listened to their pitch on new programs and new benefits but we remained strong in rejecting any upgrade. Our lifestyle has changed to the point where we cannot take advantage of the new programs, or even take advantage of the existing membership. There is a good chance that we will be selling that membership after 36 years of participation. As a result of having our site being included in our workamping gigs, there is little need - or opportunity - to use their campgrounds. Plus, there is a limit to how long you can stay in any campground which removes it from consideration during times we are spending between workamping jobs. That would be a sad day if we sell the membership as we have many, many great thoughts of experiences we've had over the years at those parks...

Word of the Day is Wind

We just got over a heavy wind a couple days ago when a storm just grazed our area. We have another day of heavy winds this morning. The last one caused some chairs to go flying and even blew over our holding tank drain-hose line. That has not happened in a long time. We have had some serious winds with gusts into the 40's and 50's. Even though the skies are clear, it makes it difficult to sit outside or even go for a walk.

Our schedule today doesn't involve much outside activity anyway. Except for a planned trip to Walmart to pick up some paper products and miscellaneous items, we plan to do inside stuff. We did stop at Sam's Club yesterday following Josie's doctor appointment to get some hearing aid batteries and some seafood for our diet. By the way, her doctor visit was positive and she is good to go now - except for some high cholesterol for which she received a prescription.

Football and (college) basketball are over now, so it's time for the baseball season. There are about 160 games to go, so - Play Ball!

Pioneer RV In the News

I didn't mention that, within the last week, we have had two events here at the Resort that made the local news telecasts.

Just over a week ago there was a segment on the evening news showing the local fire department attempting to control swarming bees in our campground. One resident was stung so badly that he was taken to the hospital. Along with snakes, this is the season for swarming bees.

We had another event the night before last. Josie and I were getting ready for bed at around 9 PM when Josie heard helicopters outside. She opened the door to see helicopters flying over the park with flood lights searching the area. Along with the copters, there were several police cruisers flying through the campground, flashers on, looking for someone. It turns out that an individual attempted to rob the local Chili's Restaurant nearby, failed in his attempt, shot his shotgun into the ceiling, left on his ATV and drove up the street to our campground to hide. He crashed his ATV and then attempted to break into one of the homes in the park. That's when they captured him.

Never a dull moment.

The National Championship game last night was a good game, for the most part. It seemed like Gonzaga could not handle the pressure as they missed many easy shots down the stretch and lost to North Carolina., 71-65. It would have been nice to see them win their first ever National Championship.

Josie has her doctor appointment today which is the only appointment we have scheduled for the day...

Lazy Days

Our break from work is turning out to be a nice, relaxing stretch for us. We again did very little except enjoy the day, including sitting outside for a time to take in the sun. With the temperatures still hanging around the 80's, it is delightful. I am gaining on my cross stitch project and there is probably a 50-50 chance I will have it completed before we leave for Wyoming.

There are several projects that need to be done around the fifth wheel but I am having a problem finding the motivation to complete them with my cross stitch project having the highest priority for me. It will, hopefully, turn out to be one of the best I've ever done when completed. I'm confident that, assuming I get it done, it again will win its class in the Teton County Fair this year. Time is running out as we are already three days into April.

Josie is still trying to find the motivation to begin her afghan project. She has the materials but is still deciding which of several different afghans she wants to tackle first. She whips them out in short order once she begins, so stay tuned for news on those...

Final Four Action

The first two games of the Final Four action did not disappoint. I was cheering for Gonzaga and Oregon, and Gonzaga did win their game while Oregon lost by a point. The final on Monday night will be between Gonzaga and North Carolina. It is ironic that both winning teams scored 77 points while the losers scored 73 and 76. They are very closely matched. Go Gonzaga!

While all of this Final Four hoopla is taking place, we cannot forget that this weekend begins the 2017 baseball season. Every team in both leagues has aspirations for making the post season at this time of the year. Will the Diamondbacks make it? Will the Mariners make it? At this point, I would say the Mariners have a pretty good shot after the fine Spring Training they had. I think that the Diamondbacks have a way to go yet, but they also have promising new players that could make a difference. It is a long season, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I was told in our conversation with Patty yesterday that Austin's friend - Troy Fumagalli ( you remember that he won the MVP at the Cotton Bowl for Wisconsin) - received a call from a New York Jets scout a couple days ago. Knowing that he and Austin are good friends, he asked Troy about him and it was discovered in that conversation that Austin led the nation in Special Teams tackles. That was a surprise and an indication that possibly - one team at least - is/has taken a look at Austin. You know, some teams draft players for special team talents. Hmm.

That about does it for today. Have a good day everybody...

Wind and Dust

The only big news from yesterday was the weather again. It was very windy which created lots of blowing dust in the air. It was also very cool (63) for this time of the year. We stayed home and did stuff inside the rig - I cross stitched and Josie began organizing her afghan project and sorting through yarn that she has stored in lots of places in the fifth wheel.

As today is April 1 - April Fools Day - we will begin a diet (Sonoma Diet) that we had done in the past and was very successful. There are the usual junk foods that are still lying around the place that we will either toss, or eat slowly over time. We were both very successful with this diet a couple years ago so we hope to do it again. It is mostly about portion size as we already, pretty much, eat the proper foods. Of course, there are some things that need to be cut out as always, but we are ready to go again with this diet.

Have a great April Fools Day everybody...