Win or Lose, Arizona's Where I Am

I'm in Arizona.  I'm here for a number of reasons.  I was initially coming down with my brother, Brent, to visit my Aunt and Uncle Pat and Glen Crookston, last month  but with the beginning of Spring Training and baseball, we couldn't get any room at the place we usually stay.


So we boosted ahead to this month and found that the week we chose was LDS Conference Weekend, which traditionally is miserable weather, Easter and touted the last day of Spring Training which I blogged about yesterday.  


I love being in wonderful weather when the weather back home is miserable, but somehow, people back home resent the heck out of us.  It is gorgeous here however.  But that notwithstanding, there are some drawbacks:

1)  We missed Easter with the girls.  We did, however, receive the photos which you see with the girls on their new bikes and their helmets properly affixed and a promise that they can ride to our house if Julia watches them ride down Lake Bridge Road and we then watch them ride the rest of the way down Oquirrh Lake Road.  We then got to have Easter Dinner with Ben which is something we've not been able to do in a long time and got a promise from him to come to Thanksgiving Dinner next year and a semi promise from his friend, Susie, that she'll come as well.  That's great progress and a good trade-off.  

2.  I miss Conference on TV but we'll have that recorded when we get home and I'll have that then and on Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoons, I enjoyed conference via the Tweet World or Tweeternacle (#ldsconf) where everyone tunes in to Tweetie and write what they find to be significant comments from the current talks and what they have to say about it.  It's really fun and quite an experience.  I loved it and made some new Twitter friends.  I really lost nothing and gained in that.  


So what happened in the net gain/loss world?  I gained!  I am warm for the first time in a long time, a few people are a little miffed that I've escaped the cold but they'll get over it.  I enjoyed Conference doubly, I've seen Ben, met Susie, and not crying uncontrollably as I likely would be if I were home in the cold and snow.  And tomorrow I go see Pat and Glen for lunch.  


Thanks, Az, for being next door.

Phoenix Now

We're now in Phoenix, the poor man's Maui, perhaps, but we have our granddaughters in tow, so if you're wise you'll see we're rich.

We get them because their parents are in Maui celebrating their tenth anniversary.  I tried to explain to Julia that most of us either spent our tenth dining at the Poco Loco or just don't remember doing anything at all in commemoration because we couldn't afford babysitters.

But she refused to relent because she insists the tenth is a big deal. Perhaps it's because she's married to Brad who I'll admit has his moments.  But she says he is the "love of her life" and I believe her.  So I'm not sure what she means.  All I know is that he drove me nuts his high school senior year.

But I digress.  Here are the girls having the time of their lives at the Kiwanis Park. Can Maui be better than this?  Not if you're five and seven.

We had a most excellent day.

More Maui Matters

I love Maui for a lot of reasons.

One of them is that according to LDS Church History, My Great-grandfather Angus Munn Cannon served a mission and saw God in a pineapple field here.  Apparently a lot of natives took on his name but not for the reason some of you naughtier people might think.  They just needed an extra name, so they took on “Cannon” which is not a bad name if you need another one.  If anyone makes any smart remarks, I want you to know that he was known for his good looks.

I sort of have halfheartedly looked for the account from time to time.  I have a copy of a journal in which it was referred to at home, but I never could find it.  I’m going to have to check it out again when I get home.  Maybe I’ll go the easy route and make some phone calls instead.  We’ll see.  I just keep forgetting.  But I digress.

Today we went to the back woodsey area of Maui.  If you look at a map of Maui, it looks like the head and torso of a woman.  We got up to the back of her head.

Up there it’s really rustic.  There is a beautiful bay around which people dive, snorkle and scuba dive and beyond is just windy, beautiful, lush areas which look like Heber might if it had lots of rain.  The roads become too narrow to go much beyond.  

Later we went to dinner at Kimo’s which is a very nice restaurant in Lahaina.  It is right on the water and though my IPhone takes decent pictures, they certainly don’t do justice to the view.  Let it just be known that should you drop by, Kimo’s certainly will be on the list of spots to visit.  

Maui - I Think I Was Meant To Be Born Here

The guilts is all ready settling in and it's only Monday.  You're all ready nauseated with our trip I'm sure, but I'm so glad to be here.

I've posted pictures of Maui on Facebook and here.  I've eaten shaved ice, I've sweated a little and have just about managed a few tears thinking about going home to snow.  It really is still summer here.  We've been here before, but not the week bridging January and February.

We're rubbing elbows with a bunch of people kind of in the same boat.  Some folk we've met were from Maryland, some from Valley Forge, some from Chicago, and some pikers from Arizona.  We even met some people from Canada who went from -30 to +80 in one day.  Can the human body stand that?  I don't think so.

Today we went whale watching.  Now is the time when the whales are having their babies and fattening them up for the long swim back to Alaska.  The adults don't eat here, they just mate and feed their young.  Learned today they don't have nipples either, if you'll pardon the French, but excrete the milk into the water and the young take it from there.  We saw enough action (meaning we saw whaleage) to make it a pretty interesting trip which is fine with me because I'm not really sea-worthy and tend to "feed-the-fish" if I have eaten too recently.  I'll not have to go again.

Carl got some good shots that he'll post on his Facebook page.

Don't patronize me by saying I've earned my vacation.  Just sit there and be happy for me sitting here in my summer duds, bundle up and stay warm, and chuckle a little knowing that in three days I've gotten most of my clothes dirty all ready.  I'm sure there's a washer somewhere.

To Las Vegas and Back To Normal

The two of you who have been clamoring to know, I just want to tell you that while I've been away to Las Vegas, I've been away from lots of things, but not away from the good guys.  Just from my computer -- except for the one day when we hauled my computer out of mothballs at Denny's to renew some books for Julia from the the Salt Lake County Library System.  Those folks are somewhat more precise than she is when it comes to remembering when books come due which is somewhat surprising since they have quite a few more around than she does.  My intentions were good to keep Sisal Soup going but things did fall apart along the way.  I remember being quite responsible during my trip to Branson, but since no one cared during that trip, my interest during this one took quite a beating as a result.

What I mean by that was, I was with my darling sons, Ben, Brad, my beautiful Julia, my darlings Sophia and Ali and my Eternal Companion, Carl for the first time in three years and it was wonderful.      

I could have used another couple of dozen more of you, too, but that's for another day.

A favorite Vegas moment:  a huge fat guy in a wig and bikini who accused Carl on the busy Strip of checking him out for too long.  Another favorite: the astonished look on Ali's face when she went to push the street crossing button and encountered a crazy vagrant instead.  Another:  When Ben opted to stay home and watch Sponge Bob with a sick Ali while the rest of us went to visit the Strip.  

Some celeb sightings:  Pete Rose and Jerry Lewis.

The picture above is of Sophia and Ben on our last day there.  It is a little bitter/sweet because as you might have guessed, they are in love.

Branson -- It's That Good

We're home from Branson, as of Saturday.  It was even better than we could have hoped Branson would be.  That's especially since we had almost no expectations whatsoever.  Ben, smart-aleck that he is, commented that he envisioned a giant HeeHaw stage.  Not even close to that.

Friday we saw Pierce Arrow which was about as close to country as we saw, but it was really good.  Many  types of good singing, great costumes and a wide variety of people. The comedian, who worked off and on throughout the show, was hilarious and he was clean.  Can you imagine?

And here's an info alert:  Branson is on the Ozark Plateau.  I thought before that Ozark was a perjorative, but actually, it's not.  It's a huge area that goes from Oklahoma almost to the east coast and into the south.  "Ozark" is in the name of about half the businesses in Branson including the "Ozark Trailer Park", (pause for laughter), and no one seems apologetic for it.  Speaking of businesses, I don't think there were any bars there either, or at least not very high-profile ones (the Bible Belt, remember), and I think the people there are even more conservative than they are here in Utah, which is going some.

Why do people go to Branson?  For the shows, I'd say.  There's a lot of talent in Branson.  I even heard Kristen Chynoweth on Glee muse that she might go to Branson.  It's that good.

Sixties Recall

The Rankin Brothers sing my songs. The old Righteous Brothers, Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Chuck Berry, Simon and Garfunkel -- though I don't remember any Beatles, Bob Dylan or Rolling Stones . . . But I digress.  They were another great show in a string of the greats.  Even the Elvis part was enjoyable.   I thought the guy sitting by me from California was going to achieve Nirvana during the Righteous Brothers.

 I've loved the variety of shows we've seen all week.  I'm not tired of it at all.  I could take another week, I think, without getting tired.  Maybe two?  I think that those of you who are not Baby Boomers would love these shows, too.  They are really that good.

Today was Carol's birthday so we even made the 10 AM show of Dalina Ditto who is a classic country singer who even has glitter lipstick.  Her show was so wonderful, I thought I loved country for two hours.  In recall, I can't quite get to that point again, but I felt it then.  For real.

Branson has all-live music which means that some really great backup people are around here.  Drums, strings, piano and keyboards, horns and all kinds of stuff really shine.

Happy Birthday, Carol.  It's been a perfect week.  One more night on the town.

Please -- In a Life Relive, Let Me Dance!

Spirit of the Dance is almost worth the trip to Branson by itself.  I never saw “Lord of the Dance”, but I think it’s a relative.  It has lots of Irish-type dancing, but also, some Flamenco, ballet, Scottish stuff, a Cowboy number for the Americans, the CanCan, and a big Broadway number with bowler hats for everyone.  I’m exhausted.  It was fierce and hot with some good singing thrown in.  And like Carl said, it only got a little raggedy towards the end of the CanCan when everyone was high-kicking and falling into splits which came near the end of the show.  

I was a little worried about whether Carl would enjoy it, but it was a “not to worry” situation.  A further bonus for him was one of the dancers looked like his former co-worker, Murray.  A little more muscular, however.

Then there was the crazy-cute blond guy who looked like Bobby Cannon from Brighton High School from about ten years ago.  Turns out he was the star and he didn’t just earn it on his good looks.  He was really talented.  Bet his mother went nuts about every time he went out.  

Definitely put the Haygoods in at fourth, but that’s not a problem, either, because they’ve all been great.  

Three More Brothers and A Sister This Time

Another family of musical performers -- the Haygoods.

They are seven brothers and a sister, all apparently between the ages of sixteen and thirty-two, who are really exceptional musicians.  They play violins, saxophones, piano, harp and of course, guitars.  Tap-dancing is also part of the deal.

They aren't as polished as the Knudsens from yesterday, they're a little hokey too, but they are good and energetic though interestingly, singing isn't their strongest suit.  They do pop, rock, Celtic favorites and a little classical which was actually pretty good.  Pachobel, I think.  Of the three shows we've seen, we agreed that the Haygoods probably came in third, but that's not to big a problem.  They were dang fine.

Went to Silver City but it was closed.  The whole place.

Tomorrow is "Spirit of the Dance."  Can't lose, can we?

Six, Count 'Em, Six

Gotta love the Knudsen Brothers here in Branson.  They are one of the top draws and with good reason.

They do it all a capella, with sound effects and a perfect blend of voices.  They take it from the early days of rock to doo-wop, the Temptations, Motown, the Beachboys to U2.
One of them is also pretty funny doing some standup and comedy singing.  It was never boring.  Find them on UTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqww1iT-Rf4&feature=related.

I also learned while at the popcorn stand that they are also LDS!  I asked a girl who was wearing a Cedar City, Utah t-shirt if she was from Utah and this other woman behind the counter asked me if I also was.  When I said "yes" she asked me if I was in church Sunday.  When I recovered from shock, I realized that she wasn't rebuking me for not going, but was just saying that there had been lots of visitors on Sunday at the little Branson Branch that she couldn't remember.  She was the wife of one of the "Sixes".

Branson is a hot ticket for those of us in the retirement set but apparently it's a magnet for families during the summer.  The acts are clean and family-friendly and so far, they've been really good.  They are also considerably cheaper than those in Vegas so what you lack in big names and skin here, you make up for in quantity.

We're having a great time.  Glad we came.

Shanghai in Branson, Who'd a Thunk It?

Yes it's great now that the luggage has arrived from Dallas.  There is not much worse than sleeping in your underwear and then putting back on the duds that you travelled in.  I didn't even have a hairbrush or deodorant.  I'm just sayin'.

We went to see the Chinese Acrobats tonight and let me just say one word:  "limber".  Furthermore, they didn't even grimace.  It was fabulous.  There were tumblers, balancers, drummers, jugglers, people who leapt through hoops, a girl who stacked up a bunch of chairs and a stool and balanced on that, and a sixty-year-old ballerina who balanced on one arm to Tchaikovsky.  All too amazing.

We talked to a woman who sat next to us who said that Wayne Newton tried out Branson but he didn't last because he was too RAUNCHY.  Wayne Newton  -- raunchy?  I guess it's all relative.

And speaking of relatives, who was sitting next to me but a woman from Bountiful.  Can you believe it? No matter where you travel, you can't get away from home.  Glad I didn't shout curses and epithets, but then there was no call to do so.  It was all terrific.  Can't wait for the rest of the week now that my clean clothes are here.

Self Indulgence

Out behind the famous Old Faithful Inn, stands the very unassuming building you see above. It hasn't changed much, at least since 1961. Except for the two girls in the lobby checking their email on laptops.

I'm a witness of that. It was my dorm during that summer when I worked as a chamber maid in the very Old Faithful Inn. Not in one of the arms of the Inn, but the very Inn itself. I'd leave this dorm, every morning to work on the second floor of the Inn. Below is the front door to my dorm. I climbed those stairs a bunch of times during that summer.

We had a blast that summer. Merlene Britsch was my roommate and she did her best to keep things together for us, but to no avail.
Above, on the far right of the lower level is our room. We got the corner. There couldn't have been a better summer though Merlene did stress out a little too much.

Below is the hallway to our room on the far end on the right. The glow comes from a memory of us I'll bet, but maybe it's because I took the picture on my cell phone. I did love that place. My first home away from home.What a summer. I didn't want to leave so I stayed into September to help close down the Inn.

Wish I had pictures of those days, but I don't. I just have them in my head. Hope they stay there.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Not Quite

Yellowstone has beasts aplenty. Here, for example, is a coyote. The only reason we believe it is a coyote is that its tail is bushy and therefore not a wolf. Yellowstone sports, however, 230 wolves. Here's your garden-variety grizzly bear. Looks cuddly, apparently isn't.
Elk. They abound in the park. Moose, however, have gravitated down to the Teton area where there is more tasty food for them to eat. The cold is not the problem in the park for them I'd guess.
A bald eagle sitting on her nest was a surprising sight. Especially since she was courteous to viewers and built the nest in the top of a burned-out tree near the West Yellowstone Entrance.
This was not all. We did see bison, mountain goats, geese and various other critters. Fortunately, Carl, my photographer, had the presence of mind to rent a fine-quality lens for the occasion so we could see things a little closer and more National Geographic-like.

Oh to be Young and Half Mountain Goat

Climbing and throwing rocks seem to be among the rites of passage. All through Yellowstone there are spots requiring that we do either or both. Below are Mark and Cindy Cannon (cousins) atop Sheepeaters Cliff. It's much taller than it appears.

There's a road in Montana, North of Yellowstone, that goes through Bear Tooth Canyon that Charles Kurault named as one of the ten most beautiful drives in the country. Below is Joseph Cannon (yet another cousin) on top of one of the highest peaks. Snow below him is not visible and neither are snowboarders who apparently still are enjoying the area.
Next is Cindy, again, up on another stack of stone along the way through Yellowstone. There's more than bears and geysers in Yellowstone.

A final note, days like these require more than flip-flops. It's not called Yellowstone for nothing.

Yellowstone - I Went, I Saw, It Conquered

This morning I've written about twenty blogs during brief moments of consciousness, all while trying to convince myself that getting up would be the thing to do. I've been in Yellowstone for the past week and the recovery process is slow.

We had a wonderful time. Saw plenty of flora, and the fauna was plentiful too. Family completes the triumvirate of "F"s. Above is pictured part of the group at Mammoth.

I love Yellowstone now that we camp in campers. A couple of the downsides are the long hauls on the road getting from place to place, and the lack of the Internet, but talking and laughing with family seemed to compensate for that.

I did spend one summer working at Old Faithful fifty years ago, but the social life then was the point. I don't remember even if I saw Old Faithful erupt once.

It's good to be home but it was great to be there. I surprised myself at how much fun I had.

Sometimes It Just Feels Like More Than Good Luck

A few nights back, I played Russian roulette with the car GPS. We went to dinner, as a result, to Razz's Bar and Grill, a surprisingly pricy spot here in Scottsdale, AZ. The chicken scallopini was absolutely delicious and the raspberry torte was perfect. Just the proper state of mushy. Ben even joined us for dessert making the evening complete.

Carl told me early on it was my birthday dinner because of the really heavy price tag even though it was a day early. That was fine with me because it was just what I would have wanted had I picked it. Sometimes luck feels like lots more than just that.

Heading Towards the Cemetery

Today's my birthday and we are headed for Tombstone (pause for jokes and laughter.) I love my birthday. Carl sang to me before we even got up and I loved every beautiful word and note. Arizona is beautiful in the Spring. Bougainvillea is blooming everywhere.