Pioneer Peak

So the adventure that Robert and I had on Saturday began with the intention of heading towards Pioneer Pass, but taking a right instead of the left.  We were looking for Pioneer Peak.

As we came upon the road, it was quite clear that this wasn't going to be so easy as the previous weekend.  Unfortunately there were no signs at the bottom of the mountain that would have led us in the direction we needed to go.

The one sign that we did find that had Pioneer Peak listed on it did not take us there, in fact we seemed to drive for quite some distance without going uphill, so we flipped a u-turn and tried again.  This time, we stayed to the left of the road where we had seen signs posted regarding ATV's, Dirt Bikes, etc... This particular road immediately started going uphill, yeah!  Within a mile or so on this road, we did find a sign that led us to believe we were heading in the right direction.

Well, we did eventually find Pioneer Peak, although the view was nothing like that of Pioneer Pass, it was definitely worth checking out anyway.  We came across a cave, found some towers and saw a storm sweep over the mountain side just below Pioneer Peak.

                                     

                                                                                                 

Hello Lightning....

This images were pulled off a video that I took and was able to capture a lightning strike...

                 

 

To view the video, use the link below that will take you to my YouTube Channel.

Lightning Strike - July 20 2012

Arizona Dreaming...

Since returning to Arizona, one of the things that I wanted to do was check out all the different sights available, from the Grand Canyon to some of the mines, thus providing an idea of where to take the kids when they come out to visit.  Having met Robert, he too is very interested in doing the same for his children.  So we started our sightseeing this past weekend, our first stop was Lake Roosevelt.

No doubt that there are some awesome places to be seen out here, it is just a matter of finding them.  Unfortunately I checked with the Chamber of Commerce Tourist Information and although the book provided has a lot of pretty pictures of scenery and establishments, it doesn't quite tell you what location you are looking at, so know way to know how to get there, arrrrg!

One of the places that we kept talking about was this turquoise mine/jewelry shop right here in Globe.  It is a place that we both pass on a regular basis so we decided it would be nice to check out.  After finding out the actual name of the place, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, I checked out their website for visiting hours, was completely stumped by their days/hours thinking that it had to be listed wrong on their website, so I called... nope, not wrong on their website!  The place is open Mon - Fri from 8 - 4pm... What the hell?  As it is actually located on one of the main roads used in and out of town by numerous travelers, wouldn't it be better opened during the weekend as well?  I just don't understand the thinking of this establishments hours of operation.  I guess Robert and I are going to have to go elsewhere to check out some jewelry made with the riches of the local mines.

So now he has left the task of adventure to me.... ughhhh!  I will be researching some locations, both local and not so local, map it out and off we will go.  Currently our major adventure is going to take us away for the entire weekend, The Grand Canyon.  I have been there before, he has not.  It will be an awesome sight for him to see personally as pictures do it no justice.  Until that trip is planned, we will be traveling locally.  I think for our next adventure we are going to check out the Besh-ba-Gowah Archeological Park, but that is just a thought at this time....

If anyone out there in blogger-land has any ideas of some great places to visit here in Arizona, please feel free to provide some input.

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Weekend... going going.... Gone!

Had a great weekend with Robert.  Spent time at Lake Roosevelt, basically drove in and around Grand Canyon Lake, helped a few canoe carrying folks put their canoes back on the trucks and rescued a few baby Quails not only from the scorching hot pavement but possibly from certain death by being ran over by vehicles. 

Despite Robert's recent confession and his attempt to kiss me on Friday, we continue to stay on the path of friends.  I was really concerned that he would not keep his word to me, but thankfully he has 100%.

So here are a few pictures taken of our road trip to and from Lake Roosevelt, as for the Grand Canyon Lake, we didn't really stay out there too long, but will be making our way there on Saturday, so will post pictures after that.

** By clicking on any picture, you will be able to view a larger size through my photobucket page. **

                        

                                         

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Fire in the Pinal Mountains

Although the pictures make the fire appear little in nature, the fact that we are surrounded by thick, dry brush, any fire is cause for concern...

Mother and I noticed the smoke at about 1 pm today, the 17th.  It took about 4 hours before the planes arrived to dose this hazard with fire retardant.   


                    


                    


                    

                    

Coincidence? Perhaps....

Thought I would provide a smidgen of an update regarding my AZ Drummer.....

On the day of the 'supposed' robbery, I received a few text messages from an unknown number pretty much within the hour that he said the incident occurred... (incident?  geez, now I sound like a cop) anyway.... I received another text message from the same number yesterday, only this time the person was asking if I knew of someone interested in buying an amp and some speakers....

First of all, this person has no idea who I am and vice-versa.  It could all be just totally coincidental in relation to when the text messages started and the context in which they are, but I just don't know. 

So when I received the message yesterday, despite my desire to avoid any further contact with the AZ Drummer, I thought perhaps this might be the person trying to unload stolen items from him, hell, think about it, as he was part of a band, I would assume that he would have amps, speakers, etc... so the reasoning was not that off kilter!

So I did send him a message yesterday informing him of the text that I had received... his response, 'Everything is OK.  Please do not contact me anymore'... what an ass!  Which leads me to believe that the 'robbery' never actually occurred and in fact he was spending the holiday weekend with his family.

So despite my good intentions to try to help him out, unfortunately some people are just incapable of a simple, Thank You.

Contacting him is something that I can easily avoid and with the utmost respect, Good Riddance!

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Sunday Bliss....

So the date with Shawn finally happened.  It was a great time spent playing pool, swimming, barbeque's and just getting to know each other.  I also had a chance to spend some time with his 2 dogs, gorgeous dogs!  Perhaps someday I will post a photo of them, pretty much want to see where things go for us first and of course, get his permission.

The spot we ended up at for our First Date / Meeting was a great place, called BullShooters in Phoenix.  The music was perfect, the atmosphere was pretty friendly, it was just what I feel is the perfect location for a first date if both parties like Pool, Darts, well pretty much a sporty feel.  There were also a few junior pool leagues going on in there.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it comes with a bit of guilt for two reasons.

First off, I did stay the night at his house and this morning he had to work.  Last night he informed me that his boys would be coming by the house to use the pool, probably early but a time wasn't specified.  Well this morning he told me they would probably be there around 10am.  Without thinking first, I got up, got dressed and out the door I went, that quick!  Why the guilt?  Well, I feel as though I may have given him the wrong impression that I didn't want to meet his boys and therefore was trying to avoid them as quickly as I could.... that is the farthest from the truth though.

It has been such a long time since I have found someone who I truly connected with, it has been such a long time since I have actually looked forward to the possibility that I could be truly happy with someone.  I have Shawn to thank for that.  Whether we end up together as a couple or just friends, either way I view it, I will have gained a lot.

So this whole situation with his boys had nothing to do with wanting to avoid them, I would prefer to find out where him and I stand first and also, I didn't want to put him in a situation that he would have to explain my presence and perhaps have to deal with the ex as well.

Secondly, I have some guilt in the fact that I was very much against even considering dating someone again.  So, my mind goes back to the friend of my mom's whose brother and I went on a date just a couple of weeks ago.  There has been no issue's, in fact we are getting together for a few games of pool on Friday, as friends.  But I feel guilty because I know he is interested in more and yet, I am not, with him that is.....  I just don't know if this is a situation I bring up to him or not?  I want to be respectful towards him and yet I don't know how something like this is even handled... ughhhhhhhhhhh!  Being single is so confusing!

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Rabbits, Scorpion and a Date, Oh My!

First of all, although I am not in anyway a Toby Keith fan due to a personal experience after meeting the jerk, although it happened well over 10 years ago when I worked for a casino in Jackson, CA, it was enough to keep a lasting-bad taste impression on me.  But still I have to say that I like the song, Red Solo Cup.  Just needed to get that out since it just came on the radio.

Okay, now to the post at hand.....

Rabbits.... these lil' shits are causing mother some major issue.  Every time the grass starts to grow, these guys come along and eat it back down to nothing.  She has tried a fence, she has tried deterrent suggestions and even chases them off (which is rather hilarious at times since the leader of the pack just glares at her).  Anyway, this is a picture of just 3 of the 5 that frequent the yard.

Scorpion.... this guy or gal literally gave me the worse case of the willies... It was found just above the door in the garage that leads into the house.  That sucker could have dropped on me and I would have been in traction as I ran all over the place, arms flailing, etc... ewwwwwwwwwwww....

A date....  So the dinner date with my new friend went rather well.  Although he picked the restaurant, it was only after getting my input on the type of food I liked, he already knew that I liked Mexican but asked for an alternate.  We ended up going to De Marco's, the Italian Restaurant here in town.

After hanging out and talking at the restaurant for a bit, we headed over to a local bar that was what I consider the perfect atmosphere for me, several people inside and music playing, but not to the point where we couldn't hear each other during our conversations.

After hanging out there and playing a few games of pool, we broke even and agreed to break the tie next time.  I am quite happy to say that he was okay with me wanting to just have a friend to do things with right now.  So on Sunday, he is joining us for breakfast, he already knows my parents so he said there is no nerves to be frayed on meeting the parents... lol!

He brought me home just short of 10:00pm, he didn't want the parents getting worried about me, plus he has to work in the morning.  So all in all, it was a great night.

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Climbing Out!

Okay, happy to say that my dip into the 'Pity' pool was brief and short lived...  Fortunately my personality doesn't allow for much time spent feeling sorry for myself on matters that I can control.  I may pitch a bitch or whine a bit, but I get over it fairly quickly and this whole situation/relationship with my AZ Drummer is no different in terms of how I will handle it.

Through the years I have discovered that I am not like your typical woman when it comes to dating, perhaps leading my downfall in the romance department or finding a suitable significant other.  Truthfully, it is a trait that I refuse to let go because of how strongly I feel about it.

On average, I would think that more women would be highly upset with the continued cancellations and/or last minute calls to reschedule and then ultimately cancel.  I would also think that more women would be highly upset when the phone calls are sporadic at best and messages left are rarely replied upon.

For me it's much more complicated I think and perhaps most men would view my reserved nature as possibly uncaring, perhaps that in itself is more of a curse than anything else.

I don't expect a man to complete me or my life, although I would love to share those needs with someone special, until the day comes when I am able to give a man that much responsibility without so much as a second thought, those qualities are mine to secure and be happy with.

Having said that, I don't expect the person I am with to spend every moment of the day with me, talking to me or being my only source of entertainment.  Life comes with some of the most unexpected twists and turns, whether on a personal level or professional, I can't see myself spending my energy in a negative manner because our plans have to be changed or canceled due to something beyond our control.  However, I do have limitations with this acceptance.

I would love to think that spending time with me is just as important to them as breathing and not felt as an obligation.  How to explain this one.... well, simple enough.  Prior to the Holiday weekends approach, we had made tentative plans to get together as every other time we tried it was canceled.  With the exception of a scheduled fun day with his daughter early in the day on Saturday, he had the weekend off.  I thought as it had been 7 years and we both expressed a strong desire to see each other again and our schedules just kept getting out of whack, I thought nothing could have kept him from spending some time with me over the weekend, even if it were for just a few hours.  Instead he went shooting and from there his whole weekend was a nightmare, to which I am highly relieved and grateful that he is okay.  But the fact that he went shooting just pretty much made me realize that we are not on the same page when it comes to wanting to really see each other.

And then there are the phone calls, emails, text messages.... this one is a very fine line for me and unfortunately one that weighs heavy on my mind with my AZ Drummer.  Unfortunately since I haven't heard from him since being informed of the situation on Saturday, I guess pitching a bitch just isn't the right thing to do at this time.  Regardless, when it comes to communication, I don't expect it to be a constant and I don't find myself sitting by my phone just waiting for it to ring or notify me of a text.  However I do believe in at least checking in once in a while, if for nothing else, just to say 'hi', let me know they're okay.

There is much more that I can write when it comes to me and what I want out of a relationship, it's time for me to stop writing about it, it's time for me to stop talking about it, Life is just too short not to do something about it.

Oh My... Helicopters and Hospitals!

Continued from: (Shopping and Helicopters, Oh My!)

Although all the groceries had been placed in the car and we were all getting in to leave, mother decided that the shower head w/single lever thingy needed to go in the back with the rest of the groceries. So she promptly removed the box from the back seat, opened up the trunk lid, put it in and next thing we know she is stating that she is suddenly real dizzy. Basically from her description of what happened, she reached up too fast to grab the trunk lid to close it.

So, we get her in the car, turn the air conditioner on full blast, gave her a bottle of cold water, all the time thinking that her dizziness was due to the heat and lack of food. So, we sit there in the parking lot for a few minutes and let her gather herself. Within about 10 minutes, she seems fine and becomes very adamant that we travel on to the next store.

Sooooooo, pops and I weren't arguing with her at that moment despite our true desire to just forget the rest of the list and head home. But nooooooooo, she wouldn't let us, thankfully!

So now we have made it into the parking lot of Costco. From the time that we left Sam's Club, about 10 minutes had passed and mom said she was once again feeling a bit on the dizzy side, but now she was also nauseous. As our thoughts were still on that it had to do with the heat, she said she needed to get to a restroom, asap! So, inside we go, making a bee-line for the restrooms. Although she never did get sick, as soon as she said, we can finish the shopping another time, we knew that it was much more than we thought.

Shopping and Helicopters... oh my!

Everyone who knows me personally is aware of the simple fact that I hate to shop.  Literally, you couldn't pay me to go on a shopping spree voluntarily.  Perhaps from many trips to the mall with my mom as a young child, hell, there were 5 of us children which meant back-to-school shopping was an all day affair, whether we wanted it to be or not, we were stuck at the mall until the last kid was shopped for.  Ugh!

So, to get out of the house and as moral support for my dad who had no choice in the whole matter, we packed up the car with cooler totes, ice packs and of course, waters and hit the road, heading to the valley for a day of shopping.  Mother had the whole trip preplanned.

• (1st Store)  Shower head w/ single lever thingy
• (2nd Store)  Sunflower seed collection
• (3rd Store)  Standard household items and a few groceries
• (4th Store)  More  standard household items and a few more groceries
• (5th Store)  Dog food
• (Behavior Treat)  If dad and I made it through the shopping spree with little to no grief caused upon mom, we get to eat at a Buffet for dinner... yum!

Prior to hitting any of the stores, we had to drive about an hour and a half just to get to where they actually are.  As we live up, up and still up a bit more in the mountains, we prepared ourselves for the inevitable need to pop our ears once we descended from high atop the mountain.  With a yawn, dad and I were fine, pretty much immediately.  Mother on the other hand was chewing gum and it took a while for her to tell us that only her right ear had popped somewhat.  She claimed that it wasn't exactly a pop but more of a sharp-quick pain that went away as fast as she had felt it.  Thinking nothing of it, we continued on our way.

First we hit the home improvement store, Home Depot for the purchase of a new shower head and single lever thingy that was going into the master bedroom shower.  Apparently the old one has been leaking and had gotten worse over the course of about 3 weeks.  Mother has found her last nerve with the constant clicking noise of the water dripping.

Then we hit Food City where mother proceeded to buy out all the sunflower seeds that they had on the shelf.  Dad and I agree that she needs help!

Next came Sam's Club.  We went through it in less then an hour, thank goodness for mothers preplanned list!  However, the rest of the day went in a totally different and unexpected direction once we finished loading up the car......

**** To be continued.....  (Oh my... Helicopters and Hospitals!)

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The Beauty Of It All

So why the move?  Personal reasons, found myself questioning if what I was living was truly as good as it can get for me?  Was I settling for what I thought was enough and all that I deserved.  When my inner-me answered with a loud and bold, yes, I had no choice but to listen.

We all have a sad story, we all have a need and desire to speak of it, get it off our chest and to be told that it will get better or that we did the best that we could under the circumstances.  I don't want to go there right now.  Life is what 'we' as individuals make it out to be and this is my adventure down a path leading me to the time of my life.

California will be greatly missed.  My friends and family will be greatly missed.  But we have a means to see each other or call, so this distance between us will end up being an adjustment, not a downfall.

Patience, patience, patience!

I am allowing my creative juices to catch up with my brain, it is hot as hell out here!  All I can say is Thank God for air conditioning.

But then again, I find that I am either too hot or too cold.  I feel like I am having hot flashes...  and I don't think I am old enough to experience them just yet!