2001 Escape

Back before the end of last year I had a chance to buy a wreck and fix it up. A guy came in from Texas, on his way to Sedona. He hit two elk at the top of the switch backs of Oak Creek Canyon. He didn't have any collision insurance, just liability. He asked me what to do. I told him he either had to pay over $4000 to fix it or sell it for salvage. He asked me to get him a bid from the local wrecking yard. Their bid came in at $350. I offered him $450 and told him that I would be fixing it up for Kristi to replace our old 93 Escort. He felt comfortable with me, and really liked that it would be given to her. I spent $1600 on parts, negotiated a free windshield and did all the radiator, body and paint work myself (while Kristi was rehearsing for the Nutcracker ballet). On Christmas day of last year I parked it in the garage with a big bow on it. After our family exchanged presents, I announced one last gift for Kristi. We took her out to the garage and presented it. "You got me a new car?" she stated with excitement. Yeah, it has power everything, all wheel drive, 6 disc CD changer,iPod hook up and new tires. Merry Christmas Kristi. She loves it.

West Fork

I was just getting ready to ramp up construction, when my best friend from college called. Rich was going to be in the area and wanted to hike the West Fork of Oak Creek canyon. West Fork is one of my favorite places to hike. I took the dogs and hiked and camped on the banks of this riperian habitat for a few days.

Squirrel Bridge

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Spring in Tucson

Kristi and I were getting spring fever. We had huge snows over the winter and were looking for some warm sunlight. Fortunately her brother Kevin and his wife Chrissy were flying in to Tucson to visit. We scheduled in a little trip to get some hiking and phographing in.
BEAR CREEK WATERFALL



CORAL SNAKE AT BEAR CREEK



TUCSON STARTRAILS



TUCSON SUNSET

A Flea in Her Ear

It wasn't long after the back house was done that I had another project on my plate. Theatrikos was auditioning for A Flea in Her Ear. I was in this play back in college at NAU, and really enjoyed it. This was common knowledge around the playhouse, as it was directed by the late Clifford E White, of NAU's Clifford E White theater fame. I really was on the fence for auditioning, but Jason the SM begged me. I sat down with director Scott Tignor, and read a few lines from Carlos Hominedes de Histangua...BAM! I was cast. So for the next couple of months we rehearsed and performed. It was a really great cast, full of friends from the last 10 years. It was more than just a play, it was a reunion of sorts. Not only did I get to play the same character as last time, I got to work, hang out, party and fraternize with old friends like Vicki Thompson, Brian Turco, and Brian Wood. I played a crazy jealous Spainiard with an affinity with fire arms. I yelled, chased and fired pistols, all over a fake love letter. The play was reset from the 1900s to the risque and flamboyant 1960s. The play got rave reviews, and numerous write-ups in the paper, as well as multiple plugs on the radio station. I, of course, was mentioned as one of the highlights of the performances.

Tulum and Chichen Itza

We did have to sit through 4 hours of a hard sell of a time share....but we got free tours. I couldn't visit Mexico with out seeing the ancient ruins of the Mayas. I studied these sites in school, and dreamed of visiting before I died. On the bucket list you might say.

The first site we visited was the ancient town of Tulum. It was a picturesque seaside fishing village with it's own beautiful beach.

The most epic ruin, was of course was Chichen Itza. We had a special tour that took us to the beautiful resort there and a special entrance.

We had a specialized tour, an all you can eat buffet, and some free time to explore and photo.

CANCUN FOR SPRING BREAK!

We did other things besides all you can eat and drink. The resort offered bikes, kayaks, mini motor boats, party barges, snorkeling, and shuttle services to sister resorts. We did it all.Isla Mujeres

CANCUN! Arriba!

We were so burnt out from all the work we have done we needed a vacation. Although there was an enormous amount of work to do on the main house, it was time for a break. As luck would have it, my parents gave me a weeks worth of their time-share for Christmas. We were at
Richard (Dick) Long's place in Tucson for the holiday, with the time share book in hand and I saw Cancun. I had always wanted to visit the ancient pyramids of the Yuccatan peninsula, and made the call. Who knows, the bad economy, and problems along the border might work in our favor. Bam! We had reservations at an all inclusive resort right on the water for Spring Break!. I bought tickets on-line with my frequent flier miles racked up from all the house purchases. A luxury vacation on a budget dime. Woo hoo!

We flew in to Cancun at night. They arranged a van to pick us up at the air port, and we checked in to our huge suite.
Oceanside pool.
Yahat docks
Palms and beaches.