Motivation

What motivates you?  What is your challenge, your goals, your dream?  I have studied the philosophy of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) since the 1970s.  One of the ways in reaching goals, realizing your gifts, and fulfilling your dreams is to think positive.  You are and you become what you think about!

One of today's great motivational writers is Ralph Marston and I receive a daily email from him with innovative ideas on how to lead a better life. Let me quote him from one of those emails:

Dare to say what you truly think. Dare to express what you really feel.

Preventing yourself from being yourself causes stress, anxiety, frustration and resentment. Give yourself
permission to be uniquely beautiful and uninhibited in your living of life.

Dare to attempt things you've never done before. Every well-honed skill you have, was once a new experience.

Dare to question your beliefs. For that is how you make them strong.

Open yourself to the possibility of failure. The fact that success is never a sure thing is what makes it so worth
having.

Dare to imagine, and then to intently build that which you've imagined. Dare to dream, and to live that dream with passion and purpose in every moment.

See these words with photos and music.

Ralph's website is:  www.greatday.com

Hope and Change

Even people who voted for Obama are finally sitting up and taking notice of all the horrific things that are taking place in our Government.  It didn't take long for America to realize that the "Hope and Change" that Obama kept talking about in his campaign was change in a totally wrong direction!

This whole mess is not about Democrats, Republicans, black or white.  It's about America, "The Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave."

We the people are fed up with secret closed door meetings, crazy deficit spending, structured press conferences, pay-offs, bail-outs, high unemployment, and the list goes on and on.

Certain people in Congress and in the White House act like they are above the law.  They have been trying to pass a phony health care bill for a year now and we keep saying no.

Listen up Washington, you seem to forget that we elected you to represent us.  If you don't want to represent us then we will send you home.  We did it in Virginia, we did it in New Jersey, and we did it in Massachusetts.  I personally am so disgusted with the political scene that I'm changing my affiliation to Independent.

You want change?  You are going to see a big change November 2nd!  This video represent my views.

The Power of Prayer

Most people just don't understand the power of prayer!

Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Winston Churchill who organized a group of people who prayed every day at a prescribed time for the safety of England, its people and peace?

The same thing is now happening in America.   You may participate every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific).  Stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for the return to a Godly nation.

2010 HANDBOOK

Health :

 Drink plenty of water.
 Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
 Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants.
 Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
 Make time to pray.
 Play more games
 Read more books than you did in 2009 .
 Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
 Sleep for 7 hours.
 Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily, and while you walk, smile. 

Personality :

Don't compare your life to others.
Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Don't over do. Keep your limits.
Don't take yourself so seriously.. No one else does.
Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
Dream more while you are awake
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
Forget issues of the past. 
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Smile and laugh more.
You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 

Society : 

Call your family often.
Each day give something good to others.
Forgive everyone for everything..
Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
Try to make at least three people smile each day.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will.

Life:

Do the right thing!
Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
GOD heals everything.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
The best is yet to come.
When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy. 

I did not write this.  The author is unknown, but I thought it was a good blog entry!

My Electric Bill

Electricity is something that we can't live without, at least in the modern world.  Our electric bill each month is predicated on the amount we use.

To be honest, I have really never taken a close look at my bill.  I receive it in the mail and pay it.  This month, for some reason, I studied it and just couldn't believe all the extra charges!  It's disgusting and hilarious at the same time!

Take a look at my November invoice, exactly as it appeared.

Basic service charge..............................................................$6.96
Delivery service charge.........................................................$22.24
Environmental benefits surcharge............................................$3.71
Federal environmental improvement surcharge..........................$0.14
Competition rules compliance charge.......................................$0.30
System benefits charge..........................................................$1.66
Power supply adjustment........................................................$4.80
Metering................................................................................$5.45
Meter reading.........................................................................$1.82
Billing....................................................................................$2.05
Generation of electricity on peak............................................$39.73
Generation of electricity off peak..............................................$8.52
Transmission and ancillary services.........................................$4.67
Transmission cost adjustment.................................................$2.03
Interim rate surcharge.............................................................$2.03
Regulatory assessment..........................................................$0.28
State sales tax......................................................................$6.08
County sales tax....................................................................$0.76
City sales tax.........................................................................$3.58
Franchise fee.........................................................................$2.13
Total charges for electricity services................................$118.94

It looks to me as the actual charge for electricity was $48.25, but let everybody get their fingers in it and the total is increased by 2.5 times!

At the rate things are moving along in Congress, it's bound to get worse.  The funny thing is that in November neither the air conditioner nor the furnace ran.

I am happy about one thing though, that we are able to afford to pay the bill, at least for now!

The Joy of Camping

There were years when we said "Why would anyone buy an RV, pull it somewhere and sit around?"  Now we laugh at those thoughts because our camper has opened a whole new world for us.  There are two ways to camp. 

One is to park in an RV resort with full hookups.  You have city water, electricity, cable TV, and sewer hookup.  The other is to camp in the wilderness where you are self contained.  We carry 120 gallons of water which is plenty for two people for about 10 days.  A 5,500 watt generator furnishes electricity when needed for the microwave or TV, otherwise two 12 volt batteries carry the load for normal use.

We dry camp a lot.  In the summer we travel to Northern Arizona where the temps are cooler and in the winter wilderness camping is only an hour away.  The photo above was from a recent stay north of Wickenburg.  We are always with friends.  We spend the day riding our all terrain vehicle in the mountains and the evenings sitting around the campfire.  Whether it's only for the weekend or for a longer time, we always have a great time!  You might say, "That's not camping because you have all the comforts of home," and that's true.  But we didn't start with this rig, we started with a tent, then a smaller camper, and now this one.  Compared to the tent, I'll take this any day!  We really look forward to each trip and love our RV!

October Adventure

I spent most of my life in the Quad Cities which is located on the Mississippi River about 150 miles West of Chicago. We moved to Phoenix in 1996 to enjoy the last years of our parents and to live in the year round sunshine. It's always fun to visit your home town, and that's what we did for the entire month of October. I have family there and in Milwaukee so it was fun being with them and seeing tons of old friends.

One of the trip's highlights was appearing on the local NBC station. As a guest on the Paula Sands Live show we talked about technology and promoted a computer seminar that I gave to the Quad Cities Computer Society. You can watch that TV interview here and see the QCS write-up here.  If you watch the TV interview, promise that you won't call me the Goodyear Blimp!  I'm really not that plump.

One thing I don't miss about the Midwest is the nasty weather.  It rained almost the entire time we were there and only experienced a few nice days.  But of course we remember the fun more than the weather.

Facebook

A few months ago I signed up for a Facebook account and gave it a try.  That try lasted only 24 hours because what I experienced with limited friends was very trivial.

After reading on the net how popular Facebook is and that possibly it could replace email in the near future, I thought maybe I missed something. 
So, I reactivated my account, added more friends, and gave it another try.  After a couple of weeks I still was amazed at the trivialality of the whole experience.  People making comments like "I just finished a bowl of potato soup," or "I just fed my cat."  Maybe it's my age, but I'm just not enthused about the whole thing.  It's like everyone is back in the third grade again.

I do enjoy the photos that friends post or something important that they might say, but "I just fed my cat?"

I don't find the interface to be that user friendly, and I don't like people pestering you to "be your friend" when maybe you don't want their chatter on your page.

I'll stick with it longer this time though, but I just won't check in every minute like some people do.

Tantrums, and Apologies......

Have you noticed lately all the outbursts, temper tantrums, and hostility in our society? Political name calling and fist shaking, celebrity fiascoes, sporting event fighting, and of course violent crime. The funny thing about a lot of these outbursts is that we are getting almost instant apologies. So what's triggering all this?

In my opinion I think it's the unrest of our Country. The average American is feeling frustrated. As much as I love technology I believe that it is partly to blame because information dissemination happens instantly and sometimes it manifests itself into overload.

I have found that shutting off the TV for a day or two helps. We do a lot of camping in our RV, and that helps to get away and just relax and I find that having faith in God is very soothing.

What's your opinion?  I have recently added the ability for you to comment on postings.

An Illinois Reader Answers my last Post.

I found your pruning analogy very interesting, but honestly feel it's too late. I believe the reason for all the dead branches is an infestation that is so pervasive that it will eventually kill all the trees.

If we don't do something now we will loose the whole forest. My feeling is that we set the the whole forest on fire; burn them all down without discrimination, Oak, Maple, Elm or Pine. They have been there too long and many are so rotten to the core they have no chance of growth.

Now all we have to do is replant to our specifications, only planting trees that are able to flourish in the light of day!

*********************************
Good point of view, and a forest fire is just what might happen if things don't shape up!

Pruning the Waste.....

Last week we camped in the beautiful Coconino National Forest in the incredible state of Arizona. This forest consists of almost 2 million acres of wilderness, mountains, lakes, and streams. Our campsite was "out of the way," rather private, and not known by many who frequent that particular area.

On our first day there, while sipping a cup of coffee, I noticed that all the pine trees had lots of dead limbs. (First photo) Since we were there a couple days ahead of our friends, I decided to start trimming. Before I knew it I had cleaned up 43 trees in the immediate area. Suddenly our campsite had a new clean look (Second photo) and it felt good.

The next day I decided to trim the trees up the narrow dirt road that led to our campsite, and in the end the count was 152 clean looking pine trees. I was exhausted with sore muscles, but proud of the accomplishment. It was a small achievement, but it made a difference.

Now, and I mean now, the same thing must be done to our Country. We must prune the dead branches! We must prune mad spending; we must prune mad people in Congress who are advocating mad spending! America is waking up and it's not about politics anymore. It's not about Democrats or Republicans. It's not about race or religion, it's about you and me, the people of America who want our Country back, and YOU can make a difference.

Speak up and be bold. Ask your elected Senators and Congressmen "Are you doing the right thing?

There is going to be big changes in the coming weeks; you just watch the branches fall! America needs a clean look again because we are a proud people and if you don't want to do it NOW Congress, then you'll get pruned in the 2010 election. Don't let the current situation snowball any further.

I'm not saying these things in hatred, I'm just standing up with millions of others who are thinking the same thing. I've never in my life been so concerned about our future as I am today.

Will you stand up? Will you help prune the waste? Will you pray for America?

Is a Computer Masculine or Feminine?

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'

'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether 'computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ('el computador'), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

America IS Standing Up!

Sunday afternoon, with camera in hand, Diane and I decided to drive a few miles from our home to Westgate. That's the location of the 2008 Super Bowl and the Glendale Arena which last night featured Sean Hannity's 2009 Freedom Concert. Since it was sold out we decided to go there and just hang around outside to be a part of the occasion. I shot a few pictures, especially of people with patriotic shirts. The photo here is 3 pictures combined into the one.

I thought, by chance, could there be tickets still available, so I wandered to the a ticket window and inquired. It pays to ask and we ended up being a part of this wonderful event that lasted almost four hours! Hannity played host and his talented line-up included Lee Greenwood, Rich Little, Charlie Daniels, John Voight, Michael W. Smith, Oliver North, and Billy Ray Cyrus.

This was an extremely refreshing experience as thousands of people were polite, well mannered, and enthusiastic! Of course the main stream media wasn't there because there were no fist fights or angry mobs, just good people who wish President Reagan was back in office!

The tour started August 1st in Houston, then Dallas, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Jackson, New Jersey, Cincinnati, and Atlanta. If you live near the last 3 cities you may still have a chance to be a part of this most patriotic event.

Here is a photo I took of Sean singing with the Charlie Daniels band. (Click for large view)

Town Hall meetings are taking place this month, while Congress is in recess, and people are speaking out against the current direction of our Nation. We will not stand for socialism!

Will someone explain to me why is it that liberals can say anything, but if an opposing view is expressed, Palosi says it is "Un-American" and the President tells us to "shut-up?" Wow!

America IS Standing Up and bringing pride of Country back into reality! Thank you American's who want your Country back and thank-you Sean Hannity!

Stand up America - Epilog

Politics and the direction of our Country is a hot button today. Never in my lifetime do I remember family break-ups because of politics. In America's history we have had good and bad Presidents but the political discussions have never been this deep. I personally know people who have lost all communication with friends and family members because they so violently disagreed on the last election, and that is sad.

The majority of comments I received from the posting below were very positive. A couple of people wrote to me and said "Take me off your email list!" Gordon from California wrote "Don't send me anymore of that right wing Fox News Crap." A fellow named Ron writes, "You need to get your head out of your a_ _. Be informed not opinionated." Another person who calls himself "Space Cadet" wrote, "Sounds like the RNC (Republican National Committee) talking paper issued two days ago, I read facts not fiction." Bill from Phoenix, writes in part, "Your bully pulpit cannot stand up to the bright lights of rational thought and discourse." What?

As I mentioned, positive reactions to the last blog entry far outweighed the negatives. Carolyn from Tucson, Arizona wrote, "We need you in Washington, DC! Thanks for your insight" Jim from Florida wrote, "I have forwarded your email to many friends. Wake-up America!" Beth Ann also from Florida wrote, "I couldn't agree with you more! Can I place a link on my Facebook page?" Teri writes, "As Bill O'Reilly would say, You Sir, are a Patriot!" Bob from Atlanta (a former ABC TV news person) said, "I am very concerned. Not even in the 60's have I heard so much open talk about rebellion on the Internet, talk radio and everywhere. I am very concerned about the condition of our Country, and both sides are to blame."

Perhaps one of the more interesting comments came from a couple who lived in communist Hungary and escaped to the United States. They state, "We made it to this wonderful country, where we are enjoying freedom and a good life." Their message was long, but in short stated that they don't want to see the good life and freedom taken away.

My last blog post may have seemed harsh, and it was. I meant it as a wake up call. As Bob mentioned "both sides are to blame." I replied to some of the negative emails and asked them if they could point out one statement that they disagreed with, but I have had no answers. They don't want to listen because they are ill informed and don't want to hear the truth. Intelligent people don't call you a nasty name just because you don't agree with their philosophy. Kate from Mountain Center, California stated that "California has not declared bankruptcy. Wherever did you get that idea?" Alright Kate I will retract the word "declared" but we all know your state is floundering financially and writing IOU's. The fact is that a lot of us think our Nation will follow, simply because you can't spend more than you make! That's what America is doing right now to the tune of Trillions! You can't fix the economy by spending money you don't have; that's just plain common sense.

I have one more retraction and that was the word "suicide" in my reference to page 425 of the currently proposed health care bill. I quoted the former New York Lieutenant Governor, Betsy McCaughey who recently was a guest on former Senator Fred Thompson's radio show. I wrote the blog entry two days before I actually got my hands on the bill and was able to read it myself. Stating facts takes a lot of research and the bottom line is that I'm asking Congress to read every page of any proposed bill before acting on it. It simply is not fair for President Obama to expect the health reform bill to be passed in 10 days when most of Congress don't even know what it says! We elected Senators and Congressmen to represent us, and we expect them to do just that! If you would like to study the bill you can do it here. (Thanks to a Cyber News reader from Illinois who forwarded the link, and wrote to both Ill senators.) I also wrote to my Arizona Senator, John McCain, asking him and his constituents to vote no on this bill.

So, what's the application? I am not a right wing extremist. I'm just a guy like most of you who wants to preserve our freedom and the basic principles of which our Country was founded. I don't believe in a Government who wants to own and manage everything. I don't care whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Black, White, Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Christian, or atheist, we are all in this together.

Bin Laden said years ago that "America will destroy itself from within." In order for America to prosper we must all do our part and be responsible for our own actions. We must be willing to study what's going on around us and determine if it's the right course for all of us. We must remember that there ain't no free lunch. Someone has to pay. If we go out for dinner I might be inclined to pay for yours, but I sure don't want the Government telling me that I have to!

As I mentioned below, I have worked everyday of my life since the age of 12 to provide for me and my family and I don't believe I should pay for the support of someone who is too lazy to get a job. If we help someone in need it should be on a voluntary basis, not because the Government demands it. That is socialism and is a system that has never worked.

I also mentioned below "What happened to majority rules?" Why do we cater to one person who wants to take God from the equation, when 90% of our Nation believes in God?

It's time to "Stand up America!"

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond whether you agreed with me or not!

Stand up America!

When Obama was elected President I said I would give him a chance and study his proposals to change America.

Obama is our President, and I respect the office that he holds, but I don't respect him now after only a short time. There are too many bad things happening, and I am afraid for our Country!

America is steering away from capitalism and is headed down the wrong path. Most of Obama's proposals are socialistic; he wants the government to run everything. After only 6 months in office America is "on the hook" for 24 TRILLION Dollars! He has spent more money than all Presidents combined!

California has declared bankruptcy and there are those who say if this craziness continues that America will be bankrupt by the end of this year!

You can't spend more than you make! If you can't afford the house you live in, would you expect me to pay for it? That's what happened! People over-extended themselves by purchasing homes that they couldn't afford and we are bailing them out! Talk about bail-out, the Government now owns General Motors!

Obama initiated our great stimulus to the tune of almost a TRILLION dollars, and today no one knows where the money is being spent. The state of Florida spent 3.4 million dollars to build a 13 foot tunnel under Highway 27 so turtles could cross the road! Yes, you heard me right...A TURTLE TUNNEL! That was our stimulus package in action! Have we gone crazy?

Almost every Obama appointee has a jaded background. The newly appointed IRS director cheated on his income tax!

Right now America is more absorbed in the life of Michael Jackson than what’s going on in Washington!

Social Security is going broke, but the office of social security last week had almost a million dollar staff party at the Biltmore here in Phoenix! Hello testing, is anybody home?

Obama is traveling abroad and telling our enemies that America is arrogant! Obama closed down Gitmo and freed the terrorists that were responsible for September 11, 2001.

Obama is letting Mexicans flood our country and we are paying their bills! Obama believes we shouldn't exploit our own energy sources and stay under the big hands of the Arabs.

This great Nation of ours was founded on free enterprise and "In God We Trust." Do you know that Obama has stated that "We are no longer a Christian Nation?"

I love my Country and I love God and don't want either one of them taken away from me. In plain words.....Obama scares the hell out of me! If we don't put more conservative common sense people in Congress in the 2010 election, I think we are done! What has happened to the characteristics of integrity, discipline, responsibility and honesty?

Socialism, communism, fascism, whatever you want to call it, that's where we are headed, AND IT HAS TO STOP.

Today even liberal CNN is saying we are in trouble. Everything that Obama said on the campaign trail he has reversed; he talks out of both sides of his mouth. And, both sides of his mouth don't work unless he has teleprompters.

Right now Congress is faced with a health reform bill that Obama wants passed in the next 10 days before the recess. It's 1,200 pages long and no one has read it! The Cap and Trade bill before Congress is over 1,500 pages long with amendments being added in the middle of the night. Again no one has read this bill and it's full of pork barrel spending! Obama has admitted that he doesn't even know what's in these bills.

Through former Senator Fred Thompson’s radio show I do know what’s on page 425 of the health bill. Now you’re not going to believe this because it’s so absurd, but here is what it says. “The Federal Government will require everyone who is on Social Security to undergo a counseling session every 5 years with the objective being that they will explain to them how to end their own life earlier.” THEY ARE GOING TO PUSH SUICIDE to cut medicare spending! Don’t believe me? Listen for yourself!

I am a recipient of Social Security. I worked hard my whole life and have been gainfully employed since I was 12 years old. You took that money out of every paycheck I ever received and now in my senior years I want it back. You’re saying the Government is broke and can’t afford Social Security anymore, so you want me to commit suicide? This, quite frankly, sounds like Nazi occupied Germany!

If you haven't watched Fox News, you should, so you get both sides. Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity report the facts and the truth, but it seems that lots of Americans don’t want to hear the truth, they just want a free hand out, and there ain't no free lunch!

Many Americans feel frustrated because they don't know what to do. What has happened to "majority rules?" It's time for the majority to stand up and be counted! You want change Mr. President? You're going to see it in next year's election because some of those who voted for you are changing their minds!

God Bless America…..I want my Country back!

Comments? If you would like to comment on the above drop me an email at gary@stanley.net and I will publish them in the August edition of Cyber News.

Windows 7 - Buy before July 11th at big discount!

Microsoft announced today that you can pre-order the new Windows 7 Operating System at a greatly reduced price. This offer will expire on July 11th so you must act soon. The Premium Edition for this offer is priced at only $49 and the Professional Edition will be $99. On the official release date of October 22nd the prices will be $119 and $199. Details from CNET News.

You may pre-order at Microsoft or one of your favorite stores including Best Buy, Office Depot, Office Max, Costco, Staples, Wal-Mart and other retailers. You can upgrade directly from Vista, but you will have to do a clean install if you still are using Windows XP. You can explore the features, compare editions, and watch videos at the Microsoft link above.

Ed McMahon

Ed was known as Johnny Carson's sidekick on the Tonight Show and he passed away last night. I was lucky enough to have known Ed during my days as "Celebrity Director" for the Quad Cities Open and we even shared the same birthday. For a few years the open was called the "Ed McMahon Quad Cities Open." Ed would fly in from Hollywood and be with us for the week of the tournament. I remember one time flying to O'hare to pick up Ed and his wife. He sat up in the cockpit with me, and being an old air force pilot, I asked him if he wanted to talk to the tower which he did. The controllers got a big kick out of that.

In the photo Ed and I are talking to Tom Sullivan at the first tee. You may remember Tom from a couple of movies he was in. His book "If you could see what I hear" was made into a movie. Blind from birth Tom excelled in many sports including skydiving, and golf. As a celebrity appearing at our tournament in 1976 he also sang the National Anthem at that year's Super Bowl. Here you can watch a tribute to Tom narrated by Betty White.

So here's a toast to Ed who lived life, and to my friend Tom who is still living life to the fullest!

Being on the Board of Directors for the QCO for 10 years was one of the greatest thrills of my life, and now it's all a memory. Life is made of memories. What memory will you make this week?

A Recent Trip.

We just returned from a short trip to Provo, Utah where we visited friends. We were most impressed by the beauty of this town. It's about an 11 hour drive from Phoenix with constant changing scenery along the entire route. Out of Phoenix, along I-17, you travel through mountains and arriving in Flagstaff you're greeted by beautiful tall pine trees. Portions north of Flag look like the surface of the moon and a couple of hours later you're in Page, Az, where I have taken photos of the famous Antelope Slot Canyons. A couple of hours after Page there is Zion and Bryce National Parks. Beautiful country! We stopped at Bryce on the way home, which was our third visit, but there's always something you haven't seen before. (Photo above - Click for larger View.) Bryce is a must visit if you're traveling this part of the U.S. On our first visit we took a helicopter ride over the canyon and it was breathtaking!

Also on the way home we discovered Utah's Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park . We drove through, took a few photos, and checked out the RV campground which was very nice. There have been six movies shot at this location. We're looking forward to returning soon with our RV, ATV, and cameras. Life is good.

Air Force One

Being a retired jet pilot, I love to talk about airplanes. But let's narrow this conversation down to just one airplane in particular, Air Force One. Today our Nation is deeper in dept than at any time in our history. People are loosing their jobs, their pensions, their 401ks, and their homes.

I'm very interested in learning how our President is using Air Force One for all his little adventures, like flying to Las Vegas and Los Angeles to party with Democrats, flying to Hollywood to be on the Tonight Show, and using this giant aircraft for a low level photo shoot over New York! AF1 costs approximately $100,000 per hour and that photo session cost the taxpayers a whopping $330,000! If you want a picture of your Presidential Aircraft flying over New York Mr. President, give me the assignment and I'll do it without ever leaving my studio, and I'll give it to you for free!

How in good conscience, can you and your wife fly to New York on Friday May 29th for dinner and a play, at tax payers expense, when our country is going down the tubes? You promised we were in for change, and now I believe it.

Memorial Day Weekend

We pulled our RV to Northern Arizona and camped in the wilderness with friends over the holiday. Where we camp is in the Coconino National Forest and it's beautiful with its tall pine trees and beautiful blue skies.

I took this picture as we rode our ATV along Rim Road which is a few thousand feet over the lower terrain. The only problem with this six day outing is that it rained everyday. The weather is totally different than it is in Phoenix. Despite the rain, it took us away from triple digit temperatures in the valley.

I hope you had a good holiday weekend.