OFF TO THE RODEO

The "Super Bowl" for Rodeos is held every year in Las Vegas during the first part of December. This is the culmination of the rodeo season, and the top 15 contestants from around the country travel to the National Finals Rodeo, to compete for the chance to win a world championship, and lots of prize money. This is a huge, 10 day event, with rodeo performances each night at the arena on the U.N.L.V. Campus. During most years, the 17,000 seat Thomas & Mack venue is sold out a year in advance.

We'll fire up the motor home this morning, and drive the 150 miles north to Sin City. This will be our 9th year working this event, selling the official merchandise, in one of 3 locations inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. There will be hundreds of vendors inside the convention center, all selling merchandise related to the rural, ranch, cowboy lifestyle. We thought our rodeo careers were over at the end of last years event, when we learned that the company we contracted with (MainGate) lost the contract, and we doubted that the new company would continue to utilize our services. As it turned out, the new company (A3 Merchandise), asked us to work with them in the same location where we have been the last 4 years. All of the merchandise we will be selling can be seen at www.prorodeogear.com.

So, we will be gone for about 2 weeks, and will be quite busy for most of that time. I hope to get a few pictures and posts on the blog from Vegas, but we won't have a lot of free time. With a new company, new point of sale hardware, and a new company philosophy, we have a much larger learning curve than in the past, so we're anxious to get there, and get busy!

THANKSGIVING IN KINGMAN

Our Thanksgiving Day was spent in Kingman, AZ. at Ron & Judy Ellstrom's home. We picked up Bob & Jeanette around noon, and drove the 60 or so miles to Kingman. Jim & Megan drove down from Las Vegas, Judy's son Sean was visiting from Vacaville, CA. and Pam & Hal drove to Kingman from Page, AZ. Judy & Ron prepared a delicious turkey, with all of the traditional side dishes, and everyone else brought something, so there was enough food to feed a small army. After a second helping and dessert, I was more than stuffed. I was totally ready for a meal like that, after a little over 2 weeks of walking/jogging/bicycling on the 3.6 mile island path. The combination of exercise, and no Ben & Jerry's ice cream (that's 0), has resulted in some lost weight, but as they say, "everything comes with a price". Even if I gained it all back yesterday, it was soooooooo worth it. What a great meal! Thanks Ron & Judy for having all of us at your home.
Today, we get the motor home packed up and ready for our 2 weeks in Las Vegas, while we work the National Finals Rodeo. It's been parked under the shade cover for the last 2 months, and this morning, I'll move it down next to the house, so it will be easier to load everything, from clothes to food. The weather has cooled considerably during the last week, with our night time temperatures dipping into the upper 30's the last couple of nights. I'm holding out on the switch from shorts to long pants, particularly with full sunny days, and reasonable daytime temperatures.

Yesterday morning, we got a telephone call from Laila, wishing us a happy Thanksgiving. Patty and I agreed, our day couldn't get any better after we finished a 10-15 minute conversation with our 5 year old Grand Daughter. It will be really nice having her, Marc & Chandra at our house for a few days during the Holidays.

THE BOAT

The house is full of Christmas decorations, the tree is up, and I already have my XMAS gift! Talk about doing everything early this year. We started early because Marc, Chandra, and Laila will be here about a week before XMAS, right after we return from our 2 week work gig at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Thinking that we wouldn't have much time after Vegas, we decided to get everything out early. In addition to all of the other things on our plate, at least "decking the halls" is out of the way.

The boat acquisition was not intended to be a Christmas thing, it just kind of worked out that way. As I mentioned before, I got the bug to get another boat last spring, and it carried over to our return to Arizona this fall. I knew that I wanted a "Deck" type boat, and I looked mostly on the Internet for a couple of weeks. There were a couple for sale here in Lake Havasu, but not unlike vehicles, there is a wide range of quality in boats, depending on the manufacturer. Even though our last boat didn't turn out to be the right one, it was a Sea Ray, and the quality was excellent. So, I kind of had my eye on another Sea Ray, and fortunately, this one popped up for sale only an hour drive away in Kingman. It's a 21' Sun Deck, powered by a Mercruiser 5.7 liter, 250 horsepower, inboard-outboard. There's seating for 10, not that we'll ever have that many folks on board, but compared to the last boat, there's tons of room!



Along with most of the rest of the country, our weather has cooled off a bit, with daytime temps down into the 60's. We probably won't be using the boat a lot this winter, but one of the things we plan on doing, is renting a slip at the marina for the month of March, and perhaps longer. It makes it so much more convenient to just drive down to the lake, jump in the boat and take off. We did that with the last boat, and it was well worth the slip rental cost. Today is the last day of tinkering with the new toy, as we have to start getting ready to head for Vegas in the motor home this Sunday. We're looking forward to driving to Kingman tomorrow, where we'll have Thanksgiving at Ron & Judy's house, and be joined by Bob & Jeanette and Jim & Megan.

A NEW TOY

There's a popular phrase that goes something like - "The best 2 days in a boat owners life is the day it's bought, and the day it's sold". Well, day before yesterday, I experienced the first part of that saying. Somewhere down the road, I'm sure the second part will also be appropriate. We purchased a used, Sea Ray 21' Sun Deck boat from a private party in Kingman, and except for a few things, the boat is in excellent shape. The last boat we had was also a Sea Ray, and they are very well built boats, that hold their value better than most brands. Last spring, before we left for the summer, I got the bug to get another boat, but never found one that sparked enough interest to pull the trigger. I put the full cover on yesterday, as there was a slight chance of showers last night.



One of the things I started working to fix, is the restoration of the oxidized paint on the trailer. As the picture below shows, the before and after are in stark contrast to each other. It will take some time to do the entire trailer, and I may have to wait to finish some areas, at the point where the boat is off the trailer and in the lake. As with any new (to us) toy, I've been busy tweaking this and that, and before I knew it, yesterday had passed by in a blur. I'll post some more pictures in the next day or two, after I take the cover off.

Even with the excitement of the boat, I still managed to get down to the island yesterday morning, and despite the wind, did a lap combining a walk and a few jogs. In the last 10 days, I've walked/jogged 21.6 miles, and bicycled 36 miles. The wind is blowing again this morning, so the bike will probably stay in the garage.

Patty is still busy with Christmas decorations, and it seems kind of strange listening to Christmas songs while still running around in shorts and a t-shirt.

DECKING THE HALLS

During the past week, since Patty returned home from her trip to Greece, we have both been busy with multiple projects that have to get done before we leave for Las Vegas next week. Our annual 2 week stint working the National Finals Rodeo begins a week from tomorrow, and it's been busy around the Chance house. Within a few days of our return home in the middle of December, Marc, Chandra, and Laila will be here for an early Christmas, as they make their way to Chandra's Mom's house in Monterey, CA. So, the decorations are going up for the first time in several years. The holiday seasons in recent years, have been spent with Marc, Chandra, and Laila in Tucson, so we haven't decorated (mostly Patty's job) the house for quite awhile. In addition to decking the halls, we're keeping a strict regimen of walking or biking every morning on the island, and even though it's pretty windy today, we'll be heading out shortly.

The above picture is looking out our front door to the house across the street, and fresh seal coat on one half of the street. This is the messiest stuff to deal with if you drive or walk on it before it dries. Fortunately, the contractor gave us notice the day before, so we were able to park the jeep across the street and get out without driving across this goo. I guess it prolongs the life of the asphalt, but it's kind of a pain to deal with. The house where the jeep is parked was built a couple of years after we moved to Lake Havasu, and like many other properties, is now in foreclosure. I only met the folks who bought the house a couple of times, and they were from the Southern California area. They drove an Escalade, had a $100,000 boat, and this was their vacation home. I remember thinking that this guy either made a ton of money, or, like a lot of people who have lost their homes, was up to his eyeballs in debt. It appears that it was the later. It's a nice house, and it will be interesting to see what the asking price is when it goes on the market.

PATTY'S BACK

Her trip to Athens Greece, and a Mediterranean Cruise completed, Patty arrived back home on Nov 15th. The trip originated in Sonora, CA, so she drove to her son's house in Modesto, and they departed from there. She enjoyed the trip, and saw some amazing sights, particularly being able to walk on some ground where the civilized world began. The Greek islands were a major highlight during the cruise.

This picture was taken yesterday in the parking lot at the Island trail. I've been walking and bicycling the trail for about a week, and this was her first go on the path with the bike. Unfortunately, the gear selector broke, and she had to pedal around the 3.6 miles in only one gear, making one circuit. I dropped her bike at the local bike shop, and it should be fixed today. I made it around the island 3 times for a total of 10.8 miles. It takes a little less than 20 minutes per lap, without working to hard. It definitely is a much more intense cardio workout, than just walking. Getting back into an exercise regimen, now that the soreness has pretty much gone, is starting to feel good. What doesn't feel good, is the absence of Ben & Jerry in the evenings. For more years than I care to count, those guys were my TV watching buddies, and it's just a little bit on the difficult side, to severe that relationship. And I thought quitting smoking over 25 years ago was tough.

Our weather has been ideal the past few weeks, cooling at night into the 50's, and the daytime temps have been in the 70's, low 80's. This is perfect boating weather. If it would only stay like this year round, we probably wouldn't be gone as long during the summer.

WALKING THE ISLAND

During the 8 years that we have spent the winter here in Lake Havasu City, there have been quite a few hours where we may have been seen on this walking/biking/rollerblading paved trail that circles the island. However, last winter, I can't remember once where we took advantage of this very nice walking path. Patty has been walking, mostly with her pal Jeanette, almost every day, but I have not. This year, I have decided that a few things need to change, and specifically, I need to get more exercise. As the weight has kept creeping up, it finally is the time to cut a few bad habits, and get the blood flowing a little faster. I just had my annual medical checkup, and even though everything is good, I realized that my trend toward a more sedentary lifestyle, along with probably the worst eating habits of anyone alive, is not a good recipe for longevity. So, while Patty & Dave have been on their trip to Greece, I have been driving down to the island, and hitting the trail.
The sign above, is posted in several places along the path, and instructs walkers/joggers to go in a counterclockwise direction, while bikers are supposed to go in a clockwise circle. This keeps faster bikes from sneaking up behind and potentially causing a conflict. Most folks adhere to this simple rule, but there are always a few who do not, like yesterday, when a couple on two bikes with a leashed dog came up behind me.
The total distance around the island on the path is 3.6 miles. If I walk fast, and jog a couple of times, it takes me between 50-60 minutes. If I walk normally, it takes a little over an hour. This morning, I'm taking my bicycle for the first time, and I'll see how many times I can pedal around the circle. Today is the day for Patty and Dave to sit on an airplane for most of the day, returning from Athens to San Francisco around midnight tonight. By the time the bus gets them to Sonora, and they drive back to Dave's house in Modesto, it will probably be very early in the morning. I expect to hear from them tomorrow, and Patty will most likely drive back to Arizona in a day or two.

SEAPLANES ON LAKE HAVASU

Granted, these are not full size seaplanes, but nonetheless, they are aircraft that take off and land on the water. This is the weekend of the annual gathering of Radio Controlled Seaplanes at Lake Havasu, and judging by the number of enthusiasts that I saw at Windsor Beach, it looks like a good turnout. Last year, we had our Granddaughter Laila with us when we checked out this event.
These are a few of the pictures I took, that reflect the variety of Seaplanes that folks build and fly. While watching the action in the sky, I couldn't help but wonder if they ever have any mid-air collisions. Even though there is some control, with limited numbers of planes in the air at any given time, and a directional control pattern out over the water, it looked like there were a few near misses during the hour or so that I watched. The only mishap that I saw, was one of the planes came down for a landing too hard, and it ripped the floats right off the plane. The operator gave it more throttle, and the plane continued to fly without the ability to land again on the water. When it was time to terminate the flight, the plane came down with a sort of controlled crash on the water, near the beach.
Some of the detail on these planes is incredible. It wasn't hard to see that lots of hours go into the building of these very detailed, miniature airplanes. The weather continues to be almost perfect here along the Colorado River. It was in the upper 80's yesterday, but it's cooling down at night, and with the house opened up during the evening, it's the time of year when we don't need the air conditioner, or the heater.

HOME ALONE

This is the second day of the Greece trip that Patty and her son Dave are hopefully enjoying, and they should have landed in Athens by now. This trip was organized by the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce, the area where we formally called home in California. They boarded their plane yesterday, at about noon in San Francisco, and the return flight will get them back to CA. late on the 13th. So, I expect Patty will be making the drive back to Arizona on the 15th or 16th. A few of our friends, Lori East, her son Trevor, and his Fiance Kelsie, are also on the trip.

I've been working on yard projects for the last few days, and have added a couple of small circular planters in the front yard, with desert grass inside. When I first landscaped the front of the house, I added irrigation, but have not been able to grow anything very well in this full sun area. These plants are my latest attempt.


After several years of not being able to decide if I wanted to add a wall cap to the front yard retaining wall, I finally decided to do it when I saw that Home Depot had it in stock.

The most recent good news is that the house across the street is now empty and it's sooooooooo
quiet in the neighborhood, that it's almost deafening! Don't know the details, but our street problem child is now gone. Over the years, I had quite a few conversations with the folks, mostly to ask them to turn down the volume on their blasting stereos. It sometimes was so bad, that our windows would rattle, and even with the volume on the TV turned up, the outside noise would overcome everything inside. I never called the police, thinking that I could handle it myself, but I was getting to the point where that just wasn't working. Then a couple of days ago, right after Patty left for CA, I noticed that furniture was being moved out of the house. It didn't take them long to clear everything out, and then there was peace and quiet in the neighborhood.
In addition to these folks not having any respect for the other people living nearby, the house was built long before most of the other dwellings, and is kind of a sore thumb on the street. I'm not one to wish bad luck on anybody, but whatever the reason for the house now being empty, I'm glad that it happened, and now we'll see how the next chapter plays out.