TUCSON RODEO - DAY 2

Today is the 2nd rodeo performance of 6, with the last competition, and the end of the rodeo on next Sunday.  Starting tomorrow, there will be 3 days of what is called "Slack Competition".  The slack days are mostly the timed events like calf roping, steer wrestling, and barrel racing.  In order to narrow the number of contestants for the actual rodeo performances, the slack days are kind of like qualifying at a motor sports event.  The contestants with the better times, make their way into the performances, where they have an opportunity to earn a pretty good paycheck.

Our sales yesterday were 25% better than last years opening day, and the best we've had in at least the last 6 years.  Jim, pictured above with Patty, is here through today, before he heads up to Phoenix to manage the NHRA Drag Race merchandise sales at Firebird Raceway.  It's a good thing he had planned on being here for a couple of days, because when we discovered that our sales scanners were not in the trailer, he coordinated an overnight delivery from Indianapolis, and then had to reprogram the scanners when they arrived.  All of that was way above my pay grade, and his presence made that potential disaster just a small bump in the road.
 

The view out of our trailer, toward the grandstands and the arena.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 1

Today is the beginning of the Tucson Rodeo.  We spent most of the day yesterday inside the trailer, getting everything organized, priced, and ready to open for business this morning.  Except for the fact that someone back in Indianapolis forgot to put our point of sale, bar code scanners in the trailer, we're pretty much ready to go.  Jim made an urgent phone call late in the morning, telling the person who dropped the ball, that those scanners had to be here in Tucson no later than 11am this morning, when the gates open to the public.  According to U.P.S., utilizing their highest priority overnight delivery, they're supposed to be here by 10:30 am.  If they don't make it, doing every sale with a calculator, is going to make for a very long day.  

Marc came by for lunch, and we talked about taking Laila on a motor home trip during her Easter break.  That will be the last week of March, and if nothing changes, we're probably going to make a short run up to the Sedona area in the Verde Valley.  Last year during Easter vacation, we took Laila to the San Diego area, where we spent a week, doing something different each day.

This morning starts the 88th edition of the Fiesta de los Vaqueros, one of the largest, and biggest paying rodeos in the country.  Due to the normally good weather, this is one of the first big outdoor rodeos, and it usually draws most of the big name rodeo stars like Trevor Brazille.  Giddyup, it's time to rodeo!

The American Federation of Horses Union had a top level meeting yesterday, and the upper management (pictured above), decided that rodeo work conditions had to improve, demanding that the 8 second ride time limit be lowered to 6 seconds, and spurs had to be free of any sharp edges.

TUCSON RODEO - THE START

February 14 is of course Valentines Day.  It's also the day that my Valentine of almost 33 years, celebrates the day of her birth.  Happy birthday sweetheart, and many more as we travel along this pathway called life. 

 The scooter is parked where our merchandise trailer will soon  be parked.

After spending the night in the motor home at the rodeo grounds, I returned to the ranch, picked up Patty and the 4 legged kids, returning to Tucson a little before noon.  A couple of hours later yesterday, Jim arrived from Indianapolis with the merchandise trailer. 
  

I happened to be in the area when the truck pulled in, and got a few shots of Jim getting the rig parked.  We only had a short time to work in the trailer before we had to leave for a birthday dinner at the Casino Del Sol seafood buffet.

 

By the time we drove out to the Casino on the western outskirts of Tucson, it was 5pm, and the line was wrapped around a couple of corners inside the Casino.  This was the first time Patty and I had been to this Native American Palace, and it is indeed impressive.  We waited in line for just about 1 hour before getting our table, but it was worth the wait.  The selection of food was huge, with just about everything you could think of.  We missed out on the lobster, but made several trips back for lots of crab legs.  By the time we left, we were all stuffed!

Today will be a long day, as we get everything organized inside the trailer.  Tomorrow the rodeo starts, with a run of 9 days.  At one time we worked several events for MainGate, like the National Finals Rodeo in Vegas, the Barrett-Jackson auto auction in Scottsdale & Vegas, plus a few NHRA Drag Races.  The Tucson Rodeo is the only event we still contract to work, and it's a year to year thing.  We actually look forward to working this rodeo, and over the past 8 years or so, we've become part of the family.  We'll be busy, but I should have some good pictures of rodeo related activities in the coming days.

 Waiting in line gave us a chance to visit, and the time passed quickly for most of us.

 It was a seafood feast that we all enjoyed.

MOVING DAY

Well, sort of.  In a few hours, I'll drive the motor home into Tucson, and park at the rodeo grounds.  Rather than wrestle with my very heavy motorcycle rack that goes on the back of the RV, I'm going to load the scooter into our little trailer, and Patty is going to tow it into Tucson with the Jeep.  When I get the motor home parked, and the two wheeler unloaded, Patty will drive the jeep back to the ranch.  Since I don't want to leave the motor home unattended overnight, I'll be staying at the rodeo grounds.   Back to the ranch tomorrow to pick up Patty, and the critters, then back to the rodeo for the next 11 days.  The reason we're not waiting until tomorrow to park at the rodeo grounds, is by going a day early, we have our choice of where to park.

Tomorrow, our big merchandise trailer will arrive from Indianapolis, and we'll do an inventory before putting everything on the shelves.  The Tucson Rodeo starts this Saturday, and the long range weather forecast looks pretty good, with temps in the 60's. 

A SECOND DUSTING

OK, this is starting to get old, really fast.  Another cold, winter storm moved through the area, once again leaving 1-2 inches of snow on the ground.  This latest attempt by Mother Nature to get me out of short pants, came late in the day yesterday, leaving our property a wintery white, as darkness fell.   These pictures are not a replay from two days ago, they were taken yesterday afternoon.

I did a little bit of work in the garage before we went into town to pick up groceries, and other stuff.  Our first clue that we might see a return of the white stuff, was when we were greeted by a cold rain upon leaving WalMart.  The temps were in the 40's, but started dropping into the 30's when we got home.  During the heavy snowfall, which lasted an hour or so, our Dish Network signal was lost, as it was briefly during the previous storm.  When it didn't come back after the snow had stopped, I took a look outside, and discovered that our satellite antenna had about 2 inches of snow on the front of the dish.  After I hosed the snow off, our signal returned just in time for us to watch one of our favorite weekly TV shows. 

Today, we'll be reloading the motor home, and getting it ready to be our home at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds for the next two weeks.  This is the longest period of time that we "dry camp" anymore, but with 110 gallons of water, empty holding tanks, and a conserve mindset, we always leave the rodeo with water to spare.  Now, lets just hope that these weather anomalies are done, and we can return to our normal, 60-70 degree sunny days.

I'M WIRED

Working with electricity isn't something that I particularly enjoy doing, even though I have a basic understanding of how it works.  It probably has something to do with those times when I've been jolted by an electrical current that liked my body better than its wire.  Lets just say that I have a healthy respect for this most essential utility, that most of us, myself included, take for granted.

 

When my neighbor and I wired the garage a few weeks ago, we added an extra circuit, and breaker for this expansion project.  The wire was already in place to the corner where I'm building the room, so all I had to do was run additional wire through the studs, and add the receptacles, switch, & light.
 

I installed three 110 plugs, a light switch, and an overhead 8' florescent light.  Before putting the light up, I had to sheet the ceiling with 1/2 inch plywood.  Using only an 8' ladder to use as an additional support, wrestling the 4x8 sheets up to the ceiling was a bit of a challenge.  Eventually, I got the two large sheets, and several smaller ones screwed to the roof joists, and then installed the light.
 

When everything was buttoned up, I flipped the circuit breaker back on, and tested the receptacles to make sure there wasn't an open ground or neutral.  Then, I flipped the switch for the light, and it worked!  Batting 1,000,  I decided to give up for the day.

This is probably the last day that I'll be doing any work in the garage for awhile.  We'll be moving the motor home to the rodeo grounds in a couple of days, and there's lots to do before we start our 10 days of work at the Tucson Rodeo.  Home improvement part 36, will resume in a couple of weeks.

O NO, SNOW!

At dawns first light, I was a bit surprised, when looking out the window, the dominant color was an unfamiliar white.  The predicted overnight rainfall had stopped, and at some point before darkness slipped away, the rain had turned into snow.

Even though we still live in the desert, our move to Vail (Tucson) from Lake Havasu, was not only a change in scenery, but also a change in altitude.  The elevation above sea level at the old homestead was about 550'.  Our residence here in Vail is approx. 3,200', so it should be no surprise that the temps are a little cooler, and the white stuff occasionally comes out of the sky.  And so it was yesterday morning.

 Looking to the back of our property from the deck.

 Sami decided she doesn't like the white stuff on the ground, so she is getting ready to turn some of it yellow!

The brief snowstorm lasted for a couple of hours, and by the time it was finished, we had about 1-2 inches on the ground.  By mid morning, it was quickly melting, and by noon, it was all gone.  This is the best kind of snow to deal with.  It's here for a few hours, then it's gone.

Patty, Chandra & Laila spent the afternoon at part of the citywide Gem & Mineral Show, checking out everything from polished rocks, to jewelry.  After a quick trip to the hardware store for some electrical stuff, I spent the rest of the day wiring the storage room.  By late afternoon, that job was just about completed.  Today, the ceiling sheeting is going up, along with the installation of an 8' florescent light.  By the time we head off to work the Tucson Rodeo later this week, my storage room in the garage will be getting close to being finished.

 A few hours after the snow started falling, it was already rapidly disappearing.

Patty insisted on taking a picture of me in long pants, since it doesn't happen very often.

FRAMING DONE

I spent most of the day finishing the framing of the two interior walls of the storage room, and by late afternoon, it was done.  The roof joists were the last pieces to be placed into the framing puzzle.  By 5pm, when Chandra, Marc, and Laila came by for dinner, I was just finishing.  Next is the electrical wiring, which should be done by the end of today.

In addition to the extra storage inside the room, I'll be able to utilize the space on top for misc. storage.  My original plans included a half bath, but when the overall size of the building was reduced due to a county formula limiting the total square footage to a maximum of 1,500 square feet, I ruled that out. 

Patty fixed a delicious rib roast for dinner, including a mixture of vegetables, and potatoes.  By the time the kids left, we were all stuffed, and it was just about time to call it an evening.

Today while I continue working in the garage, Patty, Chandra, & Laila are heading off to the Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show.  This event is spread out over several venues in the city, and is one of the largest, if not the largest, expos of its kind in the country.  When you see the rates at Motel 6 go from $29.95 to $79.95, you know that there are a lot of folks coming into town.

BUILDING WALLS

The storage room project took a big step yesterday, when I started to frame the two interior walls.  By most any construction standards, this is a small job, and an experienced carpenter's progress would have been way ahead of where I ended up.  Setting aside the slow progress, I was happy with the days results when I ran out of lumber.

The start of the west interior wall.

 Patty got in on the action, pounding a nail into one of the wall studs.

When I had the first wall up, I started to drill the holes into the concrete for the red head bolts.  Even with a new masonry drill bit, this step took some doing, and quite a bit of time.  By mid afternoon, I had the west wall and half of the north wall up when it was time to make a run to Lowes for more lumber.

Since we moved here from Lake Havasu a few months ago, I've patronized  Home Depot, Lowes, and our local Ace hardware store.  It's about a 40 mile round trip to either one of the big box home improvement stores, and about half that distance to Ace hardware.  For the small stuff, I've made countless trips to Ace, and for the big expenditures, like a new refrigerator, I've made the longer trip to either Home Depot, or Lowes.  I've mentioned it before, but Lowes has a loosely supported policy of given Veterans a 10% discount.  The reason I say loosely supported, is that there have been a few times when I've mentioned that I'm a Vet, the sales clerk has told me that the 10% is only valid for active service members.  Most of the time, with proof of service (DD214), there's no problem, and the discount is given without question.  As an example, yesterday's lumber purchase at Lowes saved me $35.56.  I certainly appreciate the discount, but I think more importantly, I appreciate the fact that Lowes recognizes the service to our military, both active, retired, and folks like me, who gave a few years of our life to a branch of the service.

 The west wall is up.

 The north wall is just about ready for the door.

With a new supply of building materials, I'll be back at it this morning.  By the end of today, I should have everything framed up, and with any luck, that will include the ceiling joists.  When that's all done, the next steps will be the electrical, insulation, wall, and ceiling sheeting.

MORE BUILDING MATERIALS

I spent the morning reinforcing the east corner wall, then, Patty and I took the trailer to Lowes, where the above picture shows the fruits of our shopping.  This load of various wood materials, plus a 30" steel door, should be most everything that I need to build the two interior walls.  The plywood is a little less than half of what it will take to cover the walls and ceiling inside the finished room.  During checkout, when the total bill was tabulated, Patty said "my time is coming when I get my new sewing machine".

We have another week here at home, before we head for the Tucson Rodeo grounds.  This will be our 7th year of working the rodeo, which runs from the 16th thru the 24th.  Moving the motor home to the rodeo will be a little easier this year, as we only have about a 20 mile drive, compared to 325 miles in years past.

The Tucson Rodeo is the only event that we continue to work as merchandise contractors.  We started this mini career in 2002, when we traveled the NHRA Drag Race circuit for a couple of years.  A few of the other big events that we've worked, are the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, and the Barrett-Jackson auto auction in Vegas, and Scottsdale.  We still enjoy working this rodeo, and even though it's a year to year thing, it looks like this event will be on our schedule for at least the next few years.
  

Half the walls are ready for electrical, insulation, and sheeting.

WATER CONTROL

The last two days have been all about playing with sheet metal.  Rain gutters on the new garage weren't high on the priority list, until we got a heavy rain a few weeks ago.  The water coming off the roof was splashing on the concrete pad in front of the side entry door, and despite a good bottom door seal, water was coming under the door.  The easy, quick fix would have been to throw up a 10' section of gutter, moving the water splash away from both sides of the door.  As the pictures show, I decided to not do the easy fix, and installed 47' of rain gutter, with 2 downspouts.

I once heard, or read somewhere, that when you reach the age of 50, you should limit your use of ladders.  Not sure where that rule came from, but if it has any validity, I ignored it the past 2 days.  This type of job by necessity, requires a lot of time up on a ladder, with lots of ups, and downs.  Fortunately, none of my downs were of the instant type.
 

 

This project with two people, would probably be not more than a few hours.  Trying to slip 10' sections of gutter under the drip rail by yourself is not quite so easy.  Add trying to simultaneously get the end of the gutter into the narrow slip joints at one end, while trying to hold the entire section 12 feet off the ground, and you have a recipe for lots of frustration.  With lots of patience (which I don't always have), and an abundance of determination, I finished the job yesterday afternoon. Today, it's back to building my storage room.

ALMOST SUPER

 Chandra & Laila made these football cookies for the party.

Close, but no cigar!  In the sports world, close is often defined as only good in horseshoes and hand grenades.  So it was for the 49ers yesterday.  The greatest comeback in super bowl history was one play away, but for the city by the bay, it just didn't happen.  For 49er fans, the second half was pretty exciting, but in the end, the Ravens prevailed.

We went over to Marc, Chandra, and Laila's house for a super bowl party, that began mid afternoon, and lasted till the game was over.  I suspect there were a few million such gatherings around the country yesterday, with lots of food, drink, and good company.  By the time the game started, the house was full of people, some visiting, some watching one of the TV's.  Marc mentioned that he had called Amy, his sister-in-law back in Georgia, who's home alone till the middle of next month, when Mike returns from his second assignment in Afghanistan.  It would have been super great if both of them were with us yesterday. 

Marc & Troy at the bar before the other folks arrived.