Back to the dentist again!

The other day, while I was eating my Raisin Bran for breakfast, I bit down on something very hard, and heard a nasty "crunch". Figured it was a hard raisin, and didn't think about it anymore, until the toothaches started. On Monday I got the flashlight and inspected my sore molar, and saw that it was fractured along the top.

After some deliberations, and nagging by Marlene, I called my dentists in Nogales, Mexico, and made an appointment for this morning. Marlene shot a picture of me in the chair, with the dentist and his assistant.

Well, they shot a bunch of x-rays, and poked around, then told me they would have to numb the area and pull the two sides of my broken tooth apart to see if it could be saved with a root canal. No such luck, it needed to be extracted.

In the end, the dentist had to cut open my gum, use a micro-saw to cut the roots from the jaw bone, then using brute force pull out the bits of tooth. The whole procedure took just under an hour and a half. I was given prescriptions for pain killers, antibiotics, and something to keep the swelling down.

All done, and I was presented with a bill for $100. They apologized, usually they only charge $60 for a molar extraction, but that is without the need for surgery to free the tooth.

We walked back to the border, and stopped at a pharmacy to fill my prescriptions, then had to wait a little over an hour in the line-up to cross into the US. Marlene was so worried about my pain, that using gestures she asked the security guy if we could jump to the head of the line. He balked until I opened my mouth and showed him the big bleeding hole in my gum. Then he waved us forward and we finally got to the US immigration officer, who listened to Marlene's story about this being the first time I had ever had a tooth extracted, and immediately waved us through, after reminding us to save the tooth for the tooth fairy!

After the dentist, we went and filled up our jerry cans with kerosene for the jet car. Boy, kerosene is expensive here, over $5 a gallon with tax. Good thing our car only uses about a gallon and half a minute. The really big jets use 75 gallons a minute or more.

Tomorrow we will take care of all the little details, like mail forwarding, returning our rental car, etc. and get ready for any early Friday departure to the east. I've attached our dental pics above. Stay tuned....

Finally able to get some videos on the website

Hi everyone. Well, after spending the day learning about converting different video file formats, and messing around until my fingers were sore, I finally was able to get some of the video of our first show onto our website. I'm putting the videos here too.

Good reviews for our first show

Well, we did it. We made it through our first show, and the fans seemed to love us. Friday morning we awoke early and got the car out of the trailer, where Marlene polished it up while I fueled it, checked the oil and tires. We talked over our planned routine, and then I suited up and Marlene strapped me in for the practice runs.

First thing, I started the engine. Its a complicated procedure, but this time it went OK. As soon as I had engine start, Marlene took off on her scooter to get to her position on the track. I did a couple of fire balls to make sure all was working, and then I drove onto the track. This track is banked at quite an angle, and has lots of ruts, cracks, and holes. Not a nice ride on a scooter, or in a jet car with no suspension.

I ran one lap of the course, then lined up at our predesignated point, and took the engine to 80%, popped the afterburners, and hung on for the ride! I only have a small straightaway to get up to speed, before I must brake hard to turn left. This car is not designed to turn. I made several more laps, trying out the routine a couple of times, using up about ten minutes, and all my fuel. Marlene towed me back to our pit area, (have to replace this scooter, need a quad to pull the car) and we prepped the car for another run, and then critiqued the routine we had designed.

At 1 pm we got all dressed up in our newly made embroidered jackets and hats, and dragged the car to the winners circle on the track. We waited for over an hour, but no media arrived. Guess the track should have offered free food and drinks. Then we would have seen some press people!

At around 2:30 pm racers began to arrive, and get their cars prepared. They had practice starting at 4:30, and going til about 7:30. Ben barked every time a car drove past our pit area, so he was barking himself hoarse, and jumping around like a mad dog. This was Marlene's first time up close and personal with stock car racing, and she was a bit overwhelmed and nervous.

Around 4 pm we saw a beautiful luxury motorhome go by, escorted by 6 white suburban SUV's. It was the Pallin/ McCain motorcade.

After practice ended, I fired up the BBQ and made some nice steaks that we had bought on discount from WalMart. Of course, we celebrated the Sabbath as we usually do, but said an extra prayer for success in our first show.

Saturday is race day! We were too nervous to eat breakfast, so after rising early we got to work getting the car ready to run. We were amused by the stunts of the radio control airplanes at the club next door, and we could hear announcements from the nearby fairgrounds where a horse event was taking place. We could also hear the action at the dragstrip down the road.

We lazed away the day, worrying about whether anyone would show up, and how we'd do. Marlene cooked a scrambled eggs and ham mix for brunch, we sat around watching the race cars practice and get ready.

At 4:30 I went to the mandatory driver's meeting, where I learned the rules at this track. I turned over our carefully designed script for the show, and our music track, to the announcer. I had already run through our requirements with the track operator, and left it up to them to set everything up. MISTAKE!

At 6pm Marlene dragged me in the car to the front straightaway, where all the cars were assembled and the drivers were available for autographs. There appeared to be between 200 and 300 people there. We gave away a lot of our fan cards, and I autographed many. At times I was surrounded by adoring 3 ft. high fans. Marlene wishes she had taken the camera, but we were so wound up with details we forgot. I got asked many stupid questions, mostly by the adults!

Following the autograph session, we hitched a tow ride from a track official, since Marlene's little scooter just couldn't make it up the banking to the exit lane. We now gave the final prep to the car, and we had been told we would be on at 7:20, but at about 6:50 the pit boss came and told us we were on in 5 minutes. PANIC... I quickly suited up, and Marlene started belting me into the car. Of course, we were rushing, in the dark, which slowed us down. Marlene then towed me to our pre-chosen start up spot, gave me the all clear to start my engine, and then she went to her position to give me signals. But then the car would not start. I worked at it for a couple of minutes, and it finally decided to fire up. I entered the track and signaled with my strobe lights that the announcer could start the music. I rolled forward, revved my engine to 80%, popped the afterburners, just like in practice. But this time I held on a little longer, and had a time getting slowed down for the first corner. Too much excitement, I guess.

I blew several good fireballs, and found out later that it set off all the car alarms in the parking area. I then made another lap of the track, stopping in front of the grandstand to blow my big fire. I could see camera flashes all over the stands. I made one more lap, for good measure, blowing some really good fireballs as I exited the track. This performance went well, and people came up to us to tell us how awesome it was, and how they jumped each time I fired the big burner. I waited at the track exit lane for Marlene, and she then towed me back to the pits where we immediately started the battery chargers and fueling the car for the next run, scheduled for 8:40 pm. I stayed in my firesuit, and luckily it was cool enough in the evening that I was not broiling in it.

Some boys came by, asking lots of questions, and full of knowledge about the track. Then the schedule went bad. A couple of accidents set everything back, and then the track operator told us he couldn't turn off the lights for our second show, because they would not be able to get them to come back on in time for the next race. Then, about 10 minutes later the pit boss came and told us that the schedule was changed, and we would now go on at the end of the night. So we ended up going on at 10 pm. We waited for the signal that the minivan I was to burn was in place and ready. I didn't want to start my engine, and then just sit there burning fuel while they prepared. They gave the signal, then turned off the lights. The lights were supposed to be left on until we were in position. Marlene had been given the all clear, but when she drove her scooter onto the track, she was met by a couple of exiting race cars, in the dark, with no headlights of course.

I started the engine, then rolled onto the top of the track to make a slow run around to the burn van in front of the stands. I couldn't see much with only the moonlight to guide me, but I spotted Marlene and about a dozen people milling around my burn van, which was not ready at all. It was placed in the wrong position (but couldn't change that now), and the rear wheels had still not been taken off. Here I am with my jet engine running, and they are standing around trying to figure out how get the wheels off and what to do. Luckily, Marlene was there to order them around in a voice that could even be heard over the sound of my 2000 horsepower military jet engine! Finally, they got it together, and I was in position, about 5 ft. from the rear of the van. I proceeded to blow the van to pieces with a huge explosion of fire and wind. Marlene now centered her attention on a truck that was blocking my exit, using her screetchy voice to good effect. Of course it belonged to the track owner. I was merrily burning away at the van, when Marlene signaled me to move forward. Unbeknown to me, pieces of the van were blowing towards me. I guess the gas cylinders that hold the rear hatch up had exploded, and they flew about 30 ft. Shortly after moving forward, I got the "wrap it up" signal from Marlene and pulled ahead, handed her my rear view mirror, and I took off for the pits. I drove the car through the pits this time, getting me a lot of dropped jaws from the other drivers putting their cars away.

It was over. All the planning, sleepless nights and burned up adrenaline had resulted in a first performance that the fans gave a thumbs up to. We retired to our trusty Georgie Boy, and Marlene whipped up a supper of smokies, onions and sauerkraut, along with a much needed beer. It was now about 11:00. The videographer for the track came by and I ordered a copy of his video of the entire nights racing. I am supposed to get it delivered tomorrow a.m., and hope to put our segment on our website, if I can figure out how to do it.

I had asked the track owner earlier in the evening about our fee, and he said he'd find me at the end of the program. After we finished eating, I went looking for him, and he said he'd be by with a cheque in about 15 minutes. We waited until midnight, then I went looking for him, and found out he had left for the night. I called his cell phone, and got voicemail. Marlene was getting pissed. He finally called back, and said one of his men would run over right away with a cheque, but when we saw them all leaving, Marlene asked me to run over and find out what was going on. I intercepted the operations manager as he was pulling out. He then remembered the cheque, and we were paid. Now we could relax, have a drink, and talk over the weekend. We were not ready to try and sleep til after 1:30, a record for Marlene!

This morning we rose early (believe it or not), and I reorganized the trailer and packed everything away. Marlene went looking for the flashlight she had lost the night before, and found it. I took Ben for a walk, and we looked at the remains of the burn van. I had to get Marlene, and go and take pictures. There is nothing left but the steel. All the interior, paint, tires are gone. There is nothing left but big pieces. The engine mounts burned away and the engine fell out. The gas tank blew off, and I found the exploded gas struts from the hatch. The tires were still smoldering. Have a look at the before and after pictures above.

We left the track, drove back to Tucson where we deposited our cheque, and made a quick shopping trip to Walmart. Now we are back at Desert Pueblo RV park until our departure on Friday. Next stop... El Paso, Texas. Stay tuned.....

Off to our first gig

We have accomplished a bit in the past 10 days or so. Our new kitchen cart arrived, and we are very happy with it. It has a wood top and two adjustable metal basket shelves. We have mounted our little oven on the first shelf, and a drawer on the bottom shelf for stuff like bread, chips, etc. It is really well made, and it doubles our counter top area.

We also got our Flame hats embroidered with the name of the car. We had the embroidery done locally, and it was amazingly cheap. In fact, it was so cheap that we went to Target and bought a couple of nice windbreakers, and then had them embroidered too.

Serviced our new generator, and it runs well. Now we have out main generator, and a back-up.

We had a little rain here, and with the spring weather the cacti and fruit trees and rose bushes have exploded into flowers, each giving off it's own wonderful scent.

We also drove to Lake Havasu again, and delivered the Echo to Veronica. We stayed overnight, and headed back to Tucson in the morning. Veronica is still having some pain after her fall a couple of weeks ago. We rented a car (Mazda 3) so that we could get back from Lake Havasu, and get around for a couple of days. Still cheaper than storing the car in Tucson for months, plus we'll have it available when we are in Edmonton.

Went to the airshow at the air force base in Tucson. It was very well done, and we walked our feet off for a couple of hours. Marlene got to see a jet car (one of our competitors) do a full run for the first time. After we'd seen enough, we decided to leave. Big mistake. It took us almost two hours to get out of the parking lot. What a cluster f_ck. There were airforce MP's, regular airforce personnel, sheriffs deputies, Tucson police and Border Patrol officers all directing traffic, with no one in charge. One lane going out, eight lanes coming in. We were pissed.

Tonight we are at Tucson Raceway Park (www.tucsonracewaypark.com), camped in the pit area. Even though we are here, we still had pasta night as usual (meatballs in garlic red sauce this time). Only 1/2 a mile away is the local dragstrip, and we can hear the cars running and see the track lights. They are racing there on the weekend too. Tomorrow we have a media day and practice, and Saturday is our big first show. We are nervous and excited. Tonight we walked the track and ran through our act. Tomorrow we'll do it in the car. Stayed tuned....

We visit London Bridge

This past week we drove the Echo to Lake Havasu City. It is a small Arizona town, about 260 miles from Tucson, situated beside Lake Havasu which is a lake formed on the Colorado River after the construction of the Parker Dam. The town was only founded in 1964, and its big claim to fame is the transplanted London Bridge. This is the original bridge, built in 1731, and it was purchased by a fellow named McCullough (the chain saw king), disassembled, transported to Arizona, and re-built at the lake. There is a story about the purchase of the bridge, that McCullough was very disappointed when he saw what he had bought. He thought he was getting that tall bridge shown in all the postcards of London, but that is the Tower Bridge. What he got was a somewhat dilapidated bridge made of large stone blocks. Anyway, the bridge was supposed to become a big tourist draw, but it never really succeeded at that.

There are many Canadians and Americans from northern states who come to Lake Havasu every winter. Marlene and I found the place a bit too small for us, and since we don't golf and don't have a boat, it would get boring after a while. We also found that the people here are not as friendly as they are in Tucson.

We were in Lake Havasu to visit family, though. Marlene's sister Veronica, their cousin Rose, and Rose's husband Joe have been at the lake since New Year's day, staying in a nice rented mobile home with views of the lake.

Unfortunately, on the first night we were in Lake Havasu, Veronica tripped while running for the phone, and injured her jaw. The injury didn't appear to be too serious, but it was surely painful and put a damper on Veronica's holiday and our visit. But we had a nice visit, and saw the bridge, and we also took the ferry boat across the lake to the California side to see the Indian casino there. Veronica treated us to lunch at the casino. This is a pretty small casino, not like others we have seen throughout Arizona, where the Indian tribes have really built some big gambling palaces.

We left Lake Havasu on Thursday morning, and headed back to Tucson. The Echo did very well on gas, using just over half a tank each way for the trip. We will be going back to Lake Havasu on March 20, because Veronica has kindly agreed to drive the Echo back to Edmonton for us, following behind Rose and Joe. We will leave the Echo with Veronica (along with our walkie-talkies) and they will be leaving for home on the 24th. This way we will have the Echo available for us in Edmonton when we are there this summer, and we won't be paying to store the car in Tucson. Also, we really don't know when (or if) we'll be returning to Tucson. There are so many other places we have yet to see.

Our show in Tucson is on March 26 and 27, and following the show we will be heading east for our Ohio and Quebec dates. We are working hard to get more bookings, and would really like to do more jobs in Canada this summer.

On Friday we sold our tow dolly, since we no longer will be towing the Echo. I advertised it on Craig's List on Monday, and got about 12 emails. Sold it to the first guy out on Friday. We took a bit of a beating on it, because this same dolly costs 1/2 as much here as in Canada, but we would have spent a lot of money storing it otherwise. It is amazing how much the Canadian dealers mark up these dollies and trailers. This dolly can be purchased new here for $1100, and in Canada the lowest price I was able to find anywhere was $2100. Our trailer cost us $5400 in Indiana, and the exact same trailer in Alberta was $9200. There may be a business opportunity here!

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to look at a generator for the trailer. I wanted something big enough to power the motorhome too (for backup) so we needed at least 5000 watts. I found a John Deere 6200 watt generator with a Briggs and Stratton motor (actually the generator is built by Briggs, and marketed in different colours under their name too). I liked this generator rather than the Chinese ones because parts and service are readily available. After some dickering we were able to buy it for just $300, which is a good deal as new ones cost $1100 here. The generator has only about 30 hours on it, and runs well. It needs the carb cleaned because gas sat in it for over a year, but otherwise its ready to go.

Things are taking shape here, and we are getting anxious to get working, and get on the road again. Stay tuned....

A week of details

This week we changed a couple of our plans, and worked on some mundane things too. On Monday we worked on the jet car, raising the body a couple of inches (for clearance on dirt tracks), adding a pan under the intake (to prevent sucking up dirt on tracks), and adding a removable mirror so that I can see behind me when burning down cars. We also took more pics of the chassis and details to send to the technical director of the IHRA, on the long shot chance we can get the car certified to run on IHRA sanctioned tracks.

Also on Monday I completed the upgrades to our business website. It's looking better, and we have a photo shoot planned for March 26-27 at the local circle track so hopefully we'll have more pics and video to add. Check out our changes at www.armageddonjetcar.com .

On Tuesday our new toilet for Georgie Boy arrived and we spent the rest of the day installing it. The original toilet model is no longer available, so we had to order a different replacement and of course nothing lined up properly and lots of messing around was required to get it in. In the end, after some determined cursing, the job was done. Unfortunately, the new toilet is an inch higher, and Marlene's feet don't quite reach the floor!

On Wednesday we went to meet with a local immigration lawyer. We want to figure a way to come and go from Canada to the US and Mexico without hassles or risks of entry denial. It is also important that we be able to spend more than 6 months in the US. The lawyer immediately grasped our problem: There is no visa category that really fits for us! But, he thinks that he is up to the challenge, and he feels that we are capable of doing a lot of required paperwork ourselves, with direction from him, so we will be able to save some legal fee expenses. We hope to hear more from him next week.

Thursday we didn't do much, just some grocery shopping. We also started polishing out the water stains on Georgie Boy's exterior color stripes. We've ordered some contrasting pinstripe tape which has now arrived and we hope to install next week.

Friday I worked the computer and phone and managed to book a job at DeGraff, Ohio, for April 10, so we can do it on the way to our job in Montreal on the 17th. Still nothing booked for the trip back west, but we are confident we'll book something along the way. You can see our schedule in progress on our improved website. We barbecued some very nice ribeye steaks and Marlene made her patented potato salad, and we also had a ceasar salad. Yummy! After dinner we decided to let down our hair and party a bit. We put on the music (loud)and danced our feet off. This was the first time partying since Mexico, maybe because the old codgers here make us feel old too. But, some new, young (50ish) people moved in next door, with their Harley-Davidson bike, and we feel young again. Unfortunately, they are only here for a few days. We must be vigilant that we don't succumb to the "God's waiting room atmosphere" here at Desert Pueblo!

Saturday we went to the 28th annual Tucson peace festival. It was a bit of a let-down. The music was AWFUL, and mixed among the marijuana reform tents and amnesty international displays there were quite a lot of merchants just taking advantage. I mean, what has State Farm insurance got to do with peace?? Or the Democratic Party, or the Communists?

Today (Sunday) we are stuck inside because of the torrential rains falling outside. The storm is expected to pass by tonight, and then we'll be back to nice Arizona weather. We're going to do an herb roasted chicken for dinner.

On the 8th. we are going to take the car and drive to Lake Havasu for 3 days. We'll visit with Veronica and relax, before returning to Tucson to get ready for job #1. Stay tuned....

Miranda and Dustin visit us

Hi everyone! Its been a little while since we last updated our blog, because we've had visitors. On Feb. 10th Miranda and Dustin arrived at the Phoenix airport from Edmonton, via San Francisco. Their trip is a tale of the horrors of modern air travel. They were flying United all the way, but midway between San Francisco and Phoenix, their flight changed to a US Airways flight. Of course, US Airways flights come in to a different terminal than United, but nobody thought to tell us... so we waited a the wrong terminal, watching the arrivals board announce that they had arrived, but no one in sight! Eventually, we were able to call Miranda and find out what terminal they were actually at. No rush, because the airline had lost their bags!

They reported the missing bags, and were told they were still in San Francisco, but would be flown in to Tucson and delivered to us. Dustin had needed medication in his bag, and we tried to get the airline to expedite the delivery. The bags landed in Tucson around 6:00 pm, but they would not deliver them until sometime between 8 and 11. We were not allowed to pick them up, or to know the name of the delivery firm! After much cajoling, threatening, begging and pleading, we found a receptive ear at US Airways and the delivery was pushed to just after 8.

After picking the kids up at Phoenix, we headed south towards Tucson. They had eaten nothing all day, so we stopped at the Golden Corral Buffet in Casa Grande for a big lunch. Miranda and Dustin were amazed at the huge selection of food you can eat for just $9.95. After eating till we just about burst, we hit the highway again and got to our trusty Georgie Boy at about 4 pm. Drinks were required, and since it was raining we sat inside and imbibed, while we caught up on the latest news. We made a pork roast for a late dinner.

Miranda and Dustin stayed with us for the night, and in the morning we took them shopping at Walmart so they could buy some liquor for their hotel room. We returned home for lunch, and Marlene made fresh salsas, guacamole and chips. After that we went shopping at various workwear stores for Dustin and Victoria's Secret for Miranda. We made a nice dinner of Mexican giant shrimps with clam pasta and a Caesar salad, with a couple of bottles of wine (2.97 a bottle at Walmart). After dinner we took the kids to the Quality Inn, and got them checked in, and they settled in for the night.

Friday morning we picked up Miranda and Dustin and headed to the San Xavier mission. We had been before, and we were impressed with it, and now the kids were too. We sampled some native fry bread, then headed south on I19. Our next stop was the Titan Missile museum near Green Valley. This is the only remaining Titan underground silo, and it has been preserved and serves as a great reminder of the success of the MAD policy of the US during the cold war. The site is truly impressive, and we learned a great deal about how the missiles were launched, who operated them, and all the details. The missile is HUGE.

After we left the missile museum, we went further south, and stopped at Cow Palace, a restaurant and bar with a good reputation. We had some really fantastic burgers, and nice cold beers, and the prices were quite reasonable. My chile burger was immense, as were all the other assorted types we tried.

After a nice relaxing lunch we drove on down the highway to Nogales, where we parked the car on the US side and walked across the border into Mexico. We wandered around looking at all the various junk for sale, and made a few souvenir purchases before lining up to cross the border back to the US.

After Nogales it was back to Tucson where we dropped the kids off at TGI Fridays so they could satisfy their hunger. We did not join them, because I had caught Marlene's cold. After dinner the kids went and checked out some downtown nightspots before returning to their hotel.

Saturday morning we picked up Miranda and Dustin and went to the Tanque Verde swap meet/ flea market, where we did some serious shopping around. After that, we drove to Old Tucson (the movie studio/ theme park where many western movies and TV shows have been filmed, such as Young Guns, Little House on the Prairie, Rio Bravo and many others), but it was already about 2 pm, and the place closes at 4. We would have missed the stunt shows and other attractions so we decided to leave it for another day. We decided to show the kids the Tucson Presidio downtown. There was an event going on, with players dressed in period costumes and baked goods on sale. We learned more than we really ever wanted to know about how a flintlock rifle works!

After the Presidio, we returned to our motorhome for a few drinks and smokies on buns (and Dustin made his first guacamole). After a rest, it was time to go out for dinner. We had chosen the Guadalajara Grill, a highly rated Mexican restaurant. Good thing we had reservations, because the line-up outside was LONG. We waited about 10 minutes for our table, and were escorted into a colorful dining room. The place was hopping, with mariachi players strolling around serenading, and servers in traditional dress were preparing fresh salsa tableside. This was really good salsa! We had a hard time choosing meals from the extensive menu, but eventually figured out what to order. The food here is very good. Tasty, without being over spiced. Each dish has a distinct flavour. Service was good, even with the large, boisterous crowd. The Margaritas were especially tasty! At the end of this wonderful meal, Miranda snatched up the check, and refused our offers to go dutch. She treated us all to this fine dinner. What a daughter! Replete after a the large meal, we took the kids back to their hotel, and retired to our trusty Georgie Boy for a much needed rest.

Sunday morning I went for breakfast with Miranda, while Dustin got some alone time. Miranda and I ate at the Waffle House, a chain of diners we have seen all across the south. After a nice breakfast we picked up Dustin, and then went and picked up Marlene and Ben, and the packed lunch Marlene had prepared, and we drove north to the Catalina State Park for some hiking in the hills. We first went around the trail around the native ruins (about a mile), then we went to follow the trail to the equestrian center, but about 3/4 of the way along the trail we came across a meeting of the Tucson Street Rod Association. There were about 30 lovely street rods on display as the owners set up their big picnic. This was a real surprise to find in the middle of the park on Valentines Day. After ogling the cars, we walked back to ours, and had our own picnic. Then we drove the kids to their hotel for some poolside tanning, while Marlene and I went home to do laundry! Later that evening the kids went out to a steak house for Valentines Day dinner. Marlene and I dined on leftovers!

Monday morning we picked up the kids at their hotel, where they had checked out, and we brought their suitcases to the motorhome. Then we went to Old Tucson. We had a fine time there, and I even was dragged into one of the shows! See the picture of me beating a drum at a Snake Oil salesmans wagon. We drove the antique mini cars, went down on the mine tour (where Marlene got scared) and we saw a couple of gunfights and stunt shows. Miranda and Dustin rode the antique carousel and we saw the can can girls perform in the saloon. We toured the old movie sets, and saw the costumes worn in famous films and TV shows.

After a few hours at Old Tucson, we picked up a couple of Pizza Hut pizzas ( 2 large for $20) and went home to feast. A few beers were also consumed. Then Marlene and the kids went to swim and sun at our pool. I stayed home with Ben and worked a bit. After everyone came back, we had a few drinks and then I barbecued some nice rib-eye steaks for dinner. We had breaded zucchini sticks and mashed potatoes and fresh salad to complete the meal. Oh yes... we also drank 3 bottles of wine! After dinner we watched some TV, then turned in for the night.

Tuesday morning Marlene made sausages and eggs for breakfast, and Miranda, Dustin and I went to Target so Miranda could buy some more clothes. Then we went back home and loaded the suitcases into the car. We decided to take Ben with us for today's road trip. First, we went to the Tucson Harley Davidson showroom, a really nice place. Dustin checked out prices, and bought a shirt. Then we went and looked at a modular home sales lot. They are much cheaper here than in Canada. Next we headed to Phoenix to get to the airport. It was a quiet drive as we were all sad to see the end of the visit.

At Phoenix Sky Harbour the kids tried to avoid the $20 a suitcase charge because of the lost bags last trip. No dice, they won't give and inch! We left the kids at the entrance to security, and with tears in our eyes got back in the car for the trip home.

Miranda and Dustin were to change planes in San Francisco again. Unfortunately, when they got there their flight was canceled because of fog in Edmonton. They were told that the next flight to Edmonton would be in 2 days!! So they got put on a flight to Vancouver, with supposed connection on to Edmonton the following morning. But on arrival in Vancouver, Air Canada said that the flight was already overbooked, and they would have to wait until morning to find another flight. Miranda has learned well, and she made a real fuss. Called United, called Air Canada, and miraculously they were able to take the overbooked flight and arrived very tired and grumpy in Edmonton at about 9:30 am. Only 10 hours late! Miranda and Dustin were the only ones from their doomed San Francisco to Edmonton flight to actually get home today.

I will never fly a commercial airline except in emergency. Driving may take longer, but I like to be in control. I also have no interest in being scanned, patted, de-shoed and humiliated in a show of phony security.

Well, that's a long post today, and I need a cocktail. Stay tuned....