We ARE the UOOGB!

A few weeks ago we got a text from Nick & Tay asking if we’d like to go to a ukulele concert. Since Nick has become quite a ukulele player (and amassed a pretty good collection of ukes), we of course said yes. We had no idea what they had in mind, but were imagining sort of a folk concert with a couple of players at a local coffee shop or similar small venue.

The day before the concert, we find out that we’re going to hear “The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain” – sounds interesting!

When we got to the concert, the crowd in the lobby was being serenaded by a local group of uke players called “The Volcanoes”. It was a great warm-up for what turned out to be a long wait. We learned that the group had been delayed because of an accident on Interstate 17, but that they were definitely on their way. When they finally arrived, over an hour later, we learned that they had persevered through 2 canceled or delayed flights and that the promoters had arrange for a bus to get them to Flagstaff, only to be caught in the traffic jam on the highway.

Our reward for the wait was that they did their sound check in front of the audience, which turned out to be a great thing to watch. Then they started their program, which always starts with the pronouncement “We ARE the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain” – just a sample of the dry British sense of humor that showed that these serious musicians didn’t take themselves too seriously.

Here’s a sample of their program. “The Happy Song” is probably the most fitting song I can think of to be performed with ukulele – how can you listen to ukuleles and not smile?!

The Happy Song–The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

The Sky is On Fire

When you live in the middle of the worlds largest Ponderosa pine forest, forest fires or preventing forest fires are a fact of life. We’re in the middle of a giant forest restoration project which is intended to prevent forest fires by returning the forest to the conditions that existed in the late 1800s when the first European settlers arrived. Controlled burns are part of the project and today was one of those days when the sky was filled with smoke as a result. This was the view when I left work.

I Almost Forgot… Winter is coming!

It’s hard to believe that I haven’t written anything since April! Working 8-5 every day certainly makes each day go quickly, and we’ve been busy with a lot of other things as well. Someone recently said, “Where did January go?”

So here it is November already. The Fall has been so mild, that it was a bit of a shock when a cold front moved in this past weekend. On Saturday we walked a couple of miles to the grocery store. The temperature was a balmy 35F, with winds that made it feel like 20-25F. It made for a pretty invigorating walk. By the time we got done at the store, the sun was setting and this was the view across the parking lot.

 

With the wind and the cold, just about all the trees have lost their leaves. At the hospital we’ve got one holdout that has been keeping its leaves through it all. I see it every time I walk across the “sky bridge” that joins the east and west campuses. I wonder how long it can hold on.

On the Road Again

Being unemployed is a very strange state to be in. It isn’t just that you don’t have your normal income, you also don’t have your normal routine. Then you add to that the insult of drawing unemployment – if you pick up odd jobs and make more than the princely sum of $214 in a week, then the state punishes you for your effort by keeping that week’s payment. It’s no wonder that unemployed people suffer from self-esteem issues, and that becoming employed again does such wonders for your outlook and energy.

So two weeks ago, I finally made the effort to work on my car again. I’d had the parts for weeks, but just had not pushed to make the time to get it done. The end result is that the 914 is back on the road again, with a new fuel pump which has been relocated to a place where I can get to it without taking the car apart. It is such a delight to drive it again!



Soooo… why did I suddenly want to get my car back on the road that weekend? Because on Monday, March 24th I was scheduled to drive it to work! I started that Monday as a Field Services Technician in the IT department at Flagstaff Medical Center. I cannot express how psyched I am to have landed this position. I’m part of a great team of people, and I love the work. I wake up in the morning and can hardly wait to get out the door and drive the 914 to work.



This is the new “view from my office”. The 914 is looking pretty happy there, if you ask me.
I  cannot say thank you enough to the family & friends who have kept us in prayer through all this. I knew from the beginning that God “had this”, but it’s always challenging because you can’t know what and when He has something new planned for you. The encouragement we received from our faith family was incredible. When I think about the positions that looked promising, but I did not get, and compare them to where I’ve ended up. It’s clear that God truly had something good planned for us, and He knows what he’s doing.

Dutch Mechanic

Yes, I really did wear my Klompen to work on my 914. They make for nice, warm feet and I don’t have to worry about stepping onto the soft dirt next the to driveway.

It was 57F today, so it was a great day to get out and get some work done on the car.

Klompen

The last time we were in The Netherlands, I almost brought home a pair of wooden shoes. I ended up deciding not to because they would take up so much room in the suitcase, and I figured that I wouldn’t really use them that much so it just wasn’t worth the effort.

Today was Presidents’ Day and our local thrift store had a 50% off sale to “celebrate” the day. Being Dutch, we couldn’t pass up such a sale so we were there right after the doors opened. Linda found a pair of Klompen in the “appliance and decorative items” section – which was exempt from the 50% off sale. I tried them on and they fit a bit loosely, but enough that we figured it was our duty to rescue them.

We tried to convince the cashier that there were really shoes (and therefor should be 50% off), but she never took the hint. Since purchases at this store benefit Big Brothers & Big Sisters, I don’t feel too bad about paying the full price, but the Dutch in me feels slighted.

When we got home, I tried them on with the hand-knit socks that I had purchased in Staphorst – the Klompen fit like they were made for me!

Although I’ve often tried on wooden shoes, I’ve never before worn them for any length of time. I did not expect these to be uncomfortable, but I was quite surprised to find that they were very comfortable! I ended up wearing them most of the afternoon, and would often find that I had forgotten what was on my feet. Of course, I’d get reminded very quickly when I got out of my chair and my feet almost slipped out from under me!

So, I’ve finally got my own Klompen and I think they are my new favorite shoes and I’ll be wearing them just about any time I need to put on shoes for a trip outdoors for things like putting out the trash or getting the mail. Since this blog is the “Wooden Shoe Journal”, maybe I’ll have to wear them whenever I write a post.

Snow!

The Flagstaff record for the longest winter dry spell is 39 days. Flagstaff almost broke that record a couple of days ago, but we got just enough moisture for the record to still stand. I think the weather service was the only place to see that moisture because the rest of the area was still dry - until yesterday. We probably only got 2 inches of snow, but we need the moisture and it sure prettied things up.

Things melted off pretty quickly, but our street and Mt. Elden were both very pretty this morning.

A fuel pump issue has kept my car off the road lately, but with snow on the ground it would not be going anywhere anyway. Still, it provides a photo op.

A trip to the top of McMillan Mesa yielded this view of the San Francisco Peaks.

I've heard it said that you should turn around when you are shooting a scene, and see what you have your back to. The city cinder yard was behind me as I was shooting the photo of the mountains. A plow/cinder truck was in the process of being refilled. It gave me a chance to play around with some depth-of-field techniques. It may be my favorite photo of the day.