ALMOST JUNE! Wow, Spring has gone quickly. Just recently Jack pointed out to me that I have been on the go since January and with a little reflection I see that he is correct!

January was Arizona with Dad, which was also a trip to Mexico and San Diego!

April was Florida with Diane and Keith at their wonderful home in Vero Beach, with a few touristy things, like the McLarty Treasure Museum at Sebastian Inlet State Park, scuba diving in the Atlantic Ocean off West Palm Beach, lunching with an old working buddy of Jack's who now lives in Florida, and two visits to the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral. Jack and I went the first day (the day he flew back to Oregon to start his job as a quality control person for the 2010 census) and the second day Diane and I drove up and took in the parts that Jack and I didn't have time or energy for!

April also contained a week long trip to Utah with Mike to check out Zion National Park for Brett and Maya's wedding next Memorial Day Weekend. Not only did we check out the town of Springdale, Utah for reception options etc... we took some time to explore some of Zion Canyon. Mike and I hiked 6 of the 11 hikes listed in the Welcome Newspaper they had out at the Park Entrance. The first picture is of the mouth of the Hidden Canyon - a one mile trail that goes 875 feet straight up! The second picture is of Mike in one of the water washouts in Refrigerator Canyon on the Angels Landing Trail. The rest are all Angels Landing Trail pictures. It was the best! We climbed 5700 feet to the peak of Angels Landing! We both bought the t-shirt - WE EARNED IT!

There is no way pictures can do the Zion Canyon justice! You have to see and experience it for yourself. It is more accessable to the average person than the Grand Canyon!

And after those outings were little jaunts... bike riding with girlfriends on the Oregon & California Bike Trail on a bright and warm Sunday afternoon. We rode 19 miles!

Camped and white water kayaked on the Klamath River with other friends on Memorial Day Weekend. We started with 7 on the upper streach and it wittled down to 5 for the second section

to Gottville Boat Ramp. Mike joined us on the second half. He and Caron took the waterfall route I've been avoiding for all the years I've been going down the Trees of Heaven to Gottville section! They said it was a blast!

Between those activities I've been getting my flower gardens in order and planting things in the vegetable garden. We have lettuce of 4 kinds already!

I also have been interviewing for jobs as a camp host! My friend Michelle and I are hoping to get put on at the Natural Bridge in the Rogue Umpqua Forrest. We've interviewed for two places and are hoping one will come through.

And I'm continuing to write my own articles, do hired out content writing, and working with Maya on developing their wedding website http://brettandmayagetmarrried.wetpaint.com/

So there you are, that is why I haven't been posting very many blogs! I'm to tired by the time I get home!

I hope everyone is enjoying Spring in ways that make them happy!

The family has been in motion and now everyone is settling down again.  Diane has made it back to Coos Bay after a scenic road trip through the state of California.  Brett and Maya are currently making their way back to Bangkok, Thailand after what sounds like a culunary delight of a visit in Austin, Texas and some beach time in Tulum, Mexico.

The footloose wanderer I usually am, I have been staying home. Closely tied to my computer at times and puttering around in the garden and yard at other times.  I heard from several friends that Jack had been making noises about 'grounding' me after the Utah trip.  No need, I was tired of travel and ready to be home for a bit.  But now Memorial Day Weekend is fast approaching and the first river trip of the year!  I'm winding up for take off!

It's looking like the count will be about 12 people for our get-away.  Most are rafters and the main focus will be doing the two runs connected to the Trees of Heaven Campground but I'm taking the domino's too.

Yesterday I mixed pleasure with work. I spent the day traveling to interview for a Camp Host position. On the way I stopped to walk along the Rogue River Gorge (Brett's favorite spot) in Union Creek and then turned off Hwy 62 just a little further down the road and took the Natural Bridge trail. In all my years here I had never stopped and viewed where the Rogue River goes underground for 200 yards. Seeing it gushing out of the lava tube is awesome.

The interview in Prospect took about an hour and was very pleasant. So different than interviewing for IT positions! Mike and Shiloh were interviewed also, as they would be with me if I happen to be asked to host a campground for the summer.

After the interview a picnic lunch proceeded a walk along the trail that runs by Pearson Falls and to the gorge that Mike, Caleb, and I "discovered" about 15 years ago. The rocky gorge we climbed through to connect to the trail on the other side is a thundering rush of white water right now. I failed to take a camera! I remembered our Cub Scout outing where the water had risen enough from our original scouting hike that we had to carefully get everyone over the streams of water coursing through the boulders. If it had been flowing like it was yesterday that would not have been possible! Lots of good memories passed through my mind on the short hike!

Time has certainly passed quickly.