Heavy Dust Storm

Yesterday, we wanted some seafood and decided to eat out…Clouds were gathering all around and there were some cumulus with moderate tops…We ate our meal early and started home…About ten miles from home I saw a helicopter nose down and went behind a hill…I told Mary Ann that a helicopter might have gone down and proceeded to watch for smoke…There was none…When arrived in the area where it looked as though is had gone down, we found it…The engine was in its cool down mode…The crew was tying it down…I looked to the northeast and a solid wall of dust was rolling in…I understood why the chopper went down so rapidly…We hit the dust cloud about a mile later and the wind was blowing about forty knots (my estimate)…It started raining mud and then we were through the dust and into solid rain…At least it washed the mud from the car…It was the first real dust storm I have been in since I left Lubbock…We got a hard rain for a few minutes which we badly needed…Today I have to get a package off to my sister…I have been trying to finish it…I know you probably think I am procrastinating, but I have really been busy…Well I will talk to you later…Philip    

Had A Great Thanksgiving

Thursday rolled around and what a beautiful day…There were eighteen of us together and had all the trimmings…Mary Ann made some of the best pumpkin pies ever…After dinner we took sunshine for a golf cart ride over the resort…It takes about an hour to make the perimeter…It is according to how many people we run into and talk to…Yesterday I watched a marathon showing of A Band Of Brothers…Today we are doing the sound for a friend who is celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary…I will probably kick back and relax until the time to go and set up the sound in the Chuck Wagon…This is a smaller room where meals can be purchased at a modest price…It holds about 150 people…I hope your Thanksgiving is as happy as ours…By the way the anniversary celebration is for Dick Savage and his wife…Talk to you later…Philip   

Made It Back From Mexico

I left you last going to Mexico for dental work…I was Leary going to Mexico for dental work from all the tales of horrible experiences…We had so many friends going for their dental work and the expense of our local dentist that I made a decision to go and got some recommendations…Mary Ann made us some appointments and we  got up early Friday Morning and headed for Mexico for a noon schedule…We arrived and the clinic met us at the border and drove us to the front door of the clinic…We arrived and our friends had called ahead and told them we were coming…What a nice reception…I had a lot of bridge work to be repaired and I was quoted five thousand dollars from my dentist in the U.S…I really didn’t know what to expect my bill to be in Mexico…There was some surgery performed and with some stitching and molds made for the replacement bridge…They scheduled us back the next day for putting the bridge in…We were not prepared to stay over night, like tooth brush, change of underwear, razor, etc…We found a room at a Super 8 for the night…The bed was so hard that it was hard for us to sleep very well…We went in the next morning and got my new bridge and we were on our way by two pm…When we got the bill it was only a thousand dollars US…We were treated very  well and had a very pleasant experience…The gentleness in which we were treated was pleasure…I would recommend these people any time…We drove back Saturday night and here it is Tuesday Morning and the bridge work is very comfortable…My fears were unfounded and we look forward to our cleaning appointment next May…We have to go to the Ball Room and help with the stage lights…We are installing new jels and adjusting the lights for the new addition that was made to the stage…Talk to you later…Philip    

Birthday Yesterday

Another Year…Can’t believe that I have lived this long… Don’t think for a minute that I want my life  to be shorten by one minute…It is just hard to believe that 76 birthdays have occurred…I got up yesterday and selected some carvings to go on display…I came home and relaxed until time for the musicians to show up in the ballroom and set up…As you know Mary Ann and I do the lighting and sound for most of the productions held in the Ball Room…It is a lot of fun meeting the entertainers and their bands…Today Mary Ann is teaching a computer class and I will have to go and rehearse for the Christmas play…As usual I am playing Santa Clause…I can’t imagine why I would be selected for Santa…I am sure my size has nothing to do with the selection…Tomorrow we are going to Mexico for some dental work…We enjoy the trip down to Mexico and look forward for the trip…Talk to you later…Philip…

Windows 7

I have not reported on my new computer…I just about have all my programs and files transferred to my new computer…I asked Mary Ann to put Norton on last night while I was at the Cactus Carvers meeting…She had it ready when I got home…Then she popped me some corn…and I tested the new upgrade with Norton and very little has changed over last years…This is one program that we buy every year…We like to have the CD in case something should happen and we have to reinstall…Now about Windows 7…I am very pleased with the performance…It has worked flawlessly and really corrects problems with very little effort…It is an easy transition from Vista, as for as learning the new system…I feel very comfortable with the transition…Talk to you later…Philip 

Rehearsal This Afternoon

Hurray…I am free this morning with nothing on the schedule until this afternoon at three…We are rehearsing for the Christmas show…I will carve this morning and finish up with paint on the moon goddess…My sister,Ruth, expressed an interest in her and I hope to get it in the mail this week…I have to finish painting it and then mounting it. The resort has asked me to put some more carvings on display, so I have to select what to go into the display case…Since it is the beginning of the Holiday Season I will probably display my old world Santa's…I want to start on another roadrunner when I finish the goddess…I guess I will keep my ban saw busy because I want to make some humming birds…I will publish a picture of the goddess before I ship it to Sis…Is there anyway to slow the time down…It is passing to rapidly…I can hardly wait to get out of bed each day and get it started…Talk to you later…Philip  

PICTURE OF MY CARVINGS

Well it took me long enough…Here are some of my carvings that I have done recently…I will post others as soon as I can…There are so much I want to carve and time is so short…

As you can see my easy chair…I guess you know, carving keeps me out of trouble…and a great place to hide from Mary Ann…Talk to you later…Philip