| Date | Comments |
2005-08-23
My yellow dry bag and pink float
Helping Doug with the breakfast burritos
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Went up to West Clear Creek with friends from Arizona Hikers for a fun weekend of hiking, relaxing and playing in the water. I even got in some painting on location on Saturday when Doug and I took a hike along one of the tributaries of West Clear Creek. I intend to start doing a lot more painting out on location. This was a good start for it.
Here are some more West Clear Creek pics
Derek's photos and web site
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2005-09-18
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Today is Candices birthday, but we won't see her until tomorrow.
My diet really sucks and it has since I did the West Clear Creek hike with fellow Arizona Hikers. For some reason I really pigged out up there and haven't gone back to keeping track on mypyramid.gov data-base. I need to start eating good again. I have good intentions, but sometimes I'll buy stuff at the grocery store and just end up throwing it out because I never prepare it. One thing that really helps me is if all we have in the pantry is healthy that's what I'll eat.
I've been painting a lot and posted a topic on Arizona Hikers with links to my paintings and auctions on eBay. I sold everything up for auction and some additional paintings from my site. It was a very nice response. Last night was the opening shindig for the Young Adult Coffee House at Friendship Baptist in Lynchburg VA where some of my paintings are showing. They had a Christian Rock Band and I'm thinking it was quite a show. Anyway I'm looking forward to hearing from Pastor Scott on how everything went and what kind of response the paintings received.
I still haven't located a way to get my blood draw outside of the urologist's office, which really just gives space to Sonora labs anyway. Hopfully I can find a PSA draw cheaper than $110. I think I'll send a query email to the RP list on ustoo.com, a very informative site on prostate cancer.
Small groups started at CCV and we're watching "That The World May Know" , a dvd of faith lessons on the Promised Land. It's fascinating to learn about the geography and archeology of the land where God placed His people and the significance of it's history to today's Christian. I'm learning so much that I never knew.
The painting here is another one of Jerome, one of my favorites if not most favorite of subjects to paint. I started it Friday and finished it yesterday. |
2005-10-03
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Over the last weekend we celbrated Emily's tenth birthday at Castles & Coasters and then a sleepover. Friday night I mopped and scrubbed the tile in the entryway, kitchen and great-room. Saturday morning I took the truck to Peoria Nissan for service and then got my hair cut, it was my thirteenth so it was free. The stylist got a good tip. Then I came home and cleaned the house some more, got laundry going, did all the dishes and mowed, edged and watered the back yard. The guests started arriving around 2:00 and we took off for the park shortly after. We arrived right on time and got to the party room, ate our pizza and icecream, watched emily open gifts and headed out for four hours of ride time. The girls had a blast and so did I. I had never been there before but always wanted to try that loop de loop style coaster there. WOW, what a blast. I think most of the girls liked the Magic Carpet Ride the best. Sorry, I can't go backwards. We got back to the house around 8:30 and I cooked some steaks and Briana fixed hot dogs. Candice came over and gave Emily some lavish blue jeans and belt and her and Garrett took the girls up to get a video. They got Monster-In-Law. They watched it and played a lot of games and finally headed out to the trampoline with there sleeping bags. I went into my room to watch TV and keep a watchful ear open, but fell asleep. I woke up around 2:00 and could here them talking. I got up a little after 8:00 and made breakfast: eggs over easy, eggs scrambled, eggs sunny side up, bacon, sausage, orange slices, toast and jam, orange juice and milk. Most of the girls were gone by 1:00, but Moriah stayed a while longer. We watched the Ring 2 which Garrett had given Emily. Great time, but man was I tired last night.
Took the girls up to get their haircut tonight. Sarah wasn't very happy and I guess I'm going to have to get better at helping her explain herself in those kinds of situations. I guess some things are best for mothers, but I'm willing to learn.
Sarah is on the right side third row back. |
2005-10-19
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The girls and I had a terrific weekend of backpacking up to Reavis Ranch.
They both did very well at hiking in and out of some moderately difficult
terrain. We hiked up with Tom and a group made up of a tight bunch of
friends that have known each other for some time. Most of them work at Boeing or used to work there. On Saturday more ArizonaHikers came up and joined us to make quite a crowd for a fine evening of socializing around the campfire.
MORE PHOTOS HERE
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| 2005-11-10 |
Time to make an entry. Recently I've obtained infromation that will enable me to check my PSA for a little less. I've found a web site that lists all the traveling labs or labs that are less expensive than the lab that is set up in my urologists office. Right now every time I go to the urologist I pay $70 for the office visit (not bad I'm thinking), X amount of dollars for urinalysis, and $110 for PSA. Sonora Labs, which is the lab that does the PSA blood draw, has an employee right there in Associated Urologists. My plan is this: I will not do the urinalysis (since my primary care physician does that), will get my own PSA done for $48 and eventually may just monitor the PSA myself and not even go to the urologist with such frequency. Do I really need a DRE every six months if my PSA is not elevated? So on my birthday Novemver 15th I'll be making it over to the Arrowhead Wellnes Center for a PSA blood draw and take the results in on my next visit to the urologist and in fairness ask him some of the questions that I have concerning the notes above. |