Voters Abound

We had a short voter registration drive, with the help of a couple of community leaders. Buster Johnson (County Supervisor) and Sam Scarmardo (former City Council) hung out with us in front of Walgreens for a few hours, and helped tremendously.
Robin and I were happy that we had shade, steady traffic, and two great helpers to bring in the people.



We were certainly discouraged by many people, who told us that it would be a waste of time and that voter registration drives in the past were very unsuccessful.
We didn't have huge expectations, but after counting our registrations we were happy to report 20 new sign-ups in just 2 1/2 hours!!!

Hey, Autumn is Next WEEK!!

But it's still hot here. Not as hot. But still. You know.

Last weekend we went out on the pontoon boat (Steve won't let me name it the HMS Shagatsea) not to be confused with the Bayliner which we call the SS Minnow.

It was just Steve, Shay, and I, and the lake was perfect. Not too many people out there. We headed up river, thru what is known as the Topock Gorge and Devil's Elbow. Lots of great pictures....

The first one is Steve very gracefully hopping up on the boat to relocate it on the beach we visited:


Shay quickly made himself at home.


We had a body building competition:


We floated under the train bridge a little


I may have figured out why people have been telling me that Shay reminds them of Owen Wilson:


Sometimes we went fast:


I like this picture, it shows how calm the water was where we were sitting:


After about 5 hours on the water, we headed home for dinner. Just in time to avoid too much of a sunburn. In two weeks, the weather will be changing and we'll be able to frolic all day without getting exhausted from the heat. Can't wait.

Work, Work, Work

Work is consuming me somewhat right now. Trying to figure out how to streamline things and make them easier, more flowing. I sure have met a lot of new people doing this stuff, which is different for a person like me who's been around this town for 20 years.

Last night Steve and I did something different, we actually went over to hang out at some friends' house. They have a pole in their garage. And by pole, I mean the kind that go go dancers use. After dinner we adjourned to the garage and turned on the "How to Pole Dance" instructional video. Nobody was brave enough to jump up there and try it, so of course I did. I really wanted to try it, I have been hearing how great pole dancing is for exercise (really, not kidding!) and so I stuck with it all the way thru the 45 minute video.
Pole dancing isn't a bunch of swinging around. It's controlled, slow, steady movements using a LOT of upper body strength. I couldn't believe how difficult it was. Now I have two new bruises on my legs and some sore hands and shoulders. But I'm hooked! I want to try it some more! But that would require a pole. And some time. I have neither.

This Saturday, Robin Schilling and I are having a voter registration drive in front of the local Walgreens store. She's in the Lake Havasu Republican Women with me. We used to do fundraisers for the Humane Society together, several years ago. It gets hot after noon, so we're not going to stay out there and melt. Once we're done with that, I'm meeting Steve in Chloride. It's a mining town that's about 90 minutes away from here in the mountains. There's an antique truck show every year on the third Saturday in September, and Steve's always in it. It's a nice change of pace, a chance to go see a very pretty town, and we have fun chatting with the other truck owners. Maybe this year I'll finally talk Steve into staying overnight there. They have a really old hotel and dirt streets, and I think it would be fun to stick around and hang with the locals. Or not....

Someone Turned Down the Heat!

Thankfully, our summer is finally rounding down to its last gasps. We had a high temperature of only 104 yesterday, and in the mornings it's only 77 degrees. That's pretty nice considering what we've had for the past few months. Yay! The boiling days are nearly over!

Last night I made spicy Tuna Thai Burgers. I announced it all week long so it was a hugely hyped meal. You could say it was the Hurricane Ike event of our household. Everyone was pleased, which I was glad to see. Tonight's experiment; hmmm...I don't know! Time to check the Pioneer Woman website to see what she's got posted on there.

A good Laugh

After a rough week, I needed a good laugh. This provided it for me.
http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/new.html

Recovery

Got home on Friday after the Convention; we had a 4am pickup by the airport shuttle and we traveled till 4pm to get home. What a long day. Especially since I didn't sleep at all the night before! Cold medicine must've been gorking my head.

So once I got back home I got on the stick and worked for a little while. But then needed to pack so we could leave with the batmobile on Saturday, to get it to a car show on the west coast. It was a six hour drive, and the batmobile would't cooperate once we got there. It decided not to run right, and the electronics in it were malfunctioning.
We left the car show at 6pm on Sunday, arriving home after midnight. That doesn't help my cold at all!!!

I've been struggling along with work this week, trying to stay upbeat and positive but that's difficult when the economy is what it is. People are really hurting out there. It's evident when you go into a place at lunchtime to eat and you're the only one there.

Thursday Excitement

Tonight was everything it promised to be, with the magnificent speeches, the patriotism, and of course the stoic Republican values all wrapped up into a series of presentations by people I’d previously only seen on t.v.
Here's a shot of the Arizona Delegates:

The crowd was very receptive and excited, chanting whenever a speaker gave a pause in their speech. There were more people dressed to impress, and some new signs that read “I Love Cindy” out in the crowd.


I know if I had a friend at a major national event, I’d be impressed if they called me and let me hear the ongoings over their phone. So I kept texting people, asking them if they wanted me to call them. Nobody seemed to be that much into it. Well, okay, I’ll just keep texting.
Of course everyone was waiting to see McCain. Funny how inspiring this 5’6” guy has suddenly become.

The presenters leading up to his appearance gave details of his life, and at one point I texted Sergi that his story always gets me choked up. He endured torture for five years and kept alive merely with a spirit that most Americans will never have for their country. Could I stay afloat in such a circumstance? Don’t know. He’s likely a much stronger person than I.


Tom Ridge spoke to the audience, as a close friend and a colleague of McCain’s. He said when he first saw McCain, he was pointed out to him then just as he is with most people now, “Hey, THAT’S John McCain!”

Cindy McCain spoke and I have to admit she has the same bad habits in public speaking that I have. I’m not letting you know what those habits are, just know that I’m working on it. We’ll get better, in time.
When John came out, the crowd once again came unglued. I thought it was a nice touch, with the podium coming up out of the stage for him. Viewers at home didn’t see that part. I have a video of it.
His speech made a lot of promises and the consensus was a huge hope that he’d actually follow thru with them all. We’ll have to see how that goes.
The balloon drop was a much anticipated, and I was glad to be where I was when it happened! I had a great view of everything, and managed to get a lot of photos of the confetti and balloons as they started dropping. The music made it feel like a rock concert, and everyone just had a great time bouncing the balloons and dancing around.
Here's the balloon drop from Buster's perspective on the floor:

And here it is from my perspective in the balcony:

Buster and I met outside and immediately began negotiating with the souvenir salesmen for some presents to take home. Steve’s dad is a big-time Republican and I wanted to be sure to get him something from the convention.

We also got some more pictures of protesters and the “Free Hugs” people. If you ever go to YouTube and look up the Free Hugs thing, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Buster was interviewed by a newspaper guy from San Francisco, and it turns out the guy was really familiar with Havasu.
We need to remember to find out why Buster was in the Atlanta newspaper this week. The people from the Georgia delegation had to get more photos of him because they were doing some sort of story and it had to do with his bolo tie. Here is a picture of a reporter from California interviewing THE MAN after we left the Convention Center:


We packed our boxes of souvenirs (yep, got a few) and labeled them for Fed Ex on Friday, and said goodnight to everyone. We had a 4:00am shuttle to take us to the airport, so we attempted to get a few hours sleep before then.
Upon leaving in the morning we met up with Lou who is a delegate from Tucson. He managed to stay up ALL NIGHT in the hotel lobby talking with other people from the Convention. Trooper.

Now that I am home I plan to organize everything from the Convention--newspaper articles, pictures, stories, etc, so I can have something to show around the family.
It was a great experience, and I am humbled as well as proud that I was able to take part in it.