But you ain't got no legs Lt. Dan

Starting Thursday we began setup for the Lt Dan Band show on Saturday 9 March. The USO rolled in in waves coming off the show the night before in 29 Palms for the Marines. Friday the stage showed up and with the help of a bunch of soldiers we got it set-up and the rental generators in place, along with the dumpsters, fencing and the spotlight tower.  Saturday morning we hit it bright and early with the sound and lighting set-up finishing just before sound check around 3pm. The band showed up at around 1pm and chilled out inside and got a little lunch while we finished up teh set-up details in the 15mph winds with 25mph gusts. Everything really went exceptionally well for the set-up. I finally went and met Gary at the gate at 4pm and he followed me in to sound check. After sound, he did a media interview, met teh Commanding General and NTC CSM. Everyone grabbed a light dinner then it was time for the show. About 1500 people from across post made it out. The only snag was that Gary had hurt his arm and had it wrapped to tight and had to take a break to take the wrap off. Otherwise everything went well. By the end of the wrap up, I was so tired from working an 18 hour day on asphalt, I could barely walk, my knee was full of fluid and stiff. I limped to my car, climbed in, drove home and went to bed. All in all it was a great event and I enjoyed getting to be so intimately involved in making it a success.

Set list. Some very good songs in there. 

Generators we had to rent from LA

Look at those giant stacks hanging in the air. We tied them down with 550 cord to keep them from blowing. 

The USO rented 2 shuttle buses like this. They were sweet. A few of us actually watched Harry Potter for a bit inside. 

Command and Control

Sound guy

back entrance to the stage

People showing up.

Massive Erosion Problem

In all my travels I've never been to the Grand Canyon. So now that my good friend Peter, his lovely wife Lorna and their new son, Hazard live there, Peter is a Park Cop supervisor at the South Rim, I felt it was imperative to visit. I did just that last weekend.
I drove over on Friday and got in early in the afternoon and headed to the kids house in the Village. It's a pretty drive in from Cali, the environment slowly changing from empty desert to more sage and scrub trees. I got the tour of their new digs and then Peter and I headed out for some errands while Lorna took care of H. They of course, looked like exhausted new parents. We ran to the post office, stopped in the little store and killed some time. Pete commented on how small their grocery was, and I kind of chuckled because its about 4 times the size of the one in Helendale. It's all relative. When we got back to the house, we snatched up Hazard and headed to the rim. It is impressive on a scale that seems unreal but somehow smaller than I expected. I guess I thought you wouldn't be able to see the other side or something along those lines. Still it is sublime. Pete regaled me with tales of his job. Plane rides, helicopter jaunts, cool hikes, base jumpers and others who end their time on this earth with a long fall and a sudden stop. We walked and talked until Haz started getting grumpy then we headed back to the house and watched a movie, Ted.
Saturday we got up and took naps. H had been up during the night and the kids were tired from lack of sleep, so they napped in shifts. Poor Lorna was so tired. We finally all got up and got going around 10ish and hit up the best restaurant in the park. I had a ribeye and eggs that was pretty darn good. We then ran across the street to an old stacked stone building that had been turned into an artist studio and gift shop. I was mostly interested in the building. I like the Southwest style home, of course it only makes sense to have one in an environment that is a dry as the southwest, but they are cool. This one kad a kiva fireplace in teh corner of the room, which was begging to be lit. Since the Park is at 7000 feet and it is still February, it was cold, bone chilling cold in part due to the winds. We headed out for a walk along the rim and we poked our heads into another shop or two along the way, we even hiked down the trail into the canyone for a bit befroe turning back and heading home. Peter and I took H and the dogs for a good long muddy walk in the woods. Then it was time for more napping. Babies sure do wear their parents out!! Lorna and Peter worked together to make an awesome dinner of pork loin, kale, and mashed potatoes and then Lorna was off for a girls night out with the other ladies from the Park staff. The fellas came over and we had drinks and talked into the night.
Sunday was a chill morning, we headed out to Hermits Rest at the end of the developed part of the park, but it was too cold for much walking this morning. So we headed back, grabbed a sandwich of left over pork loin and i hit the road the drive back to Cali. It was cold and windy but again the scenery helped pass the time. I can't wait for it to warm up a bit and to go back and hike down to the canyon floor and pee in the Colorado River.

Hazard Hutton Maggio the messy. his jammies have moose and fat little beavers on them with footies with moose antlers

Peter and H

Not as messy, yet!

the digs, mostly baby proof

Keep them ears warm boy. Looks like a little cosmonaut

Pete's sis sent this fabric frisbee over. 

The side facing H looks like a manhole cover.  

Waiting patiently for some grub.

Look at that toothy grin

liquid love. Oooooooh. yuck.

Becky, Pete and Lornas doggie. She's wound a bit tight. 

Sundays walk included a stop at Maricopa Point. 

Do what?!

Walking out to the point.

Pretty colors.

Da Maggios

Hermits Rest, awesome fireplace, should have had a blaze going though. Wood is hard to come by around these parts though.

This is Gus, their friends dog they were sitting while his owner was surfing in Costa Rica. 

90 days

So, it has officially been 90 days since my last post. I guess I've been busy and distracted. I have been on the go constantly since November. It started when our new director was put on leave and I became triple hatted, Acting Director, Chief of Recreation and Special Events Coordinator. 12 hour days 6 days a week were the norm until I finished up Winterfest, our holiday celebration on post. Then I hopped on a plane to spend right at 3 weeks with the family, which was a great long break. I came back to Cali and jumped into our Grand Opening of our new Warrior Zone. Somewhere in there I slipped off to SC for divorce court, which went without a hitch, then the Grand Opening went awesome. My first real day off in awhile was yesterday. I lay on the couch and my friend from AK texted me, he was back in Cali for a week. I loaded up the car and headed to Palm Springs. We met up, dropped off the car for his fiance at work and headed to the Augustine Casino for all you can eat lobster tail. There was a 2 hour wait, so we hit the blackjack table. I went up $100 pretty quickly. Then lost it and hovered around $50 for an hour until our buzzer went off. We headed in an proceeded to fill up on 5 lobster tails, a ton of crab claws, and peel and eat shrimp. We decided to play some more blackjack before meeting up with his fiance at another  place in town. I was up and down, up and down. We decided it was time to leave, so I dropped my winnings on one last best, all or nothing. She dealt me a 20. She had a 15. She flipped a 6, of course. Lady luck my ass. So, I broke even plus 4 beers. Zac paid for my dinner since he owed me for the asswhooping that Clemson suffered at the hand of the Gamecocks. We headed to a bar called the Yard House and had some drinks before heading home. Today was breakfast then walking around this giant flea market/farmers market in Palm Desert. Had some great crepes filled with strawberries at the market. They were soooooooo tasty.
On the job front, I have an interview for the job in Iowa on Wednesday. I did not get either of the Alaska gigs and i have yet to hear anything on the jobs in San Antonio or Augusta. Only time will tell.
Next weekend, I'm headed to see my friends Pete and Lorna and their new son. They live on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, should be a cool visit, I've never been there.

All that glitters ain't gold

I apologize to anyone who has looked at this thing in the last month. I've been in a funk as I've been spending waaaaaay too much time trying to figure out the direction of my life and also trying to keep up with the pace of stuff at work these days. Ugh.
What's been on my mind as of late has been the next step in my career and life. Since I work for the Army, I am limited to Army bases lest I forfeit my retirement (if it is still there in the future, only Congress knows what unfunded liabilities they are going to fund) and the 14 years of experience and training that I've acquired. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, Army bases can actually be pretty decent places to work with lots of amenities, most I help provide. In the last couple of months, I have applied for jobs in Alaska, Louisiana, Augusta GA, and now Davenport IA. All have their pros and cons. The problem I have is I don't necessarily know which may be offered to me. So if I get offered one that may not be my best option, do I say no thank you, not knowing if one or any of the others may come through. Jobs usually take 4-6 months or more to fill from the time of the first announcement. Do I want to wait here another 6 months?! I hate the drive to work. I hate the drive to stuff. I hate living in the middle of nowhere. I hate not really having friends nearby. Sure, I like the job for the most part. It is challenging and I am good at it, but I dread the drive every single morning. There is also the financial to think about. Each job has benefits to it financially, but they are not equal. Does the final salary matter the most or does the quality of life of the geographical area? Iowa is very close to family and friends and might pay well, but I might not even be considered. Alaska pays a little less, but in terms of beauty and adventure, it can't be beat. Augusta is close to friends and the weather is usually pretty amazing. How do I decide? Where does my heart lie? My friends and family in each place would love for me to choose the location nearest them, I know I am blessed to have so many friends around this great big country of ours.
Then there's definitely the personal. Do I want to be involved in Rugby still? Do I want to hunt and fish? Meet someone? Stay single? Have kids or not? As I am getting older, those opportunity costs grow larger as this may be the last chance for a great many things due to bad knees and ticking biological clocks. I found myself writing an email to my brother just the other day concerning my finances and wishes should I die unexpectedly. I have no plans to die, but who does except the suicidal. I'm just at that age I guess. I guess seeing the family deal with it all from G'mas passing in September brought it home harder than before. Someone would have to come to California and get my stuff. That's a haul, it's not across town. Luckily, I don't have much, but it's still a job, it's still extra stress and work for someone.
Throw the politics of my job into the mix and sometimes I just want to say the hell with it and join the merchant marine :) Not really, but you get the idea. So I continue to rack my brain and count my blessings that I have options. Real quality options that so many in this country do not have and good friends. Lifelong friends that I care about and that care about me. And family that will always be there for me through thick and thin. I guess I know what I have to give thanks for come this Thursday. All of the above and so much more.