Gosh, where were we? We left California and headed towards Arizona with two goals in mind. We wanted to go to our first UFO Congress and I was able to secure an appointment at Mayo, AZ for the new gnawing pain in my "good" knee.
The UFO Congress had a lot of good speakers and was interesting but as usual, it was the connections we made there that were most important. I also spoke briefly with James Penniston, the individual who investigated the Rendelsham Forest incident in the 80s. The binary code which he felt compelled to write at that time has been decoded:
EXPLORATION [of ] HUMANITY
52 09'42.532" N 13 13'12.69" W
CONTI [NUOUS]
FOR PLANETARY ADVAN [CE ]
The longitude and latitude cross over at a point in the sea off of Ireland, over a submerged island called Hy Brasil. So interesting.
We were staying in an RV Park in Casa Grande, AZ. Two plants of interest which were new to me were the "Jumping Cholla" and the large Seguaro Cactus. The Sequaro is unique to the Sonoran Desert. Friends explained how early explorers would twist the arms of the Seguaro along trails to point the way. A warning sign for the Jumping Cholla tells of the pain caused by its needles - that look soft but definitely cause discomfort - when they seem to leap from the plant to your body. We also spent a little time skywatching, to no avail.
The trip to Mayo didn't reveal much. If I have osteonecrosis again, it hasn't shown up yet. A cortisone shot to the knee did wonders.
We were on our way to do an investigation when we got word from Chuck's son that his 43-year old wife, Bobbi, had a 99% blockage of the "widowmaker" artery and had had a stent placed. Since they advised her to have two weeks of bedrest, we decided to head back to California. We did make a quick stop to exchange some film with an experiencer who lives in a remote area - so remote that we left the RV on a dirt road and took only the car in. Along the way, we saw many run-down, dilapated shacks without electricity or sewer - reminiscent of a third world country - dotting the desert. Hard to believe people live like this in America.
We stayed with Bobbi and Charles for almost two weeks and then headed for Texas. We started noticing that the RV didn't want to start when it was warm...and started right up when it was cold. We spent a day at Freightliner in El Paso but at least in the end, it was a cheap and easy fix. An eroded wire that was easily replaced. Elated at this news, Chuck tipped the mechanic who made short work of it. Of course, it didn't last long. Two days later, the RV wouldn't start....one of the new connections that had been put in hadn't been secured properly. Another $100 down the drain.
Back on the road, the RV parks were few and far between. We decided to pull into a "picnic site" for the night. I was worried that the highway patrol might not be happy with us over-nighting there but knew that another truck pulled in before I went to sleep. In the morning, I was amazed to see 15 or so large trucks parked all around us. I remember when I could tell who was up at Chateau in the night by their footfall or the squeak of their walker. Now I seem to sleep through everything.
The next day we were treated to the sight of the wildflowers that were popping up along the roadside, including the now familiar bluebonnets - yep, we're back in Texas! Our destination was Houston where we met up with Derrel Sims a/k/a "The Alien Hunter." Derrel has presented information about alien abductions all over the world. Chuck did a radio program with him and then did a presentation re equipment at a Houston meeting. We were also fortunate to sit in on a meeting with a highly credible witness and to actually view luminescence on the hands of another abductee, viewed under a black light. Whatever this is,it's fascinating stuff.
Vicki
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Dedicated to the long-handled back scratcher/shoe horn
Years ago I came across a sturdy,long-handled back scratcher/shoe horn at a Dollar store. I bought ten of them for Chuck's Christmas stocking. We have three of them with us in the RV. Why in the world, you ask, would we carry them along with us? Pay attention full-timers!
Three days ago, we got back on the road, heading towards Vegas. Not our best day. We were driving along and it seemed to me that there was a slight change in the sound the wind makes as you're driving. I looked up and there was a two foot long crack in the front windshield. It hadn't been there before...we'd had no collisions...and had absolutely no idea what caused it. There are reports, you know, of invisible objects (UFOs?) colliding with cars but we'd felt no impact. We did take a torque-ing type turn, as sometimes happens, and I'd heard a thump in the back but didn't see anything untowards from my computer seat. Add the window to the list of things we'll fix when we're home.
Upon our arrival at Sam's Town RV,LV, I put the boards under one of the wheels and Chuck finished the leveling process. He then went to put out the slide. As he did, it appeared as though the rubber seal around the slide wasn't functioning properly. He sprayed the heck out of it before taking it out any further. Amount of damage there remains to be seen.
We then began the process of setting up the table, taking out the laundry basket and putting up the heat shield that we use for the front window. It didn't take long before we discovered that our feet were wet - wet with a sticky fluid ....that smelled really good. Source? A FULL 64 ounce bottle of clothing detergent had fallen out of the bathroom sink, the cap had splintered, and there was detergent covering the bathroom floor, seeping into the rugs, under the wall and between and under our linoleum squares. What a colossal mess!!!
Here's where the back scratcher comes in. We have a sliding door in back of the living area. Detergent had seeped into the narrow slit where the door is housed. How to clean? Solution: Tie a wet rag to the end of a back scratcher to make a mini-mop!
The back scratcher has 100 uses and has saved us again and again. You can fork stuff out from under the seats and behind the wheels, activate the "on" button on top of the computer which is hard to reach, get down in back of the couch (sometimes requires two back scratchers and a bit of co-ordination), and when desperate, check for clogs in the toilet (WARNING: Do not let go of the back scratcher).
Honestly, I could go on the road selling these things.
The LONG HANDLED BACK SCRATCHER/SHOE HORN.... don't leave home without it.
Three days ago, we got back on the road, heading towards Vegas. Not our best day. We were driving along and it seemed to me that there was a slight change in the sound the wind makes as you're driving. I looked up and there was a two foot long crack in the front windshield. It hadn't been there before...we'd had no collisions...and had absolutely no idea what caused it. There are reports, you know, of invisible objects (UFOs?) colliding with cars but we'd felt no impact. We did take a torque-ing type turn, as sometimes happens, and I'd heard a thump in the back but didn't see anything untowards from my computer seat. Add the window to the list of things we'll fix when we're home.
Upon our arrival at Sam's Town RV,LV, I put the boards under one of the wheels and Chuck finished the leveling process. He then went to put out the slide. As he did, it appeared as though the rubber seal around the slide wasn't functioning properly. He sprayed the heck out of it before taking it out any further. Amount of damage there remains to be seen.
We then began the process of setting up the table, taking out the laundry basket and putting up the heat shield that we use for the front window. It didn't take long before we discovered that our feet were wet - wet with a sticky fluid ....that smelled really good. Source? A FULL 64 ounce bottle of clothing detergent had fallen out of the bathroom sink, the cap had splintered, and there was detergent covering the bathroom floor, seeping into the rugs, under the wall and between and under our linoleum squares. What a colossal mess!!!
Here's where the back scratcher comes in. We have a sliding door in back of the living area. Detergent had seeped into the narrow slit where the door is housed. How to clean? Solution: Tie a wet rag to the end of a back scratcher to make a mini-mop!
The back scratcher has 100 uses and has saved us again and again. You can fork stuff out from under the seats and behind the wheels, activate the "on" button on top of the computer which is hard to reach, get down in back of the couch (sometimes requires two back scratchers and a bit of co-ordination), and when desperate, check for clogs in the toilet (WARNING: Do not let go of the back scratcher).
Honestly, I could go on the road selling these things.
The LONG HANDLED BACK SCRATCHER/SHOE HORN.... don't leave home without it.
Friday, January 21, 2011
January 21, 2011
We have ants...guess we've been in LA way too long. Some of the "only in California" experiences I've had here are: feeding the parking meter with a credit card, having the seat stolen off of my bicycle which was strapped to the back of the RV, sitting in TRAFFIC, sirens and helicopters, and helicopters and sirens. There have been two shootings at schools this past week. One morning I was awakened by the sound of a street person digging through the garbage bin at 5:00 a.m., collecting items for his version of a mobile home - the stolen supermarket cart (speaking of carts,they have a two-story Target store here that pulls your cart up alongside you on the escalator. Why can't they do this at the airport?)
On the other hand, we've had some quality time with Charles, Bobbi and the kids, and experienced the perfect day at the Malibu Bluff Park which lies between the Pacific and Pepperdine University. I also spent some time at the fantastic Getty Art Center. I was amazed at how most of the very, very old paintings have retained bright colors and even more amazed that these absolutely priceless works are exhibited without any kind of shielding. Of course there is a guard (mostly old and harmless looking) in each room but aren't they worried about people sneezing or stumbling and falling into the fragile canvasses?
Our only MUFON experience of this time period was an early morning call from the Director of Investigations. Chuck was still sleeping and I assumed that I would be asked to pass on a message; my adrenaline level shot up in an instant when they asked if I would wake him. An individual in law enforcement arrived home and was opening a sliding door to let his dogs out when he very clearly saw an orb outside, at close range. The dogs went nuts and started peeing all over....this was the first time I've seen that in a report but yeah, makes sense. The exciting part was that there appeared to be some trace evidence left behind in the form of burn marks. The bad news was that this was on the East coast and here we are on the West coast. This conforms to the Modlin Theorem..."if they're there, we aren't." Fortunately they had some excellent investigators in the area so we're anxious to hear if anything shows up in lab work. Events like this, reported by highly credible witnesses, keep us intrigued and involved.
I submitted an application for us to have a MUFON booth at the Wisconsin State Fair. Sites are tough to get but we've made a reservation for the entire month of August at the RV park there in case we're successful. We'll be in town way before that but not sure exactly when - all we know is that we're not taking any chances of driving the RV in snow.
In the meantime, we're sending "warm" wishes your way.
Vicki
On the other hand, we've had some quality time with Charles, Bobbi and the kids, and experienced the perfect day at the Malibu Bluff Park which lies between the Pacific and Pepperdine University. I also spent some time at the fantastic Getty Art Center. I was amazed at how most of the very, very old paintings have retained bright colors and even more amazed that these absolutely priceless works are exhibited without any kind of shielding. Of course there is a guard (mostly old and harmless looking) in each room but aren't they worried about people sneezing or stumbling and falling into the fragile canvasses?
Our only MUFON experience of this time period was an early morning call from the Director of Investigations. Chuck was still sleeping and I assumed that I would be asked to pass on a message; my adrenaline level shot up in an instant when they asked if I would wake him. An individual in law enforcement arrived home and was opening a sliding door to let his dogs out when he very clearly saw an orb outside, at close range. The dogs went nuts and started peeing all over....this was the first time I've seen that in a report but yeah, makes sense. The exciting part was that there appeared to be some trace evidence left behind in the form of burn marks. The bad news was that this was on the East coast and here we are on the West coast. This conforms to the Modlin Theorem..."if they're there, we aren't." Fortunately they had some excellent investigators in the area so we're anxious to hear if anything shows up in lab work. Events like this, reported by highly credible witnesses, keep us intrigued and involved.
I submitted an application for us to have a MUFON booth at the Wisconsin State Fair. Sites are tough to get but we've made a reservation for the entire month of August at the RV park there in case we're successful. We'll be in town way before that but not sure exactly when - all we know is that we're not taking any chances of driving the RV in snow.
In the meantime, we're sending "warm" wishes your way.
Vicki
Thursday, December 23, 2010
December 23, 2010
Rain, rain and more rain. We're in California, near LA, and it seems like monsoon season. Fortunately, we think it will be clear for Christmas with Chuck's son and family. A very bright spot for me has been reconnecting with one of my college roommates, Sally. She's the one who imported Ripple from NY at $0.33 per bottle. It was so interesting to catch up with her. She's an artist and specializes in painting animals, including pets. A great idea for next Christmas. See Sally's website at http://www.natureartists.com/berners.htm
Merry, merry everyone. Vicki
Merry, merry everyone. Vicki
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
December 14, 2010
I have very warm feelings for Moab,UT and our friends there - Ron, Dar, Renee and Craig - but true to Modlin tradition, our return was not without incident. I was driving as we entered our site, with Chuck in the passenger seat. "PLENTY OF ROOM ON THIS SIDE," he kept on repeating as I inched forward. But - it was dark. We didn't see the picnic table that made a long scrape mark and broke the molding over the back right wheel. My first collision. Fortunately, we've had so many that it didn't seem all that disastrous.
Like attracts like, I guess because Ron has numerous smart, interesting friends. This time around, we met Chris O'Brien. Chris is a co-host for paracast.com which covers paranormal events. We were fortunate to spend a day with Ron, Dar,Chris and Susan, including a visit to Sego canyon. The Indian writings here are up to 9,000 years old. The only thing that protects them is a fence and a sign. Even the oil from hands can be detrimental to these sacred works so we all got agitated when we saw two boys scrambling up the rocks. Ron yelled out to get down and the father of the boys yelled back "don't pay any attention to him, you're not doing anything wrong." We walked en masse towards the father to confront him and things definitely got heated. I just couldn't believe that a parent would encourage that kind of disrespect. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed - the women's - and the fact that Darlene is a National Park Ranger seemed to persuade them that they were in the wrong.
There are a number of other writings just across the road. Among them, there is a very satanic looking figure. We all stood in silence as Chris took an EVP reading (like they do on ghost hunters) before it. Haven't gotten any feedback on this so assume that nothing came through.
We decided to forge forward on an unpaved road; our Sebring had the lowest clearance so we went first. When it rains there, rivulets of water cause washes and it was these areas that caused the most concern. I got out and looked at a couple of them before we crossed; if too steep, the car could get hung up in the middle. One of these definitely looked dicey to me but Chuck decided to cross anyway. We hit hard on the front bumper but Chuck gunned it, plowing up dirt as he went. When we came to a rest on the other side, a piece of something hung down under the front bumper. A plastic mud guard - Chuck pulled it off and we continued on. We were heading towards a Ute reservation where many UFO incidents occur. Non-Utes are not welcome...very definitely not welcome. The end of the road we were on is the closest you can get by car. WE didn't see anything but Ron said something was probably seeing us - if only the mountain lions. There were two, very old hovels dug into the side of the hill, held up by huge center logs, as well as an ancient community oven. It was easy to imagine the presence of the departed walking alongside us.
We had to return the way we came - so all pitched in to pile small rocks across the wash to lessen the depth of the dip....making the way back far less eventful. Sort of sorry we didn't buy an old jeep for our tow car. A couple of days later, we departed Moab, knowing that we will return.
We stayed one night at Nellis AFB in Nevada, then on to California where we went our separate ways. Chuck traveled on to Chuck Fetterman's(our best man) near Brentwood and I took the tow car down to Charles and Bobbi's place near Burbank. Bobbi's mom has been very ill; Chuck's X-mas present to her was the flight home and my present was staying with the three kids for a couple of days in her absence. Thank heavens I remembered how to make salt dough cookie ornaments - kept the kids busy for hours. Also took them to my first 3-D movie, "Tangled." On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I drove back to join Chuck - through the Central Valley where so much of the produce we enjoy is grown. What should have been a 5-6 hour drive became 8 hours because of all the holiday traffic.
One of the interesting things I did while in that area was to meet with Eleanor Haspel Portner and a woman who claimed to have been abducted by ET's. Eleanor is a psychologist that I met 30 years ago during my Chicago days. The session wasn't particularly compelling but it was great to visit with Eleanor and I know we'll have future connections relating to sightings.
Currently we're trying to do some filming of investigative procedures. Chuck F. lit a huge pile of brush on his property which we used to portray a landing site. The two Chucks have tried to film the use of the: Google Earth maps, thermal sensing device, geiger counter, laser range finder, compass factoring in the magnetic deviation, tri-field meter and grid lay out. At one point, one of Chuck's horses started to wander into the site and we all broke out laughing. We haven't reviewed the film yet but the out-takes may take up more time than the leave-ins.
We'll head back to Charles' home for Christmas. We feel a bit like the Cranks but feel that RVing is the perfect excuse to avoid all the demands of the season - and we're loving it!
Happy holidays everyone! Vicki
Like attracts like, I guess because Ron has numerous smart, interesting friends. This time around, we met Chris O'Brien. Chris is a co-host for paracast.com which covers paranormal events. We were fortunate to spend a day with Ron, Dar,Chris and Susan, including a visit to Sego canyon. The Indian writings here are up to 9,000 years old. The only thing that protects them is a fence and a sign. Even the oil from hands can be detrimental to these sacred works so we all got agitated when we saw two boys scrambling up the rocks. Ron yelled out to get down and the father of the boys yelled back "don't pay any attention to him, you're not doing anything wrong." We walked en masse towards the father to confront him and things definitely got heated. I just couldn't believe that a parent would encourage that kind of disrespect. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed - the women's - and the fact that Darlene is a National Park Ranger seemed to persuade them that they were in the wrong.
There are a number of other writings just across the road. Among them, there is a very satanic looking figure. We all stood in silence as Chris took an EVP reading (like they do on ghost hunters) before it. Haven't gotten any feedback on this so assume that nothing came through.
We decided to forge forward on an unpaved road; our Sebring had the lowest clearance so we went first. When it rains there, rivulets of water cause washes and it was these areas that caused the most concern. I got out and looked at a couple of them before we crossed; if too steep, the car could get hung up in the middle. One of these definitely looked dicey to me but Chuck decided to cross anyway. We hit hard on the front bumper but Chuck gunned it, plowing up dirt as he went. When we came to a rest on the other side, a piece of something hung down under the front bumper. A plastic mud guard - Chuck pulled it off and we continued on. We were heading towards a Ute reservation where many UFO incidents occur. Non-Utes are not welcome...very definitely not welcome. The end of the road we were on is the closest you can get by car. WE didn't see anything but Ron said something was probably seeing us - if only the mountain lions. There were two, very old hovels dug into the side of the hill, held up by huge center logs, as well as an ancient community oven. It was easy to imagine the presence of the departed walking alongside us.
We had to return the way we came - so all pitched in to pile small rocks across the wash to lessen the depth of the dip....making the way back far less eventful. Sort of sorry we didn't buy an old jeep for our tow car. A couple of days later, we departed Moab, knowing that we will return.
We stayed one night at Nellis AFB in Nevada, then on to California where we went our separate ways. Chuck traveled on to Chuck Fetterman's(our best man) near Brentwood and I took the tow car down to Charles and Bobbi's place near Burbank. Bobbi's mom has been very ill; Chuck's X-mas present to her was the flight home and my present was staying with the three kids for a couple of days in her absence. Thank heavens I remembered how to make salt dough cookie ornaments - kept the kids busy for hours. Also took them to my first 3-D movie, "Tangled." On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I drove back to join Chuck - through the Central Valley where so much of the produce we enjoy is grown. What should have been a 5-6 hour drive became 8 hours because of all the holiday traffic.
One of the interesting things I did while in that area was to meet with Eleanor Haspel Portner and a woman who claimed to have been abducted by ET's. Eleanor is a psychologist that I met 30 years ago during my Chicago days. The session wasn't particularly compelling but it was great to visit with Eleanor and I know we'll have future connections relating to sightings.
Currently we're trying to do some filming of investigative procedures. Chuck F. lit a huge pile of brush on his property which we used to portray a landing site. The two Chucks have tried to film the use of the: Google Earth maps, thermal sensing device, geiger counter, laser range finder, compass factoring in the magnetic deviation, tri-field meter and grid lay out. At one point, one of Chuck's horses started to wander into the site and we all broke out laughing. We haven't reviewed the film yet but the out-takes may take up more time than the leave-ins.
We'll head back to Charles' home for Christmas. We feel a bit like the Cranks but feel that RVing is the perfect excuse to avoid all the demands of the season - and we're loving it!
Happy holidays everyone! Vicki
Sunday, October 31, 2010
October 31, 2010
Despite their horrific experience, Nicky and Nate are on the mend. I've been amazed at their positive attitudes and drive to get things done despite crutches and casts. The only complaint I heard was that they were bored to death at home....they had enough TV and Farmville for a lifetime. My sudden plummet back into work at the home seemed totally exhausting. Fortunately, Spencer, the daughter of one of our long time employees and my niece, Jaimie, both had their CNA certifications and came to my rescue; our regular staff also pitched in by picking up extra shifts. They were terrific.
Initially, we stayed at a nice RV park in Mukwonago; later we moved to State Fair Park RV in West Allis. Not as nice but closer to Chateau. We did have a late night visitor there once - begging for beer - but it was otherwise uneventful. A small, dimly-lit bar just 1/2 block from the RV park on 76th, called "Liquid Johnny's," triggered my curiosity. We decided to check it out. Over the next couple of weeks, it became our favorite Friday night hangout. Chuck enjoyed their fish fry and I loved the "Johnny Burger" served on a delicious pretzel roll. Yumm. Watching "Cash Cab" on TV with the rest of the locals completed the experience.
One of the highlights of our time at home was a get together of 6 grade school girlfriends. I hadn't seen a couple of them for 45 years.....yikes! We had so much fun that my face was stiff from laughing by the time we left. Dianne, Cheryl, Sandy, Carol and Bonnie - it was fantastic to see all of them again. Thanks to Barbara, who hosted a wonderful get-together,I also saw a lot of my 2-20's friends. Barb always says it's going to be "very simple" but it always ends up looking elegant - like it was a lot of work.
The one totally indulgent thing I did when I was home was to meet John Stahler in Chicago to continue my remote viewing training. In one of the sessions, I felt that there was land, water and structure....kind of unusual to have all three. Early analytical overlays were "buoy," "BGB," "ship masts," and "partially immersed." BGB was a term I heard from an Army guy at Mayport Naval Station who knew almost as little about the huge ships as I did; "I just call 'em BGB - Big Gray Boats", he explained. I described complicated gauges, a long center cylinder sitting on a hard flat surface, stairs, an acrid smell, clanging sound,and a warning label. I drew a diver under a large ship. When the session ended, John showed me the target - a picture of the Battleship Texas. Interestingly, on the upper right of the page was a label titled "Protection" with an explanation of the use of Camouflage - which I took to be the warning label.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with John; the rest of the day didn't go so well. While I was doing sessions, what I should have remote viewed was the low-life that was stealing our laptop and GPS from the car. The first thing I did after discovering the theft was to call my sister to see if I could stay at her house if need be. Then I called Chuck to give him the dire news. Even I didn't realize what a huge loss this was. The computer was the least of it. We had thousands of dollars of software on the computer - some of it essentially irreplaceable. Chuck handled it better than I thought he would although the next few days, as he recalled additional programs that we lost, were kind of dicey.
With Nicky back to work, we needed to head out again before the snow started flying. Currently we're back in Moab, UT - doing some fun things which will be the subject of the next blog.
Love, Vicki and Chuck
Initially, we stayed at a nice RV park in Mukwonago; later we moved to State Fair Park RV in West Allis. Not as nice but closer to Chateau. We did have a late night visitor there once - begging for beer - but it was otherwise uneventful. A small, dimly-lit bar just 1/2 block from the RV park on 76th, called "Liquid Johnny's," triggered my curiosity. We decided to check it out. Over the next couple of weeks, it became our favorite Friday night hangout. Chuck enjoyed their fish fry and I loved the "Johnny Burger" served on a delicious pretzel roll. Yumm. Watching "Cash Cab" on TV with the rest of the locals completed the experience.
One of the highlights of our time at home was a get together of 6 grade school girlfriends. I hadn't seen a couple of them for 45 years.....yikes! We had so much fun that my face was stiff from laughing by the time we left. Dianne, Cheryl, Sandy, Carol and Bonnie - it was fantastic to see all of them again. Thanks to Barbara, who hosted a wonderful get-together,I also saw a lot of my 2-20's friends. Barb always says it's going to be "very simple" but it always ends up looking elegant - like it was a lot of work.
The one totally indulgent thing I did when I was home was to meet John Stahler in Chicago to continue my remote viewing training. In one of the sessions, I felt that there was land, water and structure....kind of unusual to have all three. Early analytical overlays were "buoy," "BGB," "ship masts," and "partially immersed." BGB was a term I heard from an Army guy at Mayport Naval Station who knew almost as little about the huge ships as I did; "I just call 'em BGB - Big Gray Boats", he explained. I described complicated gauges, a long center cylinder sitting on a hard flat surface, stairs, an acrid smell, clanging sound,and a warning label. I drew a diver under a large ship. When the session ended, John showed me the target - a picture of the Battleship Texas. Interestingly, on the upper right of the page was a label titled "Protection" with an explanation of the use of Camouflage - which I took to be the warning label.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with John; the rest of the day didn't go so well. While I was doing sessions, what I should have remote viewed was the low-life that was stealing our laptop and GPS from the car. The first thing I did after discovering the theft was to call my sister to see if I could stay at her house if need be. Then I called Chuck to give him the dire news. Even I didn't realize what a huge loss this was. The computer was the least of it. We had thousands of dollars of software on the computer - some of it essentially irreplaceable. Chuck handled it better than I thought he would although the next few days, as he recalled additional programs that we lost, were kind of dicey.
With Nicky back to work, we needed to head out again before the snow started flying. Currently we're back in Moab, UT - doing some fun things which will be the subject of the next blog.
Love, Vicki and Chuck
Saturday, August 14, 2010
August 27, 2010
With our time in Moab dwindling, Ron and his daughter, Rene, offered to take us on one more outing. Chuck rode with Ron in his truck and I rode with Rene in hers. As if our CO mountain trip wasn't scary enough, they decided to drive down "Mineral Bottom" road - a steep,rocky, unpaved road that only 4-wheel drive vehicles or ATVs can handle. I held on tight - as if that would do any good if the truck lost its grip and went over the sheer drop. I tried to focus on the variations in the color of the rocks as we drove - the Moab reds, golds and the greens caused by iron oxide. Repeat after me, "Beautiful rocks, don't look down." We finally reached the bottom and drove over to a small area which serves as a landing strip. Hard to imagine what might be flown in here - other than perhaps a rescue mission. We drove on until Ron got concerned that we might get stuck on the sandy road. We turned back and had lunch along a river bank - so we'd have something to lose on the way up? Somehow the trip back up the switchbacks was more terrifying than the way down. Rene gave a sigh of relief when we reached the top. Ha ha, she had my life in her hands and was as scared as I was. (We recently learned that the road was affected by the flash floods in Utah and is closed indefinitely)
On the way back, Ron pointed out a granary where the native Americans hid their food from animals and other tribes. Rene and I decided that the short trek up was doable and set off with her part-Dingo dog, "Max." I haven't done much hiking on uneven ground since my knee surgery but my Teva sandals seemed to grip the ground pretty well. Still I was pretty pooped by the time we got to the site. Resting next to a granary that probably hasn't changed much since it was built at least 600 years ago seemed worth the work to get there. The trip down was a lot easier and faster but I had zero energy left by the time we reached the truck. Chuck poured some water over my head thinking that I could have heat exhaustion. Very possible - after we returned, we learned that the temperature was 109.4 degrees.
After a taco night with Ron, Rene and Craig, we prepared to leave for the MUFON Symposium in Denver.
MUFON has undergone radical change this year. We lost, at least temporarily, the significant funding we received from an aerospace company, and our International Director stepped down. Fortunately, our Board of Directors met the challenge and there was a palpable, new energy at the State Directors' meeting along with lots of creative ideas for the future. Chuck gave his presentation on EMP (Electro
Magnetic Pulse) highlighting our Port Jervis, NY case during the Field Investigator's portion of the program. The next two days, we enjoyed talks by the foremost experts in ufology and reconnecting with friends - especially Chuck Fetterman - our "best man." After the Symposium, we headed towards Greeley, CO to spend some time at the new International Head Quarters.
We also planned to visit beautiful Estes Park. Very unfortunately, however, I saw a entry on Facebook that indicated that my Administrator, Nicky, and her husband were in the hospital. Eventually I learned that they had been in a serious motorcycle accident. Luckily, I was able to get a straight flight home that afternoon. Chuck followed with the RV.
Nicky has a hairline fracture in her neck and a surgically placed screw in her ankle. She'll require at least a couple of months rehab and I'm back to work until then.
We had planned to be home on the 10th anyway to attend my nephew's wedding. We had a fantastic time celebrating with Ryan and Heather and catching up with family. We also attended Court - on a motion for summary judgment against the Lang Antique Jewelry Store in San Francisco - where we prevailed. Finally.
So, we're home for a bit, let's catch up.
On the way back, Ron pointed out a granary where the native Americans hid their food from animals and other tribes. Rene and I decided that the short trek up was doable and set off with her part-Dingo dog, "Max." I haven't done much hiking on uneven ground since my knee surgery but my Teva sandals seemed to grip the ground pretty well. Still I was pretty pooped by the time we got to the site. Resting next to a granary that probably hasn't changed much since it was built at least 600 years ago seemed worth the work to get there. The trip down was a lot easier and faster but I had zero energy left by the time we reached the truck. Chuck poured some water over my head thinking that I could have heat exhaustion. Very possible - after we returned, we learned that the temperature was 109.4 degrees.
After a taco night with Ron, Rene and Craig, we prepared to leave for the MUFON Symposium in Denver.
MUFON has undergone radical change this year. We lost, at least temporarily, the significant funding we received from an aerospace company, and our International Director stepped down. Fortunately, our Board of Directors met the challenge and there was a palpable, new energy at the State Directors' meeting along with lots of creative ideas for the future. Chuck gave his presentation on EMP (Electro
Magnetic Pulse) highlighting our Port Jervis, NY case during the Field Investigator's portion of the program. The next two days, we enjoyed talks by the foremost experts in ufology and reconnecting with friends - especially Chuck Fetterman - our "best man." After the Symposium, we headed towards Greeley, CO to spend some time at the new International Head Quarters.
We also planned to visit beautiful Estes Park. Very unfortunately, however, I saw a entry on Facebook that indicated that my Administrator, Nicky, and her husband were in the hospital. Eventually I learned that they had been in a serious motorcycle accident. Luckily, I was able to get a straight flight home that afternoon. Chuck followed with the RV.
Nicky has a hairline fracture in her neck and a surgically placed screw in her ankle. She'll require at least a couple of months rehab and I'm back to work until then.
We had planned to be home on the 10th anyway to attend my nephew's wedding. We had a fantastic time celebrating with Ryan and Heather and catching up with family. We also attended Court - on a motion for summary judgment against the Lang Antique Jewelry Store in San Francisco - where we prevailed. Finally.
So, we're home for a bit, let's catch up.
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