Phoenix weather still in the triple digits during the day, but the sun sets earlier now. Strange to feel that it is "late" at 7:30pm.

The Grand Canyon was suitably big, red, and deep. Oodles of European tourists trotting around in their fashionable pedal-pushers and soccer shoes. And several busloads of Chinese tourists gawping at the canyon and brandishing chic digital cameras.

Flagstaff was fun. Crunchy granola college mountain town with cool evenings. Downtown apparently takes leave of sanity each weekend whilst NAU students bond over excessive drinking. I don't think we had a decent meal once while there, although there are loads of cute places. Disappointing, but still a good weekend.

And now, laundry and Agatha Christie before bed.

To the Grand Canyon this weekend.

Joel is off to Seattle to start a new life with a new boy.

We're talking about selling the house and moving back to California soon.

Wade may or may not be moving to California and/or Seattle.

Changes are afoot.

And we're back.

They don't suck.

I've never made red beans and rice. We prefer black-eyed peas around these parts, but today seemed as good a day as any to try the red sort. I hope they don't suck.

Was anyone else mildly offended at the stories of "displaced hurricane survivors" being relocated to Phoenix, Arizona or Wherever, Minnesota and being greeted with meals of greens, red beans, cornbread, etc. etc. etc.? It was as if we were taking in people from another planet, not citizens of our own country. I suppose comfort food is what works best in a crisis, but it just seemed so stereotypical.

Installed Moveable Type for the first time. I'm really not sure if I want to convert everything over.... It seems rather one-way. I've been a Blogger user for five years. Blogger has made some strange changes (inserting odd bits of HTML into my posts) recently, but I'm still loyal.

While in Boise this past weekend, I reconnected with a friend I haven't seen in several years. We exchanged email addresses again, and it's been very nice to hear news and stories from home.

Boise is 10 years and another world away. I can't go back, but I need to be better about taking my friends with me. I've been horrible about staying in touch, visiting, or writing. It's self-reinforcing behavior. Once you start feeling guilty about not replying to an email or returning a phone call, it just seems easier to keep putting it off.

So I'm going to stop putting it off.

Back from Idaho.

Mother and her significant other went to Alaska several weeks ago for a week of salmon fishing and float-plane rides. The benefits were some beautiful pictures of tree-covered islands around Ketchikan and about 80 pounds of king salmon, pink salmon, and halibut. I haven't eaten this much fish in months.... For dinner, salmon and halibut en papillote, wrapped in foil, roasted with onions. Scrambled eggs laced with leftover salmon this morning, and I was sent home with two pounds of the most wonderful smoked salmon.

Too bad Jason hates fish... I guess I get to eat it all myself.

Idaho for the weekend to visit the parents, grandparents, and partake of pints at my friend Keith's bar, the Lucky Dog Tavern.

Getting out of the heat is a bonus.