Time for a BREAK

It seems like lately we've been workin' our fingers to the bone and have had little time away from the grind.

Kristie has had more than a few "stand up 24s" on the ambulance (that's when she goes to work at 0800 and doesn't get a break until she goes home at 0800 the next morning) dealing with a bunch of the usual suspects (mostly Native American street alchoholics) that tie up our medical system (See Mike and Molly controversy... They have it pegged exactly right and I won't apologize because the truth hurts) along with more than a little administrative and bureaucratic buffoonery. My lovely bride is at the absolute end of her rope.

I have had my usual mix of medicalwildlandcaraccidentcatinatreestaiontourforthekidstrainingexercisehousefireteachingCPRetc work schedule along with a sizable dose of FFD administrative buffoonery (I can't believe they haven't fired our "not really a Fire Chief and piss poor  administrator" yet) on top of the end of semester hustle and shuffle at the college and the summer EMT Refresher course keeping me pretty busy (yes, My name is Dave and I am a workaholic). That said and our extended road trip vacation is still 5 weeks away.

We thought we were gonna have a little getaway over Memorial Day weekend but it turned out to be more of a hassle than it was worth in the end. As it turns out it is not such a good idea to go camping with a bunch of people (18 total) many of whom you don't know. WAY too many "personalities" came into the mix when what was really needed was a bit more quiet and solitude.

We had a bright spot when our daughter, Kasey (ER Nurse in Seattle) flew in for a few days last week to visit her grandmother who has been having some serious health issues. We had a great visit albeit far too short. Unfortunately for me I was teaching an EMT Refresher course all day Saturday and Sunday and then had to go back to work for my usual 48 hour fire department tour on Tuesday and Wednesday so I really only got to visit with Kasey on Monday. At least she got to spend a little more time with her mother, brother and her little sister.

We were able to get all the kids including our youngest daughter (Meghan, NAU student), our son (Lee) and his girlfriend (Lena) along with her 6 y/o daughter (Andi) to come out to the house for a pizza party on Monday because Kasey was in town. It is such a rare thing to have them all together any more. Everybody was giving me the business because my refrigerator was full of PBR. It however did not stop any of them (with the exception of little Andi) from consuming ALL of the aforementioned PBR. For the record there were several other beer selections available.

I think now it is time to have a little Kristie and Dave time with just the two of us partaking in some adult recreation. We're gonna cash in Kristie's "Pot of Gold" (that's where we've dropped all or pocket change for the last 6 months) find a hotel with a comfortable bed, a swimming pool and maybe a Casino in the mix as well... Laughlin here we come!

A Little Wind in the Face is a GOOD THING

Finally, Spring has sprung and the motorcycle has made it out onto the open road for a ride through the Arizona desert mountains.

One of my annual "gotta do" items is to take a motorcycle ride down from Flagstaff to the Valley of the Sun to take part in the East Valley Firefighters Charities Poker Run that starts out at Superstition Harley Davidson in Apache Junction Arizona. The Firefighters from Mesa, Apache Junction, Gilbert and Globe Arizona put on one of the best events of it type in the state during Arizona Bike Week each year. This year was no exception.

After the registration part is done and I buy some

raffle ticketsthe Mesa Local 2260 Firefighters put up

a big pancake breakfast for all the hungry riders.

Then it is TIME TO RIDE!

The poker run route traditionally runs up to the copper mining town of Globe/Miami for the first stop and will then vary from year to year.

For the 2013 ride we then ran South from Globe through the scenic Gila River Canyon to the town of Oracle and then to Florence and finally ending in Mesa at the Cactus Moon Sports Grill.



We had a little bit of extra fun this year when Steve "Munk" Mundell, one of the riders in our little band of IAFF Motorcycle Group members was able to draw 4 Kings and a Jack to put together the winning High Hand and take home the prize of $1000 cash!

 

The next big event is the Laughlin River Run where we will be meeting up with other firefighters from around the West for a ride and BBQ that I started 4 years ago and is now being put on by the Leatherheads Motorcycle Club.

 

I'll have our Damon Outlaw set up at the Riverside Casino RV Park along with my good friends from the Las Vegas Fire Department for 4 days of riding and enjoying the rally.