Story Aunt Gus & Little Bear's Great Adventure Book 1 (Complete)
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
Jun 8 – 14: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Part 4)
June 11th
Had to get up at five in the morning and drive to meet our guide for the Navajo Nation Park known as Monument Valley at 8:00 am in the Oljato area. It was 129 miles and just a little over two hours of drive time. And no one drove the speed limit. No one. These back highways that made us feel like we were driving on Mars, and all these jeeps and pick ‘em up trucks would pass me in a blink and then we’d be alone again. Little freaky if you want to know the truth. I felt like a little old lady down in Florida causing a traffic slow down. But the last thing I wanted to do was get a ticket in the Navajo Nation. No, I take that back. The last thing I wanted to do was set a bad example for Benny or get a ticket. The insurance for me and the Ark was high enough as it was.
Finally made it to the meet up point and parked the Ark and then because we were so early all I could do was sit there and wonder if I had the right place. Finally eight o’clock rolls around and two men drove up and all I could do was try and not act like a paranoid idiot. The guide hello’d me and starting running down a list of names until he got to ours and I acknowledged our names and was saved from trying what to do next by a car pulling up with two middled aged couples getting out. Then a ramshackle van that a youngish couple climbed out of.
Joseph was the name of our guide, and he couldn’t have been much older than me, it was hard to tell. Happy natured whatever his age was, and not offended by my initial caution. There was another man who rode with us as a driver … we were in a 4x4 that held eight passengers plus the driver and guide … who was more stoic, had a face like carved granite. The only one that the driver seemed to take an interest in was Benny and I think that was because he would answer “Yes, Sir” and “No, Sir” and asked empathetic questions when there was an opportunity to do so. That’s my Little Bear.
I know Benny is only five, but he is his own little guy. Thank goodness he doesn’t have the one problem that I had at his age. I didn’t lack empathy, but Dad used to say I had walls as thick as Jericho that people mistook for being cold and distrustful. I was cautious for a fact, but not cold, or at least not intentionally so. On top of everything else sometimes the pediatricians would warn Dad that I might be autistic. Well, personally I don’t think I am. I’ve had friends that were on the Spectrum and our issues differed. But, who knows? Dad wasn’t really into labels. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I wasn’t in public school. I take that back, he liked to label things and be organized and he would hate me calling those information signs “sign thingies” but he didn’t like labeling people. It offended something in him. I remember one time the counselor – once again trying to get my worst OCD behaviors under control without medication – asked Dad to take a personality test with me. Turns out we were both “logical mechanic” types yet strangely enough we both also scored high on the “conscientious caregiver” with depressive traits. I remember that man seemed to help Dad more than me that year. He was very old-school using things like behavioral therapy and biofeedback. I think, in hindsight, he realized that by helping Dad he’d also be helping me because Dad’s reactions to my less than stellar reactions to the world around me sometimes reinforced the less desirable traits they were trying to teach me to cope with.
Why on earth that stuff runs around in my head at the most inconvenient times I don’t know. It is like there is a hamster loose in my head that I need to keep putting back in the hamster wheel so at least the energy of the little beastie is kept under control and only going one direction. Benny’s counselor said maybe not to give him that visual for his own runaway thoughts but to help him find his own. In hindsight I’m glad that I didn’t fall prey to putting all my “labels” on Benny. Yes, we are very similar in many areas – even Lawrence recognized how similar we were except Benny didn’t seem to have my temper – but we are dissimilar in other ways. The super empathy thing Benny has is just the biggest difference. Best comparisons I can come up with is I draw using a straight edge and plumbline. Benny can draw a straight line just using his eye, but prefers drawing curves because they are “softer.” We both need boundaries, rules, and schedules. I prefer setting the boundaries, rules, and schedules (control freak much?) and Benny prefers following known boundaries, rules, and schedules. My anger is a personality quirk that I’ve learned to manage and direct as I’ve grown up and learned coping skills. Benny’s is usually the result of some dietary disruption that he will have to learn to manage and cope with as he grows up and is required to have more of his own personal responsibility.
Argh! Damn hamster. Get back in your freakin’ cage you little furry nuisance. I may need to drink a caffeine drink to get some sleep tonight. I have way too much on my mind. Back to our day.
So, speaking of rules and curves, Monument Valley was just wow. For one, our driver was cool. For such a stoic guy he sure did get a kick out of making a couple of the passengers squeak when he off-roaded. Benny and I were the first ones to pick up on what he was doing. The guide thought Benny was scared at first until he realized he was trying not to laugh at the other people on our tour. My silent chuckles were a dead giveaway. The driver got me a couple of times, but I enjoyed it because I also sensed he knew exactly what he was doing in terms of his driving skills. I love thrill rides, white water, and storms but I’m not really an adrenaline junkie. I got over my need to experience those things to the extreme when I recognized how much Lawrence and Benny needed me. But I do like a taste of them from time to time.
Our stops were in this order on the 17-mile scenic road – I think. After a while the beauty and how different everything is to what Benny and I are used to made things a little overwhelming to keep track of: West & East Mitten View, Elephant Butte, John Ford's Point, Navajo Hogan Visit & Navajo rug weaving demonstration, Big Hogan Arch, Moccasin Arch & Live Performance Scenic, Sun's Eye & Anasazi Petroglyphs/Ruins, Ear of the Wind Arch, Echo Cave Ruin, The Totem Pole Monument & Sand Springs, Artist's Point & Spearhead Mesa, and the North Window.
Benny and I really enjoyed the exposure to Navajo culture. I almost said Native American culture but I’m learning that Native American tribes were and are as different from each other as the culture of individual countries can be. The rug weaving that the Navajo people do is quite simply amazing. The storytelling that Joseph provided was on point and perfect. Even Benny could understand and ask thoughtful questions. Joseph learned that if he allowed the other members of our party to be drawn to something else, Benny would go, “Excuse me, Mr. Joseph?” and then ask his question. He wouldn’t open up if anyone else was paying attention. Or, “Sir? Mr. Atsa?” Atas was the driver’s name, but I think only Benny and I found that out. They were brothers from the same father but their mothers had been sisters but were raised by a third sister when both their mothers could not take care of them.
Atsa did not look at all comfortable at Joseph telling Benny that but then Benny, bless him, said, “My Aunt Gus takes care of me and she said she always will. Aunts are the best when your mom goes away.”
I could feel Benny tense like he was suddenly unsure of having shared that thought but Atsa grunted and said, “They cook good too. Think it is break time.”
Slowly Benny grinned and said, “Aunt Gus can cook. She always makes sure the food doesn’t make me sick.”
He looked at me so hopefully I said, “When they say it is time, we’ll eat. Would you like something to drink to hold you over?”
“Please.”
While I kept an eye on Benny as he looked around our latest stop Atsa said, “The boy’s father is gone as well?” And I explained what felt like the zillionth time. “His mother was … fragile. And did what too many fragile people do to escape how they feel.” I gave him just enough detail for him to understand.
“But I heard him say that you kayak with him.”
“Benny doesn’t blame the water. He doesn’t blame the Creator that made the water. And he’s learning not to blame his mother. She would never have wanted to hurt him, unfortunately she chose a path that it was inevitable.”
“That is too often the way,” he said. Part of me wanted to ask, but another part of me knew it was too private to this man. I hope that whatever we have in common with him, there is someone out there that can help him deal with the pain and the loneliness. Being alone sucks.
Maybe it was that connection that gave me too much to think about. It had my hamster doing crazy things in my head on the long drive back to the RV park. I was only able to duct tape him into submission while Benny and I kayaked on the lake for a bit after we got back. After we got back to camp I fed the eating machine and then he asked if he could watch a video on the Navajo and I found one that was fit for his age.
While he did that, I checked in with everyone … mostly meaning Groucho and Stella but there were a few others that had left comments on the blog. Stella is still wigging about hurricane season, especially now that it is officially here … or there I mean. My friend from school, Pei Shin, is telling me to let her know when we are heading to the West Coast because she wants to meet up. She’s out there living with her older brother for now until she can transfer back to Florida for her graduate degree. She’s gonna be a doktah. LOL. Her mother is the biggest Tiger Mom you can imagine. Pei Shin’s mother never knew quite what to make of all of the freedom I was given; she put it down to my lack of a mother my entire life. She was a nice woman, just strict beyond words to describe. I mean Pei Shin had zero choices in life and I’m not sure if there is much difference now that she has left her teens.
I also got an email from Benny’s insurance provider. They need an address or they would forward his file to a homeless counselor and then there could be custody issues. And yes, they made that threat. I made a call to the hotline and think I have disaster averted but geez. Good thing I did all the right things before heading out on this trip like make sure that all of Benny’s check ups, etc. were up to date and developed a canned response so no one could accuse me of educational neglect. And I avoided the woman’s “gotcha” by saying, “Well sure, if you want the blog address but to be honest you won’t find any pictures identifiable as Benny on there.”
“Oh really? He’s not with you?”
“Oh he’s with me. I tailor our activities to his abilities. It is just a matter of security. Benny is far too young to have a social media presence. Too many people out there with jerkitude and pervidom tendencies.”
“He isn’t on social media at all?”
“Nope. The blog is monetized, but I won’t do it at Benny’s expense in any way, shape, or form. I mention him, but not by name. And I’m ‘Aunt Gus’ as I am in real life, however I leave our surname out of it. There’s a difference between transparency and stupidity.”
And I am very careful. That’s why it generally takes me a day or two before I can post – if it isn’t internet access. I even run each piece through a program that checks for certain words … Benny being one of those words. I’ve only made that mistake a few times and only in the very beginning and the mistakes never saw the light of day because I caught them before I published.
Benny’s last counselor mentioned something, before graduating him from treatment. He said that I should give serious consideration to adopting him rather than just holding his guardianship. He said it didn’t have to change our relationship but it could help with any legalities down the road. I didn’t like the idea when he brought it up, I thought it was disrespectful to Lawrence … and Penny. But the phone call is making me rethink that. And that is likely what has the hamster playing cannon ball in my head.
Geez, I need to get some sleep. Gonna pop me a can of caffeine and pray to the Creator I can get some peace or I’m going to be useless tomorrow.
June 11th
Had to get up at five in the morning and drive to meet our guide for the Navajo Nation Park known as Monument Valley at 8:00 am in the Oljato area. It was 129 miles and just a little over two hours of drive time. And no one drove the speed limit. No one. These back highways that made us feel like we were driving on Mars, and all these jeeps and pick ‘em up trucks would pass me in a blink and then we’d be alone again. Little freaky if you want to know the truth. I felt like a little old lady down in Florida causing a traffic slow down. But the last thing I wanted to do was get a ticket in the Navajo Nation. No, I take that back. The last thing I wanted to do was set a bad example for Benny or get a ticket. The insurance for me and the Ark was high enough as it was.
Finally made it to the meet up point and parked the Ark and then because we were so early all I could do was sit there and wonder if I had the right place. Finally eight o’clock rolls around and two men drove up and all I could do was try and not act like a paranoid idiot. The guide hello’d me and starting running down a list of names until he got to ours and I acknowledged our names and was saved from trying what to do next by a car pulling up with two middled aged couples getting out. Then a ramshackle van that a youngish couple climbed out of.
Joseph was the name of our guide, and he couldn’t have been much older than me, it was hard to tell. Happy natured whatever his age was, and not offended by my initial caution. There was another man who rode with us as a driver … we were in a 4x4 that held eight passengers plus the driver and guide … who was more stoic, had a face like carved granite. The only one that the driver seemed to take an interest in was Benny and I think that was because he would answer “Yes, Sir” and “No, Sir” and asked empathetic questions when there was an opportunity to do so. That’s my Little Bear.
I know Benny is only five, but he is his own little guy. Thank goodness he doesn’t have the one problem that I had at his age. I didn’t lack empathy, but Dad used to say I had walls as thick as Jericho that people mistook for being cold and distrustful. I was cautious for a fact, but not cold, or at least not intentionally so. On top of everything else sometimes the pediatricians would warn Dad that I might be autistic. Well, personally I don’t think I am. I’ve had friends that were on the Spectrum and our issues differed. But, who knows? Dad wasn’t really into labels. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I wasn’t in public school. I take that back, he liked to label things and be organized and he would hate me calling those information signs “sign thingies” but he didn’t like labeling people. It offended something in him. I remember one time the counselor – once again trying to get my worst OCD behaviors under control without medication – asked Dad to take a personality test with me. Turns out we were both “logical mechanic” types yet strangely enough we both also scored high on the “conscientious caregiver” with depressive traits. I remember that man seemed to help Dad more than me that year. He was very old-school using things like behavioral therapy and biofeedback. I think, in hindsight, he realized that by helping Dad he’d also be helping me because Dad’s reactions to my less than stellar reactions to the world around me sometimes reinforced the less desirable traits they were trying to teach me to cope with.
Why on earth that stuff runs around in my head at the most inconvenient times I don’t know. It is like there is a hamster loose in my head that I need to keep putting back in the hamster wheel so at least the energy of the little beastie is kept under control and only going one direction. Benny’s counselor said maybe not to give him that visual for his own runaway thoughts but to help him find his own. In hindsight I’m glad that I didn’t fall prey to putting all my “labels” on Benny. Yes, we are very similar in many areas – even Lawrence recognized how similar we were except Benny didn’t seem to have my temper – but we are dissimilar in other ways. The super empathy thing Benny has is just the biggest difference. Best comparisons I can come up with is I draw using a straight edge and plumbline. Benny can draw a straight line just using his eye, but prefers drawing curves because they are “softer.” We both need boundaries, rules, and schedules. I prefer setting the boundaries, rules, and schedules (control freak much?) and Benny prefers following known boundaries, rules, and schedules. My anger is a personality quirk that I’ve learned to manage and direct as I’ve grown up and learned coping skills. Benny’s is usually the result of some dietary disruption that he will have to learn to manage and cope with as he grows up and is required to have more of his own personal responsibility.
Argh! Damn hamster. Get back in your freakin’ cage you little furry nuisance. I may need to drink a caffeine drink to get some sleep tonight. I have way too much on my mind. Back to our day.
So, speaking of rules and curves, Monument Valley was just wow. For one, our driver was cool. For such a stoic guy he sure did get a kick out of making a couple of the passengers squeak when he off-roaded. Benny and I were the first ones to pick up on what he was doing. The guide thought Benny was scared at first until he realized he was trying not to laugh at the other people on our tour. My silent chuckles were a dead giveaway. The driver got me a couple of times, but I enjoyed it because I also sensed he knew exactly what he was doing in terms of his driving skills. I love thrill rides, white water, and storms but I’m not really an adrenaline junkie. I got over my need to experience those things to the extreme when I recognized how much Lawrence and Benny needed me. But I do like a taste of them from time to time.
Our stops were in this order on the 17-mile scenic road – I think. After a while the beauty and how different everything is to what Benny and I are used to made things a little overwhelming to keep track of: West & East Mitten View, Elephant Butte, John Ford's Point, Navajo Hogan Visit & Navajo rug weaving demonstration, Big Hogan Arch, Moccasin Arch & Live Performance Scenic, Sun's Eye & Anasazi Petroglyphs/Ruins, Ear of the Wind Arch, Echo Cave Ruin, The Totem Pole Monument & Sand Springs, Artist's Point & Spearhead Mesa, and the North Window.
Benny and I really enjoyed the exposure to Navajo culture. I almost said Native American culture but I’m learning that Native American tribes were and are as different from each other as the culture of individual countries can be. The rug weaving that the Navajo people do is quite simply amazing. The storytelling that Joseph provided was on point and perfect. Even Benny could understand and ask thoughtful questions. Joseph learned that if he allowed the other members of our party to be drawn to something else, Benny would go, “Excuse me, Mr. Joseph?” and then ask his question. He wouldn’t open up if anyone else was paying attention. Or, “Sir? Mr. Atsa?” Atas was the driver’s name, but I think only Benny and I found that out. They were brothers from the same father but their mothers had been sisters but were raised by a third sister when both their mothers could not take care of them.
Atsa did not look at all comfortable at Joseph telling Benny that but then Benny, bless him, said, “My Aunt Gus takes care of me and she said she always will. Aunts are the best when your mom goes away.”
I could feel Benny tense like he was suddenly unsure of having shared that thought but Atsa grunted and said, “They cook good too. Think it is break time.”
Slowly Benny grinned and said, “Aunt Gus can cook. She always makes sure the food doesn’t make me sick.”
He looked at me so hopefully I said, “When they say it is time, we’ll eat. Would you like something to drink to hold you over?”
“Please.”
While I kept an eye on Benny as he looked around our latest stop Atsa said, “The boy’s father is gone as well?” And I explained what felt like the zillionth time. “His mother was … fragile. And did what too many fragile people do to escape how they feel.” I gave him just enough detail for him to understand.
“But I heard him say that you kayak with him.”
“Benny doesn’t blame the water. He doesn’t blame the Creator that made the water. And he’s learning not to blame his mother. She would never have wanted to hurt him, unfortunately she chose a path that it was inevitable.”
“That is too often the way,” he said. Part of me wanted to ask, but another part of me knew it was too private to this man. I hope that whatever we have in common with him, there is someone out there that can help him deal with the pain and the loneliness. Being alone sucks.
Maybe it was that connection that gave me too much to think about. It had my hamster doing crazy things in my head on the long drive back to the RV park. I was only able to duct tape him into submission while Benny and I kayaked on the lake for a bit after we got back. After we got back to camp I fed the eating machine and then he asked if he could watch a video on the Navajo and I found one that was fit for his age.
While he did that, I checked in with everyone … mostly meaning Groucho and Stella but there were a few others that had left comments on the blog. Stella is still wigging about hurricane season, especially now that it is officially here … or there I mean. My friend from school, Pei Shin, is telling me to let her know when we are heading to the West Coast because she wants to meet up. She’s out there living with her older brother for now until she can transfer back to Florida for her graduate degree. She’s gonna be a doktah. LOL. Her mother is the biggest Tiger Mom you can imagine. Pei Shin’s mother never knew quite what to make of all of the freedom I was given; she put it down to my lack of a mother my entire life. She was a nice woman, just strict beyond words to describe. I mean Pei Shin had zero choices in life and I’m not sure if there is much difference now that she has left her teens.
I also got an email from Benny’s insurance provider. They need an address or they would forward his file to a homeless counselor and then there could be custody issues. And yes, they made that threat. I made a call to the hotline and think I have disaster averted but geez. Good thing I did all the right things before heading out on this trip like make sure that all of Benny’s check ups, etc. were up to date and developed a canned response so no one could accuse me of educational neglect. And I avoided the woman’s “gotcha” by saying, “Well sure, if you want the blog address but to be honest you won’t find any pictures identifiable as Benny on there.”
“Oh really? He’s not with you?”
“Oh he’s with me. I tailor our activities to his abilities. It is just a matter of security. Benny is far too young to have a social media presence. Too many people out there with jerkitude and pervidom tendencies.”
“He isn’t on social media at all?”
“Nope. The blog is monetized, but I won’t do it at Benny’s expense in any way, shape, or form. I mention him, but not by name. And I’m ‘Aunt Gus’ as I am in real life, however I leave our surname out of it. There’s a difference between transparency and stupidity.”
And I am very careful. That’s why it generally takes me a day or two before I can post – if it isn’t internet access. I even run each piece through a program that checks for certain words … Benny being one of those words. I’ve only made that mistake a few times and only in the very beginning and the mistakes never saw the light of day because I caught them before I published.
Benny’s last counselor mentioned something, before graduating him from treatment. He said that I should give serious consideration to adopting him rather than just holding his guardianship. He said it didn’t have to change our relationship but it could help with any legalities down the road. I didn’t like the idea when he brought it up, I thought it was disrespectful to Lawrence … and Penny. But the phone call is making me rethink that. And that is likely what has the hamster playing cannon ball in my head.
Geez, I need to get some sleep. Gonna pop me a can of caffeine and pray to the Creator I can get some peace or I’m going to be useless tomorrow.
kyrsyan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Love it.
Going to say that adopting is a good idea. I have guardianship but there are a whole bunch of things that folks like to push on that quickly end when I make it clear that I am also mom. Apparently messing with mom & guardian is a lot messier than messing with just guardian.
Going to say that adopting is a good idea. I have guardianship but there are a whole bunch of things that folks like to push on that quickly end when I make it clear that I am also mom. Apparently messing with mom & guardian is a lot messier than messing with just guardian.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
Jun 8 – 14: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Part 5)
June 12th
This morning we were bang on time at 8 am for our tour of the Glen Canyon Dam. We showed up the same time as an older couple who let us know, with no doubt, that they approved of our timeliness. Benny (and I) ate that up. Neither one of us can stand being late. Matter of fact, I’d rather be an hour early that five minutes late for anything. All my friends knew, and all my mates knew, especially those that had to deal with CPO Barrymore. Even Penny knew. Even the hamster in my head knows it and generally stays out of my way in that regard. Bottom line is Gus doesn’t just not like being late, she has a hard grudge against it. So, we were on time.
As a federal power plant facility, and due to all the terrorist activity that took place right before and right after I was born, security measures are in place. While no bags, purses, knives, weapons or food are allowed on the tour, wallets, cameras and clear water bottles are welcome. There are signs every few feet before you enter the visitor center and even after you enter the visitor center and yet we still had three people that had to get out of line and get rid of a few items and another man who pitched a fit about having to lose his pocketknife. Trust me, it didn’t thrill me to leave mine behind in the van, but it isn’t like you don’t know the rules. I mean if you can’t follow them then don’t do the tour. It really is that simple so don’t act so flippin’ surprised, like you didn’t know you were going to have to go through a metal detector.
I suppose I’m just a tad bent out of shape at the guy because he caused Benny to nearly have an anxiety attack. I had convinced Benny that it was okay to take his gold star bracelet off and put it in the tray so it could go through the x-ray machine when Mr. Big Baby started being facetious about people’s stuff disappearing in the machine.
“It’ll be there. Aunt Gus promises. Just walk through the machine and it will come out the other side with you. Deep breaths.”
He was nearly gray by the time it came out the other end because the bucket with a wallet in front of ours set something off. The security guys were wondering what the heck was going on I guess and one of them took a look at what was being x-rayed. Behind Benny’s back I pointed to my wrist and the gave Benny side-eye. I had to do it twice but the guy put two and two together and reached in and took our stuff out. Giving me a look of apology he put everything but Benny’s bracelet back in so it could go through but the bracelet he held in his hand and asked Benny to come forward.
“What’s your name son?”
Benny looked at me and at my nod of approval told the man in uniform, “Benjamin Barrymore. Sir.”
The man held out his hand and Benny looked at me again before shaking the man’s hand.
The man said, “Can you tell me what this is?”
“It’s the thing that tells everyone that my Daddy didn’t come home.”
The man swallowed. “This is like a very special badge for bravery. And you were very brave to let us do our job and put it through the security machines. Thank you.”
“You’re … you’re welcome.”
“Here, let me get this back on. There. That’s a good strong safety catch you have there.”
“Aunt Gus had the jewelry man put it on there. And the jewelry man can add links so that when I grow up I can still wear it.”
“Aunt Gus sounds like she has some good ideas.”
Benny sniffed and was finally getting himself under control. “We have lots of adventures. We came here so I can learn stuff and work on my Junior Ranger badge.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m going to be working here until the tour is over. When you come out, give me a thumbs up if you had a good time.”
“Yes Sir,” he said approaching the enthusiasm he’d started with. “Aunt Gus, your stuff is coming out. May I have something to drink?” He was pointed to a water fountain and I nodded.
I watched him walk over and then told the man. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you.” I had turned so I could watch Benny and see the man at the same time. It was then I realized when he stood up one leg was a prosthetic and the glove on his hand wasn’t just for show. “There are still the occasional days when I wonder if it would have been easier on my family if I hadn’t come home. Then …” He looked at Benny who was now engrossed in an animated picture of how the dam worked. “My kids don’t have to wonder. They don’t even have to think about it. I’m here. And I realize that I’m not the only one lucky that I came home.”
I could hear his unasked question. “My brother was in the Navy. There are days it’s been too long and days that it feels like yesterday that they were handing Benny that flag from the coffin. Regardless of the challenges you face, don’t ever wonder if it was better or not that you came home. Benny will always have his memories of his father, but hugs and words of encouragement would have sure been a lot better even if Lawrence had come back unable to give him anything else.”
Benny came back over and was smiling so I smiled back and gave him a hug. “Thanks Aunt Gus. I’m better. Can we go now? Everyone is lining up.”
The man stepped back, and we did continue the tour, but it took me a little time to stop wondering what it might have been like had Lawrence come home with injuries. I hadn’t been speaking only about Benny when I said hugs and words of encouragement would have been a lot better than memories and a flag. But when you have a curious five-year-old to try and keep up with and prepare to answer the questions of, you don’t get to wallow in what-might-have-been’s for long.
The Glen Canyon Dam tour began with an elevator ride that took us down 528 feet into the interior of the dam. Our first stop was to learn some general facts about the dam itself. The construction of Glen Canyon Dam started in 1956 and was completed in 1964, creating Lake Powell. Lake Powell is about 186 miles long and attracts over four million visitors a year. It is a concrete arch dam with a crest length of 1,560 feet and contains 4,901,000 cubic yards of concrete. The dam is 25 feet wide at the crest and 300 feet wide at the maximum base. The dam was dedicated in 1966 by Ladybird Johnson, wife of Lyndon Johnson who was president at the time. It took seventeen years for Lake Powell to fill and has a storage capacity of 27,000,000 acre-feet, making it the second largest man-made reservoir in the US.
Another stop along the tour is a gallery where a digital counter registers the money collected from the sale of hydroelectric power generated by the dam.
The dam’s stated purpose is to help ensure an equitable distribution of water between the states of the Upper Colorado River Basin (Colorado, Wyoming, and most of New Mexico and Utah) and the Lower Basin (California, Nevada, and most of Arizona). During years of drought, Glen Canyon guarantees a water delivery to the Lower Basin states, without the need for rationing in the Upper Basin. Despite this the dam has been a focus of environmental controversy even before it was built. Between the environmental impacts of flooding Glen Canyon (now Lake Powell), the environmental changes to the Grand Canyon, and the increased demand for this water in growing cities and states, Glen Canyon Dam and its overall benefit continues to be under scrutiny because of its long and complicated history of unforeseen effects and demands.
One of the unforeseen and unintended changes that the construction of the dam caused was the effect it had on the Navajo in the area. First, they were exploited to help construct the dam, often working in conditions that would never be tolerated today. Second, once the dam was built, it began to impede the centuries old practices of obtaining food in the area. The ecosystem changed bringing additional changes to how the Navajo managed their herds and farmed in the region. The Navajo as a people culturally lived very close to the land, but the changing ecosystem required them to change to survive. One of the biggest effects was on the Navajo’s religious practices because of the impact on the Rainbow Bridge area, a sacred location. The Rainbow Bridge, once an isolated location rarely visited by any others than the Navajo, became a national monument where thousands of visitors came every year, and in the minds of many Navajo at the time, desecrating the site. Despite a court case that went far into the federal court system one major aspect stands out. The court came to the conclusion that the economic interest the Government has in the Rainbow Bridge outweighs the plaintiffs’ religious interests of the monument. This isn’t the only example where a government has chosen economic interest over personal freedoms.
Additional unintended consequences include:
The repeated historic highs and lows of Lake Powell have left their mark on the canyon walls. Sediment and color leeching are the two most obvious markers of the artificial lake. For now, the lake is stable. Who knows what it will be next year this time?
The tour was over and we were getting off the elevator when I realized Benny was searching for someone. He waited patiently for the man’s eyes to sweep his direction then he gave an enthusiastic two thumbs up. The man’s face went from stern to a huge smile. Apparently it was unusual enough that I saw a couple of quickly hidden looks of surprise. I mouthed the words “thank you” to him again and got a nod in return. From there we headed out into the noon day sun.
“So, what did you think Little Bear?”
“Wow.”
“Yes, it’s definitely worth a wow. Did you learn anything else?”
He thought and then said, “Sometimes when you mean something to turn out good, it doesn’t always work the way you mean it to.”
I ruffled his hair in approval and then I got us in the van and headed back to camp. I was feeling the need to be on the water. We only had two more days and then we needed to get back on the road. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t regret leaving, we had a lot more living to do down the road a piece, but if at all possible our final destination was going to be on or near the water.
We spent enough hours swimming, kayaking, and sitting on what they call “the beach” that we were both a little rosy despite the sunscreen we wore. I didn’t feel like cooking. At all. But I didn’t dare give in and cheat. But I did get kinda close to it. I made Pork Rind Nachos with a can of pulled pork, bag of pork rinds, and a few other odds and ends such as shredded cheese and some thinly sliced cabbage. Trust me, it is a lot better than it sounds. Even I gakked a bit the first time I read the recipe. But now I don’t even think twice about it and enjoy it with gusto.
Benny was playing with the Crew in the tent he set while I composed a letter that I had been thinking about since last night. My grandparents had fantastic neighbors, better yet their neighbors were their best friends. Judge and Mrs. Phelps were like a second set of grandparents and I continue to send and receive holiday cards with them. I’m sorry to say that it had been too long since I’d spoken with them directly.
Dear Judge and Meemo, I really do apologize for falling off the planet and hope you can forgive me. Losing Lawrence was a bitter pill and I don’t suppose I handled it as well as I should have. Then came the trouble with his wife and all my responsibilities to my nephew Benny. I’m not making excuses, wrong is wrong, but I am trying to explain. And now I find myself wondering on a subject I just don’t trust many people to give me a solid answer about.
I have legal guardianship of my nephew, but I am wondering, because of circumstances and some unwanted interest I am receiving from agencies that I’m not too thrilled about, if I should – as one of Benny’s doctors once mentioned – go through the legal process of adopting him. I don’t want to change our relationship, but I want to secure against any future issues that might arise.
I realize I am pretty much taking advantage of our past relationship when I’ve neglected you but as I said, I just don’t trust many people to give me the advice I need. My grandparents always trusted you both and Grandfather wouldn’t have anyone but you Judge as legal counsel. If you cannot, for whatever reason, assist me I definitely understand but am also hoping that if you can’t that you can refer me to someone who can.
Below my signature is an email address. I am traveling with Benny until October, perhaps longer and don’t have a street address to give you. Also below my signature is a website that might give you a better idea of what I mean by traveling. If you have a moment can you just drop me a line to let me know you received this letter and are considering it? I really appreciate it and the time you will spend doing so.
Thank you and Lots of Love from,
Gus and Benny
Just like all the kids at church and in the area called my grandmother Grandma Barry, we all called the Judge’s wife Meemo. I don’t know who was the bigger terror of the Ladies’ Auxilliary … Grandma Barry or Meemo. I do know there wasn’t a kid that didn’t step lightly around them, but we all knew who we could run to if we needed a hug, a bit of advice, or really anything at all.
I hope the Judge will at least give me his opinion. The man has practiced law more than twice the number of years I’ve been on this planet. And though he is retired from the bench, he still has lots of friends in the profession. If anyone can tell me whether it is a good idea or not to adopt Benny, the Judge can. He is also every bit as candid with his opinions as my grandfather was so if I’m being a paranoid idiot he’ll tell me that too.
Just writing the letter has helped. I’ll drop it in the mail in the morning. There’s a USPS box at the campground office. I think it is time for Benny and I to get in the van and relax for a bit. My hamster has been muzzled and I think going to sleep won’t be near the chore it has been lately. I’ll let Benny build his bed-tent and lock us both in. At least this way if I fall asleep before Benny I don’t have to worry so much.
June 12th
This morning we were bang on time at 8 am for our tour of the Glen Canyon Dam. We showed up the same time as an older couple who let us know, with no doubt, that they approved of our timeliness. Benny (and I) ate that up. Neither one of us can stand being late. Matter of fact, I’d rather be an hour early that five minutes late for anything. All my friends knew, and all my mates knew, especially those that had to deal with CPO Barrymore. Even Penny knew. Even the hamster in my head knows it and generally stays out of my way in that regard. Bottom line is Gus doesn’t just not like being late, she has a hard grudge against it. So, we were on time.
As a federal power plant facility, and due to all the terrorist activity that took place right before and right after I was born, security measures are in place. While no bags, purses, knives, weapons or food are allowed on the tour, wallets, cameras and clear water bottles are welcome. There are signs every few feet before you enter the visitor center and even after you enter the visitor center and yet we still had three people that had to get out of line and get rid of a few items and another man who pitched a fit about having to lose his pocketknife. Trust me, it didn’t thrill me to leave mine behind in the van, but it isn’t like you don’t know the rules. I mean if you can’t follow them then don’t do the tour. It really is that simple so don’t act so flippin’ surprised, like you didn’t know you were going to have to go through a metal detector.
I suppose I’m just a tad bent out of shape at the guy because he caused Benny to nearly have an anxiety attack. I had convinced Benny that it was okay to take his gold star bracelet off and put it in the tray so it could go through the x-ray machine when Mr. Big Baby started being facetious about people’s stuff disappearing in the machine.
“It’ll be there. Aunt Gus promises. Just walk through the machine and it will come out the other side with you. Deep breaths.”
He was nearly gray by the time it came out the other end because the bucket with a wallet in front of ours set something off. The security guys were wondering what the heck was going on I guess and one of them took a look at what was being x-rayed. Behind Benny’s back I pointed to my wrist and the gave Benny side-eye. I had to do it twice but the guy put two and two together and reached in and took our stuff out. Giving me a look of apology he put everything but Benny’s bracelet back in so it could go through but the bracelet he held in his hand and asked Benny to come forward.
“What’s your name son?”
Benny looked at me and at my nod of approval told the man in uniform, “Benjamin Barrymore. Sir.”
The man held out his hand and Benny looked at me again before shaking the man’s hand.
The man said, “Can you tell me what this is?”
“It’s the thing that tells everyone that my Daddy didn’t come home.”
The man swallowed. “This is like a very special badge for bravery. And you were very brave to let us do our job and put it through the security machines. Thank you.”
“You’re … you’re welcome.”
“Here, let me get this back on. There. That’s a good strong safety catch you have there.”
“Aunt Gus had the jewelry man put it on there. And the jewelry man can add links so that when I grow up I can still wear it.”
“Aunt Gus sounds like she has some good ideas.”
Benny sniffed and was finally getting himself under control. “We have lots of adventures. We came here so I can learn stuff and work on my Junior Ranger badge.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m going to be working here until the tour is over. When you come out, give me a thumbs up if you had a good time.”
“Yes Sir,” he said approaching the enthusiasm he’d started with. “Aunt Gus, your stuff is coming out. May I have something to drink?” He was pointed to a water fountain and I nodded.
I watched him walk over and then told the man. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you.” I had turned so I could watch Benny and see the man at the same time. It was then I realized when he stood up one leg was a prosthetic and the glove on his hand wasn’t just for show. “There are still the occasional days when I wonder if it would have been easier on my family if I hadn’t come home. Then …” He looked at Benny who was now engrossed in an animated picture of how the dam worked. “My kids don’t have to wonder. They don’t even have to think about it. I’m here. And I realize that I’m not the only one lucky that I came home.”
I could hear his unasked question. “My brother was in the Navy. There are days it’s been too long and days that it feels like yesterday that they were handing Benny that flag from the coffin. Regardless of the challenges you face, don’t ever wonder if it was better or not that you came home. Benny will always have his memories of his father, but hugs and words of encouragement would have sure been a lot better even if Lawrence had come back unable to give him anything else.”
Benny came back over and was smiling so I smiled back and gave him a hug. “Thanks Aunt Gus. I’m better. Can we go now? Everyone is lining up.”
The man stepped back, and we did continue the tour, but it took me a little time to stop wondering what it might have been like had Lawrence come home with injuries. I hadn’t been speaking only about Benny when I said hugs and words of encouragement would have been a lot better than memories and a flag. But when you have a curious five-year-old to try and keep up with and prepare to answer the questions of, you don’t get to wallow in what-might-have-been’s for long.
The Glen Canyon Dam tour began with an elevator ride that took us down 528 feet into the interior of the dam. Our first stop was to learn some general facts about the dam itself. The construction of Glen Canyon Dam started in 1956 and was completed in 1964, creating Lake Powell. Lake Powell is about 186 miles long and attracts over four million visitors a year. It is a concrete arch dam with a crest length of 1,560 feet and contains 4,901,000 cubic yards of concrete. The dam is 25 feet wide at the crest and 300 feet wide at the maximum base. The dam was dedicated in 1966 by Ladybird Johnson, wife of Lyndon Johnson who was president at the time. It took seventeen years for Lake Powell to fill and has a storage capacity of 27,000,000 acre-feet, making it the second largest man-made reservoir in the US.
Another stop along the tour is a gallery where a digital counter registers the money collected from the sale of hydroelectric power generated by the dam.
The dam’s stated purpose is to help ensure an equitable distribution of water between the states of the Upper Colorado River Basin (Colorado, Wyoming, and most of New Mexico and Utah) and the Lower Basin (California, Nevada, and most of Arizona). During years of drought, Glen Canyon guarantees a water delivery to the Lower Basin states, without the need for rationing in the Upper Basin. Despite this the dam has been a focus of environmental controversy even before it was built. Between the environmental impacts of flooding Glen Canyon (now Lake Powell), the environmental changes to the Grand Canyon, and the increased demand for this water in growing cities and states, Glen Canyon Dam and its overall benefit continues to be under scrutiny because of its long and complicated history of unforeseen effects and demands.
One of the unforeseen and unintended changes that the construction of the dam caused was the effect it had on the Navajo in the area. First, they were exploited to help construct the dam, often working in conditions that would never be tolerated today. Second, once the dam was built, it began to impede the centuries old practices of obtaining food in the area. The ecosystem changed bringing additional changes to how the Navajo managed their herds and farmed in the region. The Navajo as a people culturally lived very close to the land, but the changing ecosystem required them to change to survive. One of the biggest effects was on the Navajo’s religious practices because of the impact on the Rainbow Bridge area, a sacred location. The Rainbow Bridge, once an isolated location rarely visited by any others than the Navajo, became a national monument where thousands of visitors came every year, and in the minds of many Navajo at the time, desecrating the site. Despite a court case that went far into the federal court system one major aspect stands out. The court came to the conclusion that the economic interest the Government has in the Rainbow Bridge outweighs the plaintiffs’ religious interests of the monument. This isn’t the only example where a government has chosen economic interest over personal freedoms.
Additional unintended consequences include:
- The migrating fish of the Colorado River require different environments for the phases of their life cycle. With the construction of the dam blocking their river path, it affects their life cycle.
- Sediments once carried away by the river are now blocked by the dam causing serious water quality issues as well as affecting water plants further along the river which in turn affects the ecosystem needed for native fish to flourish in.
- Seasonal water temperature changes have been impacted.
- Changes in the ecosystem has created habitats for non-native, invasive species of animals and plants.
- Changes in the water flow and velocity have created hazardous sand bars and eddies further down river.
The repeated historic highs and lows of Lake Powell have left their mark on the canyon walls. Sediment and color leeching are the two most obvious markers of the artificial lake. For now, the lake is stable. Who knows what it will be next year this time?
The tour was over and we were getting off the elevator when I realized Benny was searching for someone. He waited patiently for the man’s eyes to sweep his direction then he gave an enthusiastic two thumbs up. The man’s face went from stern to a huge smile. Apparently it was unusual enough that I saw a couple of quickly hidden looks of surprise. I mouthed the words “thank you” to him again and got a nod in return. From there we headed out into the noon day sun.
“So, what did you think Little Bear?”
“Wow.”
“Yes, it’s definitely worth a wow. Did you learn anything else?”
He thought and then said, “Sometimes when you mean something to turn out good, it doesn’t always work the way you mean it to.”
I ruffled his hair in approval and then I got us in the van and headed back to camp. I was feeling the need to be on the water. We only had two more days and then we needed to get back on the road. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t regret leaving, we had a lot more living to do down the road a piece, but if at all possible our final destination was going to be on or near the water.
We spent enough hours swimming, kayaking, and sitting on what they call “the beach” that we were both a little rosy despite the sunscreen we wore. I didn’t feel like cooking. At all. But I didn’t dare give in and cheat. But I did get kinda close to it. I made Pork Rind Nachos with a can of pulled pork, bag of pork rinds, and a few other odds and ends such as shredded cheese and some thinly sliced cabbage. Trust me, it is a lot better than it sounds. Even I gakked a bit the first time I read the recipe. But now I don’t even think twice about it and enjoy it with gusto.
Benny was playing with the Crew in the tent he set while I composed a letter that I had been thinking about since last night. My grandparents had fantastic neighbors, better yet their neighbors were their best friends. Judge and Mrs. Phelps were like a second set of grandparents and I continue to send and receive holiday cards with them. I’m sorry to say that it had been too long since I’d spoken with them directly.
Dear Judge and Meemo, I really do apologize for falling off the planet and hope you can forgive me. Losing Lawrence was a bitter pill and I don’t suppose I handled it as well as I should have. Then came the trouble with his wife and all my responsibilities to my nephew Benny. I’m not making excuses, wrong is wrong, but I am trying to explain. And now I find myself wondering on a subject I just don’t trust many people to give me a solid answer about.
I have legal guardianship of my nephew, but I am wondering, because of circumstances and some unwanted interest I am receiving from agencies that I’m not too thrilled about, if I should – as one of Benny’s doctors once mentioned – go through the legal process of adopting him. I don’t want to change our relationship, but I want to secure against any future issues that might arise.
I realize I am pretty much taking advantage of our past relationship when I’ve neglected you but as I said, I just don’t trust many people to give me the advice I need. My grandparents always trusted you both and Grandfather wouldn’t have anyone but you Judge as legal counsel. If you cannot, for whatever reason, assist me I definitely understand but am also hoping that if you can’t that you can refer me to someone who can.
Below my signature is an email address. I am traveling with Benny until October, perhaps longer and don’t have a street address to give you. Also below my signature is a website that might give you a better idea of what I mean by traveling. If you have a moment can you just drop me a line to let me know you received this letter and are considering it? I really appreciate it and the time you will spend doing so.
Thank you and Lots of Love from,
Gus and Benny
Just like all the kids at church and in the area called my grandmother Grandma Barry, we all called the Judge’s wife Meemo. I don’t know who was the bigger terror of the Ladies’ Auxilliary … Grandma Barry or Meemo. I do know there wasn’t a kid that didn’t step lightly around them, but we all knew who we could run to if we needed a hug, a bit of advice, or really anything at all.
I hope the Judge will at least give me his opinion. The man has practiced law more than twice the number of years I’ve been on this planet. And though he is retired from the bench, he still has lots of friends in the profession. If anyone can tell me whether it is a good idea or not to adopt Benny, the Judge can. He is also every bit as candid with his opinions as my grandfather was so if I’m being a paranoid idiot he’ll tell me that too.
Just writing the letter has helped. I’ll drop it in the mail in the morning. There’s a USPS box at the campground office. I think it is time for Benny and I to get in the van and relax for a bit. My hamster has been muzzled and I think going to sleep won’t be near the chore it has been lately. I’ll let Benny build his bed-tent and lock us both in. At least this way if I fall asleep before Benny I don’t have to worry so much.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Very big thank you 
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Depending on the jurisdiction & amount/level of push back/opposition (and the quality of said opposition's legal resources) it could be an absolute horror show. My 2nd wife brought a daughter into the marriage and because of where we lived, I was faced w/ a full-blown Adoption process, with all, ALL the attendant background, Criminal, psych etc investigations and associated costs; thousands of $$$ and oh, yes: not IMMEDIATE upon completion. Total elapsed time could be three (3) to five+ (5+) years.
Or, on the other hand, because the child in question was over a certain age (10 or 12 IIRC) and our state of residence, we three could fill out a joint attestation, have it notarised & we were done.
Total elapsed time was maybe 12 weeks from time of submission & total cost, including all fees, Notary and a surname change filing was about 6-700.00. The name change took about another 5-6 months before it got stamped & returned. I think we might have paid for some birth record change so she could get a passport but the cost was trivial & done online.
The alternatives were not attractive or practical and immediately upon apprehension would have messed up all our lives. Such a course of action wouldn't seem to be in Gus's character.
Jun 8 – 14: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Part 6)
June 13th
Whew, I am beat! But it is a good tired. LOL. Benny is asleep which is good. We started very early to avoid some of the heat of the day. We hiked a few very easy trails then met Buzz and a guided tour of the Vermillion Cliffs area.
First hike of the morning is called Hanging Gardens and was a one-and-a-half-mile round trip easy hike. According to the brochure it is: Securely hidden by Jurassic Navajo sandstone, this seep spring quickly takes hostage every drop of rainwater it can absorb creating a lush plant and animal habitat.
The next trail was just a short walk out into the Beehives Trail and back, not even a mile. It was a self-guided hike through slickrock sand formations.
I didn’t want to take a chance in missing the turn out we were to meet Buzz at so we headed on out to the Vermillion Cliffs. The tour we took was a combination of the Wire Pass Trail and Buckskin Gulch. Oh. My. Gosh. Freakin’ out of this world!
The Wire Pass section was a slot canyon with the type of photographic opportunities you find in those high-end, tabletop magazines. There were so many photo opps that I was sorry I hadn’t dumped my phone in a while and I spent about half of our lunch break copying over photos and vids from my phone to my iXpand memory device that I luckily thought to bring with me just in case. For the adventure seekers in the group there were a few obstacles to climb and walk over but mostly it was the landscape and views everyone was there for. The high canyon walls felt like they were closing in a few times and created these crazy light effects.
We ate lunch at the confluence of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch where a large petroglyph panel decorated the canyon wall. But that was about the end of the shade for a while and I was glad I brought all the extra water.
The next part of the hike was Buckskin Gulch. It required one descent of about a 100-feet, but it was worth it because there were views of White Pockets, North Coyote Buttes, South Coyote Buttes and large parts of the Buckskin area itself. There was also a narrows section in Buckskin Gulch and Buzz called it a “target rich environment” for photographers. It made me wonder what his background was as the phrasing was a little … different. The hike down into the Gulch took about 45 minutes and the hike back out took about 1.5 hours. Eight hours and many photos later, we returned to the van and prepared to head back to camp.
But wait … there’s more.
After all of the other hikers in our group left, Buzz’s wife shows up and whispers something to him. He grins real big. “You got time Little Sister?”
“Sure,” I answered as the look on his face said he had something in mind.
“They are releasing another condor today. Only a few people have been invited as it wasn’t scheduled to happen until later but a local bird had to be captured for rehabilitation after losing a foot to infection.”
“A condor. Those giant vulture looking birds from California?”
“Yes Little Sister,” he said laughing at my stupefied surprise. “They’ve been releasing them here since 1996 as part of the Peregrines Foundation’s attempt to prevent their extinction. It is public knowledge, but no one encourages the public to attend anymore. It has been since 2019 since there has been a public ceremony of the annual release.
At the look on Benny’s face all I could say was, “I’ll follow, you lead.”
He and his wife both grinned and Benny and I had a real treat that few get to witness.
Back in the 1980s there were only 22 California Condors left. Many people thought they were passed the point of species survival. However, not everyone gave up. Some people stepped in to help the giant birds and by 2019 there were 92 condors in the wild in the rugged canyon country of northern Arizona and southern Utah, and the total world population of endangered California Condors numbered nearly 500, with more than half flying the skies of Arizona, Utah, California, and Mexico.
Benny and I learned a great deal from the people releasing the Condor. And oh … my … gosh was that thing huge. Like a flying feathered dinosaur. It could easily have carried Benny off until Benny assured me, “Aunt Gus, they’d never carry me off. They only eat big dead things.”
“’Scuse me?”
He explained, “I was listening to the man wearing the weird hat with all the pins on it. He said that California Condors are like vultures and only eat dead things … big dead things like cows and buffalos and elk and stuff like that. They are like the roadkill eaters of the mountains.”
I’m standing there with my mouth open when Benny goes back to watching the condor flying around and I hear a soft laugh. It’s Buzz’s wife. “Smart kid.”
“Yeah. I have a feeling the older he gets, the more in trouble I’m going to be.”
“His specialness will keep him with you a long time.”
I gave her a look and realized she wasn’t criticizing Benny, just seeing what she saw. I said, “I’m going to help him to be the best he can be. I want him to be free to live a good life without fear, not tied to me because I’m the one that is afraid for him. I want him to have a home, I don’t want the home to come with chains and bars.”
She nodded. “When I was a little girl a Golden Eagle pair built a nest near my grandfather’s home. Then they built another in a different place in the cliffs and then another even further away. Then the year after that they came back to my grandfather’s home. And as I grew, I knew that every few years the eagles would be back. Then one year they did not come back, nor the next, nor the next. But then the year after that a chick of that pair came with his mate. It had been born in that very spot though the nest had all but fallen apart from neglect by then. That pair rebuilt the nest and now they are the ones that use it in rotation with the other old nesting sites. A home is something you build, sometimes you use it and sometimes the young that come after you do. Chains aren’t necessary, life and living is.”
She was called away to speak to some other people and I thought about what she’d shared and was only distracted when Benny came running back telling me all the things he’d learned from the man “with the gazillion pins on his hat.”
The California condor is one of the largest flying birds in the world. When it soars, the wings spread more than nine feet from tip to tip. Condors can weigh more than 20 pounds. They can soar and glide for hours without beating their wings, sometimes at more than 55 miles per hour. From the air, they search for dead animals, like deer or cattle. They feed only on carrion (dead animals that they find).
Condor nest sites are in cliff caves in the mountains. Nesting condors raise only one chick at a time. The four-inch long egg is laid in late winter or spring, and it takes two months to hatch. It takes more than a year from the time the egg is laid until the young bird has learned to live on its own and it is only after it leaves the nest that a new egg is laid.
Thousands of years ago, California condors lived in many parts of North America, including California, Texas, Florida, and New York. In recent centuries, the large vulture was even found in British Columbia in Canada and Baja California in Mexico. As people settled the West, they often shot, poisoned, captured, and disturbed the condors, collected their eggs, and reduced their food supply. People thought they competed for large animals with them, not realizing that like vultures, they are nature’s clean up crew. By the late 1900s the few remaining condors were limited to the mountainous parts of southern California.
For nearly 100 years it has been illegal for anyone to kill California condors, but illegal killing was not the only problem that these birds faced. A major problem has been contamination from lead fragments in carcasses, poison bait, and environmental pollutants. Contamination from past use of the pesticide DDT disrupted the hatching of some condor eggs. Human activity in the condor nesting range has been followed by growing numbers of ravens, which threaten condor eggs and nestlings. It is strange how the smaller birds have such an oversized impact on the Condor population.
The lead poisoning solutions that were enacted have not always been popular with people. In 2008, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted regulations implement a law restricting the kind of ammunition hunters could use in the Condor home range. In 2013, the then-Governor signed an additional bill that required the use of nonlead ammunition statewide for the taking of all wildlife, including game mammals, game birds, nongame birds, and nongame mammals.
I waived goodbye to Buzz and his wife, first letting them know how much I appreciated that Benny and I had been included in so many activities. On the way back to camp Benny fell asleep in his chair and it gave me a chance to find some quiet for my head. And to wonder if there was a condor stuffie in the gift shop that could join the Crew.
Dinner was leftovers that needed to be cleaned up and some fruit and yogurt. That’s about all either one of us wanted despite a walk along the water. It didn’t take Benny much time to fall asleep after that, clutching his newest Junior Ranger badge. It was only then that I felt ready to open up my tablet and get busy researching adoption.
*DING*
Well, it wasn’t just one ding. It was a bunch of them as all the emails came pouring in. Most of them were meaningless junk that I dropped in the spam folder to re-check before I permanently deleted them. A few were notifications from the blog letting me know I needed to moderate some posts. A few of them were bills but thankfully nothing I hadn’t expected and already budgeted for. But when I saw one particular email, I put the rest aside while I read it.
Oh my Dear Girl you have no idea how your email has chirked the Judge up. He was beginning to wonder if all you children thought him nothing but an old codger, only good for telling stories during vacation bible school or identifying who is who in old photos. I tell you I haven’t seen him with this much vitality in months, not since our son and his wife had to move out of the area for his job and took the grandkids with them.
He asked that I email you right away to let you know he has already been speaking with a few people but that until he gets a few more opinions he doesn’t feel he can give you the best advice. He asks that you give him a week to speak with some more colleagues and to please not do anything precipitous either way.
Now as for this crazy adventure you and Benny are on? Love it. Love it. Looooove it! We both do. I only wish Lawrence Sr., Little Lawrence, and your father Benji were here to see it. I mean obviously they are looking down and enjoying you living life, but it would be wonderful if they themselves were here to share it. Ah well, I suppose I shouldn’t wish someone out of Heaven just for my own selfish desires, so I hope you know what I mean.
I hope you don’t mind if I ask a personal question. Have you spoken with your Uncle Daniel recently? We don’t really see him much despite sharing a fence with him. I see his younger daughter coming and going … what’s her name? Charlotte? But she never stops to say hello. The older one … that Shannon … is living in Lakeland and we don’t hear about her at all, or at least nothing good. The Judge won’t say why he hopes she doesn’t come back here but given how she was after your father passed, it doesn’t take much imagination.
I’d love to get Daniel in church if I could pull it off, he seems so lost. He’ll start a project then leave it half done. We won’t see him for weeks then it seems he has started another project only to leave that one half done as well. What your grandparents would say about their property I’m sure I don’t want to know. The dock is nothing but pilons and the house is covered in algae. I don’t think the woods between the house and the road have been mowed since you did it last, and no I’m not exaggerating in the least. It just breaks my heart. There are boys at church that would mow just to have a place to get in the river at but he rarely if ever involves himself locally, though rumor has it he spends a lot of time in Tallahassee.
I cannot tell you how much we miss you and your father Benji. I know he never meant to pass the way he did. I was so shocked at how fast Lawrence pulled you away from here but in hindsight he likely did the best thing for you. But now that time has passed and you’ve reached out, don’t let this be the only reason we hear from you young lady. I tell you, and hope you don’t mind that I shared, so many around here remember you and they’ve gotten just the biggest kick from your website. My goodness you’ve grown up into a fine young woman. I almost didn’t recognize you without that horsetail of hair you used to have. And my goodness you have your mother’s curls these days.
Ah well, I need to sign off here. Timothy … that’s Mr. MacMasterson to you … is down ill with the latest covid variant. I can’t even remember what they are calling this one. Some of the ladies from the church have gotten a meal schedule together so his wife can have some relief. Why they think these ridiculous forced quarantines do anything at all I haven’t the foggiest. They did little enough when this stuff started back when your father was little more than a boy. But those are the rules and we must abide by them … especially when someone tattled to the health department that he was sick. They came right out to the house and he was too weak to resist their demand that he be tested if you can believe it. It was probably their ex-daughter in law. Any excuse not to let her children see their father’s side of the family.
Now mind me and let me know you get this as soon as you can. Grown woman or not, I’ll worry until you do.
Love,
Meemo
I didn’t know whether to hide or laugh myself silly. Mrs. Phelps is still very much as I remember her being. She’s like a force of nature. Not a hurricane but definitely more than a soft summer shower. I let her know that I had received her email, thank you thank you thank you, that I would wait on the Judge because I trusted him, and that I had not spoken with my uncle since Lawrence’s funeral. I wasn’t totally against it but even without the hard feelings that were ongoing even before Dad died, I wasn’t sure what if anything could be made of any communication. But that I would think about it if for no other reason than that she had given me something to think about besides the hard feelings.
I attached a picture of Benny and myself but asked that it be for her and the Judge’s eyes only as I was very careful with that sort of thing, just to be on the safe side. I’m sure she and the Judge will do just that. She shared the blog address because I hadn’t asked that she keep it a secret. But now that I’d said so, she would be as tight lipped as a fresh clam. Even if she doesn’t quite understand why I’m sure that the Judge will explain it to her.
I’m going to listen to the Judge but I’m going to do my own research as well. And so saying, I’m going to do that and then hit the hay. Tomorrow morning we are going to do a few more small hikes then I’m going to give Benny a free day to just play on the beach. Tomorrow is our last day before heading down the road and I’m going to let him swim and splash to his heart’s content.
June 14th
Got an unexpected rain this morning that had lightning in it so no hiking for us. Instead I did some cleaning and prepping for the next camp that won’t have nearly as many amenities as this one. After the rain let up and the threat of lightning went away, I took Benny to the beach, and as a surprise, let him just run around and play and swim. We even got out on the river and kayaked as soon as I saw that the weather was going to be completely clean of lightning.
Did a little more laundry before dinner, used the solar cooker to make bread with … or at least tried to make bread with … and when I’d cleaned up that particular mess, I cooked some kebobs and rice. I included the bread experiment on the blog and I immediately got a lot of laughs and some that said it was nice to see some reality injected into things as they were beginning to wonder if I ever made mistakes. Ha. Ha ha. Mistakes as in me not making any. Ha ha ha ha. Boy, did they not know me.
I organized what food we have left and I’m making a menu of options and a grocery list of needs. I put some shoe goo on my joggers where the sole looks like it is pulling away from the upper. Getting tired of the curly shag. I have a certificate in ornamental ropework, it shouldn’t be this hard to learn to French braid my hair. Hopefully I can figure this out and can leave the shag and Pippy Longstocking look.
For now I’m going to put this down and get out the maps so I can set our course for tomorrow. Yeah. I’m going to be sorry to see this campsite go, but more adventures await. Our next port will have something to recommend it. And if not that one then the next.
Cumulative Fuel Expense: $3497
Cumulative Accommodation Expense: $1650
Cumulative miles: 8431
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/glca/learn/kidsyouth/upload/GLCA-Jr-Ranger-2013.pdf
https://aztrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JuniorExplorerHandbook.pdf
https://www.lakepowell.com/media/65354/wahweap-rv-campground.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fishing/upload/Let-s-Go-Fishing-Accessible-6-24-2019.pdf
Advancement Central - Sea Scouts BSA
https://www.nps.gov/rabr/learn/kidsyouth/upload/RABRJrRanger.pdf
Pork Rind Pizza Crust Recipe | CDKitchen.com
Pork Rind Nachos - Taste of the South (tasteofthesouthmagazine.com)
Vermillion Cliffs Junior Ranger: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/jr-ranger-vermilion.pdf
June 13th
Whew, I am beat! But it is a good tired. LOL. Benny is asleep which is good. We started very early to avoid some of the heat of the day. We hiked a few very easy trails then met Buzz and a guided tour of the Vermillion Cliffs area.
First hike of the morning is called Hanging Gardens and was a one-and-a-half-mile round trip easy hike. According to the brochure it is: Securely hidden by Jurassic Navajo sandstone, this seep spring quickly takes hostage every drop of rainwater it can absorb creating a lush plant and animal habitat.
The next trail was just a short walk out into the Beehives Trail and back, not even a mile. It was a self-guided hike through slickrock sand formations.
I didn’t want to take a chance in missing the turn out we were to meet Buzz at so we headed on out to the Vermillion Cliffs. The tour we took was a combination of the Wire Pass Trail and Buckskin Gulch. Oh. My. Gosh. Freakin’ out of this world!
The Wire Pass section was a slot canyon with the type of photographic opportunities you find in those high-end, tabletop magazines. There were so many photo opps that I was sorry I hadn’t dumped my phone in a while and I spent about half of our lunch break copying over photos and vids from my phone to my iXpand memory device that I luckily thought to bring with me just in case. For the adventure seekers in the group there were a few obstacles to climb and walk over but mostly it was the landscape and views everyone was there for. The high canyon walls felt like they were closing in a few times and created these crazy light effects.
We ate lunch at the confluence of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch where a large petroglyph panel decorated the canyon wall. But that was about the end of the shade for a while and I was glad I brought all the extra water.
The next part of the hike was Buckskin Gulch. It required one descent of about a 100-feet, but it was worth it because there were views of White Pockets, North Coyote Buttes, South Coyote Buttes and large parts of the Buckskin area itself. There was also a narrows section in Buckskin Gulch and Buzz called it a “target rich environment” for photographers. It made me wonder what his background was as the phrasing was a little … different. The hike down into the Gulch took about 45 minutes and the hike back out took about 1.5 hours. Eight hours and many photos later, we returned to the van and prepared to head back to camp.
But wait … there’s more.
After all of the other hikers in our group left, Buzz’s wife shows up and whispers something to him. He grins real big. “You got time Little Sister?”
“Sure,” I answered as the look on his face said he had something in mind.
“They are releasing another condor today. Only a few people have been invited as it wasn’t scheduled to happen until later but a local bird had to be captured for rehabilitation after losing a foot to infection.”
“A condor. Those giant vulture looking birds from California?”
“Yes Little Sister,” he said laughing at my stupefied surprise. “They’ve been releasing them here since 1996 as part of the Peregrines Foundation’s attempt to prevent their extinction. It is public knowledge, but no one encourages the public to attend anymore. It has been since 2019 since there has been a public ceremony of the annual release.
At the look on Benny’s face all I could say was, “I’ll follow, you lead.”
He and his wife both grinned and Benny and I had a real treat that few get to witness.
Back in the 1980s there were only 22 California Condors left. Many people thought they were passed the point of species survival. However, not everyone gave up. Some people stepped in to help the giant birds and by 2019 there were 92 condors in the wild in the rugged canyon country of northern Arizona and southern Utah, and the total world population of endangered California Condors numbered nearly 500, with more than half flying the skies of Arizona, Utah, California, and Mexico.
Benny and I learned a great deal from the people releasing the Condor. And oh … my … gosh was that thing huge. Like a flying feathered dinosaur. It could easily have carried Benny off until Benny assured me, “Aunt Gus, they’d never carry me off. They only eat big dead things.”
“’Scuse me?”
He explained, “I was listening to the man wearing the weird hat with all the pins on it. He said that California Condors are like vultures and only eat dead things … big dead things like cows and buffalos and elk and stuff like that. They are like the roadkill eaters of the mountains.”
I’m standing there with my mouth open when Benny goes back to watching the condor flying around and I hear a soft laugh. It’s Buzz’s wife. “Smart kid.”
“Yeah. I have a feeling the older he gets, the more in trouble I’m going to be.”
“His specialness will keep him with you a long time.”
I gave her a look and realized she wasn’t criticizing Benny, just seeing what she saw. I said, “I’m going to help him to be the best he can be. I want him to be free to live a good life without fear, not tied to me because I’m the one that is afraid for him. I want him to have a home, I don’t want the home to come with chains and bars.”
She nodded. “When I was a little girl a Golden Eagle pair built a nest near my grandfather’s home. Then they built another in a different place in the cliffs and then another even further away. Then the year after that they came back to my grandfather’s home. And as I grew, I knew that every few years the eagles would be back. Then one year they did not come back, nor the next, nor the next. But then the year after that a chick of that pair came with his mate. It had been born in that very spot though the nest had all but fallen apart from neglect by then. That pair rebuilt the nest and now they are the ones that use it in rotation with the other old nesting sites. A home is something you build, sometimes you use it and sometimes the young that come after you do. Chains aren’t necessary, life and living is.”
She was called away to speak to some other people and I thought about what she’d shared and was only distracted when Benny came running back telling me all the things he’d learned from the man “with the gazillion pins on his hat.”
The California condor is one of the largest flying birds in the world. When it soars, the wings spread more than nine feet from tip to tip. Condors can weigh more than 20 pounds. They can soar and glide for hours without beating their wings, sometimes at more than 55 miles per hour. From the air, they search for dead animals, like deer or cattle. They feed only on carrion (dead animals that they find).
Condor nest sites are in cliff caves in the mountains. Nesting condors raise only one chick at a time. The four-inch long egg is laid in late winter or spring, and it takes two months to hatch. It takes more than a year from the time the egg is laid until the young bird has learned to live on its own and it is only after it leaves the nest that a new egg is laid.
Thousands of years ago, California condors lived in many parts of North America, including California, Texas, Florida, and New York. In recent centuries, the large vulture was even found in British Columbia in Canada and Baja California in Mexico. As people settled the West, they often shot, poisoned, captured, and disturbed the condors, collected their eggs, and reduced their food supply. People thought they competed for large animals with them, not realizing that like vultures, they are nature’s clean up crew. By the late 1900s the few remaining condors were limited to the mountainous parts of southern California.
For nearly 100 years it has been illegal for anyone to kill California condors, but illegal killing was not the only problem that these birds faced. A major problem has been contamination from lead fragments in carcasses, poison bait, and environmental pollutants. Contamination from past use of the pesticide DDT disrupted the hatching of some condor eggs. Human activity in the condor nesting range has been followed by growing numbers of ravens, which threaten condor eggs and nestlings. It is strange how the smaller birds have such an oversized impact on the Condor population.
The lead poisoning solutions that were enacted have not always been popular with people. In 2008, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted regulations implement a law restricting the kind of ammunition hunters could use in the Condor home range. In 2013, the then-Governor signed an additional bill that required the use of nonlead ammunition statewide for the taking of all wildlife, including game mammals, game birds, nongame birds, and nongame mammals.
I waived goodbye to Buzz and his wife, first letting them know how much I appreciated that Benny and I had been included in so many activities. On the way back to camp Benny fell asleep in his chair and it gave me a chance to find some quiet for my head. And to wonder if there was a condor stuffie in the gift shop that could join the Crew.
Dinner was leftovers that needed to be cleaned up and some fruit and yogurt. That’s about all either one of us wanted despite a walk along the water. It didn’t take Benny much time to fall asleep after that, clutching his newest Junior Ranger badge. It was only then that I felt ready to open up my tablet and get busy researching adoption.
*DING*
Well, it wasn’t just one ding. It was a bunch of them as all the emails came pouring in. Most of them were meaningless junk that I dropped in the spam folder to re-check before I permanently deleted them. A few were notifications from the blog letting me know I needed to moderate some posts. A few of them were bills but thankfully nothing I hadn’t expected and already budgeted for. But when I saw one particular email, I put the rest aside while I read it.
Oh my Dear Girl you have no idea how your email has chirked the Judge up. He was beginning to wonder if all you children thought him nothing but an old codger, only good for telling stories during vacation bible school or identifying who is who in old photos. I tell you I haven’t seen him with this much vitality in months, not since our son and his wife had to move out of the area for his job and took the grandkids with them.
He asked that I email you right away to let you know he has already been speaking with a few people but that until he gets a few more opinions he doesn’t feel he can give you the best advice. He asks that you give him a week to speak with some more colleagues and to please not do anything precipitous either way.
Now as for this crazy adventure you and Benny are on? Love it. Love it. Looooove it! We both do. I only wish Lawrence Sr., Little Lawrence, and your father Benji were here to see it. I mean obviously they are looking down and enjoying you living life, but it would be wonderful if they themselves were here to share it. Ah well, I suppose I shouldn’t wish someone out of Heaven just for my own selfish desires, so I hope you know what I mean.
I hope you don’t mind if I ask a personal question. Have you spoken with your Uncle Daniel recently? We don’t really see him much despite sharing a fence with him. I see his younger daughter coming and going … what’s her name? Charlotte? But she never stops to say hello. The older one … that Shannon … is living in Lakeland and we don’t hear about her at all, or at least nothing good. The Judge won’t say why he hopes she doesn’t come back here but given how she was after your father passed, it doesn’t take much imagination.
I’d love to get Daniel in church if I could pull it off, he seems so lost. He’ll start a project then leave it half done. We won’t see him for weeks then it seems he has started another project only to leave that one half done as well. What your grandparents would say about their property I’m sure I don’t want to know. The dock is nothing but pilons and the house is covered in algae. I don’t think the woods between the house and the road have been mowed since you did it last, and no I’m not exaggerating in the least. It just breaks my heart. There are boys at church that would mow just to have a place to get in the river at but he rarely if ever involves himself locally, though rumor has it he spends a lot of time in Tallahassee.
I cannot tell you how much we miss you and your father Benji. I know he never meant to pass the way he did. I was so shocked at how fast Lawrence pulled you away from here but in hindsight he likely did the best thing for you. But now that time has passed and you’ve reached out, don’t let this be the only reason we hear from you young lady. I tell you, and hope you don’t mind that I shared, so many around here remember you and they’ve gotten just the biggest kick from your website. My goodness you’ve grown up into a fine young woman. I almost didn’t recognize you without that horsetail of hair you used to have. And my goodness you have your mother’s curls these days.
Ah well, I need to sign off here. Timothy … that’s Mr. MacMasterson to you … is down ill with the latest covid variant. I can’t even remember what they are calling this one. Some of the ladies from the church have gotten a meal schedule together so his wife can have some relief. Why they think these ridiculous forced quarantines do anything at all I haven’t the foggiest. They did little enough when this stuff started back when your father was little more than a boy. But those are the rules and we must abide by them … especially when someone tattled to the health department that he was sick. They came right out to the house and he was too weak to resist their demand that he be tested if you can believe it. It was probably their ex-daughter in law. Any excuse not to let her children see their father’s side of the family.
Now mind me and let me know you get this as soon as you can. Grown woman or not, I’ll worry until you do.
Love,
Meemo
I didn’t know whether to hide or laugh myself silly. Mrs. Phelps is still very much as I remember her being. She’s like a force of nature. Not a hurricane but definitely more than a soft summer shower. I let her know that I had received her email, thank you thank you thank you, that I would wait on the Judge because I trusted him, and that I had not spoken with my uncle since Lawrence’s funeral. I wasn’t totally against it but even without the hard feelings that were ongoing even before Dad died, I wasn’t sure what if anything could be made of any communication. But that I would think about it if for no other reason than that she had given me something to think about besides the hard feelings.
I attached a picture of Benny and myself but asked that it be for her and the Judge’s eyes only as I was very careful with that sort of thing, just to be on the safe side. I’m sure she and the Judge will do just that. She shared the blog address because I hadn’t asked that she keep it a secret. But now that I’d said so, she would be as tight lipped as a fresh clam. Even if she doesn’t quite understand why I’m sure that the Judge will explain it to her.
I’m going to listen to the Judge but I’m going to do my own research as well. And so saying, I’m going to do that and then hit the hay. Tomorrow morning we are going to do a few more small hikes then I’m going to give Benny a free day to just play on the beach. Tomorrow is our last day before heading down the road and I’m going to let him swim and splash to his heart’s content.
June 14th
Got an unexpected rain this morning that had lightning in it so no hiking for us. Instead I did some cleaning and prepping for the next camp that won’t have nearly as many amenities as this one. After the rain let up and the threat of lightning went away, I took Benny to the beach, and as a surprise, let him just run around and play and swim. We even got out on the river and kayaked as soon as I saw that the weather was going to be completely clean of lightning.
Did a little more laundry before dinner, used the solar cooker to make bread with … or at least tried to make bread with … and when I’d cleaned up that particular mess, I cooked some kebobs and rice. I included the bread experiment on the blog and I immediately got a lot of laughs and some that said it was nice to see some reality injected into things as they were beginning to wonder if I ever made mistakes. Ha. Ha ha. Mistakes as in me not making any. Ha ha ha ha. Boy, did they not know me.
I organized what food we have left and I’m making a menu of options and a grocery list of needs. I put some shoe goo on my joggers where the sole looks like it is pulling away from the upper. Getting tired of the curly shag. I have a certificate in ornamental ropework, it shouldn’t be this hard to learn to French braid my hair. Hopefully I can figure this out and can leave the shag and Pippy Longstocking look.
For now I’m going to put this down and get out the maps so I can set our course for tomorrow. Yeah. I’m going to be sorry to see this campsite go, but more adventures await. Our next port will have something to recommend it. And if not that one then the next.
Cumulative Fuel Expense: $3497
Cumulative Accommodation Expense: $1650
Cumulative miles: 8431
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/glca/learn/kidsyouth/upload/GLCA-Jr-Ranger-2013.pdf
https://aztrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JuniorExplorerHandbook.pdf
https://www.lakepowell.com/media/65354/wahweap-rv-campground.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fishing/upload/Let-s-Go-Fishing-Accessible-6-24-2019.pdf
Advancement Central - Sea Scouts BSA
https://www.nps.gov/rabr/learn/kidsyouth/upload/RABRJrRanger.pdf
Pork Rind Pizza Crust Recipe | CDKitchen.com
Pork Rind Nachos - Taste of the South (tasteofthesouthmagazine.com)
Vermillion Cliffs Junior Ranger: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/jr-ranger-vermilion.pdf
Lake Lili
Veteran Member
Great info on the condor. Thanks!
Question: In Part 5 you have Gus writing and posting a letter to the Judge. In Part 6, the next day, she receives an email from the Judge's wife. Is your mail system really that fast? (The Canadian postal service can take a week plus for a letter to get anywhere, hence my asking.)
Lili
Question: In Part 5 you have Gus writing and posting a letter to the Judge. In Part 6, the next day, she receives an email from the Judge's wife. Is your mail system really that fast? (The Canadian postal service can take a week plus for a letter to get anywhere, hence my asking.)
Lili
Yep, I goofed. I am going to let it stand as is for now. Sigh. I've gotten a letter from a friend out West in two days but never overnight. LOL
Thanks. I think what happened is I was editing "backwards in time" in the story and missed the space time continuum overlap.
I have this entire story (parts 1a, 1b, and 2) mostly written with only a few outline areas remaining. I'm editing both as I go and as the fancy hits me.
And this is why professional writers have professional editors. ROFLOL
Lake Lili
Veteran Member
Thanks @Kathy in FL ! Really happy to know that there is so much more coming for this story. Really enjoying it.
Kathy- just wanna put this out there, as much of the info disseminated about lead poisoning is based on flawed, biased research. The UCSC study has made an effort to hide details that were intentionally omitted in the paper that was only a student's thesis.
www.huntfortruth.org
Recent research for the five years since lead has been outlawed for hunting shows no decrease in lead-related condor blood levels.
5 Yr. Lead Ammo Ban Fails To Reduce Levels of Lead In Condors | Hunt For Truth
UCSC researchers now admit that “lead exposures continue” and Condor blood-levels have not dropped since the AB 821 ban went into effect in 2008.
www.huntfortruth.org
Lake Lili
Veteran Member
Thanks for sharing. Unfortunate when the most obvious solution and perhaps the easiest one, doesn't give the hoped for response.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Nice, thank you
Sounds like something I need to look into. Just remember Gus and Benny only know what people tell them on certain subjects. LOL Maybe I'll include something when the pair make it out to California. I'll look where I can fit it in.
Just think of all those folks who believed the signs about glaciers all meltin' by 2020.
Glacier National Park is replacing signs that predicted its glaciers would be gone by 2020 | CNN
The signs at Glacier National Park warning that its signature glaciers would be gone by 2020 are being changed.
www.cnn.com
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
Thank you!
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Years ago when dh took oldest son and scouts on their high adventure it snowed on them at Glacier Park on the 15 of July.
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Yes well I think TCOB (which takes care of you & yours plus pays for WWW access so you can post here), should be a priority. Just sayingWorking on something to post today. Just been crazy with the business.
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Sorry Miss Kathy; I just realised how self serving that was.
beaglemama
Contributing Member
Working on something to post today. Just been crazy with the business.
Glad you're OK and just busy
not a prob
Amen.
