All is well

So far the job is going well - I'm in the 4th week and have been keeping busy. Time to reach out to facilities and see if we can provide anesthesia coverage. Office is getting a much-needed makover with new paint, furniture and carpet. The rest of the week will consist of getting things in order.
Looking forward to Mom & Dad visiting in 2 weeks. We rented the condo in Silverthorne for a week then they will stay with me for a week. I have a long list of things to do - we'll see how many get checked off. Would love to take them to see the wildflowers in the high country but most of that involves hiking a few miles and it's not flat here. And the altitude doesn't help!
Looking for an apartment as Cathy is moving back to Ohio to attend OSU for her PhD. She leaves in less than 2 months so time is precious. I could stay here worst case - which isn't really bad but I'd love to have a view of the front range.

Clapton / Winwood: Live In The Mile High City

Found this review on one of Clapton's web sites - Thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and their stellar band of musicians performed in America's "Mile High City" - Denver, Colorado on 21 June. Jim K, checking in by blackberry from the Pepsi Center noted, "Show started at 8:15 prompt with Clapton and Winwood taking the stage side by side. Tough Luck Blues is quite the gem with brilliant solos between Clapton and Stainton. Laboriel and Weeks are definitely the back bone driving the beat and tempo. Winwood is still simply amazing. His ability to drive beautiful music from the Hammond B3 and Strat is noting short of amazing. Winwood 'what a real treat to be here and play for you high up in the air'...10 plus minute Vodoo Chile. EC was simply superb. Off at 10:30 simply awesome."

It was also noted that Chris Stainton took a number of good solos in "Well Alright," "Tough Luck Blues," "Layla" and "Cocaine." Once again, Steve took the main guitar solo in "Layla".

There were no changes to the set list at this performance.

Next show happens in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center on 23 June. For a complete list of remaining dates, click here.

Clapton / Winwood Set List - 21 June 2009
Pepsi Center, Denver CO

01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence of The Lord
05. Sleeping in the Ground
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. No Face, No Name, No Number
11. Forever Man
12. Georgia On My Mind - Steve Winwood solo
13. Driftin' - acoustic
14. How Long Blues
15. Layla - acoustic version
16. Can't Find My Way Home
17. Split Decision
18. Voodoo Chile

Encore:
19. Cocaine
20. Dear Mr. Fantasy

Band Lineup:
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Steve Winwood - vocals, Hammond B3, piano, guitar
Chris Stainton - keyboards
Willie Weeks - bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr. - drums
Michelle John - backing vocals
Sharon White - backing vocals

David Byrne & Devotchka at Red Rocks

Got to see the show last Saturday and it was pretty good. I'm a big fan of the Talking Heads and they pulled out a half dozen keepers. Crowd was pretty good and met some way cool people.

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

Left the Grand Canyon and headed to Page, AZ. Ambereen booked a tour at Antelope Slot Canyon Tours- I'm sure you've seen pics. I'll post a few of them later. Camped on the beach at Lake Powell and rented a boat for a day of sightseeing. Thought it would be cool to camp RIGHT NEXT TO THE WATER. Bright idea. I had no idea the water level could increas 6" in a matter of hours. Somebody moved our tent the day we were on the boat. That would have been a buzz kill to come back to everything under water. Then a storm hit. That tent stayed put but I didn't secure the fly and poles properly as you can tell. The boat was a great call. We must have driven that thing 100 miles (it cost me over $100 in fuel for the day) but we toured several canyons and a good portion of the lake. Swimming near the dam was way cool. The water felt great and the Stranahan's was flowin!

Grand Canyon - North Kaibab Trail

Entered the park around 10:30 am - traffic was bad due to the holiday weekend but we made it in. Had a little trouble finding a parking spot but the backcountry office is a great location as I parked under a huge pine which shaded the truck well. The trail is 14 miles each way so we made sure we were good to go. Started the hike down and we were amazed at the flora and fauna along the way. Many trees and shrubs. Much more diversity than we expected, even with all the rain. Our goal was to hike to Cottonwood Campground about 7 miles down. I mean down. We hiked down for the entire 7 miles! Set up camp, had dinner and crashed. The stars were incredible! Got up in the morning and headed to Bright Angel Campground near the Colorado River. Stopped at Ribbon Falls along the way. It was one of the most spectacular waterfalls I've ever seen. Not because it was big (it wasn't) but the spot where the water landed was spectacular. Back on the trail to Bright Angel. Made it by mid afternoon and set up camp then jumped in the river to cool off. Water was cold as hell but I didn't care - it was 105 in the sun! Spent a few hours hiking down by the river then crossed both the silver and black bridges over the Colorado. Went to listen the the Ranger talk about death in the canyon - mostly stories about stupid peiople making stupid decisions. I say it's the Darwin award for most of those idiots.. Got up in the am and headed back to Cottonwood. Stopped by Ribbon Falls for lunch and a nap along the way. Spent a few hours there and read my book for a bit. Cottonwood is a boring place to camp as there isn't much to do. One thing we noticed while talking to people is that several were attempting a day hike from rim to rim. That's 28 miles down then up at one time. Some were running it. Idiots. The final hike was pretty steep the entire way but we did great. Took some amazing pics and saw some cool things. A bird buzzed by my head at one point and it made the coolest sound. Must have been doing 60 or so. Really moving! Had reservations at the North Rim campground so we headed there to set up camp. We had dinner at the lodge then back to the tent to crash. What a trip.

North Kaibab National Forest

Made it to the N Kaibab and bought a map. Drove to the North Rim for our first ever view of the Grand Canyon. Damn, is it grand! Pictures can't come close to it's enormity! Stopped by the backcounty permit office to speak with a Ranger about a permit to hike down to the Colorado. He said he had on left and we could leave in the morning! What luck. These things sell out ASAP. It was a sign of things to come - everything was going our way!! Drove back to N Kaibab and then off road for 17 miles where we set up camp on North Timp Point. We literally pitched the tent within a few feet from the edge on top of the North Rim. Spectacular vista!!! Packed our gear for the 4 day adventure, had dinner and some wine then hit the sack.

Navajo National Monument

Left Gunnison on the 22nd and headed to the Grand Canyon. Weather was cold and wet. Saw Navajo National Monument on the map and more importantly saw the free camping! Set up the tent just in time for more rain. Had to put my base layer on as it got cold. Had a quick breakfast then hit the road for the Grand Canyon.