I said good-bye to my high-school friend and we headed for the airport. A true "jet-setter" has had the adventure of flying on one of these...My German friend in Palm Springs refers to the turbo-props not-so-affectionately-as "shitshakers!" The short-hop from Las Vegas to Palm Springs can only be done non-stop on one of these flying marvels. The crew nicely warned passengers that due to the nature of flying over the hot desert landscape, constant thermals produce some rather interesting turbulence, even in the calmest of weather. So, with our belts VERY tight and a dose of intrepidity, our craft "bounced" it's way for 40 minutes. Really, it wasn't that bad, but the attendant told us that the incoming flight was very rough the entire distance.

One morning after breakfast, a primitive sign caught my attention:"lets go that direction!" At first I figured a sedate viewpoint where mostly one would find motorhomes an other HUGE vehicles. Instead, this road north of Tahoe took us to one of the most spectacular high-altitude-9500ft viewpoints of the Sierra's. The card in my digital camera was now filled, bummer! I really wanted more pics, so I'm sure I'll be returning. I always enjoy the surprise of driving an unknown road. The only obstacle to going further was a snow-bank on a precarious bend.

Of course a birthday wouldn't be a birthday without the obligatory cake and candles!(no, it's not pan-pizza with candles!) I spent the last week at Mom's with a road-trip up to Lake Tahoe before flying back to the Emerald City.

I'm home after almost 2 weeks on-the-road. A friend jokingly refers to me as the "jet-setter", but really I don't travel far lately. W-O-R-K is a four-lettered word and like other people, it takes most of my time! Although I posted my "Happy Birthday" already, here's a few pics from my trip. The highlight of my trip was the "Blue Man Group" in Las Vegas. I highly recommend it. No idea which Blue Man is pictured, as they don't speak! For those of you not familiar with this show, Blue Man is popular in New York and other venues including Boston,Chicago. More info at www.blueman.com.

This year marks my 40th birthday!!! WOW, time has moved along and I'm leaving town for 2 weeks and using some well-earned vacation time for fun and celebrating. Now, I never really celebrate my birthday, but I felt 40 deserved some recognition. On the 18th I will be in Las Vegas, and then travelling through Palm Springs before visiting my family in Northern California.

A (good) job opportunity presented itself recently too. Depending on the outcome of recent interviews, I might be starting a new position after my return.