Tag: photography

Day 2287

Sunday January 7th 2024

Dear Journal:

SNOW! As we wake this morning we can not see the Picketpost mountain, as day breaks we are engulfed in low laying cloud cover, totally obscuring our view of the surrounding mountains. It is raining as we prepare to head to the visitor center for another day of volunteering. I already know that it will be a long boring day in admissions, but the Arboretum never closes so we are headed to the visitor center just before eight o’clock.

As we walk to the visitor center this morning we can see snow on Picketpost Mountain at least what we can see of the mountain under the cloud cover. Most Sundays we are hoping to exceed 1000 visitors while today I’m thinking maybe 100 could be a stretch. But I’m starting a new book today, so I will be able to occupy myself if the visitors don’t come to the Arboretum today.

This is not a book to read on a busy day, this is most likely one of the most difficult reads that I have ever undertaken. Think history book kind of reading, dates, facts, and a complete history on every new associate that he came in contact with.

A complicated history on the man who brought the atomic bomb to life, and how the country that had picked him to perform such a task then turned him into a villain following his actions. As I read this I realized that the division in America is not something new.

As the day proceeds the clouds start to lift and Picketpost mountain come into view with the snow and even some blue sky starting to open up. We are actually in some sunshine at the visitor center.

On these long boring days I’m usually left in the admission booth by myself, Miss Laurie spends her day helping in the gift shop either restocking shelves or managing the store while staff is performing other tasks. And as you may know I get bored and while reading my book I happen to notice this incest on the admission booth window with temperatures just over the freezing mark, not a temperature that brings out bugs. It also would appear that I need to clean the glass in the admission booth windows.

There were no admission records set today, I read until my head hurt, and the day just kept getting better, the temperature never climbed much today but we did get a little sunshine which always makes cold days a little more bearable. The clouds became whiter and the blue sky opening became larger, and the snow became more obvious. And as much as I tried to avoid them I still got the top of those damn port-a-potties in the bottom of the photo.

Our work week is over, we are off now until Friday, the coach was chilly when we returned, usually with any amount of sunshine the coach warms up quite nicely, but on cloudy days not so much so I’m firing up the electric heaters as we prepare to kick back and watch some television, news, 60 minutes, then some YouTube videos.

Blog 502

Day 2285

Friday January 5th 2024

Dear Journal:

Ah our first day of volunteering in 2024, but first is our regular workday routine, a cup of fresh perked coffee with a wee Irish blessing with a little of local and national news. Our usual breakfast on volunteering days is some cold cereal before work. Miss Laurie packs us a sandwich, a fruit cup, and usually some potato chips (one of my nemeses) along with our water bottles. We know it has been a cold winter week in Arizona and the weekend forecast is not looking good which while making our days easy also makes them drag as we are better when busy.

This was my view from the ticket booth this morning, since we last volunteered some of the Arboretum centennial celebration items have been mover into place. This is always a very popular photo opportunity in the Arboretum as it overlooks some of the Arboretum as well as having the Picketpost Mountain in the background and displays Saguaro cactus and Eucalyptus trees. I also have to point out that in true Arboretum fashion it also overlooks the port-a-potties in the background as well, this little oversight is not unusual I’m sorry to say.

As the photo shows it is an overcast day, this is not unusual January and February are winter here in Arizona so cold weather, with rain and the occasional skiff of snow are not unheard of. But the average temperature for Superior Arizona in January is 61ºF (16ºC) / 43ºF (6ºC) with 4 days of rain, that is at 2800 feet of elevation, the Arboretum is located at 2400 feet, so very similar. We do not come to Arizona for hot weather, we come to Arizona in the winter for sunshine, as an example Yuma records over 300 days of sunshine every year and Phoenix is just under the 300 mark and while the days are not hot the sunshine is warm and is our reason for being here.

This is my view on my volunteering days, and Miss Laurie sits four feet to my right, workstation, cashdrawer, ticket printer, mouse, scanner, and credit card machine, and of course my Yeti. You my notice how ergonomic that it is not with the keyboard of my workstation being on my left which make typing a wee bit difficult for a right handed guy, and every transaction requires entering a zip or postal code and often we have to look up members by their name or phone number. The display screen is a touch screen but again designed for a left handed person. Again the whole admission booth was designed by someone that had absolutely no idea what was needed. And the only reason it is as workable as it is, is because we reworked what we could with the counter and orientation. You may also notice there is not a human in sight, and this was taken around ten o’clock, usually one of the busiest times for admission on a Friday.

The only thing worse than being overworked is being underworked, and with today being the best looking day of the weekend, I’m thinking it could be a long three days … jus’saying.

Blog 500