Monday, November 30, 2009

Winter











No doubt that the cold season is here. Temperatures began dropping after sun set yesterday. I brought in my sensitive citrus trees (one which is growing flower buds!) and a few succulents. I have a few pepper plants that may overwinter as well. Clouds hung low over the mountains. The birdseed that I left out yesterday afternoon already is gone. The birds are getting ready for the hungry and cold days ahead.

Mount Lemmon north of Tucson has its first snow of the season. Forest rangers locked the forest roads to the peak; those roads will remain locked for the season. My December hike up Carr Peak will be cold and icy and Sadie most likely will stay home this month as she is too thin to handle the cold.

My throat is still raw from Friday's one-day flu and I easily get cold. My walk with the dogs yesterday was a quick drive up the foothills with the dogs running behind me. They actually like the fast speed and Sadie loves being up front. Several hunters in the mountains saw me "running the dogs" and thought it was cute seeing three dogs run past them, all in a row, following the white truck. I must have some weird impression with the locals here!

It was a cold "run" for me. My hands were cold the entire time. It didn't seem to phase the dogs, though. They may not get another "run" for a few days as this is my last full week of classes and I need to finish my finals.

Temperatures this morning, according to KVOA, are colder here than in Billings, Montana! Today's high there will be 55F. The high in El Paso, where the storm seems to have hit the hardest (from the Chiricahua Mountains to the hills of that city is where the coldest temperatures currently are) will be only 38F. It was 38F here at 5am.

Sadie and Pache continue to be "best friends." Those two always sleep close to each other. Pache always initiates aggressive play, though which includes biting and using his claws on her nose. Whenever I come back with a "run" with the dogs, Pache joyfully welcomes his playmate Sadie back. I think Sadie feels closer to Pache than she does to the rest of the dogs.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving in Bisbee














Kevin was up early to start up the coffee machine. I was up early to look at Amazon.com deals. I had a hike scheduled for Bisbee later this morning, but no one had emailed me to let me know they were coming so I didn’t rush. I could easily have stayed at home and worked around the garden. It was a pleasant day out, with temps in the upper 60s and no breeze.

Attempts to call the kids were fruitless. All I got were answering machines. My mother, as always, was already in Las Vegas for the long weekend. She goes there every Thanksgiving.

Our plan today was to meet in Bisbee after the hike at the Grand Saloon Bar where Kevin would bring his turkey. I had told club members I would lead a hike in Bisbee today, but no one seemed interested in joining me when I brought this up at the monthly meeting a few weeks ago. So, I wasn't expecting anyone even though I didn't officially cancel the hike. I took Sadie with me, although she didn't seem in the mood for a hike today, and she didn't want to carry her Hound Pack, either. She really doesn't like that thing.

I left the house at 10:50am and drove the lonely roads to Old Bisbee. I got to town at 11:30am.

The town was empty today. No one was waiting for me so I continued on up the hill via Brewery Gulch, the famous street of long-gone prostitutes and wealthy mine owners when Bisbee was still a roaring mining town 100 years ago. This narrow, winding street is where men had their fun with women and were no Mexicans were allowed. Some of the squalid shacks further up this road still remind me of third-world homes. Some look more like squatters' homes than normal homes. A few looked too nice to be located here. But that's the appeal of Bisbee: it's an eclectic town with eclectic tastes.

I parked as far up the hill as I could on Brewery Gulch, then walked up the trail which continued up the canyon. I followed the "Pedestrian Trail" uphill along a rocky, narrow gulch. I was heading uphill over a widening canyon with hills around me. This was my first time up here. I gave myself 2.5 hours before having to meet Kevin at the Grand Saloon Bar where we were donating Kevin’s cooked turkey.

The hills around Bisbee were, as expected, dry as anywhere else. Even some of the yuccas looked parched. Whatever cacti grows on these Manzanita-grown hills surely freezes in the winter. Tall yuccas and sotols lined the brittle trail, many with dying leaves. The only color I saw were the yellow cottonwoods in town.

I made it to a ridgeline, from where I could see the Copper Queen Mine at the edge of Old Bisbee. That open pit is one huge hole in the Earth. I could also see Sandy Bob Canyon to my north as I recognized the crags by the dry waterfall. I took some photos of the distant hills in Mexico and continued along the trail until I came across a "No Trespassing" sign, on which someone had also spray-painted "Apacheland." These parched hills do seem to resonate with old Apache spirits.

Despite the No Trespassing sign, however, I spotted several hikers moving uphill on the trail. They were hiking toward the cross and shrine that is visible to anyone who drives into town from Highway 80. I had always wanted to trek up this hill to that shrine, and followed the other hikers. It didn't take me too long to catch up with one couple who were more dressed for city streets than rocky desert trails.

Other people were also walking around these hills before their Thanksgiving Day meal. Plastic bottles, old campfire wood and other debris were indicative that is is a popular place. A garbage can near the Catholic shrine was full of trash. Does anyone actually climb up this hill to empty it on a regular basis? The view of town is worth the two-mile hike to these exposed rocks. Bisbee looks so small from this vantage point.

My little hill hike was no more than four miles. I was dressed in low-cut jeans and a dress shirt, with my grey fleece sweater over that. I didn't want to look too much like an outdoors person in the bar because "outdoors" here in Bisbee often means squating in abandoned homes and syphoning electricity from neighbors.

I made it back to the truck just as Kevin called to let me know he had arrived in town. It was 1:48pm and we were to meet at the hotel by 2p m. But Laura gave us bogus information: the dinner didn’t start until 3pm (she told us 2pm) so we sat around at the bar, chatting at times with the people around us as we waited. Most of the earlier birds were the scruffy homeless who sleep in an abandoned mine nearby. Sadie slept in the truck, oblivious of the neighborhood dogs that were walking down the street with their owners.

I was hungry as I hadn’t eaten anything save two leftover chicken nuggets from yesterday’s visit to Applebee’s. I had two plates of dressing, mashed potatoes and the fixings (very little turkey!) and when we left the bar at 4pm I was barely able to walk. I felt like a turkey myself! There was plenty more food and more was coming in.

We enjoyed sharing our dinner with strangers. We had our fill and didn't even have to worry about clean-up. Kevin even mentioned doing this again next year, but next year we are going to leave the house later, perhaps at 2pm so that we don't sit around at the bar for an hour. There were plenty of other people who came in with cooked dishes to share, and the entire wall divider was covered with all kinds of platters. This was no doubt a local crowd, a quiet crowd. The Dallas-Oakland football game was playing as we left; Dallas was in the lead 17:0.

As for the trails around Bisbee, I discovered a few more trails I could explore in these hills! There's a five-mile loop hike that starts from Brewery Gulch and I want to try that one next time.

Kevin didn't stay awake for long once we got back home. A conversation with Katie earlier got him homesick for another family Christmas get-gether in Massachusetts, and booked himself a flight over that week. Then he went to bed. It wasn't quite 6pm. It's true that men fall asleep after eating turkey; he's lucky he drove home before falling asleep! I wish that would work for me, too.

So now he's going to spend time with his family the week of 22-27 December. He hasn't been back there since before we left New Jersey and I'm happy he's finally showing an interest in seeing his family again. I would have loved to have joined him, but the timing was off and I had already promised Erin I'd be there in Chicagoland and spend time with Baby Ethan.

I had planned on leaving for Chicagoland on the 26th but will now postpone that by a day so that the dogs aren't alone for more than 24 hours. I hope the weather plays me a better hand this time around; I ended up cancelling last Cmas' drive to Chicagoland because of black ice across Illinois the week I was to be there. If I leave here early on the 27th that still gives me a full week in Chicagoland. With the Lake Effect freezes Chicago is notorious for, however, I don't think I could stand more than a week there in the winter anyway.

Dallas won their game 24:7.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Carr Peak in November









Temperatures outside registered 50F at 8am. That meant more like upper 30s at the peak.

I didn't even leave the house until 9am, not expecting anyone to be at the meet-up place. No one had emailed or called me saying they wanted to hike the peak today. And to be honest, I had to force myself in the mood to climb this peak today. It started out feeling more like a chore.

This month I hiked alone with Sadie. There was no one in the parking lot at 9:07am when I drove by (it's a mere seven minutes to drive here from my house) and proceeded to drive up the five-mile forest road to the Ramsey Vista campground where the trail begins. I got to the trailhead at 9:32am, fought Sadie as she refused to carry her pack, and was on my way uphill by 9:37am. We were the only car in the parking lot.

It was warmer than expected at the trailhead. I did't go far before stopping to remove my red fleece over jacket, something I never put back on. The dense Cool-Max long-sleeved army shirt I wore kept me comfortable the entire hike. And surprisingly, my hands never got cold.

I didn't meet anyone until I reached the last half mile, as two young men descended the peak.

All the decidious trees were now baren. The lack of any color along this entire route made this a rather drab hike; one had to take close-ups of dormant buds or small herbaceous flowers hiding under piles of dead leaves to see any life. Whatever high winds had blown here within the last month had blown off the last of the dying leaves. The oaks and maples were now naked. A few stubborn seedheads of the dead thistle and sage remained, and a few lonely oaks, but what I saw today was a baren trail with naked trees on either side. Colors were gone. Even birds were few, as all I saw today was one red-tailed hawk and a couple of raven, and on my descent a flicker chirping in a nearby dead pine.

Winds were calm until we made our final ascent that last 1/3 mile to the peak. I didn't stay long at the top. I photographed the panorama and then went down silently with Sadie by my side. I neither stopped for water or food, nor did she want any.

Four more men were going uphill on my descent. It was a quiet hike today with no one to chat with, and Sadie just followed along.

We got back to the truck at 12:37am, three hours after taking off. The last two times I hiked this peak it took me over four hours to hike this peak, taking breaks at the summit and chatting.

I was home shortly after 1pm and a temperature of upper 60Fs.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Carr Peak

Sadie doesn't know this yet, but tomorrow at 9am we are going to hike the peak for November. It will be in the 60s with a slight breeze, but otherwise the weather will be OK. Sunday we may get wetter conditions, and that's the day Susan is leading a hike in Kartchner Caverns. I've never hiked the trails there!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sheelite Canyon












I had forgotten how pretty this narrow and steep canyon is. Sadie and I went here for a short two-mile hike while volunteer lieutenants from Fort Huachuca helped cut down dead or menacing trees along the trail. Twelve volunteers showed up from the list of 22. They did a good job cleaning this trail. I didn't stay because of Katie's visit.

Brenda was the only club member who came to help with trail maintenance. Big Steve and Bernie were team members of the volunteers. Bernie was higher up the trail; never did hear his chain-saw.

I got to see Sheelite in its waning days of autumn color, regretting now never having hiked up this pretty canyon this fall.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Sandy Bob Canyon


















This was a nice six-mile hike in Bisbee's own Mule Mountains, a 45-minute drive from our home. The trail is not on any map; one can only get here with the help of a local.

The Mule Mountains aren't a large range, nor a very high range, and most of the land is privately-owned. Where we hiked, however, was on BLM land, away from old mining trails. It thus takes an experienced Bisbeeite to get around the old mining roads.

Paul was our guide today, having hiked this trail a few weeks ago with other locals. What I thought would be an easy three-hour hike over level terrain turned out to be a five-hour hike up and down rugged canyons. And I'm glad I did it.

Weather started out looking menacing, with dark clouds over the mountains. Rain was expected at 20% and the wind was blowing. When we met at the meeting place near the Mule Tunnel I was surprised so many showed up: eight people, all regulars. Besides Paul there was Big Steve, Hanna, Rod and Caci, Susan, Bill and I. If I had led this hike, I told Susan, I doubt as many people would have shown up.

Our hike started up at Juniper Flats two miles up a steep and winding dirt road that gave us lovely views of the town. This trail is worth the extra sweat to get to it, as nowhere else can you see the town around you like this.

And boy was it cold at the start! Bill was cold and all he had on was a long-sleeved shirt. I just happened to have a bag of clothes I had wanted to drop off at the clothing donation box in Bisbee and gave Bill a fleece-lined old coat of Kevin's. Bill never took that jacket off and I never removed my fleece. I don't think it ever reached 60F today. Bill wouldn't have made it today without that jacket.

I had been to Juniper Flats twice before and enjoyed the area. The last time was earlier this spring with Kevin and the dogs, but we were in a southern canyon. Today we followed an old rutted jeep trail going west-northwest, then took a faint trail to the right, which took us through a forest of oaks, junipers and thorny brush down a north-sloping hillside of reddish-stained soil. I could see Tombstone in the distance. After resting at a saddle with a quick snack we continued on down a drainage, which led to another drainage and eventually to the turn-around of this hike: a dramatic waterfall over a steep cliff. Today, though, there was no water in the fall. There was just a lot of wind.

"There's a marijuana field up that canyon" said Rod as we came to a narrow side canyon. "We'll be going back that way" he added later.

Paul and Susan took a high trail down while the rest of us stayed in the dry drainage area where the flat rocks gave us good traction and we didn't have to worry about thorny brush. I had never been in this remote canyon and every view I had was a new view. With a little water running this would have been spectacular.

The mountains are neither very tall nor very steep but one needs to have good orienteering skills to get around because none of the trails are marked. We stopped a few times to let the slower hikers catch up. For some, this hike was more strenuous than what was listed in the guide. I didn't mind the added challenge. I just had to be back in town by noon to join Kevin and Katie for a picnic in Bisbee-Warren.

We never made that deadline. Paul and Susan took longer to reach us. We rested, ate our snacks and when they joined us, finished the hike to the water fall. The views from this canyon were gorgeous. The orange rocks would be great nesting areas for hawks. I want to come back to this place after a heavy rain when water is in this canyon. Today the wind blew a cold breeze. I held my floppy hat with my hand to keep it from blowing down the canyon. I never got comfortable.

We broke into two groups on our way back. I walked with Bill, Rod and Casi up the "marijuana trail" although we didn't see any of that stuff. When we came across a five-gallon black plastic nursery pot, though, Rod told me that pot once held a marijuana plant. I picked up the pot to recycle it later. And when I took a break to let others catch up with me, I used that pot as a chair to rest on.

"You know, Rod," I told him, "if this pot held a marijuana plant my hands may have some residue on them!"
"I was going to tell you that!" he answered.
"But anyone who knows me knows how I hate trash in the forests. I'm always picking up something on a trail."
"Just don't let the DEA guys see you!"
Sure, DEA guys in this canyon? That's why there's alleged marijuana growing there in the first place.

We were back at our cars at 2:35pm. The hike was part rock scramble, part bushwhack, part narrow trail. No one got lost, injured or dehydrated, although we all got sprinkled on in the last 10 minutes of this hike as rain clouds covered the valley. By then we were too close to the finish line to stop to put on my raincoat.

Since we took longer than expected I never had time to stop at the recycling plant for the plastic, paper, tin and cardboard I had in my truck. Instead, I met Kevin and Katie at his boss' house in Warren, where Tommy and Debbie were hosting a memorial picnic for Debbie's recently-departed mother Kitty. They gave a loving toast to the woman.

Kitty was Old World Italian from Long Island. All the food served today was from Kitty's favorite recipes. The climax was when we all sang the Dean Martin song "That's Amore!" (When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's Amore!"). We all sang what we could to that song. Some people, especially Debbie and daughter Taylor, got emotional. The event was well-planned.

All the food was delicious: I ate grand meals after this hike: baked ziti, sausage sandwich, even some minestrone. My hand hugged that soup bowl. I only had one beer, though since I was so cold. The house smelled like an Italian restaurant. Many of the women were nicely dressed and here I was wearing hiking gear.

"You hiked up Sandy Bob?" asked me one of the guests. "My brother was out there a few weeks ago and came across a group carrying AK-47s!" Those were probably the guys guarding the alleged marijuana plants. He also told me about Mexicans who were shooting across the border into the US at a few deer hunters south of Bisbee recently. Two weeks ago two men from Sinaloa (A state in Mexico known for its druglords) were gunned down in Naco. Not to mention the low-flying USBP helicopter I saw this morning on my way to the hike, and the three large USBP vans parked nearby. There is a lot of illegal activity in this area that remains unreported.

The kicker this afternoon was meeting my English instructor today. He's best friends with Tommy and Debbie as well! I was a little uncomfortable being around him (The old army rule of not fraternizing with subordinates) and when we did talk, we did not discuss the class.

Despite the cold, I had a good time. We didn't leave until 6pm as the dark cold came back over Bisbee and even the men dressed in jackets said it was getting chilly.

http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2009/11/10/across-border-double-slaying-shakes-naco

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Now what?

Only four people showed up at the monthly hiking club meeting on Tuesday. I figured that with the cooler climes, more people would show up at these meetings. Instead, the attendance has slacked off sharply now that Little Steve no longer shows up. He and six other club members are backpacking in the White Mountains this week.

All is fine, but when I brought up next quarter's schedule, no one wanted to volunteer for any hikes. And since I am unsure about staying on as member for another year, won't add myself to any more hikes. I simply can't lead a hike every week when so few people are interested. If my hikes are seen as "too fast," "too strenuous" or "too long" then perhaps it's best I spend part of my time in the woods challenging myself to maintain that image of "too fast, too strenuous, too long."

The problem is that the hiking club is too small, too old and too casual.

What I'd rather do is explore uncharted terrain sola, with just Sadie, since Kevin doesn't hike anymore. There are a lot of regions I haven't been to yet: Prescott, Verde Wilderness, Yuma, Arizona's Lost Strip, even the Grand Canyon. Before I lead a hike in those areas, though, I want to explore the region first.

I did tell Steve that I would lead at least one hike a month once he's president, but that I am not going to attend the club meetings anymore. I have a Tuesday class next semester (Ancient Civilization, a potential snoozer). People want by-laws and a president but few take any initiative. Why can't we just be a group of friends who like to hike the mountains? All these regulations and by-laws are restricting.

I told Kevin all this yesterday while we were enjoying free dinner at Applebee's for Veteran's Day. I want to go on weekend road trips to him in January and February and I already have two destinations in mind: San Diego's dog beach and the Mount Charleston Recreation area NW of Las Vegas. This mountain, at 11918', is Nevada's 8th tallest peak. Both destinations are about 500 miles away, an "easy" day drive.

Kevin's daughter Katie is here for a few days. He's taking a few days vacation to show her around the county. She only has a few days here, so Kevin will focus on showing her Tombstone, Bisbee and the border. She couldn't afford to take two weeks off because of her job in the flower business, so she flew here on a budget air fare. Her four days here will just be long enough to give her a taste of this awesome region. Too bad she's getting here as our warm snap is cooling. We've had 80-degree days all week, but tonight the temperatures will drop 15 degrees and be more seasonable.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Sadie's peaks




Here are Sadie's highest accomplishments:

Mount Taylor, NM: 11301'
Whitewater Baldy, NM: 10895'
Sacagawea Peak, MT: 9665'
Medicine Wheel, WY: 9642'
Miller Peak, AZ: 9466' (2x)
Mount Wrightson, AZ: 9453'
Carr Peak, AZ: 9237' (2x)
Hyalite Lake, MT: 8875'
Harney Peak, SD: 7244'

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Mount Wrightson, 9453'


















I finally made it up Mount Wrightson again. My first climb up this big rock was in February 2003, fighting blustery winds and ice sheets. Today, I had company, a trusting dog and warm weather.

It was a perfect day for a November hike. Skies were mostly sunny, there was little wind and the temperatures were in the 70s. I had forgotten my beloved Cool-max cap and instead wore a goofy-looking Aussie outback hat my mother had given me a few years ago. The brim doesn't lay right and the hat looks cock-sided. But since when is hiking attire fashionable?

Bill and I met at the Madera Canyon parking lot. This was an impromptu hike as we both wanted to bag this peak. This was Bill's 59th ascent up Mt W; my second. We were on the trail by 8am, going up the Lower Super Trail (the way Steve and I did earlier this summer). I felt stronger and in better shape this time, but the cooler temperatures and a summer of hiking peaks surely helped. Sadie, who was wearing her Hound Pack for the first time, was carrying her own water and snacks, taking a load off of my back which I greatly appreciated.

She didn’t seem to mind the added weight around her, and the weight seemed to slow her down where she stayed closer to Bill and me—sometimes too close—and could be taken off the leash and be trusted once we got away from any crowds. She didn’t disappoint.

There weren’t too many people hiking today, certainly not as many as were here last Saturday. We passed four people going up, met five people coming down, one who was Bill’s optometrist in Green Valley. She had her German Shepherd mix dogs with her who did not take a liking to Sadie. Sadie didn’t like them either and all dogs started barking. I opted to hike on ahead of Bill to give the dogs some peace.

Bill quickly caught up to me near Sprung Springs which stood bone dry. I guess the spring had sprung months ago!

In fact, all the springs and creeks were dry again. Bell Spring, further up the trail, was even dryer. This is the spring that Bill and his friend Joe come and repair the piping on a few times a year. They work hard on fixing the piepe so that water falls into the cement catch but someone keeps disconnecting it.

Fall colors had faded. Bill pointed out various oaks that had been broken by black bears during their attempt to climb canopies for acorns. There was bear scat and what looked like bear diggings near the trail, but Sadie showed no interest in them today. Maybe she was concentrating on her pack, which shifted from side to side and had to be constantly readjusted.

We made it to the lower saddle in 1:20 hours. From here we continued on uphill, now facing the steepest part of this hike to the peak as it meandered steeply around the northern slopes of the giant granite outcropping. From the upper Baldy saddle, where Steve and I made our turn-around last time, it was a mere .9 miles to the peak.

We got to the peak at 11:35 as two more men reached it a few minutes later. I was chilled in my orange dry weave shirt and bright yellow cycling jacket and my hands felt slightly cold. I sought some warmth in the corner of a stone wall as Sadie drank her water and devoured an entire bag of chicken chews. She refused to drink anything until we got to the top, but she made up for it in one long drink.

“It’s a 100-mile visibility day” said Bill at the peak. And indeed we could see clearer today than last week. If I wasn’t so cold I could have taken a nap on a warm rock, dreamed of Mexican peaks, but even the rocks today weren’t all that warm. I just couldn't get warm. Bill perused through the summit notebook while I tried in vain to get my hands warm.

The chill in our clothes is why we took the Supper Trail going back down, looping around Mount Wrightson to the south and adding almost two more miles to our hike. We walked through the remnants of the 2005 Florida fire, where young pine seedlings are now a foot tall and several oaks have regrown to a few feet. These seedlings will be the next generation of oaks,fir and Douglas pine on this slope, although neither Bill nor I will be around to see another green canopy here.

The Upper Super Trail offers pretty views of Josephine Canyon as we slowly made it back to the saddle, rested for a bit and resumed the last 2.2 miles down the Old Baldy trail, completing a figure eight loop and getting back to the cars at just after 3:15pm. We had hiked 13.5 miles, climbed from 5400’ to 9453’ and enjoyed the views in all directions.

This is Sadie's 6th tallest peak she's bagged since she started hiking in January, bagging Miller Peak with me. Miller is at 9466' making that peak a tad higher. All the other higher peaks were in Wyoming, New Mexico and Montana.

I have finally developed strength to hike high and long again, thanks to the inspiration of people like Bill, Donna and Debbie. Today was my first hike with someone during which I didn’t have to slow down, wait for others to catch up, or worry about anyone not drinking enough water. I was challenged today and it was the first time in a long time. I don’t want to lose the conditioning that I’ve built up this summer. I want to go higher and longer, and there are plenty of peaks in Arizona to get started on. Winter isn't going to stop me, either!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Brown Canyon











I had forgotten how lovely this canyon is. It had been four years since I've been here.

I met Bill at the trailhead but then he went ahead while I waited five more minutes for anyone else to show up. No one else did.

Thet railhead was full with hikers and snowbirds from Minnesota and Wisconsin. A long horse trailer from Fort Huachuca took up the most space, getting horses and the 1880s-era US troops in position. While most went to the Brown Canyon ranch, we stayed on the jeep trail until we dropped down a small incline and slowly ascended the trail up Brown Canyon.

Trees were showing severe drought stress, as mazanitas in the wash were dead! But further up the canyon sycamores in their bright yellows and maples in their reds delighted us in fall colors. We stopped at the horse trough, drank some water, and walked north on the Brown Canyon Road back to Ramsey Road, where we walked the last mile or so on the pavement. I saw new vantage points I had never seen before.

This was a lovely walk, and the company was lovely. I hadn't hiked with Bill in a long time. Afterwards he welcomed me to join him at Bonnie's Lounge for beer. Although it wasn't quite 11am yet (a bit early to drink!) I joined him for the company, and discovered that some of the Applebee crowed was there as well. I don't know them all by name, but they are a staple crowd at Applebee's in the afternoon.

"Aha, I've discovered your Saturday morning hang-out!"
"You sure did!" Bill smiled back.

The converation today at the bar was about the Muslim major, Nidal Malik Hasan who shot and killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood Thursday morning. I have never heard of an officer going on a killing spree like this, but a Muslim officer may reveal a dark and harrowing connection to more secret, deeper motives. We had talked about this same topic yesterday as well.

Doc wants the man to survive and be put to death. To which I agree, but I added "He should be executed Islamic style: by cutting off his head!" Not exactly the kind of topic I enjoy on a late Saturday morning!