Bootleg Canyon Park's Desert Critters

When we visited Boulder City a few weeks ago, I happened to pick up a local newspaper that touted nearby Bootleg Canyon's 35 mile biking trail, as well as the opening of a short, new, paved trail. Wheelchair accessible, the new trail was described as about a .5 miles long, meandering through desert landscape and dotted with desert wildlife sculptures. We figured this was a great opportunity to take David's 98-year-old mom, Rebecca, for a nature outing to check it out.

Though the day was cool and breezy, the sky was cobalt blue and cloudless. We bundled up Rebecca in a warm fleece and blanket and headed onto the trail. A larger-than-life black-tailed jackrabbit greeted us at the trailhead. Each sculpture provided some interesting facts about the animal represented. For instance, the black-tailed jackrabbit can achieve speeds up to 40 mph when escaping a predator.

In all, we encountered seven sculptures on our mini-hike …

Though spring has not yet sprung in the desert, I enjoyed learning about the native desert plants and thinking about which ones might be desirable and thrive well in our new xeroscape yard.

We were surprised and disappointed that we did not see a jackalope sculpture in the park, but we're pretty sure this was just an oversight on the part of the park administrators. We'll check into that further. Maybe there will be one in the future.

A little trivia: The word “bootleg” stems from the trick of concealing a flask of liquor down the leg of a high boot. Bootleg Canyon got its name from the illegal stills operated by bootleggers in these hills during the Great Depression.

Super Bowl Sunday

We've been preparing all week, both mentally and physically, for Super Bowl Sunday, an unofficial US holiday. Finally, it's here. The kick-off is scheduled for 1830 Eastern Time … 1530 for us Las Vegans, out west. There's an Official Super Bowl 50 website and all sorts of associated apps for phone and tablet. The media refers to it as Super Bowl Week and significant TV prime time has been devoted to the big build-up to Sunday's game. It's especially important to us because our team, the Denver Broncos, is playing. Woohoo! The game is being played in Santa Clara, California (not far from San Francisco). Super Bowl ticket prices range from $3144 - $15,000. We're obviously watching it at home.

So, how have we prepared mentally for the big event? Well, we've been watching all the programming leading up to the big game including Best Super Bowl Commercials/Advertisements over the past 50 years ($5 mil for a 30 second spot) and the Best Half Time Shows over the years and highlights of Super Bowls past. This is Super Bowl 50 … so there's lots of material to choose from. There are interviews galore with the players, men who used to be players, men who have played in the Super Bowl but who aren't playing this year, daughters of Super Bowl players … you get the gist.

Additionally, we've been sending strong mental “win” vibes to the Broncos. We really want them to win and firmly believe they will. The odds, however, are not in our favor. The Carolina Panthers are favored by 5.5 points, but that's irrelevant. We plan to win, but just in case, we have cast a few spells and are relying on a little juju to overcome the point spread.

Ah, now you're asking how we're preparing physically for the event? There have been no calisthenics involved. We had a family pow-wow and carefully planned our menu which is comprised primarily of brunch, snacks, junk food, mimosas and beer. We've made lists and shopped relentlessly to make sure we have everything we need … and in great quantities. According to the USDA, Super Bowl Sunday is “the second-largest day of the year for U.S. food consumption”, second only to Thanksgiving. We plan to do our share along with the other estimated 120 million folks who will be watching.

We haven't watched a Super Bowl game in over a decade. Including the upcoming game, the Broncos will have competed in the Super Bowl eight times. Their last wins were back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998-1999. The Broncos also hold the record for most Super Bowl losses (5 losses – shhh!), but this time we plan to eat and drink our way to a victory.

FAQ - How do you handle arguments aboard?

Yes, we sometimes have heated discussions aboard Nine of Cups. We do squabble and quibble and quarrel on occasion, and yes, sometimes it escalates into a full-blown argument. It's rare and hard to believe, but admittedly, it's true. David and I do not always see eye to eye. What a revelation by people who pretty much spend 24x7 together! Our actions following an argument, (but before the make-up) can be somewhat limited and many times defined by our location. Arguments on the dock, for instance, provide many more options than arguments at sea.

Usually confrontation ensues when we're in stressful situations. Docking and anchoring are two culprits for many folks, although we've worked out some of the kinks over the past decade or so. Generally, arguments begin over something trivial and get blown out of proportion because of 1) foul moods of one or both crew members; 2) we're frustrated over something, like waiting for a part or a weather window; or 3) the captain is being stubborn and thinks he's right about something, when the first mate knows full well he's wrong. (Captain's comment: “As if!”) Sometime we're just overdue for a break, a change of venue and/or some individual “me” time.

We get angry in different ways. Marcie is emotional … she gets furious, shouts, stomps and slams doors, gets over it in an hour or two and she's fine. David is slow to anger and even slower to get over it. We don't swear or call each other names; we just seethe and sulk. At a marina, there's escape by just walking down the dock and mulling things over. At sea, we usually end up in different parts of the boat for as long as it takes … the aft bunk, the cockpit, the nav station, the galley, as far away from the other partner as possible … looking for our own private Idahoes and allowing ourselves to cool down. Once we're both back in a communicative frame of mind, it's pretty easy to resolve the issues, profess our humble, mutual apologies and get on with the day.

So … a long answer to a short question. What happens when we have an argument aboard? We fume, spout, sulk and pout and then we get over it.