A blur of a week...

I had signed up to hike on Sunday the 11th, but the wear and tear of the 17 hour shift on the 10th was too much to get me out of bed on Sunday. Instead I watched the final round of the Masters in a vegetative state and relaxed... (as the throbbing in my leg muscles finished their own special concert). Monday night was a host dinner at Crazy Jim's restaurant in Phoenix... (my kind of restaurant, don't you think?). I was able to walk by then and it was a hole in the wall restaurant (not unlike the "greasy spoon" joints I frequented in my youth, minus the grease) with really good food. We went over some issues and made plans for next month's calendar... (tubing down the river is back, can't wait). Tuesday was volleyball (getting better each week as the same people are showing up and we're improving--no AVP contracts in the offing however). Then started the work week (4 days--40 hours) at Country Thunder in Florence Arizona... (useless pieces of trivia for the day-- there are 9 prison complexes making up the Florence State Prison complex and Florence was the backdrop of the movie Murphy's Romance with Sally Field and James Garner).

It takes an hour to drive southeast to Florence. The ride makes you glad you take care of your car because cell service is weak outside of town and the ride is barren of civilization. About 25 miles of the ride is comprised of open desert and mountain scenery and not much else. Downtown Florence is a registered historical landmark and riding through is a throwback to the old days. It is the fifth oldest town in Arizona and Main St is just that, pretty much the way it was back in the late 1800's... (except for the modern touches of building improvements and road paving). On the outskirts of Florence is the land on which Country Thunder is held. There is only one way in and out (a long dirty, dusty and muddy road--glad I had my truck detailed) and everything is open air. There were two huge stages and everything an outdoor venue has to offer. Most fans purchase four day passes and camping sites and spend the week from Wednesday until Sunday. There were concerts every day and a line up of country stars that was pretty impressive. I was stationed inside the venue this year so I got to hear the concerts for free while making sure the "natives" behaved themselves. Gary Allen, Miranda Lambert and Chris Young were among my favorites, but the list was awesome and so was the music.

The hardest part was Friday into Saturday. I had worked from 11am until 1am on Friday and was scheduled to start Saturday at 9am. If you figure the 2 hour commute back and forth that left little time for sleep so in the spirit of the event, I packed a quilt and pillow and extra clothes and slept in the back of my Jeep on Friday night. I now realize that I am about 6 inches short of stretching out completely in the back (hence, the leg cramps waking me up in the middle of the night) and that a quilt (while warm and comfy) does not provide the back support an old dog like me really needs. The alarm went off way too early and the day was already warm and humid... (yes, fans, there is humidity when they spray the roads to keep the dust down). My boss hooked me up with a hot shower in the production complex (a shower never felt so good) so the day wasn't a total loss. But because of people not showing up I was posted to a spot that was in the sun with no shade for almost my entire shift and the human "Cheeto" was baked and boiled for 8 hours. I was asked to stay to 11pm but I was "cooked"and left at the end of my shift (5pm). It was a struggle driving home and when I finally got home I was too tired to sleep! But I passed out and was up at 5am to play in a golf tournament... (which was a mistake because I was so exhausted I played horribly). Spent the rest of Sunday napping and relaxing. But all in all I wouldn't have missed it. Just chalk it up as another adventure in the book of life for the Arizona Kid.... Ciao!