Greetings,

The monsoon weather is finally here. We’ve started seeing the clouds come over the rim in the early afternoon, and that’s the sign. It rained in Payson and not at Bonita…but hopefully soon. Those summer days when it is in the 90s, the rain hits, and the temperature comes down 20-25 degrees in 10 minutes are a beauty to behold. Like much of Arizona and the southwest, we are dry as a bone here. We’ve been showering in the bathroom, which saves the grey water in a large tank so we can water the pine trees. I’m sure they like a little water to hold them over.

I’ve been lax in editing because of other chores. Today I sat down and cranked out some excellent art. You tell me. I’m biased. It sure felt good. It’s in this issue. Let’s see if you can pick out the new art vs. the older work.

There are some from Keriann from her visit here last week. She spent a few days here just relaxing and visiting. Of course, we snuck in a little shoot, and it was fun. Robert brought up Violet to shoot, and he was nice enough to give me an hour or so with her to create some new work. It’s interesting to me not how many people have come to Bonita to create with me but how many have been here more than once or twice. This old couple with a place in the forest sure get a lot of visitors, and every one of them is very welcome. It keeps things interesting up here.

Today I completed all the reservations for our first trip with our trailer next month. We start at the North Rim campground and make our way to Colorado Springs to visit friends and then down to New Mexico to visit friends there. It looks like it will be a fun 26 days and 1750 miles. I used a program that let me plan it all out, glance quickly at the available campgrounds, and plot the route based on the maximum travel I wanted to do in a day. Then it gave me everything I needed to reserve the days we wanted at each spot. It was great fun to plan the trip. I expect that will come in handy for future trips. I love the net and how it has improved our lives in many ways. Fortunately, the upside is far better than the downside. Not everyone can tell when they are being lied to.

Always look for the bright side.

How to handle an argument. Stop and listen. Ask questions. And always consider you could be wrong. And maybe negotiate?

To be a great conversationalist, ask questions and listen. Repeat.

Stay open-minded and curious, my friends!

And if you’d like to give me any feedback on these Museletters, feel free! I love to hear from you all! - Contact form