I have returned to work for a few weeks. My former boss called to say the office was overwhelmed and would I work for a while? I agreed, negotiated a nifty raise, and reentered the working world. I have the luxury of pretty much working when I want, and I also have the luxury of quitting any time I want. It is fun to return to the office but not feel the sense of responsibility as when I was the senior (and frequently lone) staff member.

No further progress on the motor home except to have our salesman call today to say one of their banks is raising its rate by 1/2% tomorrow. Too bad we are not independently wealthy so we could just pay cash!! With the price of gasoline, we are in no hurry to do much traveling for the time being.

We enjoyed the company of Jerry and Lois (Ken's brother and wife) and Curt and Cinda (Jerry & Lois' daughter and son-in-law)last Saturday when they came for dinner. Lois' birthday was in April so I gifted her with a hatbox and a wine bottle holder filled with a bottle of Beefeaters. Our decadent dessert after dinner was chocolate peanut butter pie. I'll share the recipe at the end of this blog.

We are thrilled at the prospect of having Warren and Nolan spend a week with us after the Fourth of July. Never have our grandchildren lived close enough for us to enjoy frequent short visits. Sheila will be on active duty for a few weeks in Arizona and Brian and the boys will come here for the Fourth. Then Brian will go back to Mt. Home, and we get to keep the boys. The treehouse, Boeing Museum of Flight, nad American Lake fishing top the list of what we want to do.

Speaking of granchildren, Sarah went to her junior prom last Saturday. She and Ben made a very handsome couple.

Travelog:

Upon approaching Zion National Park from the southeast, we came in at the 'upper' level which contains a mile-long tunnel that was built before the advent of motor homes. So for a fee of $10, traffic is stopped in both directions so the motorhome can traverse the tunnel down the middle since the outside walls are not high enough to accomodate 12 feet of height. The views were spectacular as we wound our way down and around the sheer red rock cliffs.

Joan drove us into the park another day going via the one main road that covers its floor. We were treated to beautiful sights, particularly the red rock, at every turn of the road. Being a born and bred Northwesterner, I never would have imagined I could be so enamored with rocks!

The towns of St George and Ivans were quite appealing, but I must admit to feeling oppressed by the influence of the Mormons in the area. There is a stakehouse every square mile, and sometimes there are two stakehouses side by side. We asked Joan, a Lutheran, how she managed to move in and settle down and she said she almost left. But getting involved in her own church and one or two social activities made a change for her. We observed a family in a restaurant that obviously practiced polygamy based on the women's dress (dowdy), their hair style (braids), the women not talking, and one more woman than were men!

Candace's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie - The New Basics Cookbook

CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
8 T unsalted butter melted

FILLING
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy or whipping cream

TOPPING
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 oz good-quality unsweetened chocolate
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees

2. Prepare the crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl, and stir together thoroughly. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Then set it aside to cool completely.

4. Prepare the filling: Mix the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar together in a large bowl until well blended.

5. Whip the cream with an electric mixer until stiff, and fold it into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the filling into the cooled crust.

6. Prepare the topping: Combine the sugar and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, without stirring, for 6 minutes.

7. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and butter, and stir until melted. Then stir in the vanilla.

8. Carefully pour the topping over the pie, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours. 8 portions

Note: I used only 1 cup sugar in the filling, and I used super chunky peanut butter. The food processor reduced the peanut chunks to just little bits of peanut which was a nice surprise in the smooth filling.

Another expanse of time has passed, so I can bring you up to date on the success of fishing and RV shopping. So far the fishing has been more successful.

As usual Ken and Bob caught their limit every day, but Helen made the news with 2 large Rainbow trout out of Liberty Lake. One was over 2 pounds and the other 2.5+ pounds. The price of the license was well worth it, and I'm ready to go again.

We have shopped long and hard for a class A, and we know what we want (Winnebago Adventurer or Brave), but we can't quite come to an agreement on price. Ken is ready to buy, and I want to hold out as the season progresses, the gas prices rise, and the 2005s start to hit the showrooms. Maybe there will be some inventory that the dealers are ready to move.

Travel Notes: New Mexico

Must admit we were not as impressed with the New Mexican desert as we were the Arizona desert. We stayed one night in Truth or Consequences, a town of not much significance except its name, and then drove on to Santa Fe for a stay of several days. We visited Old Town Albuquerque and Old Town Santa Fe. The art is the draw for both as is the case with Taos. Since I wear silver, I saw lots of stuff I liked and did succomb to a few things.

We visited the Los Alamos museum which does not charge for entrance, and is very well done. It contains dozens of exhibits and interactive displays - more than can be absorbed in a matter of one or two hours. We toured one pueblo which was known for its black pottery - the Taos pueblo was closed as is the case every winter for several weeks.

Jeff and Bev Schuler met us in Santa Fe while we were there so we enjoyed their company while sightseeing and eating good Mexican food.

We left Santa Fe and headed northwest with our next stop to be to visit Joan Von Ohlen, a friend from San Jose days, who lives in Ivans, Utah. Much of the drive was quite scenic, and we fell in love with the red rock that became more and more prevalent as we approached southern Utah. We stayed in a beaufiul state park, Snow Canyon, which is just outside the city limits of Ivins. If you are ever in the area, try to camp there. The lower tent sites are more appealing than the upper sites with hook ups. More about Utah in my next blog!