After week one of hard work, what’s a boy to do?

The idea is that, on weekends, I’ll drive back to Prescott and spend time with my girl Courtney. And so Saturday morning as her and I prepare to get coffee we get an invite to a friends house. From there, we get an invite to go rock climbing. How can we say no?

 

She has a few friends driving up from Phoenix, and so after we meet up with them we all head out to a place called the “Promised Lands”. Thankfully, they have enough spare gear for me to be able to climb, and since this is my second time ever trying this sport, they take it pretty easy on me. I have a great time clinging to the side of a rock, wondering where the heck to put my hands a feet:

 

And then I scamper around with the camera, trying to taking pictures of the other climbers. Of course there was my favorite gal:

 

 

And her friend Kimberly:

 

 

And the crew from Phoenix:

 

 

All told, we spent about three hours out there before Court and I packed it in for the day. A great time, and a darn good group of folks to hang out with.

What’s next is work. True, actual, paying, work.

But before work, I head up to Flagstaff to see my buddy Ben once again. We drink coffee and tea, we walk around downtown and then we walk around campus. Good times with this guy:

 

We eat some good food, and we see some great graffiti:

 

And then it’s back to Prescott for a few days with mom and with Courtney. Then the first of May rolls around and I pack everything I own into my 4Runner once again.

 

Thankfully, it’s not a long drive. Just over ‘the hill’ to Jerome. I know somebody here go will not only give me a place to stay for a while, but is also willing to help me get some work. That person is Nikki, my sister. And so for a few days I putz around this little mining town until she hooks me up with some work in a field.

 

A field full of these:

 

Which, when you step back a bit, look more like this:

 

Yes, my sister got me work in the vineyards of Arizona. So, for a week now, I’ve been learning the ropes of skilled labor among the vines. Digging holes, planting vines, pruning, trellising, picking up rocks, and all sorts of fun stuff like that.

 

I'm working under the awesome sunshine, using my muscles, and sweating my butt off. And I’m loving it. I’m not really sure how long all of this will last. Definitely a few weeks, possibly a few months. When it’s done, I’m not sure what the next step is, but for now I know that I am enjoying the hard work, and hopefully making ‘enough’ money to float me through whatever comes my way.