Something reassuring for my mom

OK, this is for you mom. I know you're worried about the trip over the dam, but you can't tell how high it is at all. To see for yourself, when you are done reading this post, click on the Google street view of the trip over Hoover Dam and it will open up a top-down view of the trip for you. Then, click on the words "street view" as shown in this picture circled in red (not in the picture, but once you click the link above):



It will show you step by step what the trip over the dam looks like.

You can look left or right by clicking on arrows in the navigation arrows, shown in the picture below:



and you can go forward or backward along the road by clicking the little arrow links on the yellow line, as seen in the next picture:




It's quit a bit shorter than going the other. way.

Isn't the Internet amazing?

Boy-see, not Boy-zee

Sweeeet....

I was offered the job, and I am taking it. We're headed to Idaho!
By the way, the picture above? It was taken in the middle of the city!

My subconscious has a sense of humor

So I didn't get hired in Kalispell. It was very disappointing, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I have apps out at 6 other schools in that area, plus 2 in Idaho and 1 in Colorado, and Erin has an offer in Colorado, so we will decide by Wednesday where we are going.

Last night I had a dream that I went to a McDonalds for french fries (don't ask me why) and I wound up taking a job there. It wasn't too funny in the dream, but when I woke up it kind of cracked me up.

So keep your fingers crossed for us. Colorado would by no means be bad, it's just farther down our list; I just hope we hear from one of the schools in Montana or Idaho before we sign papers for Colorado. It would be a bummer to get an offer there after we were committed to somewhere else.

Who I've been hanging out with

Another opportunity presented itself today for me to get nose-to-nose with a hummingbird. We were eating dinner on the porch, and I noticed that a hummingbird at the feeder appeared to be eating an ant. Only he wasn't eating it. It was eating him. The ant (a big sucker) had bitten the bird's tongue, and the bird couldn't get it off. We watched the bird struggle with it for a few minutes before we realized it was stuck, then Sara went in and go a paper towel, grabbed the bird, and then Jan plucked the ant off. The bird was exhausted and sat in Sara's hand a few minutes, before buzzing to the feeder. I got a good closeup, but it is a little dark. Then we went and took pics of the neighbor's baby foal Bella. Oh yeah, I got some good geese shots too. I miss living where there's more than just spiders and rattle snakes.

Where's Waldo

I've have been quite busy since my last post. I had to basically get all my end of year work like grading and packing the classroom up done by last Friday, so I was up at school late, and I had 2 doctors appointments last week as well. But I am happy to say I got everything at school done, and so I never have to go back there again!

Since Thursday, I have been on a job-finding mission. I had phone interviews with Boise and Missoula. I flew to Salt Lake on Saturday and rented a car because driving is painful with my neck problems, and the flight was cheap. I drove from there to Idaho Falls for my interview yesterday, and then I headed up here to Missoula, a good six hour drive.
Today as I was headed out the door to an interview in Kalispell (a 3 hour drive), I noticed that the tires on my rental were bald down to the steel wires. Thankfully our friends Jan and Sarah, who I am staying with, loaned me their gi-normous truck and I made it to my interview on time. I think it went well, and I should be hearing back from them by Friday.
So tomorrow I have to take the rental to Firestone to replace the tires. I was expecting a hard time from the rental company, but they have been great so far. Tomorrow after I get the tires replaced I am going to drop three apps off in Florence, Stevensville and Hamilton, all tiny towns within 60 miles of Missoula. Then on Thursday I have a phone interview with Eagle, Colorado. Then I am headed back to Salt Lake, to fly home Friday afternoon. I have been so busy I haven't even had time to go fishing! (OK, that's a lie. I brought my fly rod as a carry-on, but I have had little time to fish, and the rivers are all still blown out from the run-off, so it's practically like not fishing at all, considering where I am...)
If all goes well we should know by this weekend where we are moving. As of this moment, I am pulling for Kalispell, but a lot can change in the next few days. I'll keep you posted.