Unexpected noise woke Donna and me last night. I’m not sure what time it was, but I think it was well after midnight. It wasn’t a party or barking dogs – it was braying and clacking hoofs as a small herd of wild burros came through Lake Pleasant Harbor RV Resort!

Wild burros are fairly abundant and controversial in this area. They aren’t a native animal and are probably more correctly called feral burros – they are descendants of livestock brought here by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. I mentioned controversy – here are links to information on a study of the Lake Pleasant Herd Management Area by the Bureau of Land Management Hassayampa Field Office and an article by the US Small Business Association.

Donna came across a burro when she was out hiking on Saturday morning. He kept an eye on her as he grazed on a bluff overlooking the lake. We always give wild animals their space anytime we encounter them.

I set up my ham radio Saturday afternoon. I made a few contacts on the 40-meter High Frequency band, but it was a contest weekend. Some ham operators are into contesting. Contesting involves logging your contacts during the contest period and earning points according to how the contest rules are written. Last weekend was the California QSO Party contest. Operators in California earned points of varying amounts depending on the location of the station they contacted. I played along and answered seven calls, but I quickly become bored with contests. The participants just want to know the minimum information – i.e. callsign, name, location – and then move on to the next station.

I switched to UHF/VHF repeaters and found a Winsystem repeater where people held conversations. I heard a lot of talk in central California about the wildfires. Smoke continues to be an issue with poor air quality. I heard the air index near Yosemite was over 600! People on the central coast said an offshore flow brought smoke from fires in the mountains to the coastal communities. It doesn’t sound good.

My middle daughter, Jamie, paid us a visit Saturday night along with Francisco and two of the kids, Trey and Parker. We sat outside and talked for a couple of hours – it was the highlight of the weekend. We haven’t seen Jamie and her family since the start of the covid madness.

Last night, Donna grilled bacon-wrapped filet mignon. These were the last two filets we bought in the northwest – they came from Willamette Valley and were excellent cuts of meat. Donna served them my favorite way – smothered in sauteed mushrooms and onions.

Today is the last day I can claim to be 63 years old. Tomorrow marks my 64th birthday – it’s somewhat of a milestone for people in my generation due to the Beatles song “When I’m 64.” Paul McCartney wrote this song when he was 16 years old. It wasn’t recorded until late 1966 with George Martin adding three clarinets to the instrumentation and was released in 1967 on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Donna’s been practicing this song on her clarinet for about a year, so I’m sure I’ll get to hear it tomorrow.

Will you still feed me

Will you still need me

When I’m 64?

We haven’t had any issues with smoke from wildfires here in central Arizona, but it’s been hot. The daily highs continue to hover around 105 – 106 degrees and it only drops to the low 70s overnight. Last night it was still 90 degrees outside at 9pm. The long range forecast calls for cooler temperatures by the weekend – we’re ready for that.

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