Catching up in Peru

I received a forwarded-joke-email from my old ‘army buddy’, Terry Olson the other night.  It reminded me that I hadn’t talked to him in several months, so I gave him a call.  He answered his cell phone from Tarapoto, Peru. 

He was in the process of ferrying a Skycrane Helicopter from Tabatinga, Brazil, where it had been used for laying a natural gas pipeline, to Guayaquil, Peru, but got delayed by weather going over the Andes, and then by a fuel leak.

He reported that the hotel in Tarapoto was quite nice with air conditioning, internet access, and good Cuzquena beer.

His route to Guayaquil, weather permitting, and fuel leak repaired, will be Tarapoto – Chiclayo – Talara – Guayaquil.

Tarapota – Chiclayo is over the Andes, and when you look at it on Google Earth, looks fairly daunting. 

It was great to catch up with Terry again, I wish him well, and plenty of Cuzquena.  Someday I am going to have to make the trip to Oregon to see him after these 40 years.  Maybe now that I am on furlough that will be possible.

Alina wins!!!!!

Alina got 8 votes for this picture. She and Nick each earned 13 votes for their pictures; Bill only got 7 votes.

Skiing at Alta on Saturday...

Nick, Alina, Carolyn and I went to Alta on Saturday for a great day of skiing.  Alta is about 20 minutes from our house if the traffic going up the canyon is not bad.  The weather was beautiful, lift lines non-existent, and the skiing great.  Here is a slideshow which shows some of the terrain, and the skking styles of Nick, Alina, and Carolyn

We would like your feedback...

Alina, Nick, and I went on a short hike to Lisa Falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon.  We each took some pictures, and would like your opinion regarding which you like best.  The pictures can be seen here.  You can vote for the ones you like to the right.  You can select as many as you want.  Thanks for you input.

I caught up with Nick and Alina on the slopes today.

Alina was trying to charm the staff at the Brighton Ski Resort.

But also spent time on the slopes...

Alina and Nick - Bad News and Good News...

The phone rang this morning, and Carolyn answered. The voice on the other end...

"This is Deputy Stock from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department. Could I speak to Carolyn or Bill Pratt, please?" Stomach muscles tighten!!! "This is Carolyn Pratt"...

"I have to report an accident to a car driven by Nick or Alina blah blah blah."

Well, yesterday, Nick and Alina, were required to leave their rented car at the Brighton Ski Resort, and take the bus down the hill because they did not have chains or four-wheel-drive, and it had snowed all day long.

Deputy Stock reported that the car had been the victim of a hit-and-run accident. The passenger side door had been ripped off, and basically the car was undriveable.

Long story short... No skiing today for Nick and Alina. But they had purchased full insurance coverage when they rented the car, and Alamo delivered a replacement car (a red one) to the house, and have taken complete care of all the details.

The big plus was  wit a day available, we were able to get Alina to the dentist to begin to recovery process. Alina seemed very pleased with the results.

Alina gets her inheritance...

A package arrived from Granville the other day with Alina's inheritance.  The enclosed note (anonymously authored) reads...

"Alina asked for something Gramma used.  I've enclosed a plate a some glasses that she used almost every day.  I hope Dad has developed a sense of humor on the other side.  Beware of lightning bolts."

The entire contents of the package may be viewed here.  Warning.... Well just be warned!

Nick and Alina arrived today...

It was really great to see them again.  Apparently Alina's job as a flight attendant has been stressful over the past several months.  She changed hairdressers recently, and is not happy with the results.  She asked Carolyn to get her an appointment with Linda, Carolyn's hairdresser.  We also recommended our dentist (Alina has now been in England for 12 years, and her teeth are beginning to take on a distinctly English appearnce) and optometrist (the eyeglasses defy explanation).