Rain in the desert

After 70 days water is now falling from the sky in Arizona.  The smell of creosote is permeating the air.  The desert will explode with color when the sun comes out.  Yesterday, Kadizzle rode the cycle down the road to check on Gary.  Gary is camping on a nice site we found above the lake.  Gary was so happy to see Kadizzle, perhaps because he was lonely, but also because he had his new camera. On $800 a month, Gary has saved enough to buy a nice Nikon camera for $500.  Gary loves photography, and this is his first digital camera.  Gary had been using a traditional camera, and the hassle for him to see and pay for the development of his pictures was a strain.

After Gary emmerged from his tent, he expressed great joy Kadizzle had showed up.  Gary was afraid to insert the SD card.  Gary feared if he did it wrong, the camera would be damaged.  Gary said he had read the manual three times.  So we inserted the card, and got the camera to life.  Kadizzle took the first picture of Gary.  One click and the battery was dead.  The camera has to be charged before it will work.  Off to camp Kadizzle was the next move to use our solar power, and charge Gary's camera.  Gary suggested Kadizzle ride him on the cycle to camp Kadizzle and back.  Kadizzle did not relish the idea of two full grown men riding on a 250 cc cycle down a main highway.  Gary is, as an old friend used to say, " financially embarrassed ".  Kadizzle knew Gary did not want to spend any money on gas to drive his truck.  With a little arm twisting, Kadizzle got Gary to take $20, and Gary agreed to drive to Camp Kadizzle.
While the sun charged Gary's camera,  the subject changed to this and that.  At one point, Kadizzle asked Gary if he had been in the service.  Gary said yes he was forced into the Marines by a judge who gave him the choice of going into the service or to jail.  Gary chose the service.  Kadizzle wondered why Gary had no benefits if he was in the service.  Gary explained that when serving in Vietnam he had been court marshaled. 

With a small group of men, Gary was a forward observer.  They sought out information about what was going on ahead of the troops.  For a long time they operated without a lieutenant.  A young 90 day wonder had been assigned as their leader.  Gary's group came under mortar fire, and were hopelessly outnumbered.  The young lieutenant ordered the group to make a full frontal assault.  Gary told his group to call for evacuation and leave.  In the course of the discussion, Gary put a pistol to the head of the lieutenant and explained to him that they would follow Gary's plan, or Gary would shoot the lieutenant.  At the court marshal, the judge agreed Gary had made the right choice, but he still disobeyed orders.  That is where the benefits went.

The camera finally charged, and Gary and The Commander had a camera pow wow.  Happy as a kid at Christmas, Gary took off in his truck.  Gary is going to go nuts with only the viewer on the camera to see his pictures.  Kadizzle wanted to loan Gary a computer so he could work with his pictures.  Gary insisted he is incapable of using a computer, not to mention the problem of keeping it charged.  Gary is going to have to have a computer.  If anyone has an old laptop to donate please do.