Yarnell 19

Really cool things happen where I work

I was about 10 minutes early to work today.  So glad I was!

This beauty was just taking off from the park.  But, it came back or maybe it was a 2nd one? anyway it landed and people got in.

I was too far away to tell, but our theory is that they were practicing evacuating the Governor.  (Just 'cause I work here doesn't mean I know what's going on)  :)

David took this picture of me in the swampy grass.  You can almost see the helicopter in the background.  Lol

And then it flew right over our heads!  Fun day!

The guys tell me it was a black hawk. um  ok I take your word for it

Thursday on my way to work I saw...

this big ol rusty pipe

it was travelling along Grand Ave with me.  It was nice enough to turn all the lights green.  I took its picture.  Turns out its not just a rusty ol pipe.  Its one of the guns off of the USS Arizona.  I knew it was coming, but wasn't sure that was it.  I took the picture to show the guys at work.  They helped the dumb girl identify the rusty ol object.  They were duly impressed with my guessing abilities.

Then there was a ceremony at the Capitol for the two big rusty pipes guns.  One from the Arizona one from the Missouri.  They mentioned something about the beginning and the end of the war.  But I wasn't paying THAT close attention.  You'll have to look it up yourself.  Or maybe you just know.

I was almost close enough to see the Governor.  She's wearing red.  No, not the one in the khaki short the other one.  Way in the back, you can almost see her head.

I only took this next picture because the guys at work like to look at the big toys machines and not all of them had time to walk down for the ceremony.  'Cause some of us actually work.  Novel.

This picture is a little better.  You can see the bullets shells pointy things they shot out of the guns if you look really close.  On the bed with the Arizona gun.

One of those guys sitting under the camoflauge?  It was his job to load the gun on the Missouri.  Cool huh?

Sometimes working for the State is just amazing!  The guns will become a permanent part of the Memorials at Wesley Bolin Plaza on a special date in December.  You know the one I mean.

Arizona Centennial

They blocked off several blocks downtown.  Right outside the building where I work was a military village.  Here they are talking about the Buffalo Soldiers.

and some in old uniforms

there were some really cool tanks

byplanes flying over (there were bombers too but I didn't get pictures of everything)

an old west town

where you could pan for gold and see gun fights

an Indian village

the Indian village was my favorite I went back a couple times

Salt River Pima Indian dancers

Hopi dancers

a Mexican village

and lots of old cars

AND!!! they opened the old City Cemetery.  So I went in and found my Great-great Grandmothers headstone.  Looks like it was placed recently though.  Elizabeth Anne Shelton Gordon was buried next to her grandson Clarence Boston who died age 17 months after drowning in a washtub.  Clarence was my grandfather's brother.  There is no stone for Clarence.

Inaugural Set-up

So, this is what it looked like at 8am, before the crowd showed up.  I was delivering one last sign.

See those nice straight rows of chairs?  I did the drawing so they would know where to place them.  Aren't I special.  No, we can NOT change the seating chart again.  It's too late, now.  Sheesh.

P.S. If you couldn't get into your Senate parking space - that was NOT me at the gate asking for your Senate ID, hope you weren't late getting to your seat.  And YES you have to have a ticket to get in.  And to the lady who "always does her morning walk through here."  Better luck tomorrow.

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And in other (related, haha) news...

This is Gov. Hunt and my Grandpa Boston on 23 NOV 1924.  He was his driver/bodyguard.

The picture is grainy.  Clicking on it WILL make it bigger, but it will still be grainy, unless you want to purchase an official copy from Library and Archives.

I would have posted that one picture of me and Gov. Brewer, NOT, I didn't have my picture taken with Governor Brewer.  I'm not THAT special.