tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-104384502011-08-21T04:22:07.812-07:00"Now I see the secret of making the best person: it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." - Walt WhitmanC. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-76719282705196454022009-11-26T13:23:00.015-07:002009-11-28T21:52:14.305-07:00

One hundred years ago, the mines were the lifeblood of the west. In the heart of the mountains 90 miles southeast of Tucson, Ariz., Bisbee flourished in a bustling, late 19th century economy. The town’s cornerstone was the Queen Mine, a rust-colored quarry rich with gold, silver, copper, turquoise, lead and zinc. It drew job-seekers to the area in such droves that by the early 1900’s, it was

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-71404149557170633802009-10-19T21:07:00.001-07:002009-11-26T13:14:24.785-07:00

The small chartered jet landed on a dirt runway and coasted to a halt. Swaying to and fro next to a gentle carabao, six elderly ladies in native dress sang to us as we deplaned. Welcome to El Nido, they chanted in Filipino, as we were offered iced tea and servings of kuchinta sprinkled with coconut. This little town in the province of Palawan and its majestic limestone cliffs, rising straight up

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-16782115403554589822009-09-26T19:54:00.005-07:002009-09-26T20:14:38.276-07:00

I volunteered to write for a local Filipino community newspaper called the Arizona Filipino Forum. My friend's wife is the editor-in-chief and they are both very active in the local community -- they are inspirations! My first travel article was published in this month's issue, and I'm so excited! Here is a scanned image (thanks, Jamal!) and the full text.Discover DurangoHistoric mountain town

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-90357133366514225582009-09-25T18:33:00.008-07:002009-09-26T00:10:33.762-07:00

 Friday, Feb. 22, 2008. Hong Kong.The Harbour Plaza Hong Kong is a gorgeous hotel, one of Fodor’s Top 10 in Hong Kong, in the unusual setting of Whampoa Garden. Surrounded by a few strips malls, high rise apartments and department stores, it gave me the opportunity to find a few things on my list:(1) A convenience store where I could buy a phone card and communicate instructions to my family who

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-13740895160875521292009-02-06T22:53:00.002-07:002009-02-06T23:01:26.318-07:00

1. I love 80's music.2. I play acoustic guitar (classical and chords).3. I got my first dog when I was about 5, and named her Doggie.4. When I was 8, I loved Sanrio stuff, and now seeing Hello Kitty brings back warm fuzzy memories.5. I procrastinate.6. I have seen every episode of "The X Files" and "Quantum Leap." (Currently working on "NCIS")7. I've been to the Grand Canyon 8 times but have yet

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-12763267161343430682008-06-02T14:52:00.004-07:002008-06-02T22:35:56.445-07:00

Okay, so I'm bad about taking on too many things at once and not following through. Case in point: blog entry from three months ago about my trip to Hong Kong and the Philippines. Oh, I've been aware of this bad habit for a while. At home, I have a pile of books and magazines (Backpacker, anyone?) that I have accumulated over the years that are sitting by my bed on my nightstand, in my nightstand

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-50117225486049379492008-03-26T18:58:00.008-07:002008-03-26T20:47:39.624-07:00

Day 1: Phoenix to Hong KongWednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. Arizona.With three hours of sleep, I got up at 4 a.m. to make our flight to Los Angeles at 8:30. The last two weeks had been stressful; we would be gone for at least 18 days, and I was managing a broken landscape irrigation controller, worrying about our pets, preparing travel documents, making last-minute hotel reservations, handling an

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-78565092964550002902007-09-18T20:11:00.000-07:002008-12-09T23:22:28.851-07:00

Officer Nick Erfle, 33, died in the line of duty. He was killed while trying to arrest a man on the street. While he was being taken into custody, the suspect drew a gun and fired at Officer Erfle, and then at his partner. Erfle was shot in the head. The suspect then took off, hijacking a car and taking the driver hostage.Erfle was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a nearby hospital.An

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-87582456154799118452007-09-11T21:44:00.000-07:002007-09-15T20:19:29.740-07:00

With shallow, labored breaths, I hopped from rock to rock and paused. Longs Peak towered over us, its 14,000-foot summit hidden beneath a thick veil of gray clouds. Its size and proximity were imposing and awesome -- three thousand feet of sheer vertical rock right in our faces!I had a mere two minutes to appreciate all I’d traveled here to see, because those gray clouds above us opened up, and a

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-49711442289618860022007-08-18T17:45:00.000-07:002007-09-05T20:56:14.393-07:00

I dejectedly sat on a rock as Billy handed me a piece of beef jerky. He had probably waited 15 minutes at that spot. I should have had more to eat, which would have prevented bouts of vertigo later, but he had packed everything up and started to move again. At least the trail is all level from here, I thought.I crossed the half-mile ridge called Mills Moraine with a steep drop to my left ending

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-38485131632204576172007-08-13T16:05:00.000-07:002007-08-14T22:20:49.917-07:00

Longs Peak is king in Rocky Mountain National Park. With its summit at 14,259 feet (4,346 m) above sea level, it is the highest peak in the park, and one of Colorado’s 56 famed “Fourteeners” (i.e., mountains whose summit is at 14,000 feet and above). It was Tuesday, Aug. 7th, 2007. For today's hike, Billy had picked a 4.2-mile hike (distance one-way) to Chasm Lake and back, reportedly one of the

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-9635778050361178502007-08-06T19:34:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:11:42.527-07:00

It's like I'm walking among giants.That's what I thought as I emerged from a lush pine forest into a clearing and was surrounded by two-thousand-foot-high mountains, each a mere two miles (3 km) from where I stood.We left the trailhead at 7:45 a.m. on a five-mile trek to a place called Sky Pond. Frankly, I didn't know what the trail was going to be like -- I only looked at my topographical map

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-31917563448525647022007-08-05T19:59:00.000-07:002007-08-06T19:25:51.653-07:00

Greetings from Estes Park, Colorado!It's chilly outside, and it's raining. I'm laying on a window seat enjoying the fresh mountain air and letting my lungs adjust to breathing at 7,500 feet.We arrived in Denver at 11:05 a.m. local time, got our rental car and drove to Estes Park, a charming town set at the foot of Colorado's Rocky Mountain range. We arrived a few hours later, and could see the

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-66404665208304639402007-07-31T17:10:00.000-07:002007-08-13T12:54:30.146-07:00

One more week, my friends! One week until I hop on a plane and head to Colorado to get my Rocky Mountain high.Since my last blog entry, I've continued to train for our hikes in higher altitude. I've deviated from my normal cardio routine; now I run on the treadmill every single time I'm at the gym.As told in my last blog entry four weeks ago, I did a non-stop run at 5.5 mph for 10 minutes. Since

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-54329984593543872742007-07-04T22:28:00.000-07:002007-07-07T23:13:57.671-07:00

Colorado is home to Rocky Mountain National Park, land of wildlife, tundra and 14,000-foot snow-capped peaks. It is also our destination come August 6th, when we head to the town of Estes Park and embark on an adventure among these mountains known as the Colorado Rockies.I've been training at the gym for many, many months, in anticipation of possibly summiting Mt. Ida whose peak juts skyward at

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-22062773706135465672007-02-10T14:09:00.000-07:002007-02-10T14:14:15.044-07:00

I was putting together an album of a trip to Bisbee last November, and as I started writing the narrative about the small town, I realized it was something I wanted to share on my blog, too.In November of 2006, we took a trip to southern Arizona to the historic town of Bisbee. This old mining community is located 200 miles southeast of Phoenix, just north of the Mexican border.Founded in 1880,

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-36293840186112782152006-12-07T18:00:00.000-07:002006-12-07T18:19:59.071-07:00

I looked at Billy and his face had contorted into an expression of obvious disgust. He waved her away like he were shooing away a fly and warned her, "You better get out of my space!" The woman seemed taken aback, but kept on dancing for thirty more seconds. Then she whirled around to head back to her seat, but not before issuing a sharp retort; she bent down towards Billy with her hands clenched

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-68964154536113173302006-12-04T10:36:00.000-07:002006-12-04T20:45:03.371-07:00

Nov. 10, 2006. It was a lovely Friday night in Santa Barbara, California, and the autumn air was nippy. Billy and I flew in from Phoenix that morning to see the Robert Cray Band in concert. It’s a once-every-album ritual for Billy, where he avidly purchases the best tickets he can get to see his favorite artist, Robert Cray ("The Master", as he calls him) in concert.The event was being held at

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1156145455356541282006-08-21T00:26:00.002-07:002009-11-29T14:35:22.584-07:00

I spent eight days in the glory of the mountains of the Continental Divide. Words aren't enough to describe the experience. I was in heaven amidst the snow-capped, glacier-laden ranges of the Rockies. It was beautiful, beautiful country. Rivers coursing powerfully by the highway. Thick, evergreen forests as far as the eye can see, like lush carpeting from mountain to mountain to mountain. And

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1156139456432997162006-08-20T22:12:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.687-07:00

I taught my first post-academy class this week. It wasn't so bad -- actually it was pretty good, because 1. there were only six people in the class as opposed to the usual 20, 2. my co-worker/"mentor" Jenn was there to help out with questions, 3. I got pretty high grades in my evaluation.Five of the officers gave me a grade of 5 (5 is best, 1 is worst), and the other one gave me a 4. Comments

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1153635654375900912006-07-22T23:15:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.623-07:00

One Friday evening last May, Billy and I were driving home from a local restaurant when I spotted this Beagle following a man as he crossed the street. "Oh, a doggie!" I said. It wasn't on a leash. "Let's get him," Billy decided.We followed the dog as it ambled along after the stranger to a McDonald's nearby. Could it actually belong to this man? The stranger walked into the restaurant and the

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1152146002348831562006-07-05T17:16:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.498-07:00

I have recently started dipping my toes in the "teaching" biz. As part of my job, which is supporting the computer laptops that police officers use in their vehicles, I have started teaching an hour-long session in what is known as Post-Academy, two weeks of additional classes for officers who just graduated from the Phoenix Police Academy.Much as the nerve-wracking anticipation is something I

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1149535912802176862006-06-05T12:05:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.437-07:00

The Phoenix Suns' journey to the NBA championship ended June 3rd with a defeat to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavs will now face Miami Heat in a best-of-seven series.But who cares about that? The Suns' fire has been extinguished, and so has mine.In hindsight, what a great season it was for this team, and what a ride they've taken us on! Saddled with injuries, they

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1131761417264858912005-11-11T17:11:00.001-07:002009-11-29T14:40:54.621-07:00

On Thursday night, Billy took me to an NBA game at the America West Arena in downtown Phoenix. The place was packed, and we rallied with the crowd as the Suns battled it out with the undefeated Detroit Pistons. What a great game! The Suns were in the lead for the most part, until the last 1:56 when they were tied. In the end, though, Detroit hit a three-pointer that gave them a five-point lead

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1131348072237962712005-11-07T00:10:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.307-07:00

Sunday, Aug. 28, 2006; Mostly sunny with moderate windsTrail length: 9.6 miles roundtripElevation: 6,480 ft. to 9,735 ft.Elevation gain: 3,255 ft.Difficulty: StrenuousMy notes:Arduous climb. Started at 11:30 a.m. right after driving in from Reno. Going uphill, felt like my lungs were burning! (Perhaps had not acclimatized yet?) First use of my trekking poles and camelpack. Beautiful views of

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1128733234020702732005-10-07T17:51:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.234-07:00

This is Chloe, a.k.a. Bubba, or Bubs for short. She's seven, a Dalmatian, addicted to food, and doesn't know what's going on around her half the time. Yet she's brought much joy into my life. Mostly from doing things that are profoundly idiotic.She growls when I hold a tiny digital camera in front of her nose. She likes to chase our cat Sally, but is scared of her too (she swipes, with claws!).

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1118104919305582802005-06-06T17:22:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.168-07:00

Ten more days until I close on my new house. In the meantime, I've turned into a Scottsdale resident. Here I am in my apartment on my day off, doing laundry and updating my web site before I pack some stuff and head off to the other side of town.I can't wait to move into my house! Goodbye, noisy upstairs neighbors with domestic issues; goodbye, audible next-door toilet flushing; goodbye, ignorant

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1116230091315149462005-05-16T00:54:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.102-07:00

This is Billy. He owns the prettiest little Dalmatian named Chloe (a.k.a. Bubba) whose pic I shall try to post very soon. She doesn't like it when someone points a camera at her, as evidenced by an encounter with her Sunday morning. This dog hardly ever makes a sound, but when I tried to take her picture, she emitted a soft growly bark at me . Don't worry, he said, she's the most docile thing

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1115710227774463092005-05-10T00:25:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:08.025-07:00

I had my first real date as a single person last Saturday. And since everyone who knows about it keeps asking "How did it go?", well, it went quite well, thank you. If anything, I've finally found a person who's even crazier about hiking than I am! Billy told me about how he and his mom hiked to the top of Cathedral Rock in Sedona, and I was green with envy. Then he said, "Let's go next weekend

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1113799845842680562005-04-17T21:19:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.959-07:00

The following is taken from the book The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews. It's a fictional story about a middle-aged man named David Ponder who is in the throes of financial and emotional despair. One day, when he is at his most desperate, he suddenly finds himself on a journey through time where he meets several people from the past. They all have some words of wisdom for their visitor, and here

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1112765680397062402005-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.893-07:00

Ninety percent of the time, I feel happy, hopeful, excited about life, and grateful for a fresh start. The rest of the time, I feel broken.Tonight is a broken night.

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1112251720181902262005-03-30T23:39:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.833-07:00

Taking The Express Bus To And From WorkTop 10 reasons why I love to ride the bus:10. It takes just 20 minutes to get to work using the carpool lane9. I get to feel sorry for the poor folks stuck in traffic (at 6 a.m.)8. I get to sleep while the bus driver merrily drives us to work7. I get to look out the window and not think of anything important6. I get to converse with the regulars and meet new

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1111989057832260702005-03-27T22:46:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.748-07:00

Let me share with you an article I once read about a (hypothetical?) experiment conducted on a group of gorillas, and how it applies to organizations everywhere.Say you have 5 gorillas in a cage. Dangling up high is a bunch of bananas, and underneath the bananas is a ladder. One gorilla proceeds to climb the ladder, and the entire group is suddenly sprayed with cold water from a firehouse. Each

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1110524223343353382005-03-10T23:56:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.686-07:00

This past week, I've been taking lunchtime walks downtown to find a quiet spot to read a book. This has to do with the fact that I've been super depressed again the last week and a half, after being pretty much okay since January. A particular facet of my work environment (having to do with neighbors and phone calls) is the culprit behind the aggravation, and it's led me to step outside into the

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1108937695651677252005-02-20T15:13:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.614-07:00

It was a rainy Saturday that the local R.E.I. stores (an outdoor person's heaven on earth) held their garage sale for members only. For a one-time $15 fee, I signed up last week just for this, so that I could get some gear to send to my hiking buddies back home.I ended up using that membership just for myself this time. I bought a Coleman backpacking stove that my friend Glen asked me to get, but

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1108930698727986642005-02-20T13:17:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.542-07:00

On Monday, which was, coincidentally, Valentine's Day, I felt like driving around town for a while and doing some photography. So I headed to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Spent about two hours walking around and taking pictures of plants and flowers and, unlike the last time I was there (April 2004), I now had a macro lens for closeup shots!I was there from about 3 to 5 in the

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1108452214783481712005-02-15T00:54:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.476-07:00

It's amazing how you notice certain traits among family members that even span generations. I don't mean physical traits like facial similarities or height or how fast you get your waistline back after you give birth. I mean habits, patterns of behavior so much a part of your every day that once you notice it in someone else, it's almost as if a light goes on and WHAM! A big-deal revelation. Like

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1107753256197403162005-02-06T21:51:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.403-07:00

This is what I missed on Jan. 29-30 because I wasn't back home:This is my friend Ruby with the renowned Pico de Loro "beak" in the background. Pico de Loro ("Parrot's Beak") is located in Ternate, Cavite in the Philippines. I feel so envious... even though the trail was really steep and they got lost in the night on the way back. But at least I know they were thinking of me:See my friend Alon.LOL

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1107145390670000882005-01-30T21:17:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.327-07:00

Thanks to Lara for sharing this poem with me in our freshman year of high school. As followers of the television series The Twilight Zone, she helped me recall an episode entitled "Her Pilgrim Soul", in which a scientist watches a female hologram grow from infancy, through adulthood, and into old age. William Butler Yeats. b. 1865 When You Are Old WHEN you are old and gray and full of sleep

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438450.post-1107120720340692482005-01-30T14:11:00.000-07:002006-11-15T17:01:07.261-07:00

I believe that this lifetime is not the end-all and be-all of me. I mean, get run over by a truck, smack, that’s it, sayonara? Nah. I believe that each of us is a soul traveling through the eons one lifetime at a time. I believe that in each lifetime, we learn lessons, build intimate friendships, and endure experiences that alter us at the very core. I have a friend with whom I share a

C. Villegashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03953973775946925004noreply@blogger.com0