I have a post about out camping trip all ready to post, and can't upload the photos.
Today, I'm headed to Kalispell and I'm hoping cousin Dennis will have some time to help me with all these photo issues
You'll be hearing from me soon
Bear Hugs,Luv 'n Boots & Tucker, Too
and don't forget Little Bear (Wee Beastie)
She Believed she could do it, so she did!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Friday morning, I finished packing the truck and then tried to figure out how to start Diane's riding lawnmower. Well, I did just that, but couldn't figure out how to make it move - it took a call to her grandson, but I finally got it going! Don't laugh, I've never been on a riding mower before.
In the afternoon, I took a liesurely drive to Helena - about 80 miles from Great Falls. Barb and I were best friends throughout grade school and beyond and have many, many memories to talk about.
Barb has a dog - a Laboradoodle - about 65# - what a hoot to watch Della and Tucker getting to know each other. Della wasn't quite sure what was happening, and where to put her paws - large, powerful paws. So she just lay down and patted her paws on the floor to entice Tucker to play, Tuck had a blast. He is so fast, and he maneuver's so quickly that Della was sometimes left wondering where he went.
I so looked forward to sleeping on Barb's front porch - it's wonderful. We have a heat wave going on in Montana - as do so many other areas of the country - one difference in Montana, though - is the low humidity - which means that as soon as the sun goes down, and even before, it cools down to great sleeping weather. I didn't know how I was going to handle it with Tucker since he's so tiny he can fit under or through the porch railing. We solved it by putting his harness and leash on, and I slept with the leash wrapped around my wrist. I worked great!
On Saturday, we drove over Stemple Pass to the Lincoln, MT area - you know, Lincoln - of the Unibomber fame???? Well that's old news, anyway. Carol, we did drive into "town" and had huckleberry ice cream cones. So, I can cross that little "chore" off my list! We also stopped at a yard sale - found while turning around after missing our target. They had boxes of fabric - as soon as I told Barb I wasn't looking at any fabric, I spotted some white flannel! $1.00 a bundle! Something I needed for one of my projects. I got a bundle, which turned out to be about 9 yards - a bargain - but, wait - it gets better! A couple days later I needed a "rag", so I cut of a portion of the flannel which was dirty - not only was there 9 yards - it was 90 inches wide!
We continued on our road trip to where Barb's son has a cabin, with a wide creek just steps away. Della loves the water. She immediately jumped in and chased sticks. I waded in with Tucker on a leash - I took 2 steps, Tuck took 2 - finally, he was in far enough to swim which he did handily - but he didn't really enjoy it.
We left the cabin and continued on our way to Snowbank Lake where we had lunch and threw more sticks for Della. Tucker decided to keep his feet dry, though.
On the way back to Barb's we drove along the fire area. I mentioned in a previous post that Barb's neighborhood was evacuated because of a forest fire. The fire came within a few blocks of her home. It came as far as the road in 3 places, and actually jumped the road in one place - Luckily the losses were not as bad as it could have been - 3 homes and some out buildings.
We drove around to the back of the hills where the fire got started (an accident) It swept out of control over the ridge and was caught by a northerly wind and traveled the length of the hills before being subdued. The next day, the winds turned and drove the fire southward. On the third day the wind drove in from the west and the fire took direct aim at Barb's neighborhood. Slowly, the firefighters gained control, and finally stopped the fire. The scent of ashes was still in the air.
On Sunday we decided to take the Trolley Tour of Helena - unfortunately it was closed. So, we walked along Last Chance Gulch - which at one time was just that - the last chance to look for gold, and some struck it rich there in the 1800's Today it is a shopping area, a fun place to explore.
It was hot! Hot! Hot! Once we returned home, we curled up and took naps. Dogs included.
On Monday, Barb had a couple appointments in the morning, I rode along and waited in the car - it was Hot, Hot, Hot - My right arm got sunburned in just moments. When we returned - we took a nap. I'm enjoying this!!! The night was once again cool and refreshing!
Tuesday - we couldn't go anywhere because my new tent was to be delivered and I didn't want to take a chance on not being there.. I spent the day unloading the truck - and stacking non-camping stuff in Barb's garage - getting ready for our camping trip which we'll leave for on Thursday. It was surprisingly cool - high still to be in the high 90's, but sky was overcast, keeping the temp down.
The tent arrived, and just as we were going to try putting it up, it started raiing - well "spitting" is more like it. In any event, .........we took a nap instead! Afterward, refreshed from the A/C in the house, we took the dogs across town to 10 Mile Creek, where Della immediastely, even before we were all out of the car, ran head-long into the water. Tucker reluctantly went in the water, and I have the cutest photo of him - if I can locate it on the computer! ....... Well, I canh't find the photo. I'm not having any luck at all with photos this year!
At one point, Tucker was on leash - and Della ran pell-mell between us - as soon as I realized what was going to happen, I dropped the leash handle, but even so, Tucker got flipped!!! Della is so exuberant.
Tomorrow's schedule is to finish packing the truck for the camping trip, figure out how to make Tucker's car seat fit on the back seat. We are going to an area along the Boulder River south of Big Timber - the altitude will be nearly 5000 ft - so I'm hoping it will be cooler than it is here in the Valley. I know the nights will be even cooler than they are here. So, on Thursday, we'll be on our way!
Until next time,
Bear Hugs
Luv 'n Boots and Tucker, too
She believed she could do it, so she did!
PS - I typed this directly into my blog, instead of doing it in Word first - the type is so small I can't read it unless I put my nose on the screen - so please ignore typos
In the afternoon, I took a liesurely drive to Helena - about 80 miles from Great Falls. Barb and I were best friends throughout grade school and beyond and have many, many memories to talk about.
Barb has a dog - a Laboradoodle - about 65# - what a hoot to watch Della and Tucker getting to know each other. Della wasn't quite sure what was happening, and where to put her paws - large, powerful paws. So she just lay down and patted her paws on the floor to entice Tucker to play, Tuck had a blast. He is so fast, and he maneuver's so quickly that Della was sometimes left wondering where he went.
I so looked forward to sleeping on Barb's front porch - it's wonderful. We have a heat wave going on in Montana - as do so many other areas of the country - one difference in Montana, though - is the low humidity - which means that as soon as the sun goes down, and even before, it cools down to great sleeping weather. I didn't know how I was going to handle it with Tucker since he's so tiny he can fit under or through the porch railing. We solved it by putting his harness and leash on, and I slept with the leash wrapped around my wrist. I worked great!
On Saturday, we drove over Stemple Pass to the Lincoln, MT area - you know, Lincoln - of the Unibomber fame???? Well that's old news, anyway. Carol, we did drive into "town" and had huckleberry ice cream cones. So, I can cross that little "chore" off my list! We also stopped at a yard sale - found while turning around after missing our target. They had boxes of fabric - as soon as I told Barb I wasn't looking at any fabric, I spotted some white flannel! $1.00 a bundle! Something I needed for one of my projects. I got a bundle, which turned out to be about 9 yards - a bargain - but, wait - it gets better! A couple days later I needed a "rag", so I cut of a portion of the flannel which was dirty - not only was there 9 yards - it was 90 inches wide!
We continued on our road trip to where Barb's son has a cabin, with a wide creek just steps away. Della loves the water. She immediately jumped in and chased sticks. I waded in with Tucker on a leash - I took 2 steps, Tuck took 2 - finally, he was in far enough to swim which he did handily - but he didn't really enjoy it.
We left the cabin and continued on our way to Snowbank Lake where we had lunch and threw more sticks for Della. Tucker decided to keep his feet dry, though.
On the way back to Barb's we drove along the fire area. I mentioned in a previous post that Barb's neighborhood was evacuated because of a forest fire. The fire came within a few blocks of her home. It came as far as the road in 3 places, and actually jumped the road in one place - Luckily the losses were not as bad as it could have been - 3 homes and some out buildings.
We drove around to the back of the hills where the fire got started (an accident) It swept out of control over the ridge and was caught by a northerly wind and traveled the length of the hills before being subdued. The next day, the winds turned and drove the fire southward. On the third day the wind drove in from the west and the fire took direct aim at Barb's neighborhood. Slowly, the firefighters gained control, and finally stopped the fire. The scent of ashes was still in the air.
On Sunday we decided to take the Trolley Tour of Helena - unfortunately it was closed. So, we walked along Last Chance Gulch - which at one time was just that - the last chance to look for gold, and some struck it rich there in the 1800's Today it is a shopping area, a fun place to explore.
It was hot! Hot! Hot! Once we returned home, we curled up and took naps. Dogs included.
On Monday, Barb had a couple appointments in the morning, I rode along and waited in the car - it was Hot, Hot, Hot - My right arm got sunburned in just moments. When we returned - we took a nap. I'm enjoying this!!! The night was once again cool and refreshing!
Tuesday - we couldn't go anywhere because my new tent was to be delivered and I didn't want to take a chance on not being there.. I spent the day unloading the truck - and stacking non-camping stuff in Barb's garage - getting ready for our camping trip which we'll leave for on Thursday. It was surprisingly cool - high still to be in the high 90's, but sky was overcast, keeping the temp down.
The tent arrived, and just as we were going to try putting it up, it started raiing - well "spitting" is more like it. In any event, .........we took a nap instead! Afterward, refreshed from the A/C in the house, we took the dogs across town to 10 Mile Creek, where Della immediastely, even before we were all out of the car, ran head-long into the water. Tucker reluctantly went in the water, and I have the cutest photo of him - if I can locate it on the computer! ....... Well, I canh't find the photo. I'm not having any luck at all with photos this year!
At one point, Tucker was on leash - and Della ran pell-mell between us - as soon as I realized what was going to happen, I dropped the leash handle, but even so, Tucker got flipped!!! Della is so exuberant.
Tomorrow's schedule is to finish packing the truck for the camping trip, figure out how to make Tucker's car seat fit on the back seat. We are going to an area along the Boulder River south of Big Timber - the altitude will be nearly 5000 ft - so I'm hoping it will be cooler than it is here in the Valley. I know the nights will be even cooler than they are here. So, on Thursday, we'll be on our way!
Until next time,
Bear Hugs
Luv 'n Boots and Tucker, too
She believed she could do it, so she did!
PS - I typed this directly into my blog, instead of doing it in Word first - the type is so small I can't read it unless I put my nose on the screen - so please ignore typos
Thursday, July 5, 2012
JUST FILLING IN!
Well, I’m back from Bozeman, have my computer all ready to
post to my blog – and…. Wouldn’t you know it – I can’t get my photos to load
from my camera to my computer, and I packed the truck today and my camera
instructions are out of reach. Oh, well –
I’ll do a “fill in” post.
On a recent post, I told you about falling in mud. Well, my shoes were caked with mud. Insidious, gooey, gumbo mud. So I went searching for another pair of
shoes in the truck. When I was packing,
it got to the point that I was pulling stuff out of boxes, and even tote bags
and stuffing every nook and cranny. A
brief search found 3 shoes - a flip
flop, a blue plastic garden clog, and a suede Birkenstock clog. One of each pair. The matches were no where to be found. So for the last couple days, I’ve been
wearing 1 blue clog, and 1 suede clog whenever I head outside. But, today, I’m headed to town and the first
order of business is to find a matching shoe.
Any matching shoe – I just hope it’s not the flip-flop!!!!
IN THE NEWS!
Glacier Park: Crews
are hopeful they will have the Going-to-the-Sun highway open by this Friday,
June 15 – that sounds late in the year – but……. Last year they didn’t get it
opened until July 13!!!! This year’s
progress has been hampered by an additional 16 inches of snow since Memorial
Day. Snow storms, fog and rain have
hampered their efforts. Last week,
avalanches ranging from 8 – 15’ caused some crews to have to plow their way
back through avalanches that came in behind them during the day. (I know, this is old news, but interesting to
me)
Great Falls, MT: Budget Travel magazine and it’s website,
budgettravel.com listed my home town as one of America’s 11 greatest riverfront
towns. Others on the list include, New
Orleans, and San Antonio – impressive company! Great Falls’ River’s Edge Trail which is
built partly on old railroad beds is great for cycling and walking from town to
Giant Springs.
I’ve unloaded and piled on Diane’s porch everything from the
back of the truck that was in front of all the stuff I brought for, my niece to
sell, hopefully. Nicki, has an antique
shop in town called Homestead Treasures.
I have a lot of collectibles bought during my working years, some
antiques and, well, just say it – stuff.
The collectibles won’t be as interesting for Nicki – but some of the
boxes will be. I packed it all several
months ago, and I don’t even remember what all there is. I started out listing everything, item by
item. But some of the boxes name 2-3
items, and end in “just more stuff”.
And, there is more stuff I left at a Brooke’s.
Yesterday, I contacted the lady in charge of Montana’s “Loners on Wheels” and made
arrangements to join the group the middle of July camping along the Boulder
River. I am so looking forward to
that. I think after that weekend, Barb
and I will stay there a few days to enjoy the activities at the near-by hot
springs.
While in town yesterday, I bought a pattern for PJ’s for
Tucker. Well, he needs them!!! Nice warm fleece ones. The pattern calls for ¾ yard – I thought,
“that just can’t be” So I took out the
pattern and cut out the pieces for the small size. My gosh, I’ll have to reduce it by half, or
even more! I won’t be able to adjust
the pattern that much – I’ll have to draw my own.
I’m a slob in many ways, but my patterns are always (well,
nearly always) folded neatly and
returned to the envelope. Sometimes I
iron them into submission just to fit them in. I think that’s called misplaced
neatness.
Now – the present time!
I talked to Sister-in-Law Carol today, and helped her decide not to hike into pretty prairie to scatter my brother’s ashes in August. Instead, we are taking them to Logging Creek
where my Father’s and other Brother’s ashes have been scattered. She was concerned as to whether Logging Creek
was as pretty as Pretty Prairie - I was
there as a teenager, and what I remember is a large flat area with a stream
cutting through it. So, Diane and I
took a road trip today to Logging Creek – it’s a lovely area – the campground
is right along the creek where it runs between a couple of mountains, and
better still, I called my nephew, Bob (my other brother’s son) who with his
mother and siblings were at Logging Creek with his Dad’s ashes last year – he has
the exact location of Dick’s ashes saved in his GPS, and even better, he’s
coming up in August to join us Maybe by doing it closer, more people will want to attend.
When we left the campground, we decided to go out the
opposite of the way we came – the sign was a little confusing – looked like Hwy
89 was 13 miles either way. Well, it
wasn’t. The way we picked was 30 miles. But, what a ride! We climbed to about 7500’, and just rode
with it - in and out of the trees,
passing high mountain meadows alive with wildflowers. Each meadow seemed to have it’s own color
scheme – one had mostly white flowers, another, mostly blue. It was stunning – and even though I’d been
along that particular road – a long time ago – I had completely forgotten what
it was like – it was like being on the Blue Ridge and seeing mountains as far
as the eye can see! At one point, we pulled over for the view – a massive
valley with alpine meadows forming patchwork with the trees. Neither of us realized how wide that mountain
range was – and we weren’t even all the way to the opposite side! We got back to Hwy 89 about 60 miles from
home – we had left #89 about 12 miles from home!
We returned home about 6:30 and raided the refrigerator for
left-overs. Fastest meal we had ever
cobbled together.
I talked with Barb this evening, and she is back in Helena
so I’m leaving tomorrow for her place – but before I leave, we are going to see
if we can start Diane’s riding mower so I can do part of her lawn, at
least. Her grandson usually does it, but
he is going out of town. Diane would do
it, but…… her legs are too short to reach the pedals – that’s a problem I
certainly don’t have!
In any event – we’re back on the road again tomorrow –
headed for new adventures.
Until next time,
Bear Hugs
Luv ‘n Boots & Tucker
And don’t forget Wee Beastie
She believed she could do it and so she did!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I'M BACK - more or less!
We returned from Bozeman last week. I still don't have my computer back, but thought I'd write a few
lines anyway. I want to post more photos, but I can't do that until I pick up my computer - which I am happy to say will be tomorrow!
Last Saturday, cousin Diane, Tucker and I went searching yard sales in Great Falls. What fun - I haven't done it for years. Found some stuff for my camping tote - rug for inside the tent door, container for utensils, and a pancake turner! Oh, and books. Diane got a handful of Agatha Christies that she hadn't read, and I found 3 James Mitchner's. One is my favorite - the Source, and the two others I had never read - strange, I thought I had read all of his books.
We stopped at Hempl's bakery and got maple bars - such memories. I don't know why I couldn't find them back east!
On Monday, we took both cars - hers and mine in to the dealers to have them checked out. I wanted to make sure everything done in Grand Forks was ok and a quick look to see if something else was wrong with the A/C Diane's car was checked for oil/transmission leaks (details to follow in blog about Bozeman)
Her car passed with flying colors - and at no charge. Mine - well they found a shorted fuse and loose battery cable - cost $50 but, I now have A/C again!!!! Could this be the time it is fixed for once and for all?
We then picked up lunch and took it to a nearby park to enjoy. Tucker enjoyed the park, also.
My computer is not going to cost as much as I feared, either. When I talked with Ben about it over the weekend, it sounded like it had turned into a major job. He tried to talk me into removing all my games. Not Likely!!!! I explained that the games are not the problem, they are all on the D drive - it's the C drive with the operating system, and everything that came with the puter that is filled to capacity. But, he called last night said it was ready - the fan was gunked up causing it to shut down every hour of operation. He's installed new hard-drives - at 10 times the size and made the old hard drive into an external drive. He says it's really fast now! I hope that means I can upload photos to the blog faster.
I ordered my new tent and had it shipped to Barb's in Helena - Oops, they said at first it would not be delivered until July 9 - 11th - then they sent word that it had shipped June 30 - Well - Barb is not home this week - and I'm still in Belt. I'm glad I specified it had to be signed for!
Diane and I are planning a couple camping trips when I get back in August. I'll be with Barb until July 25th and then I'm heading to NW Montana - to the Kalispell - Glacier park area. At this point I don't know if Barb will be travelling with me - We are going camping the middle of July for 4 days - at a campground with vault toilets and no showers - I'm not sure I told her that little fact yet. We'll see. We'll see. She just may decide camping is not her lifestyle after that weekend. That will be my first experience camping with "Loners on Wheels" I'm checking them out cause I'm thinking about wintering at their home ranch in Demming NM.
The tent is not the one I had decided to get while I was in Maryland - that was one room plus a screen room, instead this one has 2 rooms with large windows - it's about 82" high so I can walk upright anywhere in the tent. I just hope I can put it up by myself - it's not the instant up I had planned on.
Mother Nature must be experiencing some PMS. Debbie's visit to Florida impacted both Myra and JT and my cousins Sandy and Gregg. As far as I know, Myra and JT did not have any damage to deal with, but Sandy and Gregg are still mopping up! At the same time, Barb in Helena was evacuated from her home in the wake of a forest fire - luckily the fire was under control before it got to the residential area. And... same weekend - the storm the started in Indiana and raged through the mid-atlantic - left Brooke and friends with no power for a week. I saw on Facebook that my niece, Micki, sent Brooke some good advice - 2 years ago they had a fire in the power box and was without electricity for 7 weeks.
Here, it's been beautiful - even with the wind. Highs in the 80's, lows 35-40 with low humidity - so it's been perfect!
Tucker is waking around on the desk while I'm typing - he loves pens and steals them as often as possible.
He is so tiny, I realized one of his back legs and thigh is no bigger than a small chicken! Some comparison.
He is busy making friends for me. Everybody is taken with him.
I'm so enjoying being here at Diane's that I've invited myself to stay for Thanksgiving dinner. When I get back, we are thinking of taking a few days and traveling up to Canada and driving around the Glacier/Waterton Peace Park area.
There is one particular drawback though - Diane and I are surprisingly alike in a lot of ways - very laid back - we can spend a day in the same house without much talking - reading books mostly. We like to eat the same things - for the most part. We both like camping and road trips. We just plain like to eat - very dangerous to a diet! I made bread again today. - Tomorrow - the 4th, we plan to have Beer Baron sausages on home made hot dog rolls, potato salad, baked beans etc, etc, etc. Belt had it's 4th of July celebration last weekend. Diane's house sits on a hill overlooking the town - a perfect set-up for watching the fireworks.!
Until next time
Bear Hugs
Luv 'n Boots, and Tucker, too
And, of course Wee Beastie
She believed she could do it and so she did!
lines anyway. I want to post more photos, but I can't do that until I pick up my computer - which I am happy to say will be tomorrow!
Last Saturday, cousin Diane, Tucker and I went searching yard sales in Great Falls. What fun - I haven't done it for years. Found some stuff for my camping tote - rug for inside the tent door, container for utensils, and a pancake turner! Oh, and books. Diane got a handful of Agatha Christies that she hadn't read, and I found 3 James Mitchner's. One is my favorite - the Source, and the two others I had never read - strange, I thought I had read all of his books.
We stopped at Hempl's bakery and got maple bars - such memories. I don't know why I couldn't find them back east!
On Monday, we took both cars - hers and mine in to the dealers to have them checked out. I wanted to make sure everything done in Grand Forks was ok and a quick look to see if something else was wrong with the A/C Diane's car was checked for oil/transmission leaks (details to follow in blog about Bozeman)
Her car passed with flying colors - and at no charge. Mine - well they found a shorted fuse and loose battery cable - cost $50 but, I now have A/C again!!!! Could this be the time it is fixed for once and for all?
We then picked up lunch and took it to a nearby park to enjoy. Tucker enjoyed the park, also.
My computer is not going to cost as much as I feared, either. When I talked with Ben about it over the weekend, it sounded like it had turned into a major job. He tried to talk me into removing all my games. Not Likely!!!! I explained that the games are not the problem, they are all on the D drive - it's the C drive with the operating system, and everything that came with the puter that is filled to capacity. But, he called last night said it was ready - the fan was gunked up causing it to shut down every hour of operation. He's installed new hard-drives - at 10 times the size and made the old hard drive into an external drive. He says it's really fast now! I hope that means I can upload photos to the blog faster.
I ordered my new tent and had it shipped to Barb's in Helena - Oops, they said at first it would not be delivered until July 9 - 11th - then they sent word that it had shipped June 30 - Well - Barb is not home this week - and I'm still in Belt. I'm glad I specified it had to be signed for!
Diane and I are planning a couple camping trips when I get back in August. I'll be with Barb until July 25th and then I'm heading to NW Montana - to the Kalispell - Glacier park area. At this point I don't know if Barb will be travelling with me - We are going camping the middle of July for 4 days - at a campground with vault toilets and no showers - I'm not sure I told her that little fact yet. We'll see. We'll see. She just may decide camping is not her lifestyle after that weekend. That will be my first experience camping with "Loners on Wheels" I'm checking them out cause I'm thinking about wintering at their home ranch in Demming NM.
The tent is not the one I had decided to get while I was in Maryland - that was one room plus a screen room, instead this one has 2 rooms with large windows - it's about 82" high so I can walk upright anywhere in the tent. I just hope I can put it up by myself - it's not the instant up I had planned on.
Mother Nature must be experiencing some PMS. Debbie's visit to Florida impacted both Myra and JT and my cousins Sandy and Gregg. As far as I know, Myra and JT did not have any damage to deal with, but Sandy and Gregg are still mopping up! At the same time, Barb in Helena was evacuated from her home in the wake of a forest fire - luckily the fire was under control before it got to the residential area. And... same weekend - the storm the started in Indiana and raged through the mid-atlantic - left Brooke and friends with no power for a week. I saw on Facebook that my niece, Micki, sent Brooke some good advice - 2 years ago they had a fire in the power box and was without electricity for 7 weeks.
Here, it's been beautiful - even with the wind. Highs in the 80's, lows 35-40 with low humidity - so it's been perfect!
Tucker is waking around on the desk while I'm typing - he loves pens and steals them as often as possible.
He is so tiny, I realized one of his back legs and thigh is no bigger than a small chicken! Some comparison.
He is busy making friends for me. Everybody is taken with him.
I'm so enjoying being here at Diane's that I've invited myself to stay for Thanksgiving dinner. When I get back, we are thinking of taking a few days and traveling up to Canada and driving around the Glacier/Waterton Peace Park area.
There is one particular drawback though - Diane and I are surprisingly alike in a lot of ways - very laid back - we can spend a day in the same house without much talking - reading books mostly. We like to eat the same things - for the most part. We both like camping and road trips. We just plain like to eat - very dangerous to a diet! I made bread again today. - Tomorrow - the 4th, we plan to have Beer Baron sausages on home made hot dog rolls, potato salad, baked beans etc, etc, etc. Belt had it's 4th of July celebration last weekend. Diane's house sits on a hill overlooking the town - a perfect set-up for watching the fireworks.!
Until next time
Bear Hugs
Luv 'n Boots, and Tucker, too
And, of course Wee Beastie
She believed she could do it and so she did!
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