Greetings, LWA family.
Who wants to go fishing! Me, me, me! About this time every year, I start to get excited about spending my summer vacation in Canada with my parents fishing for walleye. Sadly, I will not be fishing in Canada this year. Given the borders are still closed and not knowing when they will open, the decision was made for me… where you might now picture me with a sad pouty face… there is no sad pouty face.
Lucky for me, with the changes of my summer vacation, brings different vacation plans for me. Though I may not be fishing on Canada’s many beautiful lakes, as bald eagles soar overhead while spending time with my parents at their cabin, I do have other plans.
Change is inevitable and I am an optimist. I truly believe when God closes a door, He opens a window. Change is good, even if it does not appear so at the time.
So what change is in store for me you may ask… well, I am excited to say my daughter, Emily, is getting married in late August. Here is my mom moment… I could not be prouder! To think of this day brings happy tears to my eyes! As my own mother was watching from heaven when I was married some 30+ years ago, I am so happy to be able to share this special moment with my daughter. The gentleman she is marrying has a great heart and is so good to and for Emily. They balance each other quite nicely. So, my vacation will be spending time in Ohio to witness this beautiful and blessed event. A very dear friend of mine is flying back with me. It will be so nice to have someone there with me. After the new Mr. and Mrs. head out for their honeymoon, we will be driving to Niagara Falls. We are hoping we will be able to walk to the Canadian side to see the Falls, but if not, we will make do. When life gives you lemons, make some lemonade, right?
Okay, let’s get back to fishing… or should I say phishing? Where some of you may know what phishing is, some may not. Merriam-Webster defines phishing as a scam by which an internet user is duped (as by a deceptive e-mail message) into revealing personal or confidential information which the scammer can use illicitly.(1 )
How can you avoid falling prey to a scam? Be suspicious! Be suspicious of any telephone call or e-mail you receive from someone you do not know. Personally, I do not answer calls from telephone numbers I do not recognize. My thought is that if they know me, they will leave a message. Nine times out of ten they never leave a message. Regarding e-mails, be suspicious. Do not click on links or attachments if you are unsure. You can always pick up the telephone and call the sender or company to verify if they sent you the link or attachment.
Also are you aware that on an e-mail, if you just hover your mouse over the senders e-mail address it will show you the true path of where the link will take you if you click on it or reply to it. The link may be directed to somewhere in a foreign country, not necessarily to the e-mail address that is shown to you. In the paragraph directly below, I have added a hyperlink. If you hover your mouse over it, you will see the path it will take you.
Brinker Capital has put together a Barometer that I found very interesting about how the pandemic is affecting the market taking into consideration short-term, intermediate-term and long-term factors. I am including the link here as you may also find it of interest. Click and hold your control button and click your mouse on the link at the same time to View. There are other links on the website when it opens of news articles the company has published on their website that may also be of interest to you.
Now that the summer heat has arrived how do you stay cool? My friends and I have spent the last four Saturdays, in Flagstaff hiking. We may not always have an agenda, but we always find something to do. Each time we ended up hiking about 9-10 miles for the day. We pack (or should I say they pack and I show up) a wonderful spread to replenish our bodies for more hiking. We have been to Sandys Canyon twice. The first time we were at Sandys Canyon we met a small group from the Coconino Search and Rescue team. They were there training and certifying new team members. While we did not get to see them practice rescuing… we did get to met them and had them pose for a group photo. It was such a treat for us, to meet and thank rescuers for what they do. This particular group are rock climbers. They go in and rock climb to rescue individuals who need assistance.
The following week after we visited Sandys Canyon, we went back because it was one of our “Finish Friday Adventures.” A Finish Friday Adventure, is our way of saying we want to go back another day and explore some more. So, we did go back the following weekend. Sadly, we did not meet the Coconino Search and Rescue team. We were hoping to see them practice. However, we hiked down the path to Sandys Canyon and found a cave. We could stand in it for the most part, but to get to the other end we had to crawl on our hands and knees about 4 feet, and it was fun! Even if you do not feel comfortable going thru the cave it is such a beautiful hike!
On our third week to Flagstaff, we headed to the “No Name Trail.” As our friend, Tommy, referred to it. However, it does have a name, Aspen Corners and it is part of the Arizona Trail System. If you love Aspen trees and love to hike, this is a great one. We all said we would love to go back and do it again. As we were hiking the trails on this beautiful day, a runner was headed toward us on the trail. Runners get the right of way, so whoever sees a runner or biker for that matter, yells “Biker” or “Runner” and we all step off the trail. So, we stepped to the side of the trail, this runner runs by us, runs a bit further then turns around and headed back toward us and says “Hey, are you the guy from Sandys Canyon?” He recognized our friend, Tommy. It was Eric, the team lead from the Coconino Search and Rescuer. How cool it that? Eric was on a short 20 mile run that day and had just run a cool 10 miles when he spotted Tommy. He stopped and we chatted. That was so cool! Of course, we needed a picture of us with Eric again.
I could blabber on and on about our hiking adventures… So, I will stop here. If any of you should wish to see pictures from our hikes, let me know and I will tell you where you can find and follow me on Facebook.
Please let us know if there is any topic you would like us to address in our commentaries. We will do our best to accommodate.
Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!
This information does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and the particular needs of any specific person who may view this information. Statements, opinions and forecasts made represent a particular observation and assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and are not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results. Investors should seek financial advice regarding the appropriateness of investing in any securities or investment strategies discussed or recommended. Statements regarding future prospects may not be realized and may differ materially from actual events or results. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
Pattie Gradl
(1) Merriam-Webster Dictionary
LFS-3140653-062520
