New Territory!

The weather did cool off in Tulsa prior to our leaving on Tuesday morning, bring much needed relief to the area and us. However, our stay there was about organizing and meeting up with the Rutherford's. While there, we did take advantage of a wonderful farmer's market. We cooked fresh eggplant, greenbeans, zuchini, tomatoes, it was all wonderful.

The drive northeast to Missouri was blessedly uneventful in terms of road conditions, weather (even a smattering of rain!) and ease of driving. We stopped in Dixon at a very out-of-the-way spot on the Glasconade River. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of this country setting, even took a dip in the river, heavenly. The river is spring fed, a bubbling 42 gallons a minute. Hunter was our local guide, a friendly 5th grader who was also escaping the heat in the river.

Our next travel day took us through St. Louis (why didn't we plan a stop here?) to Illionois. Driving northeast on I55 the major landscape feature is CORN! It is indeed King here, rising at least 6ft, going on for miles. We are camped just south of Springfield at the Double J, a wonderful park. We spent yesterday in downtown hoping to see a bit of the Lincoln sites. We were all amazed at the show that Springfield puts on!

A Civil War "Vet" led the tour of the Old State Capital where we met President and Mrs. Grant. He spoke about growing up in Ohio, the son of a successful tanner. Grant lived in Illinois at the start of the Civil War and worked at the State House. We walked to Lincoln's home and neighborhood. The National Park Service manages this area. There is an interesting display about the process of excavation in one home. The Lincoln home is wonderful, especially since Abe himself arrived during our tour. He talked to folks and led a parade to the depot for his trip to Washington as the president. We heard his farewell speech and then a "press conference" a week after Bull Run.

There is so much going in to make history alive you could spend several days in this small downtown and still not see it all. We head back today for a walking tour of the Lincoln neighborhood and a visit to the museum. I expect them to be wonderful, and then I think we will be ready to say so long to the Land of Lincoln.

PICTURE: Abe leaving his home for Washington. The hat sits on the desk occupied by Lincoln while in state legislature, now occupied by ME while listening to Pres. Grant.

Points North!

We picnicked near the bank of the Red River on our way to Tulsa. Most of the trip was highway, but some sections of the east Texas drive had us anxious to get to the Indian Turnpike of Oklahoma. We did not know when we had it good! It was nice to have a thruway, no lights and minimal traffic, but the road conditions had Russell wanting to collect money at the tollbooth for enduring the rough ride. Oklahoma calls itself "The Turnpike State." They actually take pride in taking your money at every off ramp. To end with a more positive comment, we did enjoy the forested rolling hills.

AND what do you call Tulsa if Dallas was a steambath?

It may be less humid but that is small consolation for increased heat. Even in Dallas our A/C cycled off for long periods of time in the pre-sun mornings. Waking up in Tulsa today we could hear the air conditioner cut off only very briefly before kicking into action again.

However, the day must be met and we had things to do. Post office, new car tires, and haircuts made for a full morning. We took a nice stroll through a really good farmer's market and picked up more vegetables than we can possibly eat. Good thing the Rutherford's are arriving tomorrow to help with that.

We'll be here until Tuesday morning when we head north and east:
Springfield, MO;
Springfield, IL;
Lafayette, IN;
Fair Oaks, IN;
and finally Indiana Dunes, IN.

The last 2 locations are within an hour of the true destination: CHICAGO!

According to the weather map, we are literally hitting all the HOT SPOTS. Looks like we could be almost anywhere else in the USA and be cooler. Can we plan a trip or what!

More Texas Fun

WE have gotten to see so many friends and family on this trip, WHAT A TREAT!

We got with the Jones Boys in Coldspring. Now this is a dozen 9th grade boys from Lake Air Jr. High who now happen to be in their 60's with wives, children and grands. But on this weekend in July, they were only about 14. Thanks to JR and Glenda for hosting the party at their lakeside home. Thanks to David, Jack, Billy Ray, Jimmy, Russell, JR, and of course, George Jones for getting together now(7 of 12 is pretty good!) and all those years ago. The wives also had a great time. We met Becky and Jackie for the first time and enjoyed seeing Rosanne and Glenda again. We were sorry that Susan and Susie could not make the trip.

Waco. We always look forward to time with Doug and Linda. They truly take good care of us when we are there and often, when we are on the road. On this trip they surprised us with a trip to Lorena to see Elvis and a troop of entertainers that Vegas can only envy. The buffet of down-home food combined with great music that had all of us singing, and a few folks dancing. The moves of a certain 81 year old gentleman had our table of 60's wishing we had half the energy or flexibility! And Elvis -Johnny Memphis - was terrific!

While in Waco we made sure our storage stuff was ready for the trip to Vegas. Doug is meeting the movers for us in early August to send the numerous boxes and random furniture to its new home. We took care of family related things and the regular chores that had been put off. We enjoyed an evening at Billy Ray and Becky's beautiful home which is very near the airport park where we were camped. In cooler weather we could have hopped the fence and walked, but we certainly did not have cooler weather.

But we only thought Waco was hot, Dallas was a steambath! We camped at Lake Lewisville again, very convenient for visiting the doctors, which we did on a daily basis. The only thing I came away with was a pronouncement that I am completely out of shape and need to get with the program. So much for Sudoku!

We saw more than doctors, however. We spent great time with family - Kyle, Karyn, Bill, and Suzanne - and friends, Mike and Nancy. We also shopped for possible furniture. More planning for the Vegas move.

Our Texas trip came to an end in Longview at the home of Jack and Susan. We were able to park in front of their house which is at the end of the street with no other nearby houses. Susan had a lovely dinner for us and we really enjoyed catching up with these long-time friends.

The Width of Texas

We entered Texas in El Paso with a wonderful visit with nephew Michael and his family, Stephanie and 4-year-old Parker. They have a beautiful new home that they bought this summer. Parker gave us the full tour! It was also an honor to see the awards that Michael has earned during his enlistment with the army. He leaves for a third tour later this month. Like El Paso wasn't hot enough in August, he is headed to the middle east!

Our next stop rattling down I-10 was Boerne. We have driven through many times, but finally stopped for a few days. We enjoyed cousins George and Sharon and friends Nick and Daffnes. We really enjoyed the beautiful town, river walk, and relaxing.

We got off the interstate at Flatonia and headed cross country through beautiful farm lands of central Texas. The fields looked lush compared to the burnt browns we had been seeing, but closer observation revealed the same drought conditions as the west. Arriving at Rainbow's End in Livingston, we were told "No outdoor cooking at all!"

This is our first time at the Escapees Park that serves at our permanent address. I had hoped to see the mail room, but didn't get past the lobby...bummer. Nice to be able to check our mail daily for awhile. We have gotten to put faces on the voices that answer our calls.

The park has the typical camp sites and picnic tables and so much more to make the large area a full community. The camp sites are spread out in three different areas, one is nestled in the pines. The difference here is that privately owned homes are situated throughout the park. Many homes are RVs or have space for one next to the house. Many of the homes have name signs and some have hung a shingle to advertise services they provide. There is also the Care Center. People who want to live in there RVs but can no longer manage the independence can settle here and have the care they need. They have a full care facility with state licensing. There are two activity centers and a nice pool. Of course, golf cart is the preferred mode of transport. Everyone waves and it is a very friendly place to be.

We also took advantage of the location to see some old friends. We enjoyed Diane and her family that had gathered for the 4th, and Mary and Russell, fellow RVers and Escapees members. Diane's parents and mine were friends long before either of us was around, so we grew up together. Mary and I met first day of 7th grade. These are 2 ladies I don't often get to see, so this was a real treat!

Our primary job this week was to fine tune a few things on the RV. Russell had an oil filter project to satisfy his suppressed desire to be a mechanic, even when everything is working fine. We also shook off some sand and dust from our months in the desert. I'd hate to say we were dirty, but some might. With the heat, this meant early mornings to take advantage of the coolest part of the day.

And now, a news break! We have found out that the Las Vegas condo sell has been approved. Closing is end of the month! Our trip has been curtailed somewhat. We plan to get to Vegas in mid August to get our stuff moved in and a few details worked out. We hope to be able to pick up the journey to the northeast in late September. We will have to make decisions about that as we get settled. We are looking forward to getting organized, or at least starting the process.

A Story of Wind

New Mexico

In an attempt to stay cool a little while longer, we have been hanging out in New Mexico. For the most part, cooler is a relative statement. Yes, we have needed to run the AC, but not much until noon. Here in Ruidoso this morning going outside felt much better in a sweat shirt and long pants. This afternoon is comfortably warm, the sweats are put away until at least tomorrow morning.

About wind. We could have ridden the winds east from Taos to Lake Chochiti to Corrizozo to Ruidoso, only hitting the gas to veer south or uphill. Camping in Corrizozo on a cliff overlooking the lava beds, Malipais to locals, yielded beautiful sunsets. But even the gusty winds could not keep the gnats from taking over a glass of wine. Russell quipped, "We have returned to fly country." The second night there, we watched sunset from the window as the winds were much worse. The same winds prevented us from having a charcoal fire anywhere in the state. The winds pretty well hindered our efforts to have a propane fire as well. We rose to the challenge of finding a wind block that would allow significant time to char a steak or two.

However, winds rock us to sleep-literally-and keep the temperatures down. The winds create music in the pines that is also restful. The winds of time have carved many of the dramatic vistas that New Mexico has to offer as well. They certainly have been at work at Chochiti Lake to create the "tent rocks" and slot canyon of Kasha-Katuwe. We waved to people who climbed to the top and related to the other geezers who turned around just past mid-way.

We spent yesterday afternoon at the horse races of Ruidoso Downs. Many of those horses were riding the wind, and then there were the ones we bet on. No, we did pick a few winners, but it seems we have a knack for picking the 4th horse to cross the line. Watching the horses as they are guided to the paddock and then on the track is a treat. Trying to bet on the best looking horse is a very tough call.

Tomorrow we head in to Texas for the next month. Our route is I-10 from El Paso to just east of San Antonio before veering north to East Texas. We will be staying at the Escapees Park near Livingston. We have been members of this group since 2008 and never visited before. They handle our mail and we talk to someone there most every week. It will be nice to see where we have officially lived for the last 3 years. After that we head back to central Texas for stops in Waco and Dallas.

Tentative plans have us cruising north to Chicago, Niagara Falls, Vermont, DC and then South Carolina, some of the places we had planned to see last summer. However, as with last summer, sometimes events occur to curtail the best laid plans. We can only plan and hope that all of this will really take place and know that if we are suppose to be some place else, then it is fortunate that we have the flexibility to do that.

Taos, NM

We were back in Taos last week. We had done a day-trip last fall and had another brief visit many years ago. This time, we stayed 8 days and didn't see even half of what is available in this busy town. We had a different focus.

Kyle is a sponsor for the youth group at his church. They spend a week each summer working for Habitat for Humanity either in Taos, NM or Jonestown, MS. Last June we were in Memphis and drove down to Jonestown for a day-trip to lunch with Kyle. This year we were able to spend the whole week in Taos while the group was there.

We really enjoyed hanging out with the 22 high school kids and 4 sponsors. They worked on a foundation for a new house, landscaped at First Presbyterian, and worked the stock at Habitat's re-sale store in Taos. Russell manned a rake to help lay concrete, I manned a camera and held a chair in place. I did have a brief stint as "hose master" keeping the concrete wet and tools clean. Other than that, we visited and enjoyed.

It was wonderful to be with Kyle and see him at work. Of all the accomplishments Russell and I have achieved together, Kyle is by far the very best.

We did a little bit on our own in Taos. Russell dipped a line in the Red River and a small mountain lake before we drove to Albertson's for whole trout. We walked the plaza, farmer's market in Taos, a car rally in Red River, and the ice cream shop in Arroyo Seco. We drove the back roads and enjoyed our RV park. We both had hoped to do more, but the fire haze from eastern Arizona had us feeling sluggish.

We have been to Alpine several times visiting the Rutherford's. I hate to think about those beautiful aspen and ponderosa pine gone for the near future. The poor people who are displaced and possibly homeless have a very long time before their lives are back to normal. How many animals, wild and domestic, have been caught by this 400,000 acre blaze? All of this caused by someone leaving a campfire without checking that it was out. We have done that, but without the disastrous results, fortunately. We have been burned out by someones deliberate actions. Fire touches all of us, usually for the good, but it seems to be a very fine line.

Now we are at a CORPS lake. Cochiti Lake is on pueblo land southwest of Santa Fe. Beautiful and remote. The Cochiti have been here for over 700 years for good reason, it is at the base of the Jemez Mountains along the Rio Grande. The dammed river creates the reservoir and recreation area. The winds here keep the temperature down and create a great place for sail boats and wind surfers. The fire haze is present here as well. Charcoal fires are not allowed at all, quite disappointing since they have really nice grills and picnic areas. We finally broke down and bought a small propane grill. It is a poor substitute. One of the park rangers asked, "Isn't there enough smoke in the air for you?" He does have a point.

And throughout the whole north central New Mexico trek there have been the MAVERICKS! They have just kept on winning in the finals. We were elated last night to take home the championship! I've texted and facebooked Dallas friends through the entire drama. This has been fun. Russell is of the belief that a game 7 would have been even more fun, but I have to disagree with him on that one. GO MAVS!!! It was a great victory for a deserving team.

Santa Fe, NM

The winds in the southwest have just been amazing, 20mph is a good thing, it gets worse. This keeps the heat down, but makes moving a large vehicle somewhat dicey. Since the velocity tends to pick up as the day gets warmer. So we started our 6 hour drive at 4:30 this am. The increased ease of driving made that early alarm well worth it.

We are back and really enjoying Santa Fe, again. We are even staying at the same park, we liked it so well. Today we arrived in time for lunch, showers and a trip downtown. And what a great trip it was!

Russell saw some commotion on the plaza, so we checked it out. "Odd Thomas" is being filmed and we got to watch part of the movie. Willem Defoe walked into a restaurant. That was it, twice. We talked to the film crew and jockeyed for a good place for pictures. Russell got a really good one after they finished shooting. We followed Willem off the set and down the street for a bit then got on with our own walk. He seemed very personable. Not so much so that he came over and shook hands with us, though. DRAT!

While standing on the plaza craning our necks, I met Ray. What a nice man. We visited about the movie and then he gave me a tip, "the best Santa Fe tip there is." He told us about Tia Sofia, a wonderful breakfast/lunch restaurant that is a favorite with locals. On our way to find it, we happened into a fossil and rock store, Russell's favorite. We visited with the owner who is also a collector. he told us history of a piece and really make it come alive.

A return trip is planned for tomorrow! Can't wait.