Sunday, March 8
This was just a typical Sunday for us. We woke up early, checked email and watched a little television, then got dressed and went off to the morning service at First Baptist Church to hear another informative and inspirational teaching sermon from Brother Rick.
We returned to Big V after church and checked in with Jean before coming back to Big V to change clothes. I went back over to Jean’s house to watch the Duke/North Carolina basketball game. Of course, our hearts were with Duke, but they just didn’t have what it took today to beat the Tarheels and earn a share of the regular season conference championship.
Later, Barbara and I went to town to take a long walk at Jaycee Park before making a short trip to Wal-Mart and then returning to Big V for a quiet evening.
Monday, March 9
The wind has blown since Wednesday a noon (and were not talking gentle zephyrs here folks, we’re talking about constant 30 – 40 miles per hour dust storms). With nothing new or different in the forecast for the next several days, we got up this morning and voted to take off to the mountains for a couple of days. We had planned to go tomorrow for one last visit to the J Bar J Country Church before we take off on our next adventure, but decided we might as well go up and make a holiday of it.
As part of our “holiday,” we took along all our laundry and, after getting our bearings and getting checked in at the Holiday Inn Express, made use of their laundry room to get caught up on the washing and drying for the week. Boy, do we know how to have a vacation, or what?!!!
Barbara: Jim makes fun of us doing our laundry while we're in a motel, but at least this time, I wasn't alone. Thankfully, I got there first because 2 other families came in wanting to get their wash done, too. Guess misery just loves company because I had to mention the demand for the machines this week!
We also had some time to get caught up on our reading as we listened to the unusual sound of rain pitter-patting outside. It’s been a rough time in eastern New Mexico this year, with no rain around Artesia since October, and very little up in the mountains, so no one was complaining that it was getting wet outside.
Later, we went out on the town and enjoyed a wonderful evening meal at the Apache Travel Center which is, for our money, one of the best places to eat in Ruidoso. If you happen to be traveling through the area, check it out. It takes a while to get your order, but the food is plentiful and delicious. If you like Reuben sandwiches, look no further than the classic plate at Smoky B’s in the travel center.
Tuesday, March 10
With time on our hands to do a little sight-seeing, we stopped at the J Bar J Country Church to take pictures of the progress that has been made on the new sanctuary. We were pleasantly surprised that the new work is nearly completed. We got to go inside of the building to see what has been done and, of course, took the opportunity to snap off a few pictures of the place.
From the outside, the structure looks very much like a western barn, which has been the plan all along. The inside just blew us away with the beauty and simplicity of the design and furnishings. Keeping with the western theme of the church, the wall paneling and the ceiling beams give homey and welcoming warmth to the building. Horseshoes (representing the number of baptisms) and ha tracks along the walls continue the western motif, and the stained glass window behind the stage and baptismal area (baptisms are conducted in a horse trough) complete the theme.
The church will have its dedication service on April 5; unfortunately, we will be on the road at that time, so we will be unable to attend the services and ceremonies, but we do look forward to visiting again when we next return to Ruidoso.
Part of our sightseeing this morning led us to a beautiful view of Sierra Blanca,
the mountain that overlooks the Mescalero Apache reservation. Fortunately for the folks at Ski Apache, the mountain had both man-made and natural snow on it, a boon for sightseers and skiers.
Tonight we attended the mid-week potluck supper, prayer service, sing-along, and Bible study at J Bar J. As usual, we had a wonderful time, sitting again with Harold and Barradine, the motorcycling friends that we met the last time we attended here.
It was fun to get caught up with what has been going on since we last saw them and to join in the camaraderie that is part of the Tuesday evening services at the church.
Wednesday, March 11
Happy Birthday to Cousin Darren Wright in Marianna, Florida!!!
We took our time getting around this morning…enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before loading the car and checking out of the hotel.
The trip back to Artesia was uneventful and it wasn’t long after we arrived in town that we had been to the post office, run by the cleaners to get some things that we had put in there last week, and returned to Big V, where we got everything put away and settled ourselves in…home again!
With basketball tournament action going on, I went over to Jean’s house to watch a couple of games this evening while Barbara stayed in Big V to get caught up on some correspondence.
Thursday, March 12
The wind hasn’t cut us any slack this week, so we spent most of the day inside, straightening up the place and making plans for our next trip. We had planned to leave Artesia at the end of the month and drive down to Mineola for a few days before embarking on another church-building adventure in Tennessee in April; but, this week we learned that Mother had fallen a couple of times, no serious injuries, thank goodness, so we changed our plans to leave sometime next week to get down there.
The evening found us visiting Jean again and watching more NCAA basketball tournament play. Little did I know when I left the Syracuse/UConn game that it would turn into a 6-overtime marathon. I think it’s just as well, since I couldn’t have stood that much excitement.
Meanwhile, our Artesia High School Bulldogs put on a display at the state tournament in Albuquerque, winning their semifinal game with a last second shot at the end of the third overtime. They will take tomorrow off and then meet regional champion and arch-rival Roswell High School in the 4-A championship game on Saturday.
Friday, March 13
We woke up this morning to a sound we haven’t heard in Artesia in a long time…rain hitting the top of Big V. The promised showers for the whole day didn’t materialize, but we did get enough moisture to clear the sky, and settle the dust.
I started the day by attending the men’s prayer breakfast at First Methodist Church, and then returned to Big V to check email and catch up on online newspapers. It wasn’t long after I returned home that we both decided to go back to bed, read awhile, and take a nap to catch up on the sleep we lost when we woke up so early.
Later in the day we went to town to run a few errands and join the family for the lunch bunch at Chaos (Susie was working in Artesia today), but for the most part, it was a lazy day around the home place.
Saturday, March 14
We spent the morning getting haircuts and doing laundry, and then returned to Big V to start getting ready for the trip next week…cleaning out and rearranging cabinets and closets…not exciting, but very necessary.
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Sign at a Roswell school
From our home in Artesia, New Mexico…Jim & Barbara
We also had some time to get caught up on our reading as we listened to the unusual sound of rain pitter-patting outside. It’s been a rough time in eastern New Mexico this year, with no rain around Artesia since October, and very little up in the mountains, so no one was complaining that it was getting wet outside.
Later, we went out on the town and enjoyed a wonderful evening meal at the Apache Travel Center which is, for our money, one of the best places to eat in Ruidoso. If you happen to be traveling through the area, check it out. It takes a while to get your order, but the food is plentiful and delicious. If you like Reuben sandwiches, look no further than the classic plate at Smoky B’s in the travel center.
Tuesday, March 10
With time on our hands to do a little sight-seeing, we stopped at the J Bar J Country Church to take pictures of the progress that has been made on the new sanctuary. We were pleasantly surprised that the new work is nearly completed. We got to go inside of the building to see what has been done and, of course, took the opportunity to snap off a few pictures of the place.
From the outside, the structure looks very much like a western barn, which has been the plan all along. The inside just blew us away with the beauty and simplicity of the design and furnishings. Keeping with the western theme of the church, the wall paneling and the ceiling beams give homey and welcoming warmth to the building. Horseshoes (representing the number of baptisms) and ha tracks along the walls continue the western motif, and the stained glass window behind the stage and baptismal area (baptisms are conducted in a horse trough) complete the theme.
The church will have its dedication service on April 5; unfortunately, we will be on the road at that time, so we will be unable to attend the services and ceremonies, but we do look forward to visiting again when we next return to Ruidoso.Part of our sightseeing this morning led us to a beautiful view of Sierra Blanca,
the mountain that overlooks the Mescalero Apache reservation. Fortunately for the folks at Ski Apache, the mountain had both man-made and natural snow on it, a boon for sightseers and skiers.Tonight we attended the mid-week potluck supper, prayer service, sing-along, and Bible study at J Bar J. As usual, we had a wonderful time, sitting again with Harold and Barradine, the motorcycling friends that we met the last time we attended here.
It was fun to get caught up with what has been going on since we last saw them and to join in the camaraderie that is part of the Tuesday evening services at the church.
Wednesday, March 11
Happy Birthday to Cousin Darren Wright in Marianna, Florida!!!
We took our time getting around this morning…enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before loading the car and checking out of the hotel.
The trip back to Artesia was uneventful and it wasn’t long after we arrived in town that we had been to the post office, run by the cleaners to get some things that we had put in there last week, and returned to Big V, where we got everything put away and settled ourselves in…home again!
With basketball tournament action going on, I went over to Jean’s house to watch a couple of games this evening while Barbara stayed in Big V to get caught up on some correspondence.
Thursday, March 12
The wind hasn’t cut us any slack this week, so we spent most of the day inside, straightening up the place and making plans for our next trip. We had planned to leave Artesia at the end of the month and drive down to Mineola for a few days before embarking on another church-building adventure in Tennessee in April; but, this week we learned that Mother had fallen a couple of times, no serious injuries, thank goodness, so we changed our plans to leave sometime next week to get down there.
The evening found us visiting Jean again and watching more NCAA basketball tournament play. Little did I know when I left the Syracuse/UConn game that it would turn into a 6-overtime marathon. I think it’s just as well, since I couldn’t have stood that much excitement.
Meanwhile, our Artesia High School Bulldogs put on a display at the state tournament in Albuquerque, winning their semifinal game with a last second shot at the end of the third overtime. They will take tomorrow off and then meet regional champion and arch-rival Roswell High School in the 4-A championship game on Saturday.
Friday, March 13
We woke up this morning to a sound we haven’t heard in Artesia in a long time…rain hitting the top of Big V. The promised showers for the whole day didn’t materialize, but we did get enough moisture to clear the sky, and settle the dust.
I started the day by attending the men’s prayer breakfast at First Methodist Church, and then returned to Big V to check email and catch up on online newspapers. It wasn’t long after I returned home that we both decided to go back to bed, read awhile, and take a nap to catch up on the sleep we lost when we woke up so early.
Later in the day we went to town to run a few errands and join the family for the lunch bunch at Chaos (Susie was working in Artesia today), but for the most part, it was a lazy day around the home place.
Saturday, March 14
We spent the morning getting haircuts and doing laundry, and then returned to Big V to start getting ready for the trip next week…cleaning out and rearranging cabinets and closets…not exciting, but very necessary.
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Sign at a Roswell school
From our home in Artesia, New Mexico…Jim & Barbara
