Sunday, September 16 – Saturday, September 22, 2007
Sunday, September 16We all shared in a leisurely Sunday morning…slept in and then had a great breakfast that Carol fixed for us. After that we sat around and visited, read the newspaper, and watched some television.
Randi had a private lesson at her cheer gym from 3:00 – 4:00 in the afternoon. About 3:30 we left to go out there to watch her work on some stunts that she will be using in her routines. Of course, we also had the camera to document how she was doing (check the blog for the special edition). We’ve always been impressed with the quality of her coaches, and the one she was working with today was no exception. He had Randi doing stunts that made our old bones and muscles hurt just to watch!
Toward the end of her session, we got some final pictures, had hugs all around, and got back in the Vibe to start the journey back to Artesia. Our hope was to make it home before midnight and sleep in our own bed for the first time in 16 days. Since the gym was about halfway between San Antonio and Bandera, we decided we’d just go on to Bandera and then up to Kerrville, a way we had gone once before. What we didn’t count on was missing a cutoff for truck traffic. We ended up on the old road, a narrow one that twisted and turned up and down the rugged hills (thank goodness we were in the Vibe and not Big V). It took us 15-20 minutes longer than the other way, but we saw some beautiful country and several crossings of the Medina River, where lots of folks were gathered for Sunday afternoon picnics and water games. We’ve already earmarked that route for a cycle trip.
Alas, the 5 ½ hour drive from San Antonio to Fort Stockton (facing into the sun all the way) took its toll. It was pitch black outside when we got to Fort Stockton, and we voted that discretion would be the better part of valor, so we located a motel (after four attempts) and got a room for the night – the Super 8 had reasonable rates, a clean room, and great wireless internet service…almost like being at home!
After checking email, watching a little TV, and doing some reading, it was time to call it a day.
Monday, September 17
We didn’t set the alarm, but woke up early anyway…went ahead and got everything put together and loaded in the car, had a quick bite of breakfast, and headed out for the final three hours of driving to return to Artesia. We hit a few showers between Fort Stockton and Pecos, but after that it was clearing skies and rising temperatures (and wind).
We got to Mother’s house at 9:15, checked with the puppies and her, and drove back out to Jean’s to unload the car and start making sense of the place. We had done some straightening before we left for San Antonio on September 1, and had intended to be back in just a few days to do a thorough cleaning. Now, 17 days and 3,253 miles later, we were back in place. But, the thorough cleaning will just have to wait, since we have made arrangements to leave tomorrow to go to Lubbock to have a new control board installed in the microwave / convection oven. We’ve been without the oven for about five weeks, and think it would be pretty handy to have it working again.
I guess everything caught up with us, because we alternately read or dozed the day away. It was too windy to work outside (even if we had the energy for it), and the “don’t give a rips” managed to overtake us.
We checked in with Jean during the evening and then returned to Big V to start doing a few things to get ready for tomorrow’s trip.
Tuesday, September 18We were up relatively early this morning. After checking email and having a bite of breakfast, we started putting everything in its place so we could close the slide-outs, unhook the electricity and water line, and generally get ready to head down the highway.
I made a quick trip into town to go to the bank, check on Mother, and check out the current gasoline prices. When I got back to the place, we did a final check on Big V and headed back into town to get gasoline at Wal-Mart (Big V was v-e-r-y thirsty), and then pointed ourselves toward the east.
The trip was uneventful (thank goodness). We made a short stop at a picnic area to fix a sandwich and then started driving again…got to the Mesa Verde RV Park in Wolfforth (just outside of Lubbock) around 1:45 (CDT) and got checked in.
As we were getting set up, a couple from Tyler, Texas, walked by and asked some questions about Big V. We were more than happy to visit with them and give them the grand tour. One thing about this lifestyle…you get new neighbors nearly every day, and some of them are really fun and interesting.
Jimmy Clint came by to get us at 5:30 and we went to
the gym to pick Jay Bird up from her basketball practice. Then, we went to the house and got Cathey and drove across town for dinner at El Chico. Cathey’s mom Susan had just flown in from Reno for a few days. Susan, her mom Charlotte, and Cat’s brother, David, and his wife Wendy, and their 13 month-old daughter Emily, were waiting there for us.
We spent a delightful hour or so just visiting and catching up on all the latest news (and eating a bodacious amount of Mexican food…and taking pictures).
Right: David (Cathey’s brother), Wendy, Emily, and Cathey.
After dinner, Susan and Charlotte followed us out to the RV park to see Big V and we took some more pictures.
Left: Three-generation picture of Barbara, Jimmy Clint, and Jaycie.
Right:
Four-generation picture of Charlotte (Cathey’s grandmother-left), Susan (Cathey’s mother-right), Cathey (back), and Jaycie (center).
Left: Great Grandmother Charlotte (Gigi), Grandmother Susan (Nana),
Grandmother Barbara (Grams), and Jaycie ( a.k.a. Jay Bird)
Too soon, it was time for everyone to leave, so we shared hugs and goodbyes as they prepared to leave and we prepared for our night in Big V.
Wednesday, September 19
Another early morning…neither of us slept well last night and we were both awake before the alarm went off. It took about an hour to get everything ready to leave…showering, getting dressed, closing up Big V, disconnecting utilities, etc. By 7:30 we were pulling up on the highway and joining the early morning traffic heading onto the loop.
We got to the electronics shop at 8:00 am, just as they were opening. Within a few minutes the new control board was installed, but it took a little longer to complete all the paperwork for the warranty.
By 8:45 we were at the United store at 50th and Q; Barbara went into the store to find some Pedro’s tamales while I topped off the gas tank in Big V. At 9:00 we were pulling up on the loop and heading back toward Artesia.
We got back to town around 11:30 (MDT), parked and opened up Big V, and had just enough time to meet Jean, Susie, and Nancy for the Wednesday lunch at Chaos. Jerry had a funeral service and a board meeting at church today, so he had to miss the lunch bunch.
After lunch, we went by Mother’s house to let her know we were more or less back in place and that we would spend the rest of the afternoon and evening putting Big V back together. We hadn’t decorated in quite some time, so it was fun give it some style again.
The picture to the left is of the dashboard on the driver’s side of Big V. To the right is the passenger side of the dash.
Below is a view looking from the cab to the back of the home.
Tonight – watch a couple of episodes of M*A*S*H, heat up some leftovers, and kick back and relax.
Thursday, September 20It was laundry day again, so we went over to Mother’s house to visit her while we washed the clothes. Once there, Barbara got the machines going and I went out to the garage to vacuum the Vibe and apply Armor-All where necessary (which was nearly everywhere). We had practically lived in it for 18 days, so it was a mess.
While I was working on the car, Barbara and Mother came out and started going through some of the boxes that hadn’t been unpacked since she moved back to Artesia from El Paso nearly 4 years ago. Several of the things that were unpacked had family history or anecdotes connected with them, and Mother took the time to talk about them, who the people in the pictures were, and who had given certain presents on special occasions.
When we were finished there, we made a quick Wal-Mart run for a few essentials and then headed back to Big V for some lunch and relaxation.
Around 1:30 it started clouding up overhead and I could see some storm clouds to the south. This is important to mention only because I was waiting for cooler temperatures so I could go outside and give Big V a good bath. She was loaded with road grime, and the windshield and front end were covered with bug interiors.
I got a small step ladder, mixed up the cleaner, and went to work on the windshield…figured I’d just work my way down from there. I really didn’t plan to do the whole motor-home in one session, but once the front was clean, the rest looked even worse; so with clouds boiling up and a gentle rain starting to fall. I just worked my way around the whole thing. Then, in for a dime…in for a dollar, I turned my attention to the Vibe, which was even dirtier and more bug-struck than Big V. I didn’t start out to be all that ambitious, it’s just that one thing seemed to lead to another.
When I was finished with the washing, I got cleaned up and we made another run into town to see Mother. Then, it was back out to the place for a nice quiet evening in Big V, or so we thought.
While we were inside trying to decide what to do about supper, Jean called and invited us over. She had been having trouble with some new hardware on her computer and Barbara had volunteered to help with it if she could find the installation disk.
So, we went over to Jean’s house and Barbara went to work on the computer. Jean and I watched for a bit but the program wasn’t behaving itself, so we went back to the dining room and watched some baseball while Barbara continued to slug away at the computer.
An hour or so later, with the new hardware still acting up (and after being on the phone with a service technician for what seemed like forever) Barbara gave up and decided that we should think about having some supper. She went back to the house and cooked up some chicken patties (it sure is nice to have a working oven again) while Jean put some sandwich makings on the table.
By the time Barbara got back to Jean’s house, we had a regular monsoon brewing, complete with heavy rain, lightning, and thunder. I sure was glad I had gotten the vehicles washed and they were now getting the best possible soft water rinse.
We completed our meal, waited for a brief break in the rain, and said goodnight to Jean as we hustled back to Big V, tired (but not hungry) and ready to call it a night.
Friday, September 21This was another early morning…don’t know why…sometimes it just works that way.
We worked at the computers until the sun was up good and then I decided to do a little more work on the front end of Big V. In the cold, gray light of dawn I could see some of the bug spots that I missed with soap and water yesterday. I drug out the step ladder, armed myself with Windex, a scrubbing pad, and a bunch of paper towels and began to remedy the situation…had to quit when the sun warmed up the surface, but I was satisfied that I had done about all I could do.
When we got back from Lubbock Wednesday we put out a bunch of the decorations and knick-knacks that had been packed away for some time. But, we also haven’t done a deep-cleaning of the home for about that same amount of time, so I decided to tackle that chore, starting from the bedroom and moving forward, while Barbara went to work in the kitchen building some lemon bars.
While we were visiting the cousins in Tallahassee last week, Cindy gave us three lemons from the tree in their backyard (they also grow some delicious pineapples). Now, a lemon is a lemon is a lemon, right? That’s what we thought until we saw these. They grow almost to the size of a medium grapefruit…much larger than any lemons either of us has ever seen. We kept one and gave one each to Jean and Nancy.
Barbara asked what we were supposed to do with them and
Cindy said to just use them like any other lemon. What we found when we cut one open was that it had proportionately more pulp than juice when compared to a regular lemon. However, Barbara was able to squeeze enough juice (and a little extra) for the lemon bar recipe. After we cut it open, I said that we should have taken a picture of it (that’s me…always thinking just a little too late).
Fortunately, we were able to go over to Jean’s house and get the lemon we gave her (and one she had bought at the grocery store) and get a picture that shows the relative sizes.
By the time Barbara finished the lemon bars and washed the dishes, I was ready to move into the kitchen / living room area of Big V and tackle the vacuuming and mopping. She had straightened things up, so it wasn’t too big a chore. Teamwork makes short work of taking care of Big V.
The afternoon was relatively calm. We went into town to see Mother for a few minutes and then went by the K-Mart pharmacy to check on couple of my prescriptions (they weren’t ready yet), made the obligatory stop at Wal-Mart for a few things and then returned to Big V to rest…even managed to get in a short nap.
About 5:00 we saddled up the cycle for another ride into town to get my prescriptions and see Mother and the puppies (sounds like some kind of rock group, doesn’t it?). Then, just for grins, we took a ride through town just because we could…haven’t been on the cycle for quite a while, and it was a perfect evening for a ride.
We spent most of the evening playing with the convection oven (ok, so it doesn’t take much to make us happy). Barbara found a beer bread recipe that we wanted to try out, so each of us made a loaf…it turned out ok, but we’re not sure we’ll do that again…there are other bread recipes we like much better.
While the bread was baking, Barbara watched “One Against One Hundred” and I listened to the first half of the AHS football game. The Bulldogs were on the road in Deming, New Mexico, and even though both schools are in the 4-A classification, the Wildcats, a very young and inexperienced team, were no match for the #1 ranked Dawgs. At the end it was Artesia remaining undefeated on the season by recording a score of 49 – 6.
At halftime I went over to Jean’s house to take her some of the new bread and to watch the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres baseball game. I gave up at the end of the seventh inning…decided I couldn’t stay awake for the last two innings, and went back across the yard to Barbara and Big V…(I found out later that the game went 14 innings, so it was probably just as well that I quit when I did).
We both tried to read a little, but by 10:30 the lights were out and we were gone…just another day on the ranch!
Saturday, September 22
Another early morning…don’t know why we keep waking up before dawn when it’s such good sleeping weather, but at least it’s cool and quiet…even the birds aren’t up and around yet.
We checked our email and I tried to find out football scores from some of the online newspapers…saw that Liberal got edged out by Dodge City last night…what a difference a kicking game makes.
After filling the bird feeder and drinking some more coffee, I decided that breakfast this morning would be burritos, but homemade, not the ones from Sonic. When we were in San Antonio for Charlie’s funeral, we had a large breakfast that included all the makings for breakfast burritos. We wondered why we had never done that and I thought this morning would be a good time to try.
Let’s just say that this morning’s attempt taught me a couple of things about cooking breakfast burritos…they were ok, but I know that I can do better with more practice.
The rest of the morning was spent just lazing around the place…watched an episode of M*A*S*H, listened to some music, and read. Barbara walked out to the highway to get the mail while I stayed in and cleaned up the mess I made fixing breakfast. Then, I made another attempt at baking a loaf of cranberry/walnut bread. I had tried it several months ago and it was a total disaster. I never did figure out what went wrong then, but this time it turned out much better. That was good, because I really didn’t need another doorstop.
Tonight…Barbara, Mother, and I joined Jerry, Nancy, Jean, and Becky for dinner at the Pecos Diamond Steakhouse before all of us went to the high school auditorium for the season’s first performance of the Artesia Concert Association.
The program tonight was by the Juggernaut Jug Band, a traditional jug band quartet from Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to some of the old traditional jug band tunes dating back to the 1890’s and continuing through the 30’s and 40’s, the musicians performed their stylings of tunes and songs from the 50’s and 60’s. It was a real hoot to watch all of them, but especially the leader, who played the washboard, trumpet, cans, blues harp, snare drum, and jug. Not only were they very proficient on their instruments, they demonstrated a beautiful blend of vocal harmonies.
As the second half of the program began, the bass amp blew out. With no backup amp, the bass player quickly rearranged the microphones so he could stand next to one while he played. As those arrangements were being made, the others in the group entertained the audience with singing and harmonica playing. Within a few minutes, the show was going again…what professionals!
As we left, Mother remarked that “It might not have been a cultural experience, but it sure was entertaining!”
After taking Mother home, we drove back out to Jean’s house and joined the clan for some homemade lemon meringue pie, made from the Florida lemon we had brought back for her. Then, it was back to Big V for the night
“Without music, life is a journey through the desert.”…Pat Conroy
Back home in Artesia,
Jim & Barbara
Marie Chase Community Center situation. In the picture on the left, is the east entrance to the small Clark Memorial Church.
eventually went over in the car after doing some household chores, and found Jim on the floor with a semblance of a cabinet in front of him…
Although it’s only been a couple of months since we’ve seen Abby and Alexander (and Little Jimmy), we are itching to get that way again…Until this latest trip, Randi was the one we hadn’t
