Happy Birthday Revisited

Kind of neat, this traveling bit. Everytime we stop, someone feels duty bound to help us celebrate our birthdays, all over again!
Last night we went to son's home in Colorado Springs. Besides the lovely cake (with renewable flames) we were treated to gifts and singing.
Ray got pistachios of different flavors.
I got a hand-crafted jewelry box/candy dish AND a "made with love" necklace.
The grand-children were supposedly the source, although I'm sure Mom and Dad had several hands in the construction.
Super job, and super kids! Oh, did I mention they are 6 and 7 years old?
They all seem to have an artistic bent, which is wonderful. Tim designed a T-shirt his class wore for a special day; Lydia received an award for a portrait of a fellow classmate. Nick is now a kindergarten graduate and made a lovely birthday card for the both of us.
Happy Birthdays, for sure!

Or....

...Maybe it's an Indian name, and that's the reason I can't get my brain around it. We saw many Native American names along the highway approaching this town. One of them is the only place I remember seeing double i's. Of course, I can't spell this one, either. And it's not on my atlas. It starts with "Ho", with an accent on the "o". Then it has in it some "j's" and some "i's"...and maybe a couple other letters. If I ever find it, I'll let you know.
Anyway, I couldn't sleep, fearing I had misspelled the name of the place at which I find myself tonight. So, arising from cozy bed, I stumbled to the computer and the atlas, feeling duty-bound to let my readers know of my downfall.
The name of this city is spelled "A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E". It's in New Mexico.

Albakerkee

Coming from the west on I-40, the city surprises you. You come over the hill and BOOM! There it is, all spread out for miles in every way. Snuggled in the arms of the mountains, it practically takes the breath away. The only comparable sight is the first glimpse of Salt Lake City. Again, you come around a bend or over a rise, and THERE it is. Anyway, that's where we are tonight. New Mexico, not Utah. And this is the place that I watched George Strait receive the "Entertainer of the Decade" award, so it's a special place. (And I never took Spanish, so the spelling "Albequerque" doesn't make much sense to me.)

In Memoriam

The veteran whose passing hit me most squarely between the eyes was our best man, Rich. After serving as his best friend's best man, he went back to college in Florida. Then, somehow, he became a member of the United States Army. He was sent to Viet Nam and had been there only a few weeks before he stepped on a land mine.
It was the first time our marriage had received such a blow.
My young husband, who was in the Air Force himself at the time, was devastated. He went to the funeral alone. I really didn't know the fellow or his family, and I was working. All excuses I used to avoid the inevitable. I'm still not sure if I could have been a better support by being there, but I think it was a good time for the family and best friend to console each other.
So, this Memorial Day,I salute you, Rich, and all the hundreds of thousands of other young men and women who died so that I can be free.
Pax vobiscum.

"But it's a dry heat...."

We got back to our motor home after hitting a couple shops and Arby's.
It was 101 degrees outside and 99 degrees inside. We're in Arizona, thus the title of this episode. All I can say is, it was HOT.
We opened all the windows, and that alleviated the problem, but very little.
So we started the generator and turned on the air conditioner.
After an hour and ahalf, it is now 85 inside and 97 degrees outside.
There is a breeze...and I really don't feel ennervated.
Must be the dry heat is the reason.
Hurray for desert breezes!

Remembering...

Memorial Day was always a parade or two, from the time I was aware. When I was in band, we had to march, so we frantically practiced the "Star-Spangled Banner" for a couple weeks before....as well as trying to get our feet working the same way they were supposed to. Once I even got to play "Taps" at the cemetery.
That was an honor and a privilege. I think I got to do it because somebody was sick...but, hey....
After the parade, we would go back to Grandma's for a big dinner. My uncle had the foresight to be born on May 30, so it was family-wide celebration time for all the May birthdays. Since that included me, it was really special.
The main thing about this dinner is that it was the FIRST WATERMELON of the season! Yeah, back then we did not have year-round fruit. Oranges at Christmas from Uncle Clarence in Florida, and Watermelon in May for Uncle Jr's birthday. That is the natural scheme of things. :-)

New Year

You may think I'm depressed or something since I haven't blogged.
Actually, I'm just savoring the new year God has blessed me with.
Traveling in the southwest, of course, is quite different from my usual NNY routine.
We've passed trucks carrying ONE blade of a wind mill, twenty-first century editon.
We've also seen several twentieth century windmills, standing alone on isolated ranches, still providing water for the cattle.
We've seen many cacti, in blossom at this time of year...and following the rain.
And, so many trains! Unfortunately, they have been erased from NNY landscapes, but they are still alive, well, and very noisy in the southwest.
And, of course, very useful for transporting so many items.
Guess this is all for today.
Happy Memorial Day weekend!

This Birthday

This was the first birthday of my whole life that I celebrated in the great state of Texas. After a day of solitude (my choice), I went with husband and friends to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I used my birthday coupon for potato skins appetizers, while the others enjoyed rattlesnake bites. Then the steak and potato and salad. And then the whole restaurant (it seemed) clapping and whistling as I rode the saddle, the honor reserved for the birthday person. Pictures were taken to record the event, and then we proceeded to a softball game. After that, we concluded our partying by going to Dairy Queen (the Texas stop-sign) for ice cream. I had my usual: a Snickers Blizzard. What a fun day!

Ethnic Groups

Today we went to the Institute of Texan Cultures museum and learned about the many different groups who came to Texas to make a life. We would guess the Spanish and the Mexicans, of course, but how about the Germans, the Dutch, the Swiss, the Polish...and many more. Each of the groups contributed their handiwork and attitudes to the whole that is Texas today. Even the place names reflect the diversity. I found this very enlightening.

"M" is for....

Well, of course, "Mother". There are stages of motherhood. There is the frantic 24/7 time of early motherhood...when there are never enough minutes in the day. And it IS made up of minutes, at that stage, not hours. Babies need so much care. And are so much sources of blessing and frustration and need.
After the little ones go off to public school, the minutes magically stretch into hours..."the kids will be home at...." Mom has a little more time to herself, but she uses most of it to prepare for the times when the family is together.
After the adolescents go off to college...or wherever they go off to...Mom's job is done. Right? Heavens, no! This is the time when hours stretch into days. "Haven't heard from him this week. Should we call?" "Do you suppose she needs more ___?" Of course, when they marry and start their own families....then Mother is put on the shelf with the family Bible and Spock's rules of childraising. Noooo....now it's..."Could you take the kids..." "Could I have your recipe for.....?" "The kids are selling......for......" Mother's Work (and Influence) is Never Done!

Names...

Well, that was actually "Wichita", not "Witchita". My bad.
So, now we're in "Wacko"....or is that "Waco"? Where DO they come up with these place names, anyway? Yeah, I'm sure I could research that. But I probably won't. When we were in Alabama, I was noticing all the names of churches. Suffice it to say, there were a lot more than "First" and "Second" ones. So, I guess place names can also reflect the thoughts and inspirations of their founders.

The Falls of the Witches....

Well, actually, we're in Witchita Falls, TX, for a break and to get email taken care of. Today is sunny...therefore, hot...but it's good to be on the move again. I had an online friend to used to speak of this place, but I'm sure it won't mean to me what it meant to him. Miss you, WEST.

Movie?

Hubby and young USAF friend have gone to the movies.
I opted out.
Do you think I would like "Wolverine"?
I have the feeling it is NOT a "chick flick".
I see enough action films on TV...I don't need to sit in a clammy, unsanitary theater and watch another one...while chawing mindlessly on over-buttered popcorn.
Quiet and peaceful, back home in the Bus!

Precipitation

We have seen quite a bit on this trip.
Of course, we started out where the snow was...pretty white flakes that cover all the dry grass and leafless trees.
Then we went to rain. That's what Spring is all about, and it brings the lovely flowers. And we have seen some beautiful ones!
The first hail we experienced in Alabama was what I had seen before. It covered the ground like snow, but it melted quite quickly, and all was well.
The HAIL we lived through the next Sunday afternoon was Nothing like hail. The pieces were not round; they were pointed and square or rectangular. They sounded like baseballs on the top of the motorhome. And they were damaging to many man-made items, like motorhomes and cars and car trailers. Many people found dents of varying sizes in the tops of their vehicles, not to mention holes in their awnings and air conditioner covers. That HAIL gave Tiffin workers a lot more work!
Now we are in Oklahoma and seeing thunder storms and heavy rain. I guess it's important for the local agriculture, but it seems a bit much for travelers passing through.

Slide...

After having lived with our "slide-outs" Out for a month, it is a little bit of an adjustment to having them In. Now we have just an aisle from the front to the back, as compared to a room. Of course, while we're going down the road, we can't keep them Out. That would lead to safety issues and traffic tickets. The upside is that we get to see new country which is lush and green. (Yes, some of it in Arkansas is brown and rippled with flooding.) Anyway, we will persevere...and usually we get to open up at least part-way when we park.

Looks Like...

Looks like maybe, possibly, we'll be leaving here today!!
The window was replaced yesterday; the convection oven was returned this morning. I made cookies and started something else, just to prove it could do it.
Ray has been doing "stuff" with the storage compartments and paying the bill and all that needs to be done.
So....see ya on the road!!