We spent Christmas with the kids in Denver. Way too much snow for me, but it was great to spend the time with family. Something about having Christmas with a three year old that makes it special. Diamond made her first ever Chrismas cookies in the picture to the left. The unresolved adoption process is taking it’s toll on the whole family.
January 2008 found us in Alamogordo (Fat Cottonwood), New Mexico nestled in the Tularosa basin between the White Sands missile range and the Lincoln National Forest. We chose it for the temperate climate, access to the four wheeling opportunities in the Lincoln National Forest and the availability of reception for our computer edge card to get on the net. Alamogordo is home to Holloman AFB thus swells and contracts with the fortunes of the AFB. It is currently in a contraction mode. The economy and mood are depressed. That doesn’t keep us from experiencing the local museums and culinary establishments. . On the recommendation of a friend, who once lived here, we found a really great Mexican food restaurant in Tularosa about 17 miles north. If you are ever in the area, Casa de Suenos (house of dreams) http://www.casadesuenos.info/ is worth a look. The stacked green chili chicken enchiladas are to die for.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History is worth seeing along with the IMAX theater on the same site where we saw two presentations. We learned the US seized parts to build about 60 German V2 rockets at the end of WWII. One of those rockets test fired at White Sands crashed just east of Alamogordo in the National Forest. I think I found a part of the engine cage with my metal detector. I’m not sure, but it makes a good story anyway.
Metal detecting in the local parks and sports fields yielded almost enough change to do the laundry, an ancient Saint Christopher medallion, Two sterling silver rings, one with a huge purple stone, the other with mi amor inscribed on the outside and my love on the inside, a colored glass sterling silver necklace slide, a sterling silver bracelet, a $10 Mexican coin, and my first of the new presidential $1 coins.
Four wheeling this month was shared between the gold mining area around Orogrande and the lower elevations of the Lincoln National Forest. The snow level is just above 7500 feet in mountains that go up over 9000 feet. We can ride up to about 8000 feet. I nearly had a big four wheeling story to tell. I parked my wheeler on the crest of a very large hill to take in the 360 view. I turned to see my wheeler rolling backward down the hill. Susan didn’t know I could run as fast as I did to catch it. I set the hand break and locked the break lever down with the latch. Evidently I didn’t pull it hard enough to truly lock the wheels. Anyway the break slipped allowing the wheeler to roll. The wheeler stopped on it’s own before I got to it, and I learned an inexpensive lesson to use the park position on the gear shift.
I’m getting a lesson in desert flora and fauna. I can now name five different kinds of cactus and several trees indigenous to the area. The mourning doves are nesting waking us each morning with their mating calls. The males collect the raw material returning them for the female to weave into a nest.
We will go back to Albuquerque next week to get the RV repair finished then to Las Cruces for the month of February. We like to get into the history of a place, see the local museums, and sample the local food and culture. Retirement is good, the only thing I miss about working is money and a few of the people.
The house in Oregon still has not sold. The market there is soft and my crystal ball is not very clear about future prospects. We will see. I do not expect to go back to Oregon until it sells. We will then put the rest of our stuff into storage.
Susan and I have started doing the Tai Chi form of Chi Kong every morning to stretch our bodies get the blood moving. This form of exercise seems to invigorate both of us. I’ve been riding a bike and metal detecting for additional exercise.
January 2008 found us in Alamogordo (Fat Cottonwood), New Mexico nestled in the Tularosa basin between the White Sands missile range and the Lincoln National Forest. We chose it for the temperate climate, access to the four wheeling opportunities in the Lincoln National Forest and the availability of reception for our computer edge card to get on the net. Alamogordo is home to Holloman AFB thus swells and contracts with the fortunes of the AFB. It is currently in a contraction mode. The economy and mood are depressed. That doesn’t keep us from experiencing the local museums and culinary establishments. . On the recommendation of a friend, who once lived here, we found a really great Mexican food restaurant in Tularosa about 17 miles north. If you are ever in the area, Casa de Suenos (house of dreams) http://www.casadesuenos.info/ is worth a look. The stacked green chili chicken enchiladas are to die for.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History is worth seeing along with the IMAX theater on the same site where we saw two presentations. We learned the US seized parts to build about 60 German V2 rockets at the end of WWII. One of those rockets test fired at White Sands crashed just east of Alamogordo in the National Forest. I think I found a part of the engine cage with my metal detector. I’m not sure, but it makes a good story anyway.
Metal detecting in the local parks and sports fields yielded almost enough change to do the laundry, an ancient Saint Christopher medallion, Two sterling silver rings, one with a huge purple stone, the other with mi amor inscribed on the outside and my love on the inside, a colored glass sterling silver necklace slide, a sterling silver bracelet, a $10 Mexican coin, and my first of the new presidential $1 coins.Four wheeling this month was shared between the gold mining area around Orogrande and the lower elevations of the Lincoln National Forest. The snow level is just above 7500 feet in mountains that go up over 9000 feet. We can ride up to about 8000 feet. I nearly had a big four wheeling story to tell. I parked my wheeler on the crest of a very large hill to take in the 360 view. I turned to see my wheeler rolling backward down the hill. Susan didn’t know I could run as fast as I did to catch it. I set the hand break and locked the break lever down with the latch. Evidently I didn’t pull it hard enough to truly lock the wheels. Anyway the break slipped allowing the wheeler to roll. The wheeler stopped on it’s own before I got to it, and I learned an inexpensive lesson to use the park position on the gear shift.
I’m getting a lesson in desert flora and fauna. I can now name five different kinds of cactus and several trees indigenous to the area. The mourning doves are nesting waking us each morning with their mating calls. The males collect the raw material returning them for the female to weave into a nest.
We will go back to Albuquerque next week to get the RV repair finished then to Las Cruces for the month of February. We like to get into the history of a place, see the local museums, and sample the local food and culture. Retirement is good, the only thing I miss about working is money and a few of the people.
The house in Oregon still has not sold. The market there is soft and my crystal ball is not very clear about future prospects. We will see. I do not expect to go back to Oregon until it sells. We will then put the rest of our stuff into storage.
Susan and I have started doing the Tai Chi form of Chi Kong every morning to stretch our bodies get the blood moving. This form of exercise seems to invigorate both of us. I’ve been riding a bike and metal detecting for additional exercise.
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