Tuesday May 21 to Friday May 31: These last days of May are punctuated by inclement weather. Lows are mostly in the low to mid-30’s and highs vary from 40 to 70 degrees. Rain, sleet, and snow make for interesting interludes between the sunnier days. Some days I can sit outside in the morning to write in the journal, but most mornings journaling happens at the writing table at the sliding glass door.
Sitting outside on a sunny morning
Sitting inside on a chilly day
Rain
and
snow
Inclement weather
Clifford
is focused on his work in the lab, the most important being the
development of a process for protein separation.
Work in the lab
The
to-do list for busy work continues with consolidating our various car
insurances, involving much time on the phone. Where is our secretary
when we need him (or her)?!? In my morning quiet times, I try to see
a positive aspect to all the daily activities that I would gladly
turn over the maid and the secretary.
In spite of the busy work that eats precious hours of the day, I continue editing photos, writing and posting blogs, playing viola or cello, and editing for my daughter Ang, making good progress on Emperors and Exiles, the second trilogy of the current series.
The only outing other than errands is to a view point where I can take photos of Abajo Mountain cloaked in new-fallen snow.
Abajo Mountain cloaked in new-fallen snow
As May draws to a close, I am encouraged to see the appearance of some kind of mint family blooming in the back yard, as well as the the promise of rose and poppy blossoms to come.
The days of Wednesday May 15 to Monday May 20 are spent with the busy work of taking care of emails for CI, paperwork for this and that… things that have been on a back burner while traveling. More interesting for me are blog writing, editing photos, editing for my daughter Ang, sending letters to literary agents, and sending texts with photos to family and friends.
One day Clifford and I make another trip to Abajo Mountain, to Monticello Lake again, so I can gather a few rocks for the landscaping project in the back yard. It is a windy day with a smeary jet-trail sky, so not many photos. However, Clifford takes his dulcimer and I have my journal, and we improvise outdoor seating out of the wind in the lee of the Suburban. We have hot tea and enjoy the warmth of the sunshine out of the wind. Too bad I didn’t bring snacks!
The road to Abajo Mountain
Windy at Monticello Lake
Clifford plays dulcimer in the lee side of the Suburban
La Sal Mountain to the south
Some mornings I can sit outside to write in my journal, but other days, the wind and rain, and even snow, keep me inside.
Snowing
Some days the high is only in the 40’s, which seems quite chilly for this time of the year. However, my morning writing table at the sliding glass doors provides a view of the backyard, the early morning light, and the activity of the birds coming to the feeder.
Sitting inside at the sliding glass door
I
am using the food dryer to dry bananas, apples, spinach, and other
veggies so as to have a better supply of food when we are traveling.
It is time-consuming to prepare the food for drying, but worth it to
have the greens and fruit available.
Clifford
continues research in the lab, and we both play our instruments –
Clifford with his dulcimer, and me with either viola or cello –
whenever time allows.
Research in the lab continues
We enjoy outdoors when the weather allows, whether Abajo Mountain or our backyard.
Friday May 10 to Tuesday May 14: Upon our return to our “base-camp” and the CI lab in Monticello, the days are focused on settling in. This includes unloading essentials from Cougar, catching up with email, Amazon order (food dryer and sprouting seeds), errands, and getting the back yard in shape. Thanks to the winter snows, the yard is green with “grass” and colorful with a crop of dandelions. My daughter Merri and I have a conversation about how much we like dandelions, and shortly after that, Clifford uses the weed-eater to trim the whole backyard. The yard looks great, and the resilient dandelions make a good comeback.
Creative look at dandelions
Sitting
out in the backyard with the journal, poems by Mary Oliver, and a
good cup of organic French press coffee is my favorite way to start
the day.
One day, Clifford and I put together the shed that he had ordered from Harbor Freight last fall. It took all afternoon, but it will provide a good storage space for many items that are in waterproof tubs. Another day we walked to the historic site of the original church, enjoying the blossoms all around.
Fancy tulips at the historic site
Replica of the original church
My favorite day was a trip to the Abajo Mountain. Clifford needed to get pond water for an experiment, so I made a picnic and we went up the mountain to Monticello Lake. I do love being there, and even a bit of rain did not spoil our picnic.
Abajo Mountain still snow-covered
The road up the mountain
Reflections on Monticello Lake
Clifford gathering pond water
Cloud reflections on Monticello Lake
Picnic
Looks like rain is coming
Droplets of rain on the lake while the picnic continues
During these first days back in Monticello, along with settling in, I continue with blog writing and editing of several books while Clifford begins to delve into the lab work of CI.
Tuesday May 7: Clifford and I have enjoyed our time in New Mexico the past couple of weeks, but it is time to head back to “base-camp” and the lab in Utah. After making tea for the thermoses, we say good-bye to our friends here in Santa Fe where we have been parked the last couple of days, and we are on our way by 10:30 a.m.
The wind is not a problem today, which makes for easier and safe travel. I take lots of photos of the New Mexico landscape along the way, and we arrive in Farmington in the northwest corner of the state by mid-afternoon.
On the road from Santa Fe to Farmington, New Mexico
Northwest New Mexico landscape
After parking in a far corner of the Walmart parking lot, we go in to buy what we need for a good lunch.
Far corner of the parking lot
Then naps, although I finish reading Erica Elliott’s book, Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert first. Later we go back into the store to stock up on groceries and sundries that we will need in the upcoming weeks.
This is a good read
We have leftover Dions pizza for an easy and tasty dinner. I do some photo editing, but am too tired for much of anything else. Clifford is up late with his project – writing tablature for his dulcimer music.
Clifford works on tablature for dulcimer
We are keeping an eye on the weather forecast, as strong headwinds may make travel tomorrow very difficult. We will check again in the morning.
Wednesday May 8: It is windy and raining here in Farmington this morning as I start packing up after a little breakfast. After checking the weather forecast, we decide to stay put. We are somewhat reluctant because of the Walmart policy on overnight parking, but it is not a good idea to drive in the strong wind and rain, either. We do a bit more shopping, take naps, and while it is not a very productive day from my side, we are both relieved to not be traveling today.
Thursday May 9: It is calm this morning and after making thermoses of tea and snacks for the road, we head west from Farmington to Shiprock, north to Cortez, Colorado, and west to Monticello, Utah, traveling through three of the four states that make up the Four Corners. Jet trails crisscross the sky on much of this journey, turning it a drab grey, so I don’t take many photos.
New Mexico formation near Colorado border
Before we reach Dove Creek, it starts to rain and sleet. I had planned to buy us lunch at Wild Coffee in Dove Creek, but we are disappointed when we get there to find that it has been closed and replaced with a liquor store.
Rain continues to Monticello
So, on to Monticello, arriving in early afternoon to a rainy and chilly 38 degrees. Everything looks to be in good shape here. We only unload the herbs, our instruments, and enough food to make lunch. It is a good day for a long nap. Tomorrow will be soon enough to shift gears and settle into the home-base and lab routine.
Sunday May 5: Clifford and I visit with our friends as we pack up, and then we say our goodbyes before we head back to Santa Fe. The wind has come up, but luckily it is not a long drive.
Roe Mesa (or is it Glorietta Mesa???)
Driving to Santa Fe
We find our way to our friend Diana’s house and park on the street. It is not a wide street, so we can only have the slide-out out just enough to barely squeeze through from the front room to the bedroom.
Cougar “boondocking” in Santa Fe
Diana fixes us a tasty tortilla lunch, and then Clifford and I go with Diana and her housemate Martha to a lecture being given by a doctor of alternative medicine. It turns out that it is Erica Elliott talking about her beginning years teaching in a Navajo boarding school in Chinle, Arizona. Erica was one of Clifford computer clients when we lived in Santa Fe. We didn’t know that she had had an earlier career as a teacher. She has an amazing life story and it was so fun to listen to her talk of that of time in her life.
After the talk, we bought her book, Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert, and she gave Clifford a big hug. Our friend John is also there, and we all head back over to Martha and Diana’s house after the talk for a delicious chicken dinner and great conversation. Later I start reading Erica’s book and stay up way too late. It is so interesting, it is hard to put it down.
Monday May 6: This morning Diana and Clifford work on a CI project, indexing his notebooks, as Diana is going to participate in this somewhat tedious job. While they are working, I walk along the nearby arroyo.
Path along the arroyo
In the afternoon Clifford and I run our errands to the bank, Trader Joe, and a couple other stops, including the Violin Shop, as I hope to get a different chin rest for my viola. It turns out they don’t have the chin rest that I need, but I buy a better bow, so it was not a wasted trip. We also go to the Santa Fe Baking Company, which has been renamed and improved under new ownership, but what is the same is the apple tree by the outdoor patio seating area, and it is at the peak of its bloom.
Apple blossoms
The New Santa Fe Baking Company
Same apple tree
Creative presentations
For dinner, Diana, Martha, and I go to Dion’s Pizza. Clifford is napping, so he misses out. Later in the evening, Clifford plays his dulcimer and I stay up reading until midnight. Being in Santa Fe and doing stuff with friends sure has been fun, but tomorrow we start the final leg of our journey back to Utah.
Saturday May 4: Clifford and I are staying another day to visit with our dear friends near Las Vegas, New Mexico, as it is not often that we get to see them. After sharing a potluck lunch, they take us on an outing to a place they call Hidden Valley. It is a fun drive into the deserts of New Mexico.
New Mexico landscape
Lourdes, New Mexico
The church at Lourdes, New Mexico
Visiting the church with our friends
Wildflowers at the church
Water flows in the hidden valley
Rocks and …
and a stone pathway designed by Nature
New Mexico Mesa
Later afternoon, back at their place, we watch a documentary on some of the relatively unknown, but very interesting, aspects of secret societies and other such stuff. We visit while sharing dinner, then Clifford and I return to Cougar. Clifford works on his music project and I edit photos before packing for an early start tomorrow, hoping to beat the wind as we head back to Santa Fe. It has been great visiting here with these special people, but it is time for us to continue the journey back to the CI lab in Utah.
Wednesday May 1: It is really windy today, but Clifford and I are leaving Rancheros de Santa Fe RV Park/Campground where we have been camped the last week for the Santa Fe event where Clifford was a guest speaker. Today we are heading east to visit dear friends from our Santa Fe years when they and we lived outside Santa Fe, getting together on a regular basis for breakfast at Harry’s or visits to their various homes. We are excited to see them, as it has been awhile, with lots of water under the bridge since our last get-together.
New Mexico landscape east of Santa Fe
As
we are traveling east on I-25 between Santa Fe and Las Vegas, NM,
right at the junction to highway 3, we hear a great loud bang and our
whole rig – Suburban and 24-foot Cougar travel trailer – swerves
nearly out of control. The on-ramp of highway 3 gives us a bit of
leeway to get slowed down and stopped. With adrenal pumping, I get
out to survey the damage. We have a bad feeling that part of Cougar
must have ripped off, but it turns out to be a blowout on the right
rear tire of the Suburban. It is not a good scene, but fortunately
there was no traffic as this was happening, we didn’t wreck, and
Cougar is fine.
Blow out!
It is a big deal to get Cougar unhitched, get to the jack and spare tire, and get Suburban jacked up. We put out warning cones and flags, and luckily the on-ramp gives us a little buffer from the traffic on I-25.
It is a big deal to get the Suburban tire changed
After we get the ruined tire off, the spare on, tools packed up, and Cougar hitched up again, we head on to our friends, much later than planned. There is no cell service in this remote area of New Mexico, so we can’t even inform them of our delay.
Iconic butte west of Las Vegas, New Mexico
Once we arrive, they happily show us their new place, a spot is found to park Cougar, and we have dinner together. All is well as we chat through the evening before heading to our respective beds.
A place for Cougar
The next couple of days are spent visiting and catching up on past and current events in their lives and ours.
She-shed at our friends’ new place
Wildflowers delight us at our friends’ new place
Clifford and our friend run into the nearby town of Las Vegas, NM, to look for tires for the Suburban. It is a bit time-consuming checking out places where the damaged rim can be replaced and new tires can be had, but eventually the right place is found and new 10-ply tires are put on. This is what we should have had all along. Live and learn. Learn and live, might also be said.
The days of Thursday April 18 through Tuesday April 23 are busy with the myriad of projects Clifford and I have going on while we are camped at Percha Dam New Mexico State Park. Some projects are Carnicom Institute related, including completing the newsletter (finally!!!) and sending it out to our email list. Clifford’s focus is on the presentation he will be giving at the conference in Santa Fe in just a few days. Miscellaneous projects include watching hummingbirds and creating a collage cover for a new journal.
Watching hummingbirds
Collage journal cover
I spend time walking along the river, though the wind and the Easter weekend crowds somewhat limit my desire to be outdoors.
Vertical reflection
Horizontal reflection
Most days are sunny, but one particular day, cumulus clouds built up and a dark storm moved in. However, like the previous storm, we get only the wind and dust, but no rain. Another day, while I’m at the river, a really fierce wind comes up, seemingly out of nowhere, blowing dust and causing the trees to weave about. I walk back to camp as quickly as I can with my sweater over my head to protect my eyes.
Dark storm clouds from the east as the afternoon sunlight lights up the trees
Occasionally we sit outdoors to eat and once we took a dusk stroll together, but for the most part, due to the wind, our projects are done inside.
A dusk stroll
Being at this state
park with electricity has been very productive for us, but it is time
to move on. We are looking forward to the conference where Clifford
will be speaking, as well as seeing friends from the years we used to
live in Santa Fe.
Artistic rendition of moonrise at Percha Dam at the moment of sunset
A moment later, as the sun sets and the moon rises, the glow leaves the buttes
Wednesday April 17: I go for my usual morning walk at Percha Dam New Mexico State Park where Clifford and I are now camped. The Rio Grande draws me, as the water, the reflections, and the great trees all feel good to my soul.
Reflections on the Rio Grande
The walk bridge at Percha Dam campground
Back
at camp, Clifford and I take care of CI business, most especially the
CI newsletter, which has been rather time-consuming. My daughter
Becka calls, and it is good to talk to her. I even have time for
playing the viola.
The afternoon light is quite nice, so Clifford and I decide to hike the trail along the Rio Grande, even though it has remained quite breezy today. With the nice lighting, I get photos that I like of the river and the light on the west-facing buttes reflecting off the river. It was especially nice hiking with Clifford.
Hiking along the Rio Grande
Clifford at the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
Reflections on the river
Once a mighty tree
I
had started chili earlier, so by time we get back, dinner is ready
and we sit out at the picnic table in spite of the breeze, glad for
the stone-walled shelter that protects us a bit.
Sunset at Percha Dam State Park
In
the evening, I start going through the photos that I took today,
culling some and sending a few texts with photos to family and
friends, a good way to end the day.
Friday April 12: It is calm this morning at City of Rocks New Mexico State Park where we have been camped for over two weeks, our leaving having been delayed by extremely high winds in New Mexico. Since we have a ways to go today to get to our next destination, we skip part of the normal leaving routine, taking time only to finish packing and to make a thermos of tea for the road. We are on our way by 9:15, almost a record for us.
We
arrive at Perch Dam State Park about 11:30 and there are only a
couple of electric sites left. The first one is too tight for us,
but the second one is fine. The sites here are quite close together,
but all are pull-throughs around a loop with a view outward rather
than toward a neighbor. We have a nice big tree by our shelter and
are grateful for electricity.
Cougar at Percha Dam New Mexico State Park
Artistic view of trees at our campsite
Saturday April 13: It is sunny this morning as we make a trip to the nearby village of Arrey, picking up our general delivery mail and sending a birthday card to my daughter Merri.
Back at camp, I work on a CI fundraising campaign, take care of email, start the next CI newsletter, edit photos, and write/post another blog. Being here with electricity and decent cell service means we can take care of things that have been brewing on a back burner.
In the afternoon, we see increasing wind and big storm clouds building up. It looks like it could dump a ton of rain or hail, but all we get is wind and blowing dust.
Storm clouds moving in
Looks like heavy rain or hail about to dump on us
By evening, the storm has passed on.
Setting of the sun at the close of the day
Sunday April 14: As I do a morning walkabout, I see that the campground has been improved and is looking quite park-like. I call Merri for her birthday and send a photo of flowers by text.
The campground looking park-like
We make a trip to Truth or Consequences, the nearest town big enough to get supplies. Back at camp, we take advantage of the power and cell service here by working on a variety of projects: more CI business, another blog posted, and so on. Clifford is quite focused on the talk he will be giving in Santa Fe, as it is only a couple weeks away.
Wind and scummy skies continue throughout the day, so not many photos are taken.
Monday April 15: Today is mostly centered around domestic chores of cleaning and food preparation, as well as working on the CI newsletter. We make ANOTHER trip to T or C, as Clifford needs something that he didn’t know he needed yesterday when we were there, so we also pick up door mats to cut down on the dirt being tracked in.
Kitchen corner is home for herbs, sprouts, kombucha, and tea tins
Not
a very interesting day photo-wise.
Tuesday April 16: I walk to the Rio Grande first thing this morning to take photos of reflections on the river. I can only imagine what this river was like before dams and irrigating stole its essence.
Rio Grand was once a great river
Reflections
Today’s
focus is the newsletter; I also send a few text with photos and post
another blog. Clifford works on his talk. In the evening after
dinner I play viola awhile. Although the days here are not too
exciting, it is a productive time.
