Another Exciting Day!

I was up at 0730 and Jim was up an hour later. Already the day was warming up. since we didn't have any plans we just played games on our computers til 1000 or so.

Then I got dressed, did the dishes and started on the bed. Today I stripped it and washed the sheets. While this was going on I played games on my computer! Watched my soaps and had lunch.

Jim was reading his book and then he had lunch. Then he went outside and did some pre-trip chores and played golf. I read for awhile.....Jim made the bed

We had breakfast for dinner, eggs, ham, potatoes, tomatoes and toast. We do love breakfast at night!

I just now remembered we were supposed to get fuel....

We watched the Kelsey Grammer show and the one that came on after it. I wasn't impressed with either one. I'm now watching NCIS on the USA channel.

do nothing day

I was up at 0730 having slept all night. The sunrise was quite pretty, sort of an apricot gold.

We had no definitive plans but after breakfast we headed out to pick up some groceries. We found a Sams club with a gas station but couldn't use our walmart card. It was rejected. We did find a Walmart and picked up our groceries but they didn't have gas station.

We went to Gander Mtn....it's right next door, but we had to drive there, no gate in the fence LOL. If you are familiar with Texas service roads you also know we had to drive around the block to get back home! It would have been easier and cheaper to walk there.

I watched my soaps and Jim cleaned the bugs off the truck and front of the rig. We both had lunch. I did a couple loads of laundry and made a pot of taco soup.

Jim played some golf. I thought he showed some restraint.

Boo is doing well. I don't see any signs of him being messed up internally. I was worried that thing might have cut him while inside or when it went down (or came up). We haven't seen any signs of blood from either end.

We had the taco soup and cornbread for dinner. We watched the NCIS shows and I saw that Tony and Kate were eliminated from Dancing with the Stars. We're now watching the Forgotten show and I'm still not convinced it will be on long. It's only so-so.

We have the ac on because it's still 73 outside.

Some days are more exciting than others. But we love our lifestyle and wouldn't have it any other way.

Easy Drive to Lubbock, Texas

All three of us slept all night long! When we went to bed the wind started to blow and I just knew we'd have to bring in the slide but no! I fell asleep and the wind didn't bother me at all. It also cooled down more than I expected and when I got up at 0745 I turned on the fireplace to take the chill out of the house.

Jim was awake and got out of bed at 0800. He made his coffee and went outside to get ready to leave. I was still in my jammies and needed breakfast. When he came in to change out of his shorts, I asked if he wanted oatmeal. Thought it might warm us up and be filling too.

We were ready to leave at 0945. Jim chose a scenic route to get us to Lubbock. We headed east on I-40 then picked up hwy 287 to Claude where we picked up hwy 207 south. This took us to the Palo Duro Canyon farther east. Farm country, with ranches and we saw grains, sunflowers, horses, cows, and sheep. I remarked to Jim that I've seen more working windmills in this part of the country than I've sever seen before.

The descent into the canyon was a 10% grade and what a beautiful drive into and out of the canyon!

Most if not all of the land is privately owned.Can you imagine having to look at this everyday?

Views everywhere you look!

We did two 10% descents and I think each was only a mile.

Sure love all the greenery.....

This is the Prairie Dog Town fork of the Red River.....that's what the sign said! not much water but you sure can see why it's called the red river.

This is the road up and out of the canyon, the little silver ribbon you see left center is the road winding up and out of view. It was slow going but we made it.

As we traveled south we saw more and more grain fields also soy beans and cotton. Even saw some prairie dogs. One place stood out because they had pumpkins! everywhere you looked they had pumpkins, they even had a VW Bug that was painted pumpkin orange.

We both enjoyed the drive and it was only a few more miles than taking I-27 south. Interstate highways tend to make us sleepy and we try to avoid them.

We arrived at Loop 289 RV Park just before 1300. Can't say it's the best location but we're only here for three nights. There are at least three Mobile Suites here, four counting us. And right nest door is a Gander Mtn store! LOL

We had a relaxing afternoon with me watching my soaps and Jim watching....me? NO! He had a cold beer outside then came in and played games on his computer. We both had coffee and then it was time for dinner. Bruschetta! Quick and easy

I watched Dancing with the Stars tonight. I finally got to see some dancing. We're now watching Castle and soon it will be time for bed.

I hope your day was a good one.

Cadillac Ranch

It was another rough night with Boo. Shortly after we went to bed last night he started throwing up and I ended up staying in the living room with him until I couldn't tolerate laying on the floor anymore. I think he was glad to go to bed also! As far as I know he didn't get out of bed again and neither did I until I got up at 0810.

I've decided the medication Boo was given made him sick so I didn't give him any this morning. Viola! he seems to be doing just fine. No more vomiting. Hopefully we'll all sleep better tonight.

We had to make a run to pick up some string to repair a blind and we remembered to bring our cameras so we could take pictures of the caddy's. I can't begin to tell you how many times we drove past them without seeing them! If it hadn't been for some RV's parked on the road a few days ago we probably would never have noticed them.

they are very colorful! Apparently you can take spray paint and decorate any way you want.

There are ten of them just planted in this field

I blend in quite well!

Jim did more packing up today, as did I. He watched golf on TV and played golf on the Wii. I gave Boo a bath and read my book for awhile. The afternoon was really hot! After several days of cold weather summer came back with a vengeance. Even Jim had to come in to escape the heat.

We had some leftovers for dinner. It shouldn't take us long to get ready in the morning and our drive will be a short one. We're moving on to Lubbock.

Update on Boo

This is what he swallowed! From the pointed tip to the top of the red plunger it's almost 1 1/2 inches. He vomited this up just before noon and he's been throwing up since. I am more than pleased that it came out this way as I'm not sure it would have been easy to come out the other way! Also it means no surgery to remove it.

We're enjoying warmer temperatures today and Jim is outside cleaning on the rig, he's doing the street side and if I remember correctly this will complete the whole rig.

I've just had shrimp scampi leftovers for lunch and now that Boo has coughed up the offending pop-up I'm a happy camper!

Boo

Yesterday I did a stupid thing. I dropped something on the floor that Boo ate. You know those pop-up things in turkeys that pop-up and tell you it's done? Well that's what I dropped and before we could get Boo to spit it out he swallowed it.

He yelped quite a bit as it was going down and I tried, once to get him to throw up. We found a vet near by and spent a couple hours getting him xrayed and seen by the vet. Right now the little critter is on 4 meds to help him pass this object....so far no luck.

Jim and I were both up during the night tending to Boo.

We both slept in and I expect the the 24-48 hours will be stressful for all of us.

Housework!

It was chilly again last night. Mid 40's and I slept very well. I didn't get up until 0845! Needless to say I woke Jim immediately. We both spent time on our computers and I had breakfast. I don't recall seeing Jim have anything.

After breakfast we got busy, Jim did dishes and I stripped the bed and started doing laundry. Because the machines are small it can take awhile to get the sheets washed and dried. I also did two other loads for a total of 4. It was a good day for it because it was chilly outside and then the afternoon deteriorated into drizzly rain.

I made some biscotti which warmed up the house and made it smell real nice. I cleaned up the mess I made. Jim dusted and vacuumed the living room. Boo loved that! :)

After lunch Jim did the dishes again, what a guy! I think I'll keep him. He did try to play some golf but as I said the weather got worse so he didn't stay outside very long.

Here at Oasis we're at the end of a row and we get to see most all the rigs that come and go. It's quite interesting to see all the makes and models. I have a question for all you rv'ers, when you travel do you have your shades up or down? I've always put ours down but I'm not sure why.

The rain did pass and the afternoon warmed up to 60 or so. The sun even came out for awhile. I walked Boo and we both had a nice stroll.

Dinner was shrimp scampi and a salad. We also enjoyed a glass of white wine. While I was still sipping mine Jim did the dishes......thank you honey, I love you!

We're watching CSI, we also watched Flash Forward but I didn't care for it and showered. We had a beautiful sunset and I think tomorrow is supposed to be warmer.

Hughes Net

I slept until 0815! I guess the cold nights under the comforter is conducive to sleeping well.

We had cream of wheat for breakfast and spent the morning inside. Jim did venture out a couple times, once for propane, $31.77 to fill the tank!

Jim also got our internet working again. He told me what happened but I have no idea how he did it. He did say that if we changed satellites we'd lose direct TV....I'm just glad to have my internet!

We had our lunch and Jim decided he wanted to go to Home Depot something to do with tin for the trikes. I dunno... but we also went to Barnes and Nobles where I found a book I had to have. An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. It's her latest book in the Outlander series....

Once home we had some coffee and then it was time for dinner. I cooked up some potatoes, sausage and onions. Quite filling and tasty.

I watched Dancing with the Stars and thought the tribute to Patrick Swayze was nice. Cheryl and Tony did a fine job!

We're watching Eastwick, so far it's funny

First day of Autumn

Other than laundry and dishes I didn't do much today. Oh I fixed a pot of potato soup for lunch, we were still chilly. After lunch I cleaned up the kitchen.



I was able to watch all my soaps today so I think I'm caught up. Jim played golf for a bit. It's funny to see him all bundled up in his jacket and hat playing outside. :)



I made a slaw for our dinner, then had a cup of coffee. Jim finally came in from the cold! Off and on during the day he's been trying to get our Hughes net to work. So far no luck and the wifi here is good but not in the evening when a lot of folks are using it.



Our dinner was leftover ribs, candied yams and the slaw. I've done the dishes and I'm all clean and pretty from my shower. We've been watching CBS this evening, NCIS and now the new show that followed it....NCIS LA?



Now it's time to read the blogs, if I can get them to load

Panhandle Plains Historical Museum

Yesterday I was up at 0740. Coffee and breakfast. Dishes and bed making. Jim had his coffee and breakfast.

We had several stops to make and the first one was the bank to get some cash. Then we headed to a bike shop so we could get a brake cable made for Jim's trike. By then we were both hungry so we stopped at Olive Garden for soup and salad. We each had two bowls of soup. I think they're serving less!

The we headed south to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. As we drove into Canyon City we saw a Walmart and made plans to stop on the way home.

The Museum was awesome! Nicely laid out and almost every exhibit was interesting to me. We did take pictures but I can't seem to stay online long enough to post them. More on this later. I'm not sure how long we stayed but we didn't even get upstairs. Maybe next time....

We did stop at walmart for a few items and to charge up a card for fuel. $2.41 for diesel, cheaper than the store in Amarillo!

I think we were home just after 1600. we both changed clothing and I put away our purchases and made myself a cup of coffee and turned on GH. Jim went out side to play golf, but that didn't last long. Wind started blowing and blowing and the temperature started to drop. He put away the lawn chairs and brought in my small pots. Then we brought in all my pots.

By this time the wind was a steady roar and we put down the dish and brought in the back slide because it was coming in anyway! We do have cable here and Jim hooked it up and figured out how to get the TV working. But if we wanted network we had to put up our antenna....not gonna happen in that wind. so I missed Dancing with the Stars...But we have wifi and my Facebook friends and relatives kept me informed LOL I did try to post last night but our signal kept coming and going. After a couple attempts I quit.

The wind blew all evening and was still going strong when we went to bed. the temperature was already under 50 so we slept with the comforter and I was warm and toasty in no time. But it did take us awhile to go to sleep. During the night I heard rain but it was a gentle rain and the wind had stopped.

When I got up this morning at 0740 (again!) the sun was just coming up over the clouds in the east. Blue skies, no rain, no wind. But it sure was chilly! I put the slide out and turned on the fireplace.

Since we basically snacked instead of having dinner I had a mess in the kitchen. Jim was up just before 0800 and he turned on the furnace. Breakfast was oatmeal. The kitchen is back to normal with the dishes done. I've made the bed and a load of laundry is almost done washing.

With a lot of luck this blog will post!

Sunday at home

I was up at 0715 this morning! That's more like it. I woke Jim up at 0800 and when he joined me downstairs we had breakfast. I fixed scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and sliced tomatoes. We read emails and blogs and then we got busy.

Inside I did dishes and laundry. Jim started with the trikes outside. They were quite dirty as we haven't been able to use them for months. He spent several hours getting them cleaned up taking a break for lunch.

I caught up on some computer things. Played some games and enjoyed the air conditioning.

Our dinner consisted of leftovers and we cleaned out several dishes. After dinner Jim went back outside to clean the truck. He should sleep well tonight! I did the dishes and showered. When Jim came him he showered and now we're watching the History Channel.

the wind blew steadily all day but the temperature still went up to the mid 80's.

Palo Duro Canyon

Again I was up at 0815 this morning and after making my coffee I put some ribs in the crock pot for our dinner tonight. I put some music on and listened to it while I read emails. Jim got up sometime before 0900 and we both had breakfast.

I started a load of laundry and put our picnic lunch together. Jim shaved then I got dressed, made the bed and got ready to leave.

The drive to Palo Duro Canyon http://www.palodurocanyon.com/ was short and we got in free with our Texas Park pass. Our first stop was at the gift shop and I must say the view from there was worth it. I don't like looking down but looking out was very pretty.

Jim took most of the pictures, but as you can see the canyon is a bit hazy

We had lunch with this in our view. There are several campgrounds in the park and we circled the ones with rigs. Some have great views!

There 6 places where water can and does wash out the road. Jim decided to get the truck really dirty! Three of the washes had water over them

See the rabbit? right in the center of the picture is a silhouette of a rabbit!

We didn't plan of hiking, not our thing, but this sign sure convinced me that I don't want to hike this trail!

reconstruction of a dug out. Our rig is roomier.....

The canyon is quite lush and I was surprised at all the greenery. The day use areas are packed with tables and parking spots. There are pull overs so you can take pictures or let tailgaters to pass. We spent a pleasant afternoon driving the winding road.

We stopped at Starbucks and I got coffee and Jim got a free smoothie (thanks Sonsearae!). Then I dragged Jim over to Joann's to look at fabric. We're thinking of changing out the window treatments and I needed input from him about color and patterns.

Then we wandered into Bed, Bath and Beyond to get another can opener. The last one I bought really didn't work well. Jim also got a new pillow.

Once we got home Jim and I lugged all our stuff into the house (mail came too). I unpacked the cooler, put food away, stacked dishes. Went through the mail, gave some to Jim. Started another load of laundry. I wasn't hungry so we didn't have dinner. I put the ribs away, did the dishes.

We forgot to open the grey tank and had to clean the shower and surrounding floor. I decided to wash the rugs.

I am ready for bed! Hope your day was a good one!

Chores

I got up a little earlier this morning, 0815 :) After doing some exercises I made myself some coffee then I turned on some music. I thought that would wake Jim up gently...it worked. We had breakfast and read emails and blogs.

Then we got busy. I dressed, did the dishes and then stripped the bed. Jim headed outside and started washing windows and cleaning on the rig. That kept us occupied all morning. I had some beans and rice for lunch. Jim took some rags over the the free laundry and got them all washed up and dried. He also put the sheets back on the bed.

After lunch Jim played some golf, I watched my soaps and then we went to Walmart. We needed to get picnic items so we can go on a road trip tomorrow!

Once home I put our purchases away and started dinner. Pulled pork and oven fries. simple but tasty! While I was finishing up my glass of wine Jim did the dishes. After dessert I took my shower and finished making the bed getting the quilt on and pillowcases.

We're watching TV and playing games on our computers

Hope your day was more interesting than ours....

driving around town

Today we slept late! I got up at 0845 and Jim woke around 0900. I guess this time zone will take some getting used too. :) We had our coffee and check emails and blogs. Jim skipped breakfast, again. I had a bowl of cereal and oj. Then we changed and went into town.

For those of you who have been in Texas, don't you just love the one-way service roads? Going around in circles can be so much fun! Not very fuel efficient....We mostly drove around getting our bearings and trying to find a walmart. I knew there was a Murphy station and we knew diesel would be cheaper there, it was, $2.45.

We had lunch at Kabuki Romanza, http://www.kabukiromanza.com/ I had chicken teppanyaki and Jim had steak teppanyaki. Hot green tea and soup for both of us. It was very good and could become a favorite place to dine if we lived here.

We stopped at Natural Grocers and picked up a few items. Then we headed home. I put away our purchases, changed clothes and watched my soaps. Jim took a nap. I also spent some time reading.

When Jim got up we had some coffee, then took Boo for a walk. It's so nice not dragging him around in the gravel!

So far the weather has been pleasant here. Tonight mid 50's so sleeping should be good.

Amarillo, Texas

As I do every morning I checked the weather for our area. I saw heavy rain to the west of Tucumcari and when 0800 rolled around I woke Jim and apprised him of the forecast. He got up and we both got busy packing up so we could leave ahead of the rain. We were on the road before 0900! We skipped breakfast and Jim even skipped his coffee!

We had overcast skies and a few sprinkles but we stayed ahead of the rain. Matter of fact we out ran it! LOL We crossed into Texas and the central time zone around 0930/1030. The drive was uneventful and we made one stop for stretching and to get Jim's sunglasses. We arrived at Oasis RV resort outside of Amarillo around noon. Within an hour we were all set up with the exception of no internet. For some reason our dish won't pick up the internet. The same thing happened at our last stop. We have TV but Hughes isn't connecting. Jim will head up onto the roof tomorrow to see if all the connections are ok.

Meanwhile we're using the free wifi here at the resort. This evening it's very, very slow and it comes and goes.

Boo loves it here! We've taken him out several times and he runs and runs! Mostly asphalt and cement here! He's a city dog for sure.

We had beans and rice for dinner, quite tasty if I do say so myself! We had a pastel sunset and now that the sun has gone down it's getting cooler.

We've spent most of the evening in front of the TV or our computers.

Tucumcari, NM

We left Santa Fe this morning around 0930 and our drive here was uneventful. the weather was good and the scenery was interesting. We spent most of our drive on I-40 and arrived around 1330, making only one stop for lunch.

We're at Cactus RV Park right on Route 66 and we're just staying overnight.

I miss the mountains! The temperature here reached at least 85 and with the breeze we were OK outside. Once inside we didn't move very much and finally turned the AC on around 2000. The temperature outside was still in the upper 70's.

We've been superb couch potatoes this evening! Just watching TV and snacking

Preparing to leave

We stayed home yesterday. I was up at 0730 and enjoyed my coffee before Jim got up about an hour later. We both did our normal breakfast and email/blogs reading. After breakfast Jim headed outside to clean the truck and stow outside items.

I made the bed, did the dishes and a load of laundry. I also put a few things away. Mostly we took it easy. Jim's back/hip is giving him problems and he was just taking it slow and easy.

I watched all of my soaps, first time in days I've gotten to see all of them. I made a peach cobbler for our dessert tonight

I know some of you want to hear about this campground. Santa Fe Skies is nice. Located where it is, we have sun on the street side of the rig all day so the blinds stayed shut 90 percent of the time to keep out the sun and heat. They don't charge for electricity so that is a plus. Staff is friendly and helpful. There is a clubhouse and outdoor patio area for entertaining. No pool and I don't recall seeing any playground equipment. All the sites are gravel and fairly level. Some have paved patios and I think all will be this way eventually. Right now they charge extra for the patios. I think the land was purchased from a ranch and as they cleared the land for the campground they came across farm equipment and you can see it all in a clearing. Interesting if you're into machinery.

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that you could see I-25. You can also see Highway 14 and from both of these roads you can barely hear the hum of traffic in the mornings.

Did anyone see the new Dr Oz show? I caught it on a Fox channel in early afternoon. It's a daily show. It was interesting and I look forward to seeing more.

We had bison hot dogs for dinner along with slaw, succotash and pickles. Then we tried the cobbler, could have used more peaches. I did dinner dishes and the rest of the evening was quiet. We took Boo for a walk and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. No, I didn't have my camera so no pictures.

I know we watched Top Gear on TV but I don't recall what else....I think we had it on the USA channel. We also watched some of the Tennis match before switching to Top Gear.

Today we are moving on in our journey to Texas...

El Santuario de Chimayo

This was our destination today The Shrine of our Lord of Esquipulas. http://holychimayo.us/
As we drove north we both thought we'd end up back in Taos! But we finally found the turn off to Chimayo, NM. The drive was scenic and beautiful. Just after we arrived Mass let out and we were able to enter the church. They don't allow pictures inside but I'm always moved by the simple 'decorations' used to adorn these churches of the faithful.

We walked all around the grounds and it's amazing to find such richness in the middle of nowhere! I've no idea how many in the parish are active, but from the drive we had in getting here I really didn't see that many dwellings.

Jim and I both took pictures and it would seem we duplicated the same scenes. It was fun picking out the ones to post

Jim took this picture

at waters edge there are 6 crosses under arches, I took this shot and it turned out super!

Whenever we drive through these arid hills and mountains I wonder where they get water. This area has a nice stream running along side the parish lands

Across the stream is this shrine

We heard an announcement about a processional and we got to witness it coming down the hill.

Whenever we visit these 'old world' Catholic churches I am always moved to tears. They have so much faith that you can feel it when you enter the church.

Just loved the look of this home.

As we left we saw a sign "Wine Tasting". Well alrighty then, we like wine tastings! Estrella Del Norte Vineyard, www.estrelladelnortevineyard.com. They have pinot noir vines and we got a couple pictures

Jim took this picture and I love the grapes and leaves. the colors are perfect. Soon they'll be picking the grapes. We brought home several bottles...

As we left the back roads Jim stopped to take some pictures.

I found this lizard.....he's about 4 inches excluding his tail which goes all the way down into the left hand corner. wish I knew what kind.

Our drive back was uninteresting. We needed something to eat and we stopped and had Mongolian Grill at the Bamboo restaurant. Then we stopped in at Smith's for a few items and fueled up with our discount. Gotta love those grocery stores that give the discounts! $2.51 for diesel.

Once home I put away our purchases and we both changed clothes. Jim took a nap and when he got up he played some golf.

It was a full day and we both enjoyed it. I've just finished watching Design Star and now I need a snack! I think when I ended my blog last night I said I had to do dishes. Well Jim did them for me! Thanks Honey