Mesalands Dinosaur Museum-Zowie!!

Just a note before I start this. There are thirty seven pictures in this blog entry. Believe me, I cut them down as much as I could, and many of them are not as clear or sharp as I would like (I did NOT have my tripod). That said, this museum had so much to offer, I wanted to share it with my readers. As always remember that you can click on any photo for a larger version.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, we recently spent a day in Tucumcari, New Mexico. While there, we had a wonderful time and have definite plans to return, since there was so much to see.

But the highlight of the day was certainly the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum, WOW!

I won't add comments to every one of these pictures, as I think they pretty much speak for themselves.

I really liked the entrance.


This museum is exceptional, in that in addition to showing fossils, it's also an art museum. There are paintings

And bas reliefs

And resin casts, some from fossils and some original art.

But the real draw here are the bronzes. This museum is associated with Mesalands Community College, which not only specializes in geology and paleontology, but also has its' own foundry.

This rare combination of studies and facilities allows them to exhibit their finds in bronze. While on paper this sounds a bit odd, the results are stunning.

They have included this display case that details the entire casting process.

The displays include skulls cast in bronze,

And whole dinosaurs,

This bronze skeleton is at least eight feet long

And here's a forefather of the modern bison.


I thought it was great that they let you look right into their labs. They also have a buzzer, just like at the meat counter, where you can talk to the folks in the lab.

They're quite happy to answer any questions you might have.

I've never seen anything like this one and I neglected to get its' name.

The next few pictures are of a huge diorama. While the dinosaurs are bronze, in this case, they made the choice to colorize them so they blend in better with the diorama.

And here are some close ups of the diorama







For some reason, this picture came out looking like a painting. Guess I went a little heavy on the Photoshop!

Another bronze skeleton

Here's a cast of a footprint, which Terry stumbled into!

When these little ones saw him, they couldn't wait to jump in.

I took their picture and promised their Dad I'd post it here.

This is a bronze casting of a leg bone. I surely wouldn't want to meet this total beast!

These are vertebrae! They come from a Seismosaurus, better known as an Earth Shaker! If these are the vertebrae, can you imagine the whole thing? They were some one hundred and ten feet long.

I loved this skull casting, kind of looks like it's smiling!

And here's my favorite. This is a full size Torvosaurus skeleton, rendered in bronze. This baby stands some forty feet long

And these guys were fast! Thought to be closely related to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, it's believed that they chased down their prey

Can you imagine two tons of this fellow chasing you down?

One more shot of the Torvosaurus.

A full sized replica of a Triceratops head, rendered in bronze.

And here's a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull, also in bronze.

I loved this piece. In a former life, we collected figures cast and sculpted in various materials. I have so much appreciation for the talent and skill that it takes to master this art form, this Museum was such a treat.

It also seemed that whoever curates this Museum has such an eye for art and display.

Isn't this skeleton of a raptor displayed next to a painting of the same a wonderful display?

If you enlarge this, you can see some of the detail that is put into this work.

Here they have a display of two sabre tooth tigers in a duel. This one is up on the ceiling.

And this one is on the floor. This whole display is probably thirty feet long, rendered in full scale.


Is this one amazing place or what?

I really can't say enough good things about the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum. We have hopes of going again and taking the tripod so we can get better shots.

Also, if I can get to a spot with high speed internet, I'll be posting a Quicktime Movie of these shots, so keep an eye out for this. If you have a love of sculpting, dinosaurs or bronzes, don't miss the chance to visit this museum. It's worth going out of your way to visit.

And while this last picture has nothing to do with the Dinosaur Museum or even Tucumcari, it's what we saw when we were on our way back to the rig. It was at a gas station where the local kids are trying to fund raise for a trip to Walt Disney World.


I just thought the Mickey was hilarious. We gave them some money any way because we know they'll have a great trip. Maybe if they get to go to WDW, they can see what Mickey really looks like!

Boy is our life good.

George Carlin

I'm sure that everyone now knows of the passing of George Carlin.

I've been debating on writing about this, since I seem to be doing a lot of obits lately. But hey, I guess that when you reach my age, people that mean a lot to you pass more frequently.

Sad but true.

So I loved George Carlin and have very little to add.

But thought I would reproduce one of my favorite pieces.

“The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends.

I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A Death!

What’s that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way.

Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you’re too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.

You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school.

You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating …and you finish off as an orgasm.
—
George Carlin

So while it's a nice idea, it's not the reality, but a good reminder that we should enjoy what we have while we have it.

Because Life is Good.

Get Your Kicks . . .

Ah, Route 66, the Mother Road.

It winds through the United States like a broken chain, coming and going. In some places it survives and in others is just a wisp of a memory.

And while many areas of the US lay claim to its' name, here in north eastern New Mexico, it is very much alive. Not as it was in its' heyday, but certainly not dead and gone.

Santa Rosa lays claim to the name, with signage and memorabilia, but really, it kind of feels like an effort, with Route 66 having been eclipsed by Interstate 40. But about fifteen miles east, you can take off at Cuervo and drive on the real authentic, two lane blacktop Route 66.

Now, I ask you why should there be any difference between a four lane divided highway and a small two lane road that rides directly beside it ?

For one thing, you'll have the road almost completely to yourself. No semis, no screaming fast cars whizzing by, so you're automatically more comfortable.

Then, there's the view. Since it usually rides a bit lower than the newer supposedly snazzier highway, if you look off to the side, you get an unobstructed view of the incredible New Mexico landscape, no guardrails, no huge sloping shoulders, just open vistas and blue skies.


I like it! There's just something about it that has a kind of magic. I have to admit that whenever we drive it I feel transported.

While it is quite special, it's also kind of sad. Passing through these towns that once thrived on this national highway and now sit crumbling into dust.


Still, I find an austere beauty in these old villages.


And remembrances of days gone by.


We try to drive as far as we can, but eventually the road joins up with I40 and we head on in to Tucumcari.

And boy, these folks know how to celebrate the Mother Road!


This monument stands on the outskirts of Tucumcari, proudly commemorating Route 66. There are also murals all over the community, brightening up the neighborhood.

These newer murals are interspersed with memories of the glory days of Route 66

I love the La Cita Sombrero

And the Tee Pee Curios front door takes you right back in time.

If you're in the area, I recommend that you spend a bit of time in Tucumcari and take a little drive on what is left of the real Route 66.


My next blog will give some details another unknown treasure (at least it was unknown to us), the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum in Tucumcari.

What fun we're having . . . Life is Good.

Spuds and Rubs

I know I've been writing about food a LOT lately, but we're pretty far out here in the country. Since gas is high and there aren't a whole lot of places to visit, I find myself spending way too much time on the internet looking at food blogs and recipes.

Then I get to thinking about what I should cook for dinner. Then I start looking at my recipe file. When I find something that looks interesting, I ponder it for a while, and usually decide that it could be even better with a few changes. Before you know it, I'm cooking something new.

Since that's what's taking up my time, that's what I have to write about, so once again, here's another food entry!

I recently read about a cut of meat that is completely foreign to me.. Called a flat iron steak, it comes from somewhere in the shoulder and is very close to the chuck roast. Apparently it was discovered just a few years ago and is supposed to be relatively inexpensive and quite tender.

In researching this meat, I came across a recipe for a Southwestern Flat Iron Steak.

I have to admit here that I'm unsure of the etiquette of re-posting recipes I find on the web. I've decided that I'll link to the one I found (even though there may be duplicates, I will link to the one I found first), then I'll post the recipe along with any changes I make. I sure hope this is correct!

ANYHOW . . .

This recipe sounded so good, I decided to try it. I went down to the only market here in Santa Rosa and talked to the meat man, who said, sorry, they didn't have any flat iron steak. But he was kind enough to point me to some boneless beef ribs that, he said were taken from the same part of the cow (ribs in shoulders? Oh well). So I purchased them and have been thinking about them for a day or two.

Today I decided to try this rub, and is it ever wonderful!

Here's the ingredients

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar (packed)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

As usual, I changed it just a bit. I decided since it was a rub, granulated garlic would work just as well as fresh, I probably used a full tablespoon. I also doubled the amount of red pepper. This might be a good place to mention that if you ever cook with brown sugar, when you measure It needs to be REALLY firmly packed. This is the secret to perfect chocolate chip cookies and any other recipe calling for brown sugar as a sweetener. If you don't pack it down firmly (as in hard as a rock) you won't get the correct amount of sweetness you're looking for.

So back to the rub. I now had a very thick paste. I donned my rubber gloves and rubbed this mixture into all the meat, then placed it in a plastic bag to sit for a while. Once again, I deviated because when I looked at the mixture in the bag, it looked way too dry, so I added a healthy hit of olive oil, then mushed it all up so that the mixture could work its' magic.

As the meat was marinating, I spent some time looking for something new to do with potatoes. I had wanted to make a potato salad, but truthfully, that sounded a bit boring.

Every morning, I read a food blog named the Paupered Chef and since I liked many of the recipes, I decided to look there. On the site, I found something that in a million years I would never consider, a potato salad with a tiny bit of mayonnaise, some yogurt and limes! This sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try.

Here's the recipe (you'll have to scroll down a bit on the original page).

But I'll repost it here just to make things easier.

1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, cut into 1/8 inch slices
1/4 c. mayonnaise
5 T's plain low-fat yogurt
3/4 t grated lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3/4 t kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced

Now I didn't have red potatoes, so I used white. I also added a bit more mayo, since even with the yogurt, it was a bit dry. Then, when I gave it a taste, it seemed a bit weak, so in the end, I doubled the lime zest and added a bunch more lime juice and pepper. Also, I didn't have any scallions or green onions, so I omitted these entirely.

Then I put it in the refrigerator to cool.

After a couple of hours, we figured the meat was marinated enough and Terry fired up the grill. Have I mentioned our grill? We've tried several, most with pitiful results till we finally bought a Weber Baby Q. This is absolutely the best portable gas grill ever made! The secret to its' success is the cast iron grill, as opposed to those puny chrome things that every other gas barbecue uses. Also the heating element is considerably larger and heavier. Just a great grill, guaranteed to get hot enough to leave those beautiful grill marks we like on our meat.

Anyhow, the meat cooked up in just a matter of minutes and was perfectly flavored and oh so tender. This rub is a real winner and we'll be using it on a lot more meat in the future.

And the potato salad? WOW, it was such a unique flavor, unlike anything I've ever tasted. The lime juice added a different element that I'll definitely use again.

I do love cooking and trying new recipes, it makes our life so much fun.

Life is Good (and so are these recipes).

Dancers

Boy do I love musicals. I always have and I guess I always will.

So it was with great sadness that I read that the sublime Cyd Charisse passed away yesterday.

What a loss this was to us all.

In the world of cinema dancers, she stood tall as the favorite partner of many famous hoofers. I loved it when Fred Astaire said of Cyd Charisse "When you've danced with her, you stay danced with."

I was kind of amazed when I read that she was only five feet six inches tall. She seemed SO tall in her films. Perhaps this can be attributed to her exceedingly long and shapely legs. In 1952, her legs were insured for five million dollars, and in many a fans opinion, worth every cent.

Trained as a ballerina (she joined the Ballet Russe at 13) her movements were strong and languorous, always beautiful to watch. She brought a unique mix of sensuality and sexuality to her roles, always maintaining an aura of grace and class.

She also enjoyed a long and happy marriage to Tony Martin (they celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary on May 15) and continued to work on stage and in television late into her life.

RIP Cyd, you will be missed.

And now on to another dancer.

I was clicking around the internet and came across this clip.



Geez, I have to ask, what the heck happened to Michael Jackson.? Say what you will about his admittedly bizarre actions, that boy could sing, and oh my gosh, could he dance? Like magic.

I wish I could go back in time and change whatever happened to his career, because I feel like all of us have been cheated by the loss of his unique and wonderful talents.

Sad.

But now I'm going to go and watch Brigadoon and remember the glorious Cyd.

Life is good.

NOTE: This is the first time I've embedded a clip in my blog, so I'm asking for feedback. Do you like it? Do you Hate it? Comments please.

Hair, Glorious Hair

And if you don't recognize that line, then, dang nabbit, you're just too young!

While I've discussed many aspects of life on the road, one thing I've neglected to mention is hair.

There are those who say that keeping it long is the way to go. Then you never have to worry about hairdressers and haircuts. But then you have the hassle of washing your long hair in the rig. And if you're dry camping, well, that's another consideration. Long hair uses a lot of water to shampoo and rinse. Then, there's the way that long hair seems to work its' way into every nook and cranny of the motorhome. Not to mention what it does to your vacuum.

For the first few years we were on the road, I kept my hair long. Then one day I looked at it and realized that I ALWAYS wore it up, and really wasn't washing it as often as I'd like. I asked myself, if I was always wearing it up, never letting my long locks flow as it were, why was I bothering?

Besides, it was heavy and hot and tangly and, well, you get the idea.

So in a fit of desperation (we were at Manzano State Park at the time, at least forty miles from a reliable hairdresser) I grabbed my scissors and started chopping away.

Not my finest moment.

And thus started my quest for a decent haircut.

I broke down and went to Albuquerque and got a REAL haircut, reverting to the undercut bob I've worn for so much of my life. Not a great haircut, but certainly better than my feeble attempt and much easier than my long hair.

As we've moved from place to place, I'm continually faced with the challenge of screwing up my courage to put myself in the hands of yet another stranger . One who may or may not understand exactly how I'd like my hair to look. It isn't fun, and in my mind is right up there with looking for a clean, working laundromat or a decent grocery store in a town where you can barely find the nearest gas station.

After a year of mediocre hair cuts, I finally got the truly horrible 'do, and have been miserable with it for the last six weeks or so.

Apparently, the last hairdresser I went to was aurally challenged and completely missed the direction to undercut my hair. Instead she bobbed it right off with a blunt cut, not good when you have a lot of hair (think the Dutchboy Paint mascot). As she had squeezed me in, I opted out of the free blow dry and didn't realize the catastrophe till I was miles away. And it continued to get worse. After a week or so, this cut resulted in my hair sticking out in every direction. The look was similar to that of a poor creature deserted by the side of the road, waiting for the pound to come and take them to their final reward.

Did I say I hated my hair?

To add to my discontent, lately, I've been playing with the idea of cutting my hair even shorter. But of course this is a ridiculous idea, since I haven't even been able to find someone who could look at a picture and replicate the results.

How could I ever expect to find someone to give me a whole new look? It seemed truly hopeless.

Hopelessness aside, I woke up this morning and could take it no more.

I hightailed it into Santa Rosa and started asking around. Everyone I spoke to, the woman at the library, the woman at the market, the woman in the car next to me in the parking lot, all told me there was only one Hair Salon in Santa Rosa. It was called Rosalie's Beauty Salon.

I screwed up my courage and went looking for Rosalie's. I walked in to find one lone hairdresser and when I asked if she could cut my hair, she had me sit right down. I told her what I wanted and what a disaster my last haircut had been. She looked at my hair and immediately told me what the previous hairdresser had done wrong.

Things were looking up!

She washed my hair, then began cutting. We chatted and we certainly seemed to have a good rapport. Before I knew it, she had given me the perfect undercut bob. We discussed life and the ways of the world while she continued to clean me up, and she mentioned that I sure had a lot of hair. I mentioned that I was considering cutting it, but wasn't sure which way to go. She mentioned that we had similar hair (wavy to curly when cut short) and mentioned that if it were her, she would take a whole lot off the back.

And I said just go for it.

Before I knew it, she had whipped out he razor and was going to town on the back of my head. Now I couldn't see at all what she was doing, but somehow I felt comfortable in her obviously capable hands. After thinning the back of my hair, we discussed it and decided to go for the whole new look.

And boy, does Rosalie know what she's doing. I LOVE my new haircut!

So if you're ever in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, don't be put off by the fact that there's only one salon in town. Just hotfoot it over to Rosalie's Hair Salon, located right next to the Post Office. Then you too can have this talented woman work her magic on your hair.

You won't regret it one little bit.

Hey, I'm a happy camper and my Life is Good.

Red Rocks

We took a little trip yesterday out to Conchas Lake. On the way we once again marveled at how strikingly beautiful this country can be.

Driving along, we so much enjoyed viewing the open skies, the old farms and run down adobes


All of a sudden, the scenery suddenly shifted, as it does do often in New Mexico.

Off to one side of the road, the dirt became that vibrant New Mexico red and the landscape resembled some ancient battlefield where long ago titans had engaged in a conflict using giant slabs of stone for weapons.

These cinnamon chunks were balanced on each other in the most beautiful arrangements, it was like being in a giant outdoor art exhibit.
We were both struck by this wondrous piece of land. While not as large as other natural wonders, certainly no less beautiful.

The sky was a brilliant blue, emphasizing even more the hue of the earth.

In the midst of this color, the little bits of greenery stood out all the more vividly.

A wider view, to put the size of this spot a bit into perspective.

I had some trouble picking my shots, the whole area was so rich.

Off in the distance was a small toadstool configuration. Does nature ever fail to amaze?

My last shot, this stone monolith was jutting up into the sky.

And in a mere half mile or so, it was done and we were back to the beautiful open skies.


I do love this land and its' many small treasures.

Sometimes it seems to be here just for us.

Life is Very Good.

p.s. Please remember to click on these photos, they really do look so much better at a larger size.

Wet and Dry

Have I mentioned that Santa Rosa State Park is actually located on Santa Rosa Dam, which is on the Pecos river?

Folks come here to fish and enjoy water sports, but as of tomorrow, all that may change. Tomorrow, June 16, they will begin releasing some thirty five thousand acre feet of water. This is expected to lower the level of the water by some twenty feet and may close the boat ramp for the season. Only time will tell.

With this in mind, I thought I would share some "before" pictures.

These two shots are wide shots of the lake, almost a panorama. This is one big lake!

As always, you can click on any photo for a larger version.

This shot is taken from the actual dam. You drive across this to get to our campground (Rocky Point). The large structure is the control tower for the dam.

If you enlarge this one, you can see where the boats launch, right at the lake where all the cars are parked.

And here's a shot of the other side of the dam, where the water will be released. The rocks in this area are really striking. If they would let us camp on this side of the dam, this would be our first choice. It's lovely down there.

We're going to try to get some pictures of the water release tomorrow. If we don't get up early enough (as so often happen!) at least we'll have some "befores" to compare.

And now that I've talked about wet, I'm going to discuss some dry.

Since we've been traveling the the southwest, I've become acutely aware of how the lack of humidity affects just about everything we do. I notice it in my laundry, my cooking, but most of all, I see it in my skin.

I've always used cream on my skin, but since we've been here, it just isn't cutting it.

In my search for something to keep my fingers and feet from turning into replicas of ancient native American pottery, I've tried all kinds of ointments and unguents. All with little success.

Then I happened on Jojoba Oil.

I discovered it by chance and started using it on my cuticles (which had deteriorated to such a degree that they often bled). It worked so well, I expanded it to my hands. Now I've used other oils before, but really dislike the oily residue they leave behind. For some reason, Jojoba Oil is different. It completely absorbs and leaves nothing behind except soft skin.

With such excellent results, I expanded my usage, and I now also use it on my face, which I still can hardly believe. I'm also using it after my shower, while I'm still damp. Within minutes, my skin is soft as a baby's bottom. This stuff is truly amazing.

No more alligator skin and no more bleeding fingers.

While I know it sounds like I'm selling this stuff, the truth is I like it so much I just thought I'd pass this on.

Do you have any hints on avoiding reptile skin? If so, I'd love to hear them.

My Life is Good!

The Big Picture

While looking around the internet, I came on this amazing photo site.

It's called the Big Picture, and it's a site where every day (or every few days) they post one large picture of a current event, with a link to an album of more photos.

And let me tell you, this is certainly a case where a picture is worth a thousand words.

I particularly liked the Cassini spacecraft shots, as well as the pictures of the volcano in Chile (and why haven't we heard more of this??).

So while I don't usually make a post to the blog with just a link to another site, I thought this one was special and deserved an exception.

To vist the Big Picture, click here.

That's All Folks!

Chocolate Chili Cake, Yum!

I am SO enjoying my Nesco Cooker!

So far, I've baked Seed Bread, a wonderful Apple Craisin Nut Bread, roasted a passel of root vegetables and made a full size pot roast with all the trimmings.

If I have any complaint, it's trying to find pans that fit into the cookers well. Now, you can always cook right in the removable non stick well, but that's not always what I want. So far, a regular size bread pan seems to be the best bet. What I need is a nice oval pan that just fits, but I'm sure I'll find it somewhere.

The bread pan has worked for both the regular bread and the apple bread, and right now I'm trying a Flourless Chili Chocolate Cake.

Does this sound wonderful or what?

As usual, I don't have all the exact ingredients.

I'm missing Chipotle Chili Powder, but since we are deep in the heart of chili country, I'm using Chimayo Chili Powder. Made from a unique strain of chili grown in New Mexico, it is slightly sweeter than the general chili powder.

More of as torte than a cake (since there is no flour), this has a distinctive texture.

Chili Chocolate Cake (No Flour)

10 oz of Semi Sweet Chocolate, roughly chopped
7 Tbsp room temperature Butter
5 large Eggs, room temperature
1 cup of Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
a dash of Cayenne Pepper
a pinch of Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (preheating the oven is always a critical step)
Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler
Whisk the eggs, then add the sugar

Slowly add the butter/chocolate into the sugar/egg mixture.

Add the spices and check for flavor.
Pour into a 9 inch spring form pan and bake for 22-25 minutes
Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like (I like!).

This is the recipe as posted, but I did change a few things.

While the recipe calls for ten ounces of chocolate, the package I bought was eight ounces, so that's what I used. Sort of like you get ten hot dogs in a pack, but only eight buns come in a bag. I ask you, who decides these things?

Because we like things a bit on the intense side, I doubled the amounts for the cinnamon and chili powder. Keep in mind that I'm not a big fan of hot, but I do like spicy. There's a huge difference and I try to achieve a nice strong flavor in my cooking without extreme heat.

When adding the chocolate into the egg mixture, I first added some of the egg mixture into the chocolate, to temper the batter (you really don't want those eggs to scramble).

While the recipe calls for a 9 inch spring form pan, I was using my Nesco Cooker, so I used a bread pan. This totally changed the cooking time since the batter was much thicker in the pan. I had to bake it for 65 minutes, and it still wasn't completely set in the middle, but I didn't want the edges to burn, so I took it out to cool.

Maybe this is one of those baking recipes that REALLY needs to be baked in the correct pan in a regular oven? I'll try it that way when the weather isn't in the high nineties.

While it certainly didn't look like a gourmet dessert (hence no picture), it tasted really good, rich, with just a bit of after heat. Next time I'll make sure we have some fresh whipped cream or ice cream to go with it!

Since I've been cooking so much lately, I decided to reorganize my spice pantry. I was so pleased with myself, I took this photo.


Now I can remember what it looks like when it's all nice and clean, instead of the normal jumble I usually have to dig through in order to cook dinner!

These simple pleasures are truly the best.

Life is Good.

Again, This and That

While we've been busy visiting, we've also taken some pictures I haven't had time to post, so here's a little album of the last couple of days.

The cactus are blooming all over the Park, and they are just stunning.


There's a path that leads down to the water, and when you take it, you go through several small canyons, each one unique.

Here's a shot taken on the way down to the lake.


This is the control tower for the dam. I will try to take other shots of it in the next couple of days. I really like how it juts up out of the water.


Further down near the water is this bare tree. I love the diversity of the plants in this area.


Here's a shot of the Ciao Baby clan, taking their bikes off the back of the rig.


And here's a shot of Tessa taking a moment to herself on top of the rig. The sunset that night was stupendous and she had a great view.

The casita at Tessa's campsite has a nest complete with three baby birds. While I couldn't get too close, here's the best of a bunch of bad shots I took of the babies. Click for a larger version, it looks a bit better,

And here's a shot of the Mother bird, taken by Lia, Tessa's youngest. Great shot, don't you agree? I like the way the bird reflects in the water. I think she may be a budding photographer.

And here is one of many beautiful sunsets, Isn't our Life Good???

Just Visiting

I haven't posted in a few days, because we are deep into socializing with our food friends, Tessa, Jazy, Charles and Lia (and Ned on a stick).

They are on the first leg of an exciting fifteen month journey which has been dubbed Ciao Baby's Grand Adventure. Ciao Baby is the name of their 26 foot Lazy Daze.

Leaving from Texas, they will travel all over the US, up into the Arctic Circle, down through Mexico and Central America, then ship the rig to Europe, and end up in China! Whew!

And all this with Tessa (the Mom), Jazy (a wonderful 13 year old) Charles (the man of the rig, he's 12) and Lia (an eight year old with enthusiasm to spare). Ned, the patriarch of this clan is staying in Texas (working his little heart out) but will fly in to meet the family once a month or so.

To keep his memory fresh, they've taken a life size head shot of Ned and mounted it on a stick, so he is always with them, hence, Ned on a Stick!

They are just a week into this journey and had planned on over nighting with us. Then the air conditioning in the cab of their rig went out, so we've had the pleasure of their company for several days now. What a treat!

If you'd like to follow their adventures, you can read about it here.

We love our life out here and visits from friends like these just make it all the better.

Life is Good!