WE RIDE FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T

We meet a lot of veterans on the road as we travel like this Air Force Veteran.  He and a Navy buddy ride together and are proud to have ridden all the way to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.  I visited the Memorial;  I don’t remember what year it was. We, like many others, traced the name of a friend.  It was an emotional experience. Especially the notes, and flowers, and meaningful (to them) trinkets that people lay next to the wall where their loved ones names are etched in stone  forever.

We’ve seen several of these Veteran Biker Groups on various missions.  Just seeing them reminds us of All Gave Some, Some Gave All.

Wherever I see a vet just minding his own business, I feel shy about walking up to him and thanking them, but we do smile in a friendly way and say hello. If they have cameras we  offer to take their pictures for them.  It is one thing I can do, as small as that may be.  This duo let me take their picture for my blog, and we took their pictures in front of the ruins we were all admiring, with their cameras.

Both of these guys made the trip All The Way in 2011 and in 2012.  The theme is We Ride For Those Who Can’t.  I didn’t ask their names,  but I’m going to make a point of doing so the next time we meet a veteran biker and post their pictures on the blog.

I fly to Vegas this afternoon for a visit with my son and daughter and their families for two days.  Then, home to Murphys for my family reunion. Besides everyday business to catch up on, each time I return home, I make it a point to finish one major  project  I started.  I’ll be in touch via this blog and give you a look into what goes on in my very active community.

We’re parked in the City of Farmington, in  a huge parking lot behind the shuttle service that will deliver me to Alburquerque Airport later this morning.   Then Jim will head for high ground, cooler temperatures, hopefully, and more rest for his injury which still plagues him.

 

TIME IS FLEETING

Closer to leaving Murphys and joining Jim gives me pause to realize how much and how little I got accomplished in my time at home. I didn’t catch up with everyone I wanted to see or everything I wanted to do. Yet, I finished some complicated projects. There is never enough time in our hurried lives. It makes sense to stop and smell the roses.

I took time out to have friends for dinner. We call Paul, The Famous Paul Moeller, because he is known by everyone in the county. He has videotaped every event to the tune of 3 shows a week since 1983. Unstoppable, at 84, we know he has to slow down, but doesn’t. And Pam Quyle, hard-working, involved with everything that is art. She has been in this county the longest, from childhood. She is owner of Quyle Kilns, and meets people from everywhere in the world on their way to Big Trees. She educates everyone who walks in her shop and has this unlimited memory of everyone in the county, especially connected to the old-time families. Always finding a home for someone who needs a place to stay because she has this big  heart and  fields  a steady stream of people  in need of help.

And Margo, the most popular and well-known woman in Murphys. You can’t walk down the street with her because she gets stopped too many times. Everybody knows Margo. She pours wine for Chatom Vineyards and has as many local friends as out-of-town friends, and many from other countries. She speaks German, French and English.  She doesn’t have to work and keeps planning a second retirement.  Chatom doesn’t want her to leave.

I promised cactus to anyone who wants a piece, so Pam took my picture hacking off a hunk for Margo who loves cactus. Still more than half of it to go. Any takers?

As I look at my pictures these past couple weeks from the new camera, they seem mushy and over bright. Slightly out of focus. I’ve got to test it and see if I can discover the problem before the  warranty is up.  And, I ordered plane  tickets for my return to New Mexico , and now the things undone loom larger.  Still, can’t forget the  roses.

WEEKENDS WITH KIDS

Traveling the way we do, we forget what it’s like raising kids. At my daughter’s, a couple of neighbor boys slept over in the living room.

We fed the boys breakfast on the patio and 13 year old Michael fell asleep at the table. It must have been a hard night.

Grandson, Austin spends at least one Saturday per month at the local Home Depot on a building project they sponsor for kids. He has a work apron, a pre-cut wood project ready to assemble. Glue and nail with decals. He paints his projects at home. This little tool box is for his father, for Father’s DaySmart marketing teaching kids to enjoy working with tools in an age where they press computer buttons on their video games and spend time glued to some type of screen or another. The kids are rewarded with a certificate of completion  and a button to pin on their apron. Austin has completed quite a few projects.

Part of that marketing strategy gets the parent in the store to do some shopping, which we did, looking for a clothes line. I spotted an employee wearing a very hardware store type of earring, a heavy nut. Rather fun, appropriate.

Then we spent the afternoon at Laurie and Ken’s playing Rumikub.

Son Ken fixed tacos for everyone.

Weekends with kids- family time, is pretty good stuff.

THE ANTS GO MARCHING ONE BY ONE…

Its the weather!  Its the rain!  Its the marching ants brigade! I opened a hall closet door and a stream of ants was congregated near the ceiling. I followed them over 30 feet away, marching along at ceiling level and then crossing down to my cupboard doors.

I don’t spray but I do dust my cupboards and baseboards with diatomaceous earth.

It works very well. They don’t dare come in my door, or up through the floor. It controls the small ants I’m used to seeing every once in awhile. But, these giant cousin found a way around my baseboards by coming from the outside, up the side walls, through the attic and ceiling and into my kitchen. I looked to see what they were after, but they didn’t seem to be interested in anything I had in my cupboards. I would have wiped them away, but past experience leads me to believe it never stops the endless stream. Besides, I was busy working on my heritage picture project with my brother and sister.

Bill scanned the photos.

Dawn sorted and read me inscriptions from the backs to type into the program.  We ate dinner late; She told me I should watch the movie ANTZ.  We ignored them.
This morning, before I could get the diatomaceous earth out to discourage this new entrance, they had all disappeared. Haven’t a clue? Glad to see them gone. Its still very wet outside, but the rain is gone. I’ll be watching for them. My youngest daughter, a biologist, claims you can’t do much about them anyway, unless you poison them. I choose not to poison anything anymore. It seems to be working. The ants go marching two by two harrah, harrah!