Rain in the desert

You just don't appreciate the rain until you live in the desert and it rains. We got up this morning with a light rain falling and that has continued for most of the day. I immediately opened all the doors and windows to air out the house and to smell the rain - that fresh smell of rain on grass, etc. Everything looks so clean with the dust washed off. It is amazing how much dust accumulates on grass, rocks, plants, etc when you don't have any rain for several weeks or even months. It is very, very rare for rain to fall in Tucson during May and we are certainly enjoying it.

What a difference a year makes...

It was one year ago today when I donated my left kidney to Larry. It is hard to believe now that we actually did it! The difference in him is just amazing although it has been a rocky road at times. We were back at the transplant center earlier this week for our 12 month checkup and we both received a clean bill of health. For me, my only restriction is that I can't take ibuprophren (very hard on kidneys), I have some extra scars where they took the kidney out and my creatinine is 1.1 instead of .70 like it was before the donation. For him, he will be on immunsuppression drugs the rest of his life but he already was due to the liver transplant he got 15 years ago. His eneryg level is back to normal and his creatinine is also running in the 1.1 range. There were some problems getting all of his medicines worked out but the body seems to be dealing with them much better now that it did in the beginning. We are really blessed that we have an excellent medical team and a very good transplant center. We appreciate the new lease on life and definitely don't take life for granted. We are slowly working out way down the bucket list of things we want to do that we made while we were in the hospital. Photo is Larry and his little buddy....

Morris - Life is good again

You would think that a cat who has 1987 sq ft to himself with no one telling him to get off the table, has a king size bed all his own and has a staff that comes in every day to feed him would be content? But not Morris! He wanted Larry, his chief-of-staff and best buddy. Sometimes it would be nice to have a normal cat who was independent, did his own thing and once-in- awhile would tolerate people. Morris knew it was us when we drove into the garage when we got home since he knows the sound of the garage door opener. His back-up staff uses the front door when we are gone so he knew it was us. Anyway, we heard him "howling" as we got out of the car. We opened the door, he took one look at us and turned around and walked off. It was so funny.... After 5 minutes, he came over to Larry and wanted to be picked up. Then Larry couldn't get more than 2 feet from him for the rest of the day. They went to sleep sharing the same pillow and Morris even escorted Larry to the bathroom when he got up in the night. Morris and I had a rather one-sided talk the next day and I reminded him that he could (1) stay by himself when we go out-of-town overnight which is a lot better than living with 100 cats in a smaller house or (2) learn to wear a harness, sleep in a carrier and ride long distances in the car if he wants to go with us. He gave me a pathetic little "meow" that I'm still trying to interpret.

Day 8 NM Vac - Heading home

We had planned to come home on Wednesday. However, at breakfast on Saturday morning, I floated the idea of coming home on Monday by Larry and he jumped on it. It meant cutting out Albuquerque on this trip but figure we can do it later. Basically we were just wore out! So we started home early in the morning and got home about 7 1/2 hours later. Larry drove all the way and I quit looking at the speedometer early in the trip after reminding him that he got to pay for any speeding tickets he might get. The drive was long but went by really fast and we were to Willcox before we knew it.

Feeling the effects of elevation changes

We did not expect the physical effects of the elevation changes that we had while in New Mexico. It took a day or so for us to figure out why we were so tired and out of breath when doing things that we did at home with no problems. We discoved that Albuquerque is 5,312' elevation and Santa Fe is 7,000' elevation - quite a change from the 2389' we are used to in Tucson. I don't have a lot of lung capacity and get short winded easily so it was really hard on me when we were hiking and climbing up hills and stairs. With Larry, it was just fatigue. Thank goodness for lots of rest stops with benches or walls to set on.

Red or Green?

Before the trip, we had read and heard about "red or green" which is how the chili in Mexican restaurants is referred to. We heard that the flavors of mexican food in New Mexico is different. We have eaten in mexican restaurants all over the country and the food in the New Mexico restaurants is different! If the food has sauce on it then the server will ask if you want "red or green" which I though was kinda silly at times. Who would have green chili on a beef enchalada... The peppers are hotter - honestly... I had a Green Chili Stew at a mexican restaurant on the Plaza in Santa Fe. It was green peppers, pork and potatoes in a broth with some cheese on top. The first bite was wonderful with the flavors and then the effect of the peppers hit. Larry scoffed at my reaction until he tried it and the peppers hit him about 5 seconds after he swallowed. Very few of the restaurants automatically serve chips and salsa with meals - you purchase them seperately. The red enchilada sauce was stronger and more like a mole sauce. We will be happy to get back to Guadalajaras in Tucson!

Day 7 of NM Vacation - Bandelier Natl Monument

We were up and out early this morning to visit some more Indian ruins. About 50 miles NW of Santa Fe is the Bandelier Natl Monument are the remnants of an Ancestral Puebloan community established 7-8 centuries ago and incudes pueblo and cliff dwellings. About all that is left of the village of tyuonyi (chew-OHN-yee) are foundations of the original buildings (see photo). The buildings were originally 1-2 stories high and contained about four hundred rooms (very small rooms) and housed approximately 100 people. Access to the village was through a single ground-level opening. In the cliffs to the east lived the cave dwellers in the cave rooms.

The hike through the park was about 2.5 miles on a good trail. The Alcove House is a 3-story house up in caves that is accessed by a 140 foot climb on 4 ladders. We chickened out on doing the ladders - me because the ladders were not build for 64 year old women with short legs and Larry wanted to keep me company... 8-) He did climb into one of the other cave houses that only had one ladder.

The rocks were formed by the Jemez (HAY-mess) volcano that erupted over one million years ago and that left up to 1000 feet of ash in the valley floor. The eruption was six times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The rock looks like sandstone but is actually compacted volcanic ash and is a soft, crumbly rock called tuff. Erosion has caused it to have a swiss cheese effect. We agree that we have seen enough indian ruins to last us awhile....

On the way back we drove through Los Alamos which is home to the Los Alamos National Labratory which was established during WWII to develop the first nuclear weapons. We were suprised that it remains active today while working on projects such as developing a cure for AIDS, developing technologies that remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere and designing a stealth aircraft that can detect chemicals and radiation danger. It was kinda wierd to drive through the labratory grounds and think about what it must have been like 60+ years ago when the bomb was being developed. We didn't get to go through the museums since we were there on a Sunday morning and they don't open until in the afternoon.

Day 6 of NM Vac - Santa Fe

We have been on the go so much this week that we decided to stay in Santa Fe today and not do as much driving. Slept in, late breakfast and then went to the Plaza area where we walked for blocks, blocks and more blocks. Besides touring 3 missions/churchs and doing some serious shopping, we walked up streets and down numerous alleys looking at the old Spanish-Pueblo architure. My feet are never going to be the same after this trip! I have seen a lot of "Indian Jewelry" since we have been in the Southwest but have never seen the quality products that we have seen here in various gallerys. The pieces are absolutely beautiful and the detail is unbelieveable.

San Miguel Mission Church (see picture) is one of the country's oldest churches in continuous use. It was constructed in 1610 and was burned during the Pueblo Indian rebellion of 1680 although the sturdy, thick adobe walls remained unharmed. A bell cast in Spain in 1356 is displayed in the church entry. The bell was used in churches in Spain and Mexico before being brought to Santa Fe by oxcart in the early 19th century from Mexico.

Unlike Taos, Santa Fe seems to have embraced their heritage and it plays a very important place in the city's life. You don't feel like it was all done just to get your tourist dollars. The old houses have been maintained with pride and it really shows. You see new building in the area but they are still built in the Spanish-Pueblo style and painted the earth brown colors. Instead of fences around places there are adobe walls. Even fast-food places and shopping centers are in the Spanish-Pueblo building style. The people who live here seem to respect the tourist and what they bring to the economy - not just as someone to get as much money from in any way possible.

The Santa Fe Indian School is located here and was established in the mid-1800's. It is a boarding school for middle and high school students from the 18 pueblos (villages) that built and support it. It is huge with dorms for the students.

We really enjoyed Santa Fe and would love to return again.

Day 5 NM Vac - Taos

After the usual breakfast at McDonalds, we headed up to Taos. There are two ways to get to Taos – the usual road and the “High Road”. On the way up, we took the usual route which is the most direct and faster. The road is about 75 miles and it was an easy drive. Yes, Taos is a very old town and they have preserved a lot of the old buildings. However, the traffic is absolutely, totally horrendous. All the tourist have come to the town as they wanted them to but they still have the narrow, 2-lane roads with stop lights. There was total gridlock more than once. It took forever to get through town to the Plaza and then onto the other places. Coming back wasn’t any better even though we tried another route. Oh well…. We were not impressed with Taos!

Taos Pueblo: The pueblo (village) appears much as it did over 500 years ago when Spanish Explorers first reached the Taos region. The main part of the present buildings were most likely constructed between 1000 and 1450 AD. The village is not a re-enactment but is a living community of about 150 descendents dedicated to preserving the pueblo. It is one of the oldest, continuously inhabited communities in North America. Electricity and running water does not exist in the pueblo although there are some propane stoves for heating. Most baking is done in adobe outdoor ovens. Some of the original buildings contain gift shops selling jewelry, bread, etc that is made by the residents. Taos Pueblo was declared a National Historic landmark in 1965. In 1992, it was admitted to the World Heritage Society as one of the most significant historical cultural landmarks in the world (other sites include the Taj Mahal, Great Pyramids and the Grand Canyon). San Geronimo, the current church at Taos Pueblo, was built in 1850 to replace the original church built in 1619 and then destroyed in the war with Mexico in 1847. Ruins of the original church are still visible along with the cemetary. The fee to vist the Pueblo is $10.oo for each vistor and $5.00 for each camera brought into the pueblo which is the first time in my life that I have seen a camera charge at a tourist location.

San Francisco De Asis Church: The church was completed in 1816 and is still a functioning church today with regular mass, etc. It is considered one of the most photographed adobe churches made famous by the artwork of Ansel Adams and Georga O’Keeffe.

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge: West of Taos flows the Rio Grande River on it’s way from Colorado to Mexico. Hwy 64 crosses the river via a three span, continuous-truss bridge that is 650 feet above the river. Sidewalks and observations platforms are on the bridge and worth the short walk across the bridge. I knew about the Rio Grande river in El Paso but never heard anything about it’s journey to get there.

High Road back to Santa Fe: We saw some really beautiful scenery along the winding, hilly, 2-lay road. Actually, there were places when there was no center lane – just a narrow road out in the middle of nowhere. You would come around a hill top and spread out below is a valley, farms and a little town. Then through the valley, up another winding hill and down into another valley with another very small town.

Long day!

Day 4 - Santa Fe

Today was a rather slow day compared to the last few. We had planned on taking a “non-freeway” drive from Socorro to Santa Fe. However, after all the slow, stop and smell the roses roads we have been on this week we decided to just take the freeway and cut 100 miles off the drive. We got here around noon, checked into the hotel, unpacked and then headed out to see the sights. We went down to the Plaza for the afternoon. It is definitely an interesting place and the architecture is just wonderful. The Plaza has been active for over 4 centuries and is filled with shops, restaurants and native Indians selling their wares in the shade of the buildings as they have for hundred's of years.

We were looking specifically for rings for us. Rather than traditional rings, we wanted something that represented the Southwest since it has been so instrumental in our lives the last few years. After looking at numerous rings in several shops we found one for me and it is beautiful! We pick it up on Saturday after it is resized. We ordered one to be made for Larry from the same jewler since we couldn't find exactly what he wanted. His will be very similar to mine except with different stones.

Day 3 of NM vacation - Catwalk and VLR Antennas

Today we drove up to Glenwood, NM and then went for a hike on the Catwalk National Trail which is in the Whitewater Canyon. Back in 1893, minors build a pipeline to get water from the canyon to the mill downstream. The maintenance workers named it the “Catwalk” because of it’s need for constant maintenance. The mill eventually closed and the pipeline was dismantled in 1908. In the mid-30’s, the Civilian Conservation Corp rebuilt the Catwalk as a recreation area. It has been rebuilt several times since then due to severe flooding. The trail climbs 300 feet in elevation during the 1 mile trail. The first ½ mile is fairly easy and criss-crosses the stream several times. In places, the catwalk is right above the water flowing in the canyon below it. The last ½ mile is considered “difficult” and that it is. At the 3/4 mile marker is what is called the "helicopter bridge". It is an iron bridge that crosses the canyon and river. The bridge was brought in in 2 pieces by helicopter which was the only way to get it in place. The pilot had to have been very skilled since the canyon is not very wide. Definitely the hardest trail we have ever been on but we made it. For us desert rats, the constant sound of flowing water and water falls was very refreshing.

It seemed like we drove forever through the Gila Wilderness and over passes. The road was a good 2-lane road but couldn’t get a lot of speed and we drove for miles and miles without seeing another vehicle. There wasn’t even anyplace to stop and eat. About 60 miles west of Socorro, NM we finally got to the Very Large Array (VLA) of radio astronomy telescopes. I had never even heard of this before running across it in a AAA tour book. There are 27 antennas in the array. Each one is 82 ft in diameter and weighs 230 tons. The antennas are arranged in a Y pattern and are set on rails so they can be moved. Each arm of the Y is 13 miles long. Regular optical telescopes record a photographic image of an object in outer space. VLA’s make an image using the radio waves that are emitted by that object. There was numerous antelope roaming on the grounds where the antennas are which has an elevation of 7000 feet out in the middle of nowhere.

We were so glad to see hour hotel when we finally got here. Tomorrow we head on up to Santa Fe.

VLA Antennas

Gila Cliff Dwelling

Day 2 of NM Vacation - Silver City, NM

Today was the 2nd day of our New Mexico vacation and my feet are already tired… We got to Silver City yesterday afternoon and wandered around town. It is a hard town to see because it is miles from one end to the other and yet the population is only around 10,000. Very old, run down but they do have a huge, new Walmart Super Center! The Western New Mexico University is here but I don’t know what the student population is. We had a wonderful dinner last night at a Mexican restaurant.
Silver City hosts the Tour of the Gila bicycle race each year that is patterned after the Tour de France race. The race consisted of 5 stages and ended on Sunday. Lance Armstrong came in second. We drove one of the stages today and I absolutely cannot imagine anyone riding a bicycle up those mountains!
We are staying at a Holiday Inn Express. We wandered down to breakfast around 8 o’clock this morning. I remember when I was staying in such hotels while traveling for work. The “business” people were usually there at 6-6:30 for breakfast and then the retired, “more mature” people would wander in and not in a hurry. I realized this morning that now I am one of the people I used to envy..
Today’s trip was up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. It is only 44 miles north of town but it takes about 2 hours to get there since the road is narrow, very curvy and hilly. If something got our attention then we stopped and checked it out. A heard of deer got our attention so we stopped and watched them for a long while and took pictures. Most of the drive was through the Gila Wilderness Area so it was tall trees which we haven’t seen in awhile.
The Gila Cliff Dwellings are amazing. They are rock and adobe houses built in caves about 700 years ago by the Mogollon Indians. It was about a mile hike up to the ruins and very steep and rocky in places but we made it. Admittedly, I have to take advantage of the rest areas several times. I was really surprised that we were allowed to walk through caves 3, 4 & 5 which were all connected. Cave 1 was the “kitchen”. There were 6 caves/houses in all and 40 rooms have been identified – some are vary small. There is a little stream that runs along the canyon floor but it was hard to imagine them carrying the water up to the caves to make the adobe. I bet they were sure physically fit!
On the way back, we stopped at a little restaurant out in the middle of nowhere and the only one within many, many miles. The server was also the cook and we had absolutely wonderful Reuben sandwiches with homemade potato salad that is made fresh every day. It was incredible! The only other diners were 3 people at the next table which we chatted with. It was 2 men and a woman, all from the New York City area and at least 65 years old. They are hiking the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada. Can you imagine? It was fun to talk to them and learn about their adventure and how you do something like that. There were also a lot of birds in the area including hummingbirds. I have never seen so many in my life and at times there was 5-6 on one feeder. Totally unexpected experience..

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I never realized how much my life was dictated by work. I guess I knew but just didn’t really take the time to think about it – I just kept going the way I had for so many years.

The alarm clock now goes off at 6:30 a.m. instead of 5 o’clock. Why even set an alarm you ask? Well it because Larry has to take his meds at 6:30 and we have already been known to oversleep past 6:30 a.m.. I was shocked the first time it happened!

Then it was a matter of establishing a new routine for the day. When we wake up, do we get right up as in the past or turn the radio on, turn over and listen to “The Wall Street Journal This Morning” radio program or get up? Getting up, showering and getting dressed has remained the same. But, then come the decisions about a new routine. Do I eat breakfast right away? Diet coke first? Check email before breakfast? Eat breakfast at the kitchen table or at my desk like I have done for so many years? Once the kitchen table was decided to be the appropriate place for breakfast we had to then make the decision of which morning news network to watch on TV. We gave them all a one day trial and picked NBC. One network was too “fluffy” on the news’ one was to hard-core; one was bland….. And the morning newspaper – read it with breakfast or later? And email – what if I had an important email and wouldn’t know it for another hour if I didn’t check email as soon as I got up? There must be something I should be doing instead of setting down at 2 p.m. and reading a book. Oh, I forgot, doesn’t the world end if we don’t eat lunch between 12 and 1 p.m.?

Retirement - Life's Chapter 3

Mr. Webster says that retire means to withdraw or retreat. He also defines freedom as independence or liberty.

We were on a hike today out in the Saguaro National Park and it finally dawned on me what retirement is really about. It is about freedom! Freedom from early alarm clocks; rushing through breakfast to get to work; dragging the briefcase back and forth to work and always having work in the back of your mind. It is also about doing things when you feel like it; reading a magazine the day you get it in the mail; forgetting to take a lunch break; being able to go for a hike in the middle of the day in the middle of the week and having a calendar that isn’t booked full. I’m starting my second week of not being employed for the first time in 27 years.

The feeling is new and I’m slowly feeling it out and adjusting to it.