Go West: Day Eight

Friday, June 14, 2013

It never fails that when I have a long drive the next day, I don’t sleep well. Having a critter in our motel room didn’t help. It sounded as though a mouse had gotten into our trash. But Hubby climbed out of bed several times, turned on all the lights, and searched for the source of the rustling to no avail.
A mouse, I could live with. But the thought struck me that it could be a snake. So much for sleeping. When dawn finally graced the skylights in our room, I spotted the culprit. MOTHRA. The darned thing was the size of a hummingbird!
At least it wasn’t a snake.
We gathered our gear, leaving Mothra behind, and checked out. The gal at the front desk turned out to be a mystery lover, and I just happened to have a spare copy of Fish Tales with me, so I personalized it to her and made a new fan.
Pleased that we were actually ahead of schedule, we headed out to our vehicles only to discover that someone (not me!) had locked their keys in their truck. I won’t name names to protect the guilty…especially since I have been guilty of this particular offense on more than one occasion. It took some time, ingenuity, and several helpful passersby to assist Hubby in breaking in to the truck. Thankfully, no permanent damage was done. And we still headed out before our originally planned departure time of 8 AM.
The nine and a half hour drive from Navajo Dam to Silver City, New Mexico offered some spectacular vistas. Leta pulled over to let us take photos several times along the road.















Hubby even got to see dozens of elk! No photo evidence, but I can vouch for it. They are impressive creatures.

By dinnertime we made it to Leta’s house on the outskirts of Silver City. At home, I have a brown thumb and manage to kill any flowers I plant. But here in the desert, flowers bloom in spite of the lack of water!




Next up: One last day of the Wild West before heading back east. 

Comments

Liz Milliron said…
The pictures are just amazing. I have a sudden urge to go to the Southwest!
6/25/13, 9:11 AM
Annette said…
And there's no way the photos can do it justice. You can't capture the grandeur in a small frame. Even a panoramic view wouldn't quite get it. Every time I turned around, I was saying, "WOW!"
6/25/13, 9:14 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mom Update

Image
It’s been a while since I wrote anything about my mom. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve probably noticed a number of posts recently about long nights in the ER with her. I appreciate the kind concerns and prayers from friends and family. But while I know they’re well intended, the “hope she gets well soon” sentiments cut like a finely honed blade. Mom isn’t going to get well. She has good days and bad. More and more of the latter. Today’s “good days” are about the same as the bad ones a couple months ago. She has vascular dementia. In addition to her mental slippage, her legs have grown weak and uncooperative, adding to her pre-existing balance issues. We plead with her to call for assistance to get out of bed. Unfortunately, she can’t remember that she’s had numerable falls lately, so she continues to try to get up and around on her own, resulting in more falls. And in more trips to the ER. She has dislocated her right hip twice now. She’s hit her head more times ...
Read more

A New Face

Image
I've been hearing over and over lately that I need to get new headshots done. People who only know me from my online presence complain when they meet me that I don't look anything like my picture. Hmmm. Is that good or bad? I'm still not sure. However, the fact that I now wear my hair a lot longer than I used to is a fact I can't deny. The problem with new photos is...well, I'm older than I was when I had those last ones done. If I could get away with posting a picture of me when I was 25, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Seriously, inside my head, that's still what I look like. Outside? Not so much. But I caved in this weekend. After shooting over 60 frames, I came up with four that I like. So I'm posting them here and asking for a vote. Which ONE photo should be my new "face" for my online persona? Choice #1 Choice #2 Choice #3 Choice #4 Leave a comment with your favorite. Okay, I get to make the final decision, so this...
Read more

The 2010 Confluence Writers' Retreat and Flood

Image
For days, the weathermen had been forecasting “THE FLOOD.” With melting snow pack combined with heavy rains, they were suggesting everyone pack up the women and children and move to high ground. Of course, our writers’ retreat was scheduled to be held at Paddler’s Lane , on the scenic banks of the Youghiogheny River in Confluence. “Confluence.” As in the point where the Yough (pronounced “Yawk”) is joined by the Casselman River and the Laurel Hills Creek. As in the place I spend a large portion of my summer at our camp. I scoffed at the panic mongers. Flood? Heck, it floods every spring. I ain’t afraid of no stinking flood. So off I went. Loaded up the car Friday morning under sunny skies and headed east, with joy in my heart. A whole weekend with my Sisters in Crime in a gorgeous house with lots of food. And writing. Oh, yeah. Lots of writing and—better yet—workshops with Ramona Long . First stop: Panera Bread in Uniontown where I met Sandy Stephen, Susan “ West of Mars ” Gottfried, a...
Read more