Branson Day 2: I'm caught in a trap - I can't walk out

Slept great. The place is very quiet and the bed is fine. The condo is just off a round-about and right across from a hospital but I haven't heard any sirens or any traffic noise. The loudest thing so far has been the ice maker.  As you can see from the picture there is a bit of absurdity and whimsy associated with the place.  Absurdity sort of defined my day.

I started the day with the "Owner's Continental Breakfast". This is a free coffee and donut session where they tell you what is going on and what activities they have planned...like bingo, for example. The "owners" are timeshare folks that either own a week or traded in to the resort...like I did. They are an aging group and some came in wheelchairs or on walkers or even in a leg cast.  This session was fairly un-noteworthy except we had a visit by the "developer" who owns the resort and also a bunch of other stuff including the Shepherd of the Hills attractions on the outskirts of Branson. This guy was actually quite impressive. For a multi-millionaire he seemed very humble and authentic and it was interesting listening to him considering all the stuff that he has done. This resort (Roark's) is the oldest timeshare condo in Branson and it is still going strong. Shepherd of the Hills has been going strong for about 60 years. He now has a new zipline attraction where you pay about $25 to ride on a zipline at 50 mph for about a half mile...your second ride is cheaper. Twenty-five bucks for thirty-five seconds is pretty good revenue coming in.  Harold Bell Wright must be twirling in his grave.

After the developer we had some entertainment. Three guys playing fiddles and guitars. They are part of a performing family that has a show in town. The high point was when they all sang, danced and played the instruments behind their heads. I have to admit that you don't see that every day.

One of the more delightful parts of going to a timeshare condo is the "hard sell" session that you get as they desperately try to separate you from your savings and have you invest in yet another time share week. About 60% of timeshare units are unsold. I'm used to it and I usually pass because the beads and trinkets that they offer as an incentive to attend the "seminar" don't interest me. These are voluntary...nobody forces you to go.

This time they were going to give me three free tickets to some shows so I decided to see what they were selling. Well, it was quite different. This is a new thing to "cut out the middleman" and "remove the mark-up" on vacations. They are not trying to sell weeks -- instead it is a membership into a consolidator's wholesale vacation deal...sort of a club. Instead of paying $6,000 for your next trip to Maui you could get there for much less...like $3,500 ...because they sell direct to you and not through a travel agent.  The only hitch is that it costs $15,000 to join the club... but if you buy today it will only cost you $8,500. And -- What?? You already have a time share???  Well...they can work a deal to "liquidate" the timeshare and further reduce the cost to join to $3,500...payable in easy installments. BUT - if you want to pay cash today...like on your credit card...you, and only you, can get it for $2,350.   Right. There are annual subscription fees of $99 (reduced because of my advanced age) and I still get to pay the $3,500 for the trip to Maui.  They have a bazillion destinations and some sound pretty good. A week long trip to Ireland for under $700. They have cruises and other exotic locations. They asked where I wanted to go --- I said "India, Ethiopia and Belize..." They didn't even blink. They thought they could work a deal for Belize now and maybe, given some time, India and Ethiopia...but I could go to some other fabulous places in the meantime.  Anyway, I passed on the membership deal. I actually sort of like my little timeshare even though it is hard to take advantage of it these days.

The funny thing was the way that they did the presentation...they even knew it was absurd but it must be some kind of pyramid scheme if you work in this kind of job. Carl, my personal persuader, was hopeless but seemed frightened that I wouldn't act like I was really interested in the offer. There were several of us 'clients' in the room and we were all supposed to stand up to greet the head honcho presenter when he made his entry and Carl was afraid I wouldn't stand and he would get in trouble. He actually said that. I figured Santa Claus or Moses or somebody special was going to show up. When the actual guy showed up it was the same dilbert that was hovering around in the downstairs office. He was a middle-aged Redneck from the Georgia/Florida woods and barely articulate in English.  I finally got handed off to a third guy who, by now, knew that I was just along for the ride so we passed the time with him half-heartedly trying to stay on topic. I got out a half-hour early with my free tickets.

I spent the afternoon at Branson Landing - an upscale shopping mall built along the lake shore. It is big and very nice. I stopped off at a New Balance shoe store to look at walking shoes (might go back) and then went to Bass Pro Shop. Later I went in a place called Devo

After that I needed a beer or two so I spent some time at the bar at an 'Old Chicago' that looks out over the lake. It was not busy and the bartender was a home brewer so we had something to talk about.

The Elvis show started at 8 PM so I had to pull myself away from the bar and get back to the condo to get presentable. Since this was supposed to be a fishing trip I didn't bring my elaborate wardrobe. As it worked out most of the people in town are hot and look like they just came out of Walmart.

I found the 'thee-a-ter' where the show was going to be but I was early and needed to get something to eat...so I got a bratwurst from the lady at the snack bar. It was actually pretty good...especially on top of the beers and the oil and vinegar and the morning's donuts.

Elvis is actually Joseph Hall, a recent (maybe a couple years?) contestant from the America's Got Talent TV show who might be 26 years old. I think there were 6 men in the audience and the rest were enthusiastic women of various ages and sizes. I had a middle seat in the fourth row...a prime seat close to the runway where Elvis was going to perform some of his songs...and I was surrounded by eager ladies. There was one seat between me and the runway and a youngish women in cleavage-revealing cut-off denim shorts occupied that seat. We made polite chit-chat...she was from San Antonio and this was her first trip to Branson. I don't remember what I said...something very charming and clever. The ladies on the other side said they would warn me if they felt a need to lunge at Elvis. I thought that was a good thing.

Then the show started and Elvis/Joseph came out. Unlike most Elvis impersonators, this guy portrayed a young and agile Elvis...before he gained weight and became more...mature. Anyway, the show was actually pretty good. The guy didn't sound exactly like Elvis but he was close enough and he had the movements and showmanship down. Everyone around me behaved until he started throwing teddy bears into the audience and I almost got an elbow in the eye. (I didn't get a bear but an older lady on my right got one). Elvis came out on the runway and sang 'Love Me Tender' right next to the lady from Texas and I was proud of her that she didn't swoon or faint. Then a few minutes later he sat on the edge of the stage to sing a song and the Texas lady got up out of her seat and stormed the stage and tackled Elvis halfway through the song. She bowled him over and had him on his back before he managed to get free and she staggered back to her seat. She finally got one of his sweaty scarfs and a picture with him so she was happy. The lady with the teddy bear was OK, too, but wanted a scarf.

The show went on like this for ninety minutes. All in all it was better than Antiques Roadshow but I don't think I'll make a habit of going to Elvis shows after this.

Holiday in Branson, Missouri - 1

It's going to be 100 degrees all week and I'm in Branson, Missouri. My plan was to use my timeshare and spend some quiet time and do some trout fishing. Now, with the temperature soaring to 100 I'm thinking that the fishing will have to wait for a few hours in the mornings or evenings. The rest of the time...the hottest part of the day, I can "experience" Branson. And you, dear reader, get the benefit by not having to leave the comfort of your home while still experiencing Branson...how I sacrifice for you!

I left home late in the afternoon because I wanted to see the USA women's soccer team win the World Cup final and the game didn't get started until almost 2 PM. They played Japan and it went for the full 90 minutes and into 30 minute overtime and finally to a penalty kick shoot-out...which we lost. Sad outcome but it was a good game. Anyway...it was close to 5 PM before I got on the road.

Traffic was pretty light and the bypass around Lake Ozark is nice. I go through Buffalo and that is always a nice drive -- two-lane blacktop and pretty. Highway 65 is also a good road. I was a little bit surprised that it didn't take very long to get here. I was already in my condo by 8 PM.

It has been a long time since I've spent any time in Branson and it looks to be a madhouse. I had to go out and pick up a few groceries and it took 45 minutes to finally find a grocery store and get my stuff. I was almost run over by a church bus.

The condo office gave me three free tickets to some shows if I endure a "brief" presentation about vacations. I've been through that before but I figured "what the hell...maybe it will be a diversion" and I got to pick the shows. Since I'm not too thrilled with the shows anyway I didn't want to have to pay a bunch to get in and it should be cooler than 100 degrees. I selected an Elvis impersonator, Sons of the Pioneers, and a musical revue of a bunch of guys playing oldies. They do have two different Patsy Cline shows here that I might actually like to see...she's dead but so is Elvis. I guess it's dueling Patsy Clines. 

Apparently the Titanic is here too. I must have missed that somehow.   I might do the IMAX movie thing but sometimes I get sick and throw up in those.    Stay tuned.

The condo is OK for one person. It is a converted motel...which is what I expected...and is walking distance to some shops on the 'downtown' part of Branson and the big mall (Bass Pro Shop). I wanted to be close to the "old" Branson because I had never spent much time there and I liked the idea of walking around. I still hope to get some fishing in but I'll know more on that later.

Spring trip to St. Elizabeth and Tuscumbia - Learning in Retirement

April 13th was the Learning in Retirement trip to visit a few small local towns.  Our original plan was to visit Meta Missouri and visit the Diamond Dog Food factory to see how dog food was made. Unfortunately, I guess, the Federal government changed their regulations and now prohibits tours at pet food factories....supposedly as a guard against e-coli and salmonella infection. (But I'm not sure who was at risk - us or the dog food.) This type of restriction supposedly already exists for human food.

We drove through Meta and looked at the outside of the factory. Diamond Dog Food seems to be devouring Meta and is the largest thing in the town. Meta was once a railroad town and there are many very old Victorian homes that are slowly crumbling away through neglect. The Rock Island RR went through Meta but the line has been shut down for maybe 20 years.

The weather was beautiful and the Redbud and Dogwood trees were in full bloom. We had around 50 people on the bus and a few were familiar but most of them I didn't know. The bus driver had a few jokes and some snappy stories and the group was in good spirits and seemed agreeable. I'm not a good bus rider and with this age group (I was one of the youngest) I expected others to be a little grumpy but everyone was fine. We had local tour guides for both St. Elizabeth and in Tuscumbia

Our first stop was the town of St. Elizabeth and we had an appointment with a bunch of school kids at St. Elizabeth R-IV school. This is a K-12 school with a total of 253 students. There are 14 seniors. They have had only one student drop out in about 20 years and I'm sure everyone knows who that was. We parked the bus and were met by a giant Hornet - their mascot - who welcomed us to the school and we were ushered into the gym and given juice and cookies. We were sung to by about 100 kids from grades K-3 who have already memorized the school's Alma Mater. The school band is all junior high kids because the senior high kids don't have time for band. We were hosted by the FBLA chapter - Future Business Leaders of America - which is about half of the senior high kids. There are a few competitions that they participate in on the district, state and national level. Some of the winners showed off what they had done and it was impressive.

We toured the community center that was built by WW-II veterans when they came home from the war. This was a pretty impressive accomplishment that relied on mostly volunteer workers or contributed materials. The place includes a small bowling alley and a little bar, a large kitchen and a large group or meeting room. The community quilting bee was going on and the ladies were working on two large quilts. These are auctioned off or sold as raffle prizes at the annual town picnic.

Across the street is the Saint Lawrence Catholic Church...the main church in town. This is a very Catholic community and you would think it would be called St. Lawrence but no one is sure why it became St. Elizabeth except that there was a town of St. Elizabeth on the Osage River that was abandoned and they moved the post office to the newer town that was then called Charlestown...but now is St. Elizabeth.  The brick church dates to around 1907 and replaced an older frame building.  Our tour guide gave us a great deal of history of the church. It went through a modernization process in the 1970s when the Bishop decided that all of the ornate decorations and statues needed to be removed and the interior had to be painted a plain olive-green color. Surprisingly the people went along with the plan and the modernization took place but the alters and statues were just placed in storage...for a while. Eventually a new Monsignor arrived and the church was restored pretty much without getting the Bishop's approval and with no significant cost. The church does have an abundance of statues...I think I counted fourteen not including the stations of the cross. The damage done by the Bishop's modernization effort was pretty much overcome but there are still hard feelings and a few places where the restoration couldn't repair the damage. Only local people would know that because the place looks very nice.   

St. Lawrence (San Lorenzo) is the patron saint of Bernalillo in NM where I went to watch them do the Matachines dances last August during the local fiesta. I don't think they do that in St. Elizabeth. But -- they do tell the same story of his martyrdom. He was roasted on an iron grill and before he died he told the Roman Emperor to  "...flip me over, I'm done on this side".

After the church we went to Schell's antique store. I saw nothing that I wanted and I think I have most of that stuff in my garage and want to get rid of it.

Yes. That's our bus parked in front of the store....we took that bus places where a bus has never been before and got some very odd looks.

We had lunch at Kitty's Place....the local cafe presided over by a boisterous Miss Kitty who seemed overjoyed to have a restaurant full of hungry people. I had to order my food several weeks ago as part of the advance planning. I had fried chicken, fresh green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, a roll and a piece of coconut cream pie with lemonade. I ordered chicken and green beans but the other stuff came with it. It was very good but I was stuffed. The best fried chicken I've had for a while. Since this was sort of the standard lunch, everyone was stuffed and we still had to go to Tuscumbia.

We waddled back to the bus with our local guide running along side telling us all the stuff she forgot to tell us -- mostly about the veteran's memorial they have in town listing every local soldier who ever served in any war.

It is a ten mile drive to Tuscumbia but several people were starting to nod off. The road is very twisty and hilly so most of us were awake hoping the bus would make it OK. We crossed the "Bridge to Nowhere" across the Osage...the very first stimulus package project in Missouri that got people in St. Louis upset. It's a good bridge and traffic can now safely cross the river.

We picked up our local guide and he proceeded to take us  and our huge buss on a driving tour of Tuscumbia, the county seat of Miller County. I have never actually been in Tuscumbia but  have been by the town but always turn off to cross the bridge. This is a river town close by the Osage River and the town and does not have a huge and dominating Catholic church, which makes it unusual in this area. Our bus tour was a start and stop sort of thing...he would have the driver move the bus 100 feet and then stop while he told a story....then we would move another 100 feet. Tuscumbia was a thriving place up until the mid 1940s but a flood in 1943 washed away much of the lower town. It was also a steamboat landing and they could send stuff up the Osage or down to St. Louis. The Anchor Milling Company was the major business. After the flood and the demise of steamboating and the construction of Bagnall Dam Tuscumbia lost most of it's focus until they started making cedar hillbilly novelties....mostly little hand made cedar outhouses that were popular at tourist traps in the Ozarks. That industry employed 80 people at one time.

 After making a thorough trip through the streets of Tuscumbia we made it too the Miller County museum located in the last remaining Anchor Milling building. This is a pretty impressive museum for a small town and they seem to be the repository for everybody's stuff. They have it categorized and grouped in exhibits that cover early pioneers and the Civil War and local medical history. Lee Mace of Ozark Opry fame was from here so they have some of his stuff. They have an emphasis on steamboating which is a little surprising for people because they don't think the Osage River had steamboats. The boats weren't huge but they seemed to be pretty busy. There was a season each year when they could make runs way up the river toward Warsaw and Clinton.

The museum has the very barber chair that our tour guide sat in when he got his first haircut -- probably 70 years ago. They have a busy genealogy library and a genealogist on duty once a week.

Outside they have two log cabins that were relocated to the museum. One was built around 1863 and was 1 1/2 stories with a sturdy stone fireplace. The other log cabin is a small slave cabin that was home to a woman who apparently had several kids and is included in some family trees.

It was almost 4 PM so we climbed back on the bus and headed for home. It was maybe a 30 minute ride but about a third of the passengers were asleep by the time we got home.

On the Road - Day 9 -- That's All Folks

I'm a little grumpy because the last day of my trip was sort of a downer after such a good trip.

I left Wichita about 9:30 AM. Can't say much about Wichita because I didn't see much. What I did see wasn't very impressive or interesting. They have that same dumb highway design as they do in Texas with one-way access roads on either side of the highway so that you can see where you want to be but can't get there. Albuquerque has the same thing but it seems to be easier to negotiate. At least the highway entrance ramps are better than in Texas.  I headed north on I-35 which is a toll road ($4.00) all the way to Emporia. I actually like toll roads and I'd be willing to pay a toll on I-70 going to St. Louis if the road was well maintained and trucks were limited. I-35 heading north out of Wichita crosses part of the Flint Hills which is probably the prettiest part of Kansas. From Emporia to Kansas City there isn't much to see.

Kansas City is always a pain to get through. If the KC drivers would pick a lane and stay in it or use a signal when they change lanes it would be a better experience for everyone. There is always someone who is in such a hurry that they come on the highway already stressed out and then race across four lanes of traffic, cutting people off as they go, only to run up behind someone not trying to set the land speed record so they then have to weave back and forth through all four lanes. Usually they are not in the correct lane when they approach their exit so they again have to cut people off to get in the exit lane.

It started raining off and on....light drizzle...around Sedalia. As I arrived in Jefferson City it had sort of a neglected and diminished look about it.  As I said...I was a little grumpy.  I got home around 2:30 in the afternoon.

On the Road - Day 8 -- Panhandles and Tornado Alley

I'm still on Albuquerque time and I almost missed breakfast and, gee whiz, these Texans mean to stick to their schedule. Yessir, 9 AM is 9 AM.  I whined a little and she let me get some coffee and a couple danishes to take back to my room.

I was thinking about going to see the Alibates Flint Quarry National Monument about 30 miles north but they have a schedule too. You are not allowed to walk around on the trails unless you are escorted by a Ranger and they only go at 10 AM and at 2 PM and you have to make reservations. What's with that???  We are talking about rocks not WMDs. I wasn't going to make the 10 AM walk so I gave it up for this trip.

I decided to stop off at Lake Meredith National Recreational Area which is next to the Alibates monumednt. The drive north out of Amarillo is not a pretty one this time of year and much of the land had recently burned. This is wildfire season and there were a lot of warnings on the radio and weather reports. I drove up to Fritch Texas and then stopped off at a picnic area overlooking the lake. Fritch has seen better days...I hope. It looks pretty bad and I was surprised at how many buildings looked like they were falling down or had been bombed or hit by a tornado and never demolished or fixed up. There are a lot of mobile homes but most don't look liveable and many have gaping holes in the walls. While most of the panhandle is pretty flat this is a pretty rugged and rocky gorge carved by my old friend, the Canadian River. The overlook is about 100 feet above the lake and there really wasn't much going on.

Today's drive was going to be off the interstate on back roads and eventually getting to Kansas and US Highway 54 but I had to go through the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles first. I decided to use my trusty GPS and it showed me how to go from the picnic area, past the Sanford Dam that backs up Lake Meredith and on through a bunch of tiny towns. This must be cotton country because there were a few fields that had scraps of raw cotton hanging on the dried weeds. Every town had a huge grain elevator but I didn't see a cotton gin.

Once again, crossing the Texas line doesn't need a sign....it is obvious based on  the patterns of agriculture and land use that something fundamental has changed. Going into the Oklahoma panhandle was prettier and less trashy than Texas. Maybe prettier isn't the best word....it is all flat plains...but there was less stuff and what there was seemed to be better cared for and not falling down.

Generally the roads were about the same in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas...not much traffic and you could make good time.

I went through Beaver Oklahoma and discovered Beaver Dunes State Park. If I had an Off Road Vehicle I could have spent the day driving around on  the sand dunes but the Subaru wasn't up to it and I had to rely on it to get home. The park was pretty much empty except for one group of campers. The dune area is partly stabilized with vines and undergrowth with small pockets that are sheltered from the wind. About 300 acres are open for ORV use

Crossing into Kansas was not as noticeable as leaving Texas. The terrain is pretty much the same and the winds were very strong. Fire warnings were out because if a fire started it would probably be up to Canada in a short time with the wind and humidity as low as it is.  I hit US 54 at Meade KS, apparently the site of the Dalton Gang hideout. I followed the signs and found it located in a residential neighborhood looking like a fake western movie set. I decided not to stop and didn't bother to record it with my camera. The James Gang would never have stooped to stay in such a place.



Greensburg KS

 I went on to the town of Greensburg, which, if you recall, was almost entirely destroyed by an EF5 tornado in May of 2007, killing 12 people. Greensburg's population tumbled from over 1,500 to 777 after the tornado. They are intent on rebuilding and the motto seems to be "Stronger, Better, Greener". They are trying to make it a "green" city by conforming to LEED standards as much as possible. I stopped for lunch at a little coffee shop/deli in one of the few new buildings. The main street shows signs of rebuilding but the entire place seems pretty sparse.  I think the jury is still out on the recovery. Part of the problem is they have to compete with the bigger town of Pratt, a few miles up the road, that has a Walmart and several motels.  Greensburg is also famous for the world's largest hand dug water well (that I did not see) and it is the home of a 1000-pound meteorite on display in a museum (which I also did not see).

I drove on to Wichita and found my motel. I ate at a Denny's and found some gas. Watched a little TV...that was my day.   Should make it home fairly early tomorrow.

On the Road - Day 7 -- Heading Home: Duke City to Amarillo

Sunday --- time to go home. I got myself packed up and did a little housekeeping so I was ready to leave by 9:30 -- after eating my last apple and granola bar for breakfast. I was going to make my own meals but I still have a bunch of food left.    I checked out and made a last stop at the local coffee shop and then hit the road. The coffee of the day was called Arco Etrusco...Etruscan Arch....of course I had to inquire about the name and of course they had no idea. 

The traffic was light and the weather was crisp and clear. You have to climb a couple thousand feet when you head east out of Albuquerque so it sometimes seems like a struggle with trucks and cars trying to gain some speed on the hill. At least today there was no road construction. The speed limit is 75 mph so everyone is going a little over 80 by the time they reach the flatter sections east of the mountains. I was past Cline's Corners and the Flying C almost before I realized it.

At Newkirk I decided to get off the highway for a while. I took a side trip to go see Conchas  Dam and lake about 25 miles north of the highway but on a road that connects to Tucumcari. This was a pretty drive through red rock hills and dry farmland -- almost desert. This apparently was part of old Route 66 and I had the road to myself. I'm beginning to wonder what road was not part of old Route 66.  The countryside reminded me of some of the scenes from the movie Cars and I expected Mater to show up from behind a rock.  Eventually I was passed by a couple cars going in the opposite direction...we all waved as we passed.

Conchas Dam is on the Canadian River but it is a Corps of Engineers earth and rock dam and was not very impressive. The lake was also not very impressive but there was some water in it. It must get a lot of water after the snow melt in the mountains. It looked like it was a popular place but a sign said that the season really didn't start until May 1st.  There wasn't much around and what there was seemed closed.

I continued on my merry way toward Tucumcari -- another 39 miles of solitary driving. There was the occasional cow and horse and a few ranch roads heading off the road but nothing else. The country is pretty in a lonesome and desolate way. I wouldn't want to be a rancher out here. Finally, about ten miles out of Tucumcari I came across a historical marker and a place to pull off the road. This was the site of Fort Bascom built in the mid 1860s and abandoned in 1870. Apparently it was made of adobe and one rock building but it was never fully finished before it was abandoned. Kit Carson led attacks on the local Indians from the fort and Phil Sheridan used it as a base for an Indian campaign. Once it was abandoned the buildings melted into the countryside and people hauled off what was left. There is no trace of it now.

I was getting hungry for lunch so I headed into Tucumcari and stopped at a McDonald's near the interstate. After I finished I walked around the parking lot for a while and who did I see but the Regis and Kelly tour bus pulled up in the gas station next door. I recall that there was some kind of road trip that they were doing to promote a guy (Dean Karnazes?) who is running across the country to raise awareness for wellness...I think.  He runs 40-50 miles a day and apparently he was on the interstate somewhere around Santa Rosa heading toward Tucumcari today bu I didn't notice anyone running along the highway.  Well, anyway, I looked around for Regis at the gas station but couldn't find him....probably asleep on the bus.....surely not running. So disappointing.

The rest of the trip from Tucumcari to Amarillo was relatively unremarkable except for the pit stop I made in Vega, Texas, at a gas station operated by a Sikh from Punjab.  A big tall guy with a turban who was also selling Punjabi music CDs. I stopped myself from buying one. Apparently there is a Punjabi community out on the plains of the Texas panhandle.

Amarillo was waiting for me. I found the motel and checked in and that was pretty much it. I ate some of my surplus food for supper and watched CNN tell us about the new war we are involved in against Libya.   Boy....it's hard to keep up with this stuff.

Eastern New Mexico near Conchas Lake

On the Road - Day 6 - Retired Nerds, Museums & THE brewery

I slept until about 8 AM...a little late for this trip. It was a nice cool morning so I decided to walk up to the little coffee shop about a half-mile away. The retired nerdy guys that I ran into on my last trip(August) were there...the quiet ones at first ...but then the Alpha Nerd arrived to whip everyone into shape. He has put on some weight since last summer (but who am I to point this out?) and was sporting a very bright Hawaiian print shirt. He speaks at a higher decibel level and always seems that he has already had his limit of coffee. Before long, Mrs. Alpha Nerd arrived and she was wearing a matching Hawaiian print shirt. The Mrs. seems to fit right in and must be a good match for Alpha. I finished my coffee and a cheese danish and left but they were still going strong trying to decide on what the day's projects were going to be.

 I was having a hard time deciding on my projects for the day. I didn't feel much like driving a couple hours up to see Valles Caldera and the Bandelier Indian ruins since I'll be on the road for the next couple days. I decided to find the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology on the campus of the University of New Mexico.  The University sits smack in the middle of Albuquerque but I've never really been on the campus. It is Spring Break so very few students were around and parking wasn't a problem after I found the museum. I was the only person visiting the museum so I had the run of the place and they allowed pictures without a flash.      As you would think, most of the exhibits are on southwestern archaeology and the various people who have lived in the area. They didn't have a huge amount of stuff but they told the story. There were a few pueblo ruins that were excavated and they found colorful frescoes on some of the walls. The kiva at Coronado monument at Bernalillo  had frescoes and they had some examples of others. There was also a good exhibit that highlighted the physical characteristics and differences of the early human ancestors. I never realized how different Neanderthals were from other variations and from modern humans.  There was a travelling exhibit on Mayan weaving that was very detailed and a little more information than I needed but very good.  The museum is free and they have some special events and a small book and gift shop. Today they had a tour going to one of the local archeology sites for a cost of $75 but it left early in the morning.

My next stop was at the National Hispanic Cultural Center located in a southern part of town near the Barales neighborhood which is traditionally a Hispanic area.  The cultural center is very large and has areas set aside for a variety of purposes. There was a lecture going on and some performances were scheduled for the evening. I wanted to see the art museum and it turned out to be a free day so no admission fee -- yes!  They have a permanent collection of contemporary art by Hispanic artists....most of them from New Mexico. They had an interesting special exhibit of New Mexico hand-crafted furniture. Some of the furniture was nice but it seemed very angular. Some of the local  wood, such as pine, is very soft and splits easily so they have to allow for the wood characteristics when they make the furniture. I visited the gift shop and chatted with the lady clerk who wanted me to come back on Sunday to see the Torreón. This is something I walked by but didn't realize what it was. A special artist constructed a torreon (tower) out in the front of the center and painted a huge fresco inside depicting Hispanic history. It is like a chapel and is open only on Sunday afternoons. I'll be in Texas by then. They have a nice restaurant, "La Fonda", where I ate lunch -- a huge club sandwich with ham, turkey cheese and avocado slices on whole wheat toast with french fries and chips with salsa and coffee for about $10.

I found a Trader Joe's store and decided to check it out. We don't have one at home and I had never been one. It is essentially sort of a grocery store but the have a large wine selection so I ended up getting a couple of wines to take home and a bottle of grappa all for about $24 which was probably less than half of what I'd pay at home.

I was too stuffed to do much else for a while so I went back to the motel to relax. Later I went to the Marble Brewery which I discovered is located on Marble Street - hence the name. The Marble Brewery is apparently setting the standard for area brew-pubs and micro-breweries. I'm guessing that they have been open longer than most and so they got to sort of define the locally brewed styles. Far be it from me to criticize but I don't much like what they are doing with their beer. I've had some on earlier trips because it is served all over town and people think it is pretty good. It is good if you really like grapefruit juice because most of what they make has a very strong citrus flavor that overpowers everything else. I wanted to go to the brewery to see what it was like and it was pretty big but not crowded...especially on a day when NCAA basketball tournaments were on the big screen TV.  They have a laid back attitude and serve a pretty good collection of food and have a large outdoor seating area. The beer tastes funny to me and they are apparently proud of how "fruity" it is and even seem to expand on that type of beer by doing a citrus pale ale. I know I don't like the IPA so I tried a red ale and it, too, was overpowered  by citrus but not as heavy as the IPA. Well, now I know so I won't have to go back.  Maybe I'll spend some time checking out more local wineries if this citrus madness continues....I know I like that.

Tonight was the night of the super-duper full moon -- the moon is closer to the earth than in several decades...or maybe eons...I'm not sure. I decided it would be great to get a picture but all of my attempts pretty much failed. The cameras don't understand what I'm trying to do aqd can't focus right. It was very impressive as it came up over the mountain.

Gee, I widh I'd taken this picture