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Left Joplin about 9 AM and was home by 1 PM. Worst traffic was at Lake of the Ozarks -- a typical Sunday in July. Jefferson City is still here...lightly toasted. My Hickory tree out front was wilted. I never saw a 30 foot tree wilt lie that. Beginning first aid. 

Mileage was 2,738 miles for the trip.

The mother Robin under my deck has chicks....maybe chick, I can't tell. I guess I'm a grandpa. She and her hubby are not happy t see me.  Wait until they see Watson.

I brought Watson home from Jill's. He has put on weight and not in a good mood. He will mellow out in a day or so.

Doing laundry....gotta go.

A good trip.

High Plains Drifter

I stayed at a different motel in Amarillo. It was better than the one I usually stay at and only $10 more. Still pretty shabby but the room was almost twice as big and I slept well. That was worth the extra $10 and the breakfast was OK.  Why are all the interstate motels run by little people from India or Pakistan?  They always seem to be having some sort of family crisis and are engaged in an energetic verbal exchange in Hindi. Sometimes this is over the phone, possibly long distance, but today they were all gathered around the computer having a loud discussion about something. No idea what.


Today was my trip from Amarillo to Joplin...mostly Oklahoma. Weather was good. Not too much traffic or too much road construction. Not too much to talk about.  I got back into Western Swing music again for a while -- High Plains Public Radio has a show called "Western Swing and Other Things" each Saturday morning and I just happened to be going through the Texas panhandle two Saturdays in a row.

I did stop at the Cherokee Trading Post a few miles west of Oklahoma City to soak up some Indian culture (American Indian this time). They have baskets and rugs and jewelry and tom-toms and rubber tomahawks...none of which have been anywhere close to an Indian until they were stocked on the shelves at the trading post. There is some authentic Indian crafts and artwork for sale but most of it comes from Asia. There is some Mexican stuff there too.   The place was packed...so many people that you could hardly get to the rubber tomahawks or the fake rattlesnakes. There were lots of kids -- all being told by their parents that they couldn't buy anything, touch anything or have anything. Why take them in to the "tradin' post" if they can't get something?

I walked around outside and took some pictures. They have a caged Buffalo but he was at the far end of the pen so no photos. Two ladies posed in front of the big fiberglass Indian while I took their picture for them.

 I was getting ready to snap a picture of a fiberglass Bison with the words "In God We Trust" emblazoned on his side when a man ran up and plopped a bright blue furry or feathered monkey on top of the Bison. He turned to me and said "He's a travelling monkey - I'm going to take his picture". The monkey was made out of a bright blue fur or feathery material and the guy was obviously gay. I admit that I'm not good at picking out gay people but I think that I had this one right. I asked where the monkey had been and he said that it had just been all the way to Oklahoma and now was on his way back to San Diego. I hesitated in my response because the man seemed to be unaware of the fact that he was standing smack in the middle of Oklahoma. He took the monkey's picture and I asked if I could also...after all, you don't see this every day. He said it was OK and that I'd have a good story to tell...yes, indeed. Before I could get the picture the guy started to jump into the picture for some reason. (So that explains the person trying to get into the picture). I mentioned that the monkey was getting some Indian culture and the guy said that he was part Cherokee himself.  Sometimes I think I have a target on my back because I seem to attract peculiar people on occasion. It used to be Hari Krishnas and then it went to Jesus Freaks. I kind of miss the Hari Krishnas. I'm hoping that the man and his monkey is just a quirk and not the next trend.

The rest of Oklahoma was fairly uneventful. I got to Joplin and checked in to my hotel and then went out to find something to eat. I drove up Rangeline Road a few blocks and began to see evidence of the tornado that tore through here last year. Much of the damage has been fixed or hauled away. The large number of vacant concrete slabs  probably mark the location of former businesses. There is one sign I saw that is twisted like a corkscrew but still standing next to one of the vacant slabs. There is an absence of trees and those that you see are small or seem stunted. I didn't go looking for any more storm evidence...I was trying to find a restaurant. I finally went back to an Applebees near the hotel.

I'll be home tomorrow.

How's My Driving?

"If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you"
Weigh Station - 2 miles
"I've been to Trucker School -- How about You?"
"FREE 72 oz. Steak!!"
Yield
"Highway Closed When Flashing - Please Use Next Exit"
Weigh Station - 1 mile
"Eat - Stuckeys"
"Gas - Stuckeys"
"Clean Restrooms - Stuckeys"
"Park and Ride"
"Jesus Saves"
Weigh Station - Next Right
"Share The Road"
Scales Closed
"Adult Videos"
Exit Now
Well, I made it to Amarillo.











Sounds Like a Plan

I met with Betty the Builder and her house designer, Max, this morning before I left Albuquerque. Max is amazing. He worked yesterday and on into the night so he could give me a new set of house plans showing the kitchen changes and other alterations to the plan. All together he was able to cut out over 500 square feet by making just a few changes here and there. The laundry room is smaller, the garage went back to its original size, the master bedroom shrank a little but is still bigger than what I have now, the foyer lost some space. He shaved a little off the outside areas -- the three covered patios (or 'portals') -- but I had him add some of it back.

The biggest change is the kitchen where we knocked out a wall and integrated it into the common living space. That was contrary to my original ideas...I wanted a separate kitchen, but seeing other houses and some of the apartments this week made me see that it was OK to have it open if we can manage it. That one change makes the common area of living, dining and kitchen seem larger and will reduce some costs.

I'm coming home with new plans so I'll be able to look at them and see if it is still what I want. I'm pretty happy.


A Man With a Mission

I decided to continue with my exploration of New Mexico as I worked my way east back to Amarillo. I went north on I-25 past Santa Fe and stopped at the Pecos National Historical Site. This is another Pueblo mission, contemporary with the two that I saw yesterday. There are about seven 16th century Spanish missions in the U.S. and all of them are in New Mexico. With today's visit I've seen four of them.

Pecos Mission is different because it is largely adobe and stuccoed with mud. The others are made of stone. I'm sure there is a lot of stone at Pecos but what you see is mostly adobe. I was here maybe 30 years ago with Joie and it was not very developed. There was no museum or large visitor center that I can remember. We could walk just about anywhere. Now there is a museum and a large visitor center and paved walkways through the site. I'm sure much of this is due to ADA regs. The mission itself seems smaller to me than what I remembered.

They have scaffolding up and are working on restoring or stabilizing the nave. Much of the actual pueblo ruins have not been excavated but they have been mapped out so you can see where the residents lived. The old pueblo buildings were four stories high and they make quite a pile of rubble.

I was greeted by some perky park ranger folks...maybe volunteers...who clued me in to the fact that I was eligible for a lifetime pass to all national parks and monuments for a mere $10. I no longer have to pay an entrance fee. All I have to do is flash my little card and doors will open. Pretty cool.

I watched the short little movie and then took the trail guide and strolled around the site taking pictures. I'm going to have a hard time keeping these three missions separate in my photo collection. This is complicated because I use three cameras and they aren't sorted together. It will take a while to get it all organized.

After leaving Pecos I decided to just drive on to Amarillo. The route was different and it was also busy. This being Friday, people were on the road more and the route passed close to a couple of lakes.  I finally got into Amarillo about 9 PM -- I lost an hour crossing into Texas. I had supper at an Outback and watched part of a Rangers-Mariners ball game....yawn.

Mission Country

The Road Less Travelled - Again

Well, today I decided to some exploring. I'm tired of this apartment stuff and they all look the same anyway. I decided to head south and east out of Albuquerque to see Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near Mountainair, NM.  I took my hat, sunscreen and bottled water...the three other things you need here besides food, shelter and clothing. i also took my trusty GPS. I usually take her along for female companionship and conversation but she is such a nag. "Turn right....Turn Right!....Recalculating." I usually ignore her but I admit I get some perverse joy out of making her recalculate all the time. It's a power thing, I guess.

Anyway, I (we?) headed south on I-25 to the town of Belen (Spanish for Bethlehem) and then headed east toward the Manzano Mountains (Spanish for apple trees). This turned out to be pretty drive but so straight that I could have climbed into the back seat if i could have secured the steering wheel. It just continued on a slow straight climb up from the Rio Grande River. After twenty miles the road started to thread its way through the Abo pass -- a gap between the Manzano and Los Pinos mountains. There was almost no one on this road. I finally got to US-60 going east toward Mountainair.   About twelve miles further I got to the Abo Mission.

The Salt Missions:  Abo - San Gregorio de Abo'

Quick history lesson: The Pueblo Indians occupied several villages/pueblos in this area because it was a trade route between the Rio Grande Valley pueblos and the Indians living out on the Great Plains. It was also rich with salt. The Indians had salt making operations and traded salt to their neighbors. The Spanish conquistadors came through here around 1580 and made contact and claimed Spanish authority over the land and the 15,000 people that were living in the scattered pueblos. Around 1622 the Franciscans sent solitary friars out to convert the Indians and build mission churches. Surprisingly, this was sort of successful but the Spanish civil authorities soon got into the act because the trade route and trade goods meant wealth. An "Encomienda" system was established which forced the Indians to work for the Spanish overlords. There was friction between the friars and the Spanish settlers over use or misuse of the Indians. Things stumbled along for about fifty years until a drought and famine coupled with attacks by the Apaches forced the Franciscans and Spanish to abandon the whole operation and withdraw, along with the few remaining Indians, to areas along the Rio Grande. Later a few Spanish settlers came back in the early 1800s but the ruined missions were pretty much forgotten until 1858 when a U.S. military expedition rediscovered them.

I pretty much had the missions to myself. Even the ranger left for his lunch break.

Baptistery at Abo

Abo mission was closest to the river pueblos and the lifeline to Mexico and was the last to be abandoned. Friars and Indians from the other missions came to Abo hoping to survive the famine but they all eventually had to seek refuge closer to the Rio Grande where they could get supplies from Mexico and the river pueblos. The mission ruins are extensive and there is an interpretive trail and a guidebook that helps the visitors make sense out of what they are seeing.

The structures were designed by the friars with a mix of local and European styles. The massive walls were supported on the outside with large buttresses. The structures were largely built by the women. Abo had two churches. The original church was reconstructed and greatly enlarged only to be abandoned a few years later.

Mountainair, NM

By the time I left Abo Mission it was time to think about lunch. I figured I'd just stop off at a McDonald's or Wendy's in Mountainair and then go on to the next mission. Well, Mountainair doesn't hardy have a pot to pee in. For some reason I thought this was a thriving ranch community ...sort of the Paris of the high desert. Not much going on that I could tell. There was a train going through town that was about a mile long with flatcars loaded two-high with containers and propelled by six locomotives. That was about it. It looks like there are a few artsy folks with workshops or galleries. I don't know if they are the advance party for the town's renaissance or the few that couldn't manage to get out.

The Salt Missions: Quarai - Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Quarai




The Quarai mission is most impressive. There are still some wooden beams embedded in the stone walls. The front facade is still standing and the nave is mostly intact. The Ranger said that there was a major religious conclave of regional priests from as far away as Louisiana held here a few years ago. Each of the mission churches is surrounded with the usual supporting and depending structures. The friars had small cells in the convento. There was a sacristy and baptistery. Quarai had a number of farm buildings and corrals and a defensive tower. Quarai was also seat of the local Spanish inquisition authorities. The friars used the inquisition as a means of keeping the Spanish settlers in line when the occasional church and civil conflicts became too much of a problem.










Square holes in the walls served as sockets for the huge supporting beams.

The nave was 100 feet long with transept and three altars. A choir loft was located above the entrance.

Quarai was unusual because it had a floor paved with flagstones. Other missions had dirt floors in the nave.





The Wet Side of the Mountains

Land grant village - a church and a corral

I was a little surprised with how green everything was. This seems to be the wet side of the mountains. I guess the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico might make it this far. This area is also dotted with little Hispanic villages and ranches. There are still several active land grant communities with descendants of the earliest settlers. The ranches have large entrance gates with the family name shown over the top...names like Lujan and Vigil...some old New Mexico names.

Get Plowed!

As you may recall, I missed lunch. I finished my exploratory jaunt and made my way to Tractor Brewing;s new Albuquerque tap room on Tulane near Central Avenue. I planned to get something to eat but they don't serve food. they said I could bring some in or have some delivered. I decided to have a beer anyway. I picked up a sandwich at Arby's. I have to clean out the fridge tonight so I'll be eating a bunch of stuff.

While I was driving back into town I got a phone call from my builder. she and the designer want to get together with me tomorrow morning. I was planning on leaving Albuquerque and heading for home in the morning but I'll stay around and then just drive back to Amarillo for tomorrow night.

For a Desert It Sure Rains A Lot

I think it has rained every day I've been here except for yesterday when it threatened but never rained. I take it that the monsoon season has started. New Mexico has a short monsoon season but it is usually in August, I thought.  This is a crazy year so maybe it is starting earlier. It smells nice after the rain and everything is greener than usual. Of course, it all dries up in only an hour or so.

Well, I'm waiting for this vacation to start. Any day now would be fine with me. This apartment hunting stuff is for the birds. I decided that I've seen enough. I've seen about twenty and they are sort of a blur in my memory. I took some notes but I should have taken pictures.  I have about six that I can be happy with so when the time comes I'll contact them and see what is available and at what price.   I'm going to do something fun tomorrow.

Brass Tacks...
I spent a good part of the day with my builder talking about the house and going over house plans. We decided to try to scale it back down to about 1600 square feet again. It seems to grow a little bit each time we work on the plans and it is time to get it close to final. My needs and my wants are two different things but I need to have a place where I will want to live. We opened up the kitchen by removing a wall and putting in an island with a space for bar stools. That will expand the living room a little and might allow for a few adjustments on size. I was originally wanting it closed off but I'm changing my mind a little. We expanded the garage last time because I had a long bed truck but I traded it in for a short bed so we can shave off a little space there. I have a good builder and she is open to ideas and keeps up with new trends. There are some new laminated kitchen cabinets that have a very modern look to them. The fireplace will be simplified from what we were going to do because there is a new product on the market that is sort of modular and that looks like what I want. At this point I'm still going to build but still keep one eye open for a resale that would make me happy as a reasonable compromise. Nothing major will happen until I get out here permanently.  She says the first hurdle will getting the bank to approve the loans.

The Range Cafe
I ate supper at The Range Cafe in Bernalillo. This was during a downpour so I was glad to be off the road. I had two Chile Rellenos, considered a "small plate". They were good. The Range is a good place to people watch because if has a mixed clientele...old and young cowboys, Indians, young couples with kids, professional ladies, old and young tree huggers, retired atomic energy scientists, and me.

I stayed in Bernalillo for a little while because I wanted to see them pull up the sidewalks at 9 PM but they didn't do it....maybe because of the rain. 

Downtown Bernalillo

Fun With Friends

This was an interesting day on several fronts. This morning I could hear people shouting - actually sort of a rhythmic chant but I couldn't make out what it was. For a minute I thought that the Hari Krishnas had found me again after all these years. But no, it was a labor dispute at the building being renovated across the street. There was about forty people marching and carrying signs and shouting out a cadence with various slogans. The local nit-witness news people were there so they marched pretty tall and shouted pretty loud. I had to run an errand and came back at 11:00 and it was all over...they were dispersing to wherever they go and the news truck was gone. Later in the day, about 5:00, I got back from my daily rounds of apartment hunting and there was another scene, about a half-block away of some guy trying to get in his car and he was surrounded by a swarm of paparazzi and news guys taking his picture and pictures of people in the car.  I have no idea who the guy was but I can see why some of those paparazzi guys get punched. This was happening outside a local highway patrol substation office but with no cops in attendance. I'm probably in the background of both news stories tonight.

Today I continued my quest for the perfect apartment. My head is spinning and I can''t keep it all straight. I did see some...both yesterday and today...that would be fine for a short while.

A couple places I visited were "Adult Only" apartments. I thought I knew what that was. The first one looked nice and there were two old guys sitting out in front of the leasing office conversing in Spanish. It is still a novelty to me to see folks speaking Spanish around town and sometimes I can figure out some of what is being said. They also drift back and forth between English and Spanish without any effort - sometimes in a single sentence. Turns out that I was too rich to qualify for that apartment complex. They referred me to another place. When I found that place I was a little taken aback because it was an "over 55" apartment complex...not just adults. When I opened the heavy doors and went in there was a pronounced smell of pine sol and two ancient guys sitting on a couch greeting folks as they came in. Of course the leasing office was not open (what was I thinking?) but was due to reopen in about five minutes. I took a seat on a second couch and tried to look inconspicuous.  Several folks staggered by on walkers or rolling contraptions and a then couple wheel chairs went by. I was getting more and more concerned by the minute. Finally a couple came by who were ambulatory and seemed to be reasonably healthy. Everyone had something to say to the guys on the other couch and then turned to speak to me only to realize they didn't know me from Adam (mucho awkward). The leasing office reopened just as I was getting ready to make a break for the parking lot. I got a nickel tour of the place and saw an apartment. It has all interior corridors with apartments opening off the hallway. They explained that all doors were locked and that I would be safe inside so long as no one let any bad guys in. I personally couldn't get out fast enough...my joints were starting to freeze up.

I had lunch at the brewery-slash-bistro in Corrales. I've been there a couple times before. Seems like I keep going back to my usual places on this trip. This time I visited with a guy named Steve who is a few years older than me. He was sitting at the bar drinking a white wine and eating his lunch. I ordered a beer and a Mediterranean wrap. Turns out that Steve was born in Mexico Missouri and spent many years in Columbia. He gave me a short family tree overview and it turns out he was going to school at Kirksville the same time Joie was there. He couldn't remember her. We had a pleasant visit while we ate our lunch. He gave me a few tips on apartments and neighborhoods.

Bro. George, Donna, Karia & Me

All this time, today, Karia and Donna had been driving to Albuquerque from Phoenix. We made contact by phone and planned to have supper in the evening. Donna and Karia were staying at a Franciscan guest house where Brother George, one of Karia's friends lives. We met at one restaurant only to find that it went out of business so we went to another Mexican restaurant and were joined by Eileen, another of Karia's friends. Karia, George and Eileen have a long common history of verious religious projects in New Mexico and Arizona. We had a good meal with lots of conversation. This was the first time Donna, Karia and I have been together since the wedding in Bra (Oksana and Damiano) so several Italy stories were shared.

After supper Donna and I went top a Flying Star cafe and spent some time talking and then we managed to find the way to get her back to the Franciscan guest house.

Today was a good day seeing friends and tomorrow I'll get to visit with my builder for a while to talk about house plans.

Lordy, Lordy

Today I saw a man on the side of the road selling "Texas Blessed by Jesus Watermelons".  I think the melons were blessed by Jesus...not Texas. I wonder if they taste any better than the ones that didn't get blessed.  I wonder if Jesus gets a cut of the profits...probably not. They looked like normal watermelons.   Also saw chickens running along the side of the road at one spot. Having urban chickens is not common but you do see it here on occasion.

Well, I must say that this apartment hunting stuff is work. The last time I looked for an apartment was in 1976. They haven't changed much, except for the price. I decided to look for two bedroom apartments. I don't want to spend too much and the published rent is always a range. So when you talk to them the rent is at the higher end of the range. Because my cat, Watson, is going to be living with me, The rent is higher. Also they collect a flat fee for sewer, water and sometimes gas. Then there are some features that will cost a little extra. If you want to rent a washer/dryer that will run an extra $30 per month -- but sometimes $50. If you want a balcony or patio, one place charged extra for that. All of that was just the monthly amount. Then there were the deposit fees, which varied wildly from place to place. Some of the deposits were refundable, some weren't. Pet deposit fees ranged from zero to $200...not refundable.  One place didn't even charge for pets.  Another place, a nice place, had two options for deposit fees. One that amounted to a bunch of money for various things that I couldn't figure out...that was refundable after they deduct the damage that I surely would do. The other option was a lesser amount paid as a "surety" that was not refundable and was paid to a third party who would reimburse the management for damages and then go after the departing renter as a collection agency for any amount over the posted surety, minus a service fee. One place would only accept fees paid by money order. Then there are a few places that have income limits...maximums. Then there are fees for making an application to rent the apartment and there are fees for credit and background checks. Some places adjust your deposit based on the outcome of the background check. One place increased the rent $100 if you extended your stay beyond the six month lease on a month to month basis.

I saw a couple nice places and several that were dumps. I think some of them haven't been upgraded or even had appliances replaced in twenty years or more. All of them are small. I assume that if they are taking me to see the display apartment it is probably as good as it gets. Is shag carpet "in"?  One place had a cheap knock-off "pergo" wood flooring laid over the old vinyl and they said they were going to update the kitchen cabinets to match the floor. Oh goody. I still have a couple more to see but I don't expect much.

I drove around some residential neighborhoods to see if my perceptions were correct about subdivision houses. For the most part, the houses are too close together and the lots are tiny. There were some exceptions and I was surprised at a few areas.  What seems odd to me is the prevalence of walled-in neighborhoods. Whole residential blocks are surrounded by seven foot walls, mostly made of brown concrete blocks. Whoever had the contract for concrete blocks must have made millions. Inside these compounds, some of the individual homes are surrounded by walls.  Are we keeping people in or out?

It rained hard a few times today. Guess what...Albuquerque doesn't have storm sewers...or at least very few of them. Water pools up in the streets and then cars shower the pedestrians with water. I got one poor guy good...not just me but the guy coming in the other direction got him, too.

I decided to go to a brew pub for supper. Tractor Brewing opened a tap room down in the Nob Hill section (not too far from UNM). Joie and I visited their brewery out in Los Lunas way back on an earlier trip and I was interested in seeing their new tap room. Their motto is "Get Plowed". When I got there it was raining and no place to park so I went to plan B. O'neil's Irish Pub is a sprawling place a little farther out on Central Avenue (Old Rt. 66). It is a fun place...I spent St. Patrick's Day there once...but it is too big to really have the feel of an Irish pub. Tonight they were pretty busy and some brave folks were even trying to sit outside under the canopy. I ordered my Bass Ale and had Fish & Chips. They support local artists and they had a display of photos by a local amateur photographer. The photographer was there offering a commentary on the different pictures. He was pretty good. I'm convinced that being at the right place at the right time with the right camera is only part of the task. Finishing, cropping, matting and framing makes a world of difference and he had the presentation part pretty well taken care of.

Meanwhile, back at the motel, one of the units is having plumbing problems. I think there is air trapped in the pipes or else the pipes have come dislodged from their fasteners because every time they try to run the faucet we all get to hear this huge noise -- sort of like a fog horn and a tuba competing with each other. They have been working to fix it since I got here on Saturday. It's not fixed yet.