It's Beginning to Feel Like Home

Boxes and clutter everywhere! It is getting better after 3 days of unpacking and organizing, our new winter home is feeling like HOME. Slowly everything is finding a place. Tomorrow the Christmas decorations will be placed inside and out. Pictures of our home next week. I promise.

Tuesday in New Mexico

We are well on our way to our winter home. We left Topeka this morning and are in Moriarty, NM this evening. Thanks Herman & Sondra for the wonderful accommodations at your B&B. We loved the time we could spend with you.

We have enjoyed the green fields of winter wheat in Kansas and the 65º temperatures this afternoon. We had awesome blue skies and sunshine for most of the day and have seen two beautiful sunsets. We were very pleased to buy diesel for $2.36 at Santa Rosa.

We also encountered road construction immediately upon entering the windy state of New Mexico. Some things never change!

We should arrive in Gold Canyon late tomorrow afternoon.

Heading South

We are packed. The U Haul is full. We are tired. The ground is white so it is definitely time to leave town. We are off tomorrow morning and should arrive in AZ on Thursday.

Thankmas 08

It has become a tradition for our family to celebrate Christmas on Thanksgiving weekend because we leave for our winter home shortly thereafter, thus the name Thankmas. We give each day its own true celebration but squeeze as much as possible into the 3 or 4 days we are together.

This year our daughter-in-law and son cooked Thanksgiving dinner and we traveled to their house. Grandma, Kari and we were gathered with Crystal's parents, brother and aunt Barb. It was delicious traditional food in an nontraditional way. Thanks you two! Job well done!

Then it was back home for the traditional early shopping on Black Friday morning. Kari & I found some good bargains and were home by 9:00 to say goodbye to Grandma as she returned to her home.


On Saturday we celebrated Christmas with the kids. Looking how "they" are all under blankets, it is hard to believe there was a real fire going in the fireplace, but there was. The kids left this morning and we continue to pack for our trip south. Thanks kids for the wonderful weekend!

Hoover Dam Visit

On Sunday, before leaving Las Vegas, Kari and I took a tour of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. This is a picture of Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake. Our guide explained that the Las Vegas area is in a serious drought and evidence of it could be seen on the water lines of the exposed rock islands and along the shoreline.

The Hoover Dam is a very impressive sight and a mammoth structure. Lots of security in and around the area.

This is a shot of the Colorado River once it has left the dam. Again, we could see the water line marks along the canyon walls showing how low the water level is at this time.