Weather Report

A drop in temperature, some high winds, a few clouds and this is what we woke up to! The low temperature was 17 degrees. Brrr!

So, we got out the long pants, socks, boots and winter jackets, and walked across the street for our first day of training on the new job.

Yesterday we were pulling needle grass from the radiator of our jeep, and today scraping ice off the walkway!

And, then, there was A LOT OF NEEDLE GRASS!

(click on the pictures to enlarge)


I love this picture! Doesn't it look inviting?

These pictures, taken today, after quite the windstorm. That darn needle grass was blowing everywhere! It was lying all over the highway, Henry and I laughed about it being the 'hairy highway', which is exactly what it looked like.

As you can see from the pictures, it's piled up. A lady told me this evening that a friend of hers who has lived here all her life, has not seen needle grass like this in over 50 years. I guess I had it wrong on my last post, it's even rarer than we were originally told.

Needle Grass

(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE)
This picture of our site taken last evening.





And this picture taken this morning of our outside mat, covered in needle grass

this stuff sticks to everything!



Needle grass whirling in the wind

Last night was windy, it rained a little, but the worst part is the needle grass blowing and piling up. You can see from the pictures above the 'seeds' on each one. The seeds are pointy, sharp and find their way into most everything. They penetrate any semi soft material, and will cluster together clinging to even wood.

Two weeks before we arrived, they tell us the needle grass was piled 14 feet high around the buildings. It blew in one day....and blew out the next day. And, of course, it is extremely rare to have so much of it. The last time was over 28 years ago. Hey, we can tell them why a rarity is happening in the area now. It's because WE are here! Whether it be unusual weather, fire, mudslides or needle grass......follow us around the country and there you'll find it.

Lakewood, New Mexico, population 100

The Club house, above (click to enlarge photos)

The office, on left, where I'll be working


We arrived yesterday around noon at our home for the next four months. We've had lots of surprises since arriving. Our site is very nice and large, plenty big enough to park our truck and the jeep, plus there is a storage shed (with a refrigerator in it) on the site. I took a couple pictures of the site itself, but the shadows were all wrong, so I will try again later today.

The "Ranch" as they call it, is a co-op park, where the sites can be purchased. There are 120 sites in the park, a large club house complete with huge kitchen, sun room, media area, library, pool table and even a music stage. There is also a nice sized laundry on site.
Everything seems to be very well maintained and groomed, and the people are very friendly.

What we didn't know until we arrived: Lakewood, New Mexico, with its population of 100 consists of the residents in the park itself.

So, other than the fact that we are about 20 miles from literally anything in either direction, everything else is good.

Except of course, a small in size, yet major annoyance that blows around here called NEEDLE GRASS! I will try and get pictures tomorrow.....

Judge Roy Bean

On our way to New Mexico, we stopped at a little spot in Langtry, Texas, where Judge Roy Bean, the west's most colorful Justice of the Peace, ruled America's last frontier in the late 1880's. He was know as the 'law west of the Pecos River'.
While there, we walked the trail they have set up, admired the various plants, got bit on our ankles by some nasty bug (Henry's still got red sores on his leg), then headed out to the truck and continued across the most incredible boring highway to New Mexico. There is a whole lot of absolutely nothing in the way of scenery along Hwy. 90. Plenty of mule deer though, both along the highway and on the highway.

OUR RIG (click images to enlarge)


The Saloon

On our way to New Mexico

Tomorrow we pull out heading west to New Mexico. It's a short 500 mile drive, so we'll take a couple days to get there.

Weather in San Antonio has been warm, high 70's, so we are hoping for the sunshine to follow us.

Once there, in the middle of nowhere, it sounds like, we'll start our 2 days a week job at an RV park. Hope we can handle it....

"Remember The Alamo"

Very interesting piece of american history from 1836. We asked a Texas Ranger who was standing outside the building if he could tell us in 30 words or less about the Alamo. He replied, 'it's not that cut and dry.' You'd think we would remember the history from school.. but we needed a refresher. .so, this is what we learned... the mexican soldiers were trying to take the Alamo, and soldiers from TN, PA and other states came to defend the Alamo, and succeeded. Hence, 'remember the Alamo.' Any history of our great country is fascinating, but becomes even more real when you are standing in the same spot or building where the history was made.

River Walk, San Antonio

(click images to enlarge)

Today we took a drive to downtown San Antonio, and the area known as The Riverwalk. The San Antonio River meanders through the downtown area and is lined with shops and cafes. We had breakfast at a mexican restaurant, then walked along the river. The downtown area is beautiful, very clean and shows that the residents are proud of their city.

Our time in Alaska

Tyler, Amanda & Evan

Mr. Evan!-

"MAC", Yukon Husky & sweetheart

Our time in Alaska flew by, kept Henry busy working, and was soooo cold!! Minus 20 degrees is not pleasant in any way whatsoever. Your vehicle is cold, you're cold, the house is cold, the office is cold.......there is no warming up at all.
It was wonderful seeing the family in Fairbanks and on our layover in Anchorage we were able to see our kids, but only one of the grandkids. Alicen, the oldest grandchild, lives about 45 miles outside of Anchorage, so that makes it a little tough. We were able to meet our daughter's boyfriend, Tyler...a very nice young man. I loved spending what little time we had with everyone, which made it even harder to leave. ...
So here we are back in San Antonio, 82 degrees, sunshine...boy, does the warm air feel good! Makes a person appreciate this nice weather after being in the literally frigid north.
We will hang out here until right after Thanksgiving, then onward to New Mexico where we have accepted a 20 hours/week workamper position at an RV park there. As always, we are excited about another new area to explore.

Halloween in Fairbanks, Alaska

Earl, Henry's dad aka "Zorro"

Earl, waiting for the Halloween Party to begin

So, here we are in Fairbanks, Alaska. Today, the temperature is a mere -6 degrees. Three days ago, we had freezing rain, which made the roads literal sheets of ice. Being back in Alaska, reminds us of the reasons we left. It is too cold, too dark, too slippery (for walking and driving both) and too far away from the rest of the world. Our kids and grandchildren are in Anchorage which is 365 miles away....an 8 hour drive one way, or $600.00 for a 45 minute flight.
Fortunately, we have a very long layover in Anchorage on our way back to Texas, so we are hoping to make that all work in order to see both kids and grandkids.
Henry was asked to come up and help his friend out with his business for a couple weeks, as they have been buried with work, and putting in some very long hours. Meini and Anna are good people, and Henry feels honored that they have asked him for his help....so, we are here. They even put me on a project, and I know nothing about termination of fabric, anchor bolts, or end walls. But I keep reading the same stuff over and over, and it's actually beginning to make sense.

Earl, Henry's dad, in the photos above, is a resident of the Pioneer's Home, a nursing home here in Fairbanks. We have been over to visit him every day, which is another blessing about being here.