Placitas, New Mexico

Mom's very good friend, Wendy

Next stop: Placitas, New Mexico. What's in Placitas, New Mexico, you ask? Well, not much. Some scrub brush, a few low cacti, quite a few mesquite trees, rattlesnakes in the warmer months. The reason we came here, though, is because it's about a 1/2 hour above Albuquerque. To get here from Shamrock, TX, we came through Albuquerque and took a right, not a left. (Only Bugs Bunny fans will get this.) And why did we want to be near Albuquerque? Well, I'm glad you asked. Because a very good friend of Mom's lives in Albuquerque. And they invited us to join them for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Wendy works at nursing homes and she was telling us about the various protocols that are in place to keep residents that have Covid isolated from the ones that don't. It's a very complicated procedure to keep everyone separate - those that are negative, those that test positive but have no symptoms, those that have symptoms but still test negative as they might be sick from something else, and those that both have symptoms and test positive. It all sounds very stressful. These health care workers put themselves and their families at risk to care for patients during this pandemic and deserve our utmost respect and admiration. Maybe they hear everyone's thanks a lot, or maybe they don't hear it enough, but thank you to all those front line workers that care for others. You are true heroes.

Wendy's house has a walled in patio and Dora and I had fun roaming free, sniffing and investigating everywhere, and watering the plants - well, that was me. Dora just squats anywhere without aiming. It was nice to be off leash to roam as we pleased. There were grass burrs in Shamrock and low cacti in Placitas so we had to be on leash all the time to avoid getting tangled up with them. We were only in Placitas for a few days, just a brief stop over, really, on our way to Hurricane, UT, where we'll be for the month of December. So I'll just post a few pictures and call it good. 

--Sammy

Snow on the mountains

View from our RV spot

Cactus plant - wouldn't want to step on those spines!

Mesquite tree

Shamrock, TX

Our next stop was in Shamrock, TX. On a working cattle ranch. In the middle of nowhere. Mom said it was not only peaceful, but extremely interesting. They have about 750 "mama" cows, and 30 or 35 bulls, the man couldn't remember exactly. I suppose when you get that many it's hard to keep track. The cows are separated into separate pastures with whatever bull they want them bred to. While we were there some cowboys were supposed to come in with their horses and separate the calves from their moms so they could be vaccinated, tagged and eventually shipped off to finishing lots to mature for market. But the night before they were supposed to arrive some cows broke through a fence and the cowboys had to arrive in the wee hours of the morning to herd them back in. We didn't get to see them work.

Since Mom couldn't get a picture of the cowboys, she wanted me to include a picture of the cow without the boy. RITGL (rolling in the grass laughing).

Apparently these cowboys are day laborers who travel to various ranches with their horses to accomplish whatever tasks need to be done at that time. Then on to the next ranch.

The ranch owns about 25 acres, but leases surrounding land about a mile in all directions, and some in other areas as well. We learned that the green fields are planted with wheat that the cows will soon graze on, but currently they're on fields of brown prairie grass. There are acres and acres of hay, sorghum, alfalfa and wheat baled in long tubes for feed this winter, and to supplement when the pastures have been grazed down.

There are acres and acres of these feed tubes

There was lots of equipment from tractors to balers to equipment to make compost and liquid fertilizer from all the manure. As you can imagine there's lots of it to work from! One tractor had a tire that was over 6' tall.

The back tire is over 6' high.

You can see how much taller the tire is than mom!

Road less traveled

Images of Shamrock, TX and other places along Route 66 were used in the movie "Cars". The rocks in the background were inspired by Cadillac Ranch from nearby Amarillo, TX, which are old cars with their front ends buried in the ground. Ramone's body-art shop in the film is directly inspired by the U-Drop Inn, a restored Art Deco gasoline station and restaurant complex in Shamrock, which now serves as a tourism and chamber of commerce office.

If you'd like to know more about inspirations for the movie, check out this link. https://www.route66news.com/2006/06/09/a-route-66-guide-to-cars-movie/

As we left Shamrock we headed west to Placitas. NM, which is about 1/2 hour north of Albuquerque. We'll be taking a right there, not a left.

--Sammy

 

Pretty Prairie

When we're not in an RV park we stay at individual people's homes that we find through boondockers.com. It's a network of people, mostly RVers, across the country that allow other RVers to stay in their driveways, fields, or yards for 1 to 5 days. Most have electric hookups, water and wifi. A few have RV dumps, which are basically septic tanks to dumps our waste tanks. Our hosts near Kansas City, MO were very welcoming and we really enjoyed our 5 day stay there. We left on Tuesday morning and arrived at our next stop in Pretty Prairie, KS. I know, right? Great name for a town!

Our hosts were Rod and Chris. They were wonderful people, very welcoming and friendly. They visited with us, we visited with them, and they even took Mom and Dad out to breakfast at a place called Carriage Crossing Restaurant in Yoder, KS. There were lots of farm tractors in the parking lot. Apparently, many Amish families drive around in their farm tractors instead of horse and buggy. 

Our RV was parked out in their back 40 (I think there was more land than that though) by the pond and had the whole area to ourselves. It was very quiet and peaceful. Every once in a while we could hear the screech of a hawk that liked to perch on the power pole at the back of the RV. Mom was in awe at the beauty of the landscape. She took a video of what she saw.

Quite honestly, though, I don't know what she was going on about because this is all I could see. Just looked like dry grass in a field to me. Of course I'm short so I'm sure she had a different vantage point.

But the area did have it's unique beauty. Mom took pictures of some of the farm stuff on the prairie, as well as making friends with their pony, My Sugar.

Swing from a broken tree limb, supported on the left by a stump.

A "hobbit" tree. The ladder inside goes up to another ladder and you can climb way up.

While we were in the area we visited the Strataca salt mine museum in Hutchinson, KS. The mine is 650 underground. It takes about 90 seconds to descend on the lift, which is done in total darkness to honor the minors who used to turn out their flame lanterns while they were in the lift. Today, of course, all the hard hats have modern light bulbs, but the early lanterns posed a fire risk in a crowded elevator lift. Besides mining salt, the underground area is used by other companies to store records and historical artifacts because of the year round 68 degree climate. Plus being that far underground it's pretty secure from theft or natural disasters. It was a very fascinating and educational tour.

Supports like this keep the floor from rising up from the pressure of the earth underneath.

This large salt block weighs about 6,000 lbs.

If you'd like to learn more about the Carey Salt Mine or Strataca Salt Museum please visit their websites. There's so much information it would be impossible to tell it all here.

http://www.careysalt.com/history/

https://www.underkansas.org/explore

We left Pretty Prairie Saturday morning and arrived in Shamrock, TX. That's another story for another post.

--Sammy

We're Off Again!

 After a long spring, summer and fall stay at home, we finally left on November 7th for our winter excursion. Mom had spent the summer redecorating and renovating our house on wheels. She spent several days moving stuff from out from the house and packing up for our long trip - dog food, human food, clothes, toiletries, dog food, dog toys (which I don't play with any more but Dora does), bedding, dog food, drinking water, canned goods - all the things you can imagine that humans would use in the course of daily life. Over the past year she has outfitted the RV with its own set of cookware, dishes, utensils, etc., so she didn't have to move those. Oh, and did I mention she packed dog food?

Our first stop (#2 on the map) was Clayton, NY to visit Dad's cousin that he hasn't seen in 20 years. They have 2 dogs, 1 of which became Dora's best friend. They wrestled and chased each other till they both passed out from exhaustion. And they have geese which Dora immediately decided didn't belong in the yard and chased them till they fled in terror across the pond. The other dog, well, sort of got upset with me and bit me on my back. Ouch! That was rude! I'm OK, thanks for asking, although I have quite a bruise. Fortunately the people got hold of the dog right away or an old guy like me might have been severely injured. And speaking of being an old dog, I hadn't been feeling very well for a bit but my people have started giving me Rimadyl every day. I feel a lot better and even have my appetite back.

We really enjoyed our visit and after a few days we headed out toward Kansas City, MO to visit Mom's son. We stopped a few nights on the way (#3 and 4) just to rest up and get back on the road the next day.

When we got to Mom's son, Chris's house in Kansas City, MO (#5 on the map), he and his fiancé had a wonderful announcement. They were getting married that day! Not only did Mom gain a new daughter-in-law, but she gained 2 new grandsons. I think the whole family is pretty cool! 

Again, Dora made fast friends with one of their dogs, and I got to sleep undisturbed in my favorite spot - curled up between Dad's legs on the recliner. I love it when she's occupied with other dogs because she leaves me alone! And Mom thought it was ironic that Dora came from KC Pet Rescue, and here she was back in KC.

We took a trip out to some land in the Ozarks that Chris owns to see his campsite set-up. It was a long, but fun day. The road in was 2 1/2 miles of bumps and ruts but once we got there we got to run around through all the fallen leaves. Mom loves scuffing through dry leaves on the ground. She says it reminds her of being a kid and running through leaves as her dad raked them up.

Since we won't be home on Thanksgiving we tried to find a turkey before we left Colebrook last week so we could roast it up and bring the meat with us. Dad couldn't find any turkeys in the stores. So on Sunday Chris and Kim served us a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Mom was in heaven. She said that although she usually only has turkey at Thanksgiving she didn't want to miss out on the wonderful taste this year. Dora and I had leftovers. We approved.

They also made Mom a new sweatshirt. Pretty cool, huh?

Monday is preparation day. Laundry, shopping, straightening things out, and preparing the trailer for travel on Tues. We go to Pretty Prairie, KS for 4 days, then to a cattle farm in Shamrock, TX for 4 days, on to Placitas, NM for 2 days, and finally to Shiprock, NM for 4 days, which brings us to Dec. 1 when we check in to an RV park in Hurricane, UT for the month of December. Not sure what we're doing after that but I'll definitely keep you posted.

Dora and I "helping" with breakfast.

---Sammy

Dora

 After Cruz left for his new family I sort of missed him. I even laid in the spot on the floor where his bed used to be. I'm a never-lay-on-the-floor-because-the-couch-is-more-comfy kind of guy. So Mom and Dad started talking about getting me a new companion. I was just getting used to being an only dog when they came across Dora.

Dora was a stray. Mom saw her picture on a pet adoption site and fell in love with her. I didn't think the idea sounded too bad either. That is until I met her. Sure she's cute, and sure she's a girl. But she's also only about a year old. That means she still has some puppy antics like jumping on me and running around trying to bite my ears! I do NOT appreciate that. Mom says I was probably like that when I was that age. I don't remember that. Now that I'm 14 I prefer a much more sedentary and peaceful lifestyle.

Life has been really busy here. Mom decided to redecorate the ENTIRE RV this summer. She says winter is depressing enough no matter where you spend it without having to look at all that brown. I have to admit it's a lot brighter and seems so much bigger. Only thing is that now the RV is all new and bright the house is looking tired and outdated. Guess mom's got her project picked out for next summer. Here's some before and after pics. Just a few finishing touches and we're good to go.

We head out for the winter in early November. I, for one, will not miss the cold and snow. Since I'm short I definitely won't miss having to stand in snow almost over my head just to go wee! I'll keep you posted on our adventures.

---Sammy

Introducing Sammy

OK, OK, so I'm a little on the aging side. Cruz says I'm old, which I would be if I were one of his breed. But being a Poodle cross, well, my breed lives considerably longer. So although I'm older, I can't say that I'm old. I do love to sleep though.

By way of introduction here's my story. I was found wandering around by someone's driveway when I was about 5 years old. I wasn't wearing a collar with any identification nor was I microchipped so I was incarcerated at the local animal shelter to see if anyone would claim me. After the appropriate waiting period no one came forth to say I was theirs so I was adopted by the lady who originally found me.

She had several kids who I came to love very much. We would go to visit Grandma's farm sometimes. Oh, how exciting to see all kinds of different animals. There was a huge yard where I could run around and investigate all kinds of strange smells. I came to love Grandma and Papa and stayed with them sometimes when Mom traveled places I couldn't go.

One by one the kids left home to start their own separate lives. Between work and a place she called college, Mom was gone a lot. It seemed like I was left all alone and missed my family being around all the time. I became so depressed I just laid on the couch and hardly even ate. So Mom called Grandma and asked if I could live with her permanently. Of course, Grandma said yes. I mean, I'm so adorable, who wouldn't?

Grandma and Papa became my new Mom and Dad. They are retired so they're around all the time. Most of the time they take me with them when they go anywhere. I do love being with my people, going for rides, or just snoozing on the couch. My favorite place to snooze is between Dad's feet while he's sitting in his recliner or snuggled up next to him in bed. Although I'm getting on in years, my Jedi mind powers are just as sharp as ever because I can will Mom to drop something on the floor when she's cooking in the kitchen.

Now Cruz, there's a bundle of wasted energy. He's always running here and there, who knows why. I was reading his latest adventure about chasing the geese. Wow, it's a good thing he wasn't at the ocean. They'd have had to send the coast guard out after him or he'd be in Europe by now! Me? I'd never go swimming. You just never know what might be lurking beneath the water! I hate being wet, even when I go to the groomer. Well, as the saying goes - no brain, no pain. I'm not saying Cruz is stupid, I'm just saying that hopefully he'll get some wisdom as he gets older. He is such a knucklehead.

Grandkid R and great-grandkid A visited for a few weeks this summer, plus a local friend came to visit for several days while they were here. This is what happens when 3 girls get bored. Seriously? Don't they realize I'm a boy dog?

Mom went to the doctor's today for an insect bite that looks very suspicious. Mom has no idea what kind of insect decided she was lunch, but the bite left a large red area about the size of the bottom of a coffee cup. She's never had any reaction to a bug bite before so she felt it was worth a doctor's visit to get it checked out.  Doctor thought the large rash area might be from a tick so she put her on an antibiotic to prevent Lyme disease. While we were out and about, we stopped at Chester's Chicken and Dad bought me a whole chicken tender all my own. I do kinda miss Cruz but it was nice not to have to share my chicken with anyone.

A friend of Mom's needed a place to keep her goats, sheep, horses and chickens for the summer so Mom offered for them to be here. She says they're like grandchildren - you can enjoy them for a while, then send them home. She calls them grand-chickens/sheep/goats/horses. Mom kind of misses the livestock she sold last fall before we went on our winter excursion so this gives her some animals to keep her occupied in the summer without having to worrying about them next winter when we want to go south again in our traveling home.

Not much else is happening during these hot summer days. Just kicking back trying to stay cool. But I wanted to take this opportunity to assure you that I am, indeed, on top of this blogging thing.

-- Sammy

No Geese Allowed

Hi, Cruz back here for a guest post to tell you about my latest adventure with my new family. It's really exhausting keeping 3 boys entertained all day but I'm up for the challenge. I play ball, race around the trampoline making sure they don't fall off, have play dates with the "girl next door", and we even get to go to the lake. I love splashing around in the shallows but haven't yet dared to take that final step that would bring me over my head to actually swim. Until yesterday!

Just a speck way out in the lake

At my former home I'd chase geese off the small pond, harassing them until they flew off. And I'm fast so I'm sure they got whiplash trying to keep track of me as I raced back and forth from one side to the other, sort of like watching a tennis match.

So there I was at the lake, minding my own business, playing ball, keeping watch of my family, when I heard the honk of two Canada geese swimming toward me. That's not allowed here either! I didn't even notice how deep the water was when I launched myself straight into the lake. I swam out to the middle after them. The two I originally heard turned into 14 of them. My head just about exploded with this wonderful opportunity. I mean, with that many I was bound to catch one of them.


They split into 2 groups so I swam toward 1 group, then turned around and went after the other. All the while my family was apparently calling me but I didn't even hear them. I was so focused on chasing the geese my brain shut off to everything else and I got major tunnel vision.

My new Dad dove into the water after me. Meanwhile, a small fishing boat saw the commotion and headed toward me to try to keep me from swimming off. I suppose they also thought they could save Dad if he ran into trouble. Going between the two groups of geese allowed Dad to catch up to me, grab my collar, and drag me back to shore. Mom said she was kind of worried because Dad isn't that strong a swimmer, but he sure reached me in record time. I guess his burst of adrenaline allowed him to do super-human things. I'm really glad he was OK and didn't have to read the headlines of "Local man drowns trying to save geese chasing dog". And just to let you know that no geese were harmed in the making of this story, although it wasn't for my lack of trying!

Dad finally got me back to shore

I understand Dad was quite upset with me because I took off after those geese and didn't come back when he called, and because he had to swim way out to get me. I imagine my folks were pretty worried, but I could have swum that lake all day! I was extremely delighted with myself and pranced around quite oblivious to the commotion I caused. Dad did forgive me pretty quickly and gave me plenty of snuggles later on. After all, I am adorable and have velvety ears!

Well, thanks for reading my update. I'll try to keep you informed of my adventures. I see that Sammy still hasn't written a post. I imagine he's taking yet another nap.

--Cruz