Life itself is a challenge...

I am doing my own version of a challenge. Call it a photo challenge or a gratitude challenge or whatever it becomes along the way. It's time to be more present in my day to day life and this little project will encourage me to focus on, and appreciate more, the little things.

Jewelry Heaven

This is a photo of a style of jewelry we found at the Hubbell Trading Post. When we found it again in Sedona for a reasonable price, we thought we would wait. Wouldn't you know, we never saw it again on our trip. We learned quite a bit about the differences between Zuni, Navajo, and Hopi artisans. The tribes have schools where members learn the craft and often only certain families can produce certain designs. It was interesting to note the differences. We also learned that you can't comparison shop while you are traveling and that, if you see something, you'd better get it because you might not see it again!

What can you do at a Rally? You can eat many of your meals--most breakfasts and dinner are provided, see entertainment 3 nights and dance, purchase RV supplies, accessories, get a “mobile lube job” on-site,have a ladies’ luncheon, purchase jewelry and clothing, take a tour of Texarkana, have an ice cream social, have many happy hours, do a chapter cook off, reunite with friends, make new friends. You can also go to a local restaurant like The Old Feed House and have fried froglegs and catfish and the best cinnamon rolls ever baked!!!!

Texarkana Rally

Just a quick note to let you all know we are at a motor home rally in Texarkana, Arkansas. We have wifi "down the block aways" at the AG center, but I haven't been able to update the blog. Expect an update soon!

Santa Rosa, NM and Amarillo, TX

Since we left Echo Basin Ranch and the Durango/Mesa Verde area, we are heading east. We stopped in Santa Rosa, NM one night and east of Amarillo, home of the free 72 oz. steak steakhouse (if you can eat it in one hour!) another night. Already, as we headed through Wichita Falls to our most recent destination, Sherman, TX, I can feel the "West" slipping away. Less of those barren, desert landscapes, and more plowed fields waiting for planting, trees and wooded areas. So today I posted two photos of sunsets that epitomize the West that we are leaving behind. Beautiful colors or those unbelievable open spaces. Tomorrow we will be in Texarkana ready for our motor home rally next week. The cowboy hats will be there and the boots, but I doubt if the rally will capture the true Western essence we experienced over the past few weeks.

Telluride, CO

The drive up to Telluride, the ski resort, was an easier one than Silverton. Only a few bikers, less traffic, and not the steep inclines. Most of the snow had melted and the Dolores River was raging along the roadside. Telluride is very quaint, but they don’t open much until the end of May. We had hoped to ride the gondola up to Mountain City, but it will be another 2 weeks before it is running. All the houses on the main street, though new, look like they were built during the early 1900s--no yards, picket fences, porches--very much like the Seaside, FL of the West. As I continue to eat more and more Mexican food, I think my Spanish is improving. Buenas tardes, amigos.

Silverton, CO

May 9th. We drove from Durango up to Silverton--a 50 mile trek up into the snowcapped mountains. Being afraid of heights, it wasn’t an easy drive for me. A two laned road, with no guard rails, and steep inclines and descents, and to top it all off, dozens of bikers were practicing for a future race so we had to navigate around the racers going up the mountains. No easy task. Once up in Silverton, we toured the shops, had lunch in their public park, and awaited the arrival of their famous narrow gauge train, complete with whistle and belching black smoke. Silverton is an old1800’s mining town that has many of the original buildings. From the very beginning, there was an imaginary line running down Greene Street dividing the town between the law-abiding , churchgoing residents, and the gamblers, prostitutes, variety theatres, dance halls, and saloons. After touring the town, you guessed it--we had to go DOWN the mountain road avoiding the bikers who were now traveling even faster, taking wider turns on the curves. Due to my white knuckle experience, my door handle will never be the same. I said many Hail Mary's! The beauty of the scenery was lost somewhere in my fear of maiming a biker or killing ourselves in the process of avoiding them. It was a memorable day trip!