Family and Friends,
With the close of the 2015 year we find ourselves in a
dubious position: the sophomore release of the family holiday letter. Regardless of how you found the 2014 letter,
the 2015 issue faces the same challenges as other artistic endeavors. None the less, I appreciate your continued patience;
with the knowledge that next year’s letter is bound to be better.
NM continues to treat us well and has provided a fairly
adventurous year. Just after our 2014
publication, the family departed Albuquerque to have Christmas with friends and
family in PA. We had a great time. I was reminded of a few things rather quickly;
first it’s great to be around family, then reminded the traffic on route 78/22
surpasses anything in NM and lastly, after a year in the thinner air I was
reminded that the air in Newark is best described as a thick funk.
We had a couple traumas this year, namely an attempted home
invasion, where Iris the Canine Companion, saved the day. They made it into the
garage, and could have walked right into the house, but got scared off by her “big
girl” bark. A crack in the grout became a
complete bathroom rebuild when I bumped against the shower wall and it
collapsed. These are minor details, chalked up to life experience, and we will
not dwell.
In better news, we
have cuddled a few litters from our Flemish Giant Rabbits, made it to the
balloon Fiesta, road a float in the Christmas Twinkle light Parade and learned
a bit more about our adopted state. For instance, the poor folks in NM have no
idea that a waffle is best used as an ice cream receptacle, in fashioning an
ice cream sandwich. Also here “chile” is
green or red and has no beans or meat.
It is the universal condiment, fashioned from roasted peppers or
“chiles” This ground was once part of Spain, and then Mexico. I have also
discovered that Huevos Rancheros is perhaps the best hangover cure known to man
(tortilla, fried potatoes, beans and chile with eggs over easy on top). We only
pretend we know Spanish when eating in NM restaurants.
Determined to return our garden to the success purported by
our neighbors, April and I theorized that rabbit droppings should be excellent
fertilizer. With a few shovels and a rented rototiller we made some serious
improvements to our garden soil and irrigation system. The garden rewarded us
with tomato plants taller than me, zucchinis that wouldn’t quit, and enough
peppers to roast several bags of our own green chile.
Over Easter, we packed up the kids and Iris the Fur Baby,
and visited southern NM to see the famous White Sands National Monument. We spent a few hours playing in the whitest
sand you have ever seen. It was other
worldly and hot, but the sand stays cool to the touch. Climbing the blinding
white dune and not seeing or hearing the ocean or finding shells was
weird. Next, the family visited Rock
Hound state park which allows rock collecting. We found Jasper, Opal, and
Thunderstones which are like geodes but solid. A rock shop cut our thunderstone
and found it had a mineral that glowed under a black light.
We made a few trips into the Jemez Mountains this year. The kids did some fishing and brought home
several trout that were over 19 inches long and just about as fat. In the Guadalupe
River (which is a fun word to say) Iris the Dog, finally learned to swim and
fetch sticks as is befitting a Yellow lab. She managed to stand next to Lover before shaking off every time.
The Family Friends invited us to vacation with them in
Colorado Springs. Our adventure began a
few days early and we visited Great Dunes National Park. The dunes are 755 feet
high and are all sand. To put that in perspective, Delaware Water Gap is about
1000 feet from crest to river. In South Central CO, geothermal springs make a commercial
tilapia farm possible. Apparently, the
farm had a dead fish disposal issue and imported alligators, so now the main
attraction is the gators. On the tour, the
boys were able to hold a little gator, who also “stamped” our souvenir with his
jaws. Our vacation rental was outside of
Woodland Park, CO. It was beautiful, and
if pressured I will grant that CO could give NM a run for its money in raw
geologic beauty.
In the CO Springs area the kids did a high ropes course that
was over a ravine 300 feet in the air, we saw some Indian ruins, hiked, and
took a ride on the cog railroad to the top of Pikes Peak (elev. 14,114 feet),
where in mid-summer the temperature was below freezing and the snow plentiful. The big surprise for the trip was Manitou Springs. Throughout the small town are fountains built
over springs which produce naturally carbonated mineral waters. The fountains had the kids fairly amazed
because seltzer water poured readily out of the fountain and could be consumed.
I think they sampled each one several
times.
Lover has just finished her “Gifted Endorsement” classes
with an A average, and all that stands in her way now is a test and she will
have officially earned the right to teach the classes she has been teaching for
the past two years. The summer break
allowed Lover to get her hands back in the clay for the first time in 12 years. She took several classes at a local studio,
and her pottery wheel came out of storage. Her goal is to throw a pot that is
over 12” tall, currently she can muster 10” consistently. In related news, she made me
a new coffee cup.
The boys are enjoying life in NM. Our neighborhood allows them to travel on
their own to friends’ homes. The
neighborhood boys have a standing 3 PM Nerf war on Saturdays at the local park,
complete with a sign-up sheet and a standing no crying or you’re kicked out
rule. When not pummeling one another, the boys have been known to be fairly
creative. We have some new chalk murals
on the walls surrounding our yard and the Lego area brims with creations. This summer, we plan to send the boys on a
plane to visit with their grandparents for about a month. They can’t wait to
visit with family, explore the woods and play in the water. Meanwhile April and
I hope to escape to Vegas for a few days.
Monstery has transitioned well into middle school and has
joined the advanced Jazz band. He loves
it, takes solos, and is motivated enough to get to school an hour early every day
to practice. He is also in the concert
band but considers it appropriately inferior to Jazz. He has become an excellent shot on the
archery team (his team mates call him Robin Hood) and over the summer he earned
his shotgun merit badge. He recently put
me to shame shooting trap at the range and we hope to be bird hunting next
fall.
Nugget continues his life of art and motion. He seems keen
to learn the art of parkour, which he calls “Portkour!” and manages to give his
mom heart attacks at every leap and tumble, which are constant. Port has become a fine shot with the .22 rifle
and likes to shoot the .410 (The destroyer) at milk jugs. This year he planted a small patch of strawberries
that did very well. Porterhouse enjoys
the active parts of cub scouts and he joined Jimmy and I on a camping trip to Elephant
Butte (no not Butt) Lake where we camped on the water, got bogged down in mud
after a heavy rainstorm, and Porter was treated to a speed boat ride that
topped out at 50 MPH.
As for me work and life continues to be rewarding. Recently
I traveled to Fargo, ND and saw the wood chipper. I have been doing a lot of
work with the local Tribes and Pueblos.
The people refer to themselves as Indians and are the most welcoming
folks I have ever encountered…..whatever you think you know about Indians, disregard. I continue to learn new handyman skills as I flounder through the
home repairs, though I’m still fairly afraid of electricity. The kids keep me busy and I like the extra
time in life afforded by the laid back lifestyle here in NM.
People are not in a hurry here and while I’m
still adjusting to it, I’m beginning to enjoy the small talk at the
supermarket. I still do some writing
and you can keep up with the family and what I’m thinking on the Blog.
I hope that this year has been great for each of you. We
miss you all and would love to show you the blue skies and vast views of our
new home, so keep Albuquerque on your bucket list. Meanwhile, have a happy, safe, and relaxing
holiday.
With Love: Jim, Lover, Monstery, Nugget
