#92 – May & June 2022 – Las Cruces

May & June 2022 – Las Cruces

That about sums it up

Since we moved into the coach in 2014, I never lacked for things to do. There was always something, often several, that needed attention. With rare exception, deadlines weren’t an issue and Kayeanne wasn’t (figuratively speaking) standing over my shoulder holding up a clock. I think I read somewhere that time is supposed to be a continuum, implying that it never varies, except if you go very fast. Einstein said something like that, but if he did, he never moved into a new house.

It's coming along. Needs a bike, though...

I thought we could take a break after we finally moved out of the coach at the end of April. I mean, we were actually living in the place. Oh, contraire, grasshopper. We still had stacks (literally) of pictures to hang and then re-hang, many, many boxes to unpack and more shelves to fix, to reinforce and to build. And that didn’t begin to address the garage. The garage was the dumping ground for everything that had no other home. It would also have to be “upgraded” to add shelves for tools, sets of china, Wiklund family heirlooms and cubic yards of Xmas decorations that somehow got stuffed into the storage pod when I wasn’t looking in 2014.

Procrastination wasn’t possible, because Janie and Rick Fellows had bravely agreed to test drive the new guest room beginning on May  25^th. That sounded so doable when we set it up, but as the day loomed closer, the list of stuff needing to be finished before they arrived just never seemed to get shorter. Somehow, though, we made it.

It was a real pleasure to see them, especially in the new digs. We spent four very relaxing days showing them around Las Cruces, going out to dinner, cooking, talking and just hanging out with old friends. Having company in the new house really helped us feel like we were actually home. We went to Mesilla for dinner and to stroll around the old town square. We hiked to the hermit’s cave in the national park and spent a leisurely morning cruising the weekly farmers and crafts market. From all reports, the test drive was a success.

We're working our way thru all the choices

Las Cruces is growing on us. One thing that has really stood out is how nice everyone seems, and how committed they are to helping us out. Just before Rick and Janie arrived, the car A/C died. The new compressor that I bought on Amazon was DOA, but the guys at the repair shop went out of their way to get another one sent in from El Paso on a Friday afternoon to get us back on the road for the weekend. Then, the house air conditioning system died. In Thousand Oaks that would have been uncomfortable. In Las Cruces at 105° it’s a crisis. We had a home warranty to defray some of the cost but none of the HVAC companies I called would even talk with the warranty companies. After many frustrating conversations, I finally called the real estate guy who sold us the house and within three hours an expert arrived and diagnosed the problem (total system failure), the warranty company was happy with his quote and the parts were ordered. Two days later we had a new, larger capacity A/C system that works great.

We had a real treat at the end of June, when Liesa called to tell us that she and Cory were planning to spend a few days in Albuquerque. We packed up Schroeder and headed north to spend an evening with them. We had a great time getting caught up since we last saw them at Thanksgiving. While that’s only a few months ago, a lot has been going on that we needed to share. Phones, texts and emails are good, but sitting around a table with a few glasses of wine is so much better. And, we got to go to Trader Joe’s the morning we left. It turns out that dry ice will keep frozen food frozen on the trip back to Las Cruces. We bought many packages of mandarin orange chicken and lots of wine.

The line at Sparkys

We decided that no matter what is going on, we will make it a point to visit one or two of the
local attractions every month, so we decided to check out Hatch, NM, and the Fort Selden Winery in Radium Springs near Leesburg State Park and Dam. 

Hatch is famous for the iponimous chilis that are a state symbol displayed on many license plates. As you would expect, it is also a popular tourist and locals destination. Sparkys Burgers is the protypical burgers and fries joint, and one of the main draws for Hatch. I'm always skeptical of places like this, but all the people in line to place an order seemed todisagree with me. They were right, it was pretty delicious. We were lucky to go there on a weekday, the line can be an hour long on weekends.

Fort Selden Winery

Fort Selden Winery is the smallest we've seen. It is a whole acre of vines that one gentleman and his family have been lovingly cultivating for many years. The wine wasn't our taste, but the winemaker and the location made the visit worthwhile. We'll stop in again.

We have had several inquiries about the coach, but so far no serious buyers. That’s a little worrying, but given the gloom and doom in the news and the astronomical fuel prices it isn’t surprising. Be sure to tell all your friends, because I won’t buy a bike until it sells.

I’d forgotten about several boxes of books that I had in the pod, so I have been rereading many old friends, lately. That aside, I really enjoyed these:

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
The Shallows by Matt Goldman
Dead West by Matt Goldman
Calypso by David Sedaris

I’ve fallen way behind reporting on wines, so here are a few of the many good ones that we have discovered recently:

Hedges CMS Cab 2018 – Col Valley
La Comtes de Ribeauville Alsace Rose of Pinot Noir
Desert Wind Cab - Col Valley
Bogle Phantom
Oyster Bay Sauv Blanc 2021 – NZ - VG (one of Kayeanne’s favorites)
Trader Joes Reserve Zin Dry Creek Valley 2020
Patamar Red Blend Reserve 2015 – Portugal
Bogle Petite Sirah (one of my favorite wines) 

More soon,

Bob

Company's coming

The ladies of Mesilla

 

 

 

Sparkys parking lot