First Road Trip in a Long Long Time (or Since February…. A REALLY Long Time to a Travel Junkie Like Myself!)

Ok – I realize I’ve kinda fallen off the face of the earth and haven’t been on here in 5 months…. Sorry…. My body has been fucking me over and, while not in a depression, I have been super-pre-occupied with the daily grind and all that goes with it.

Having said that, we are planning another trip and its coming up soon! At the beginning of the summer (thats in April down here in Southern New Mexico...) we decided that our first anniversary trip should be someplace awesome and our first thought was – Glacier National Park!

All the pictures we saw as we researched the trip were amazing, and we couldn’t wait to go! Glacier’s Instagram game is ON POINT! Check it out… 

So after conferring with a colleague who worked at Glacier, we knew exactly where to stay. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. They were completely booked! So Glacier is on the back burner for next fall and we’ll get reservations ASAP!

So after a short list of amazing places we want to go, we have chosen a road trip up the California Coast! The plan is not-at-all simple. Fly into San Francisco, bum around town a few days eating all the Indian food we can find and soaking up some city livin’, then rent a car and head north, zig-zagging along the coast, stopping in cool little towns and camping, until we hit Redwoods National Park, visit with friends and hike a few days, commune with the sea and the trees, then drive inland to Lassen Volcanic National Park, camp and hike a few days, commune with the sulfur-spewing and sulfur-bubbling pits, then down a gross interstate to see an old friend, more yummy food, then back to San Francisco and home to Carlsbad via El Paso! Whew! in 10 days…

This is what we’re hoping for…

Not my photo… comes from http://steveblank.com/category/california-coastal-commission/

 

This is where we’ll be…

again, not my photo… comes from http://www.compassionatecalifornia.org/

 

YES!!!

from http://www.reserveamerica.com/outdoors/california-camping.htm

 

Some of our transportation…

from http://www.lonelyplanet.com

 

Where we hope to be eating…

from http://theodysseyonline.com/lewis-clark/cultural-tourism-in-san-franciscos-chinatown/126065

 

 

I promise awesome photos and most likely several crazy stories when we get back 🙂

Winter Sprouts Are Happening!

So this summer was NOT a fantastic season for our garden. We tried some heirloom tomatoes from seed but they didn’t appreciate the hot Chihuahuan summer and would flower until fall. So we only got a few tomatoes (tiny tiny tomatoes) before our first good frost. I’m considering planting more seeds a bit earlier. Like maybe now?

We bought several different types of pepper plants, they also didn’t appreciate the heat, nor the monsoon hail storm, so we only got a few peppers. They were GREAT tasting, but only a few. I’ll try them again next year.

One interesting thing is a few of the seeds left over from last winter’s scallions began to sprout. Random…

With our summer harvest turning out less than fruitful, I decided to move on to winter. Winter means spinach! I planted a few rows and then watched as the squirrels dug them right up. Nothing makes me hate squirrels more than when they fuck with my garden.

I was out in the garden the other day, clearing away dried up leaves and dead marigolds (M’s answer to our summer mosquito issue), when I discovered sprouts!! These spinach sprouts must be masochistic, as we quit watering over a month ago and I’ve done NOTHING to the garden in 2 months. Maybe this will be a match made in gardening heaven as they desire exactly what I am….. a distant and forgetful gardener 🙂

Here’s hoping they make it!

 

 

 

Day #35

Fresh cut rose from our rosebush. We have the least productive bush of the neighborhood but that is probably from the complete neglect that we lavish upon it. Whatever… It’s blooming in spite of us, & that’s awesome!

Also, it smells fantastic!

Day #34

Watching E play SkyRim reaffirms my faith in my own video gaming abilities…. This game confuses both of us! Also, knowing that there’s a teenager in the house to turn to with gaming questions is pretty awesome.

 

(and as I write this, he’s totally figuring the game out) <eyeroll>

Day #33

Today is M’s ONLY day off this weekend due to work stuff. So we went for a family walk (me, him, 2 boys, 2 dogs) by the river. Nature is always a calming & relaxing force, even when the river is down crazy-low like it is today.

Day #28

Today I’m happy because I got my new checks in the mail for my new account AND possibly (probably) found a new physician. More of this moving into a new town stuff is falling into place.

I’m also happy that I got to spend the day with M, even though he had to stay home from work due to insomnia. I’ll take him however I can get him. 🙂

Day #27

Today I’m happy to report that our Walmart is carrying vegan products! Vegan ice cream, vegan frozen meals (Morningstar & Boca), and vegan BUTTER! Sadly, this is more than our local Albertsons carries.

I am definitely not endorsing all of Walmart. Carlsbad is the perfect study of what a Walmart does to a town. They’ve effectively shut down all the mom & pop shops in town. Also, everyone in town dresses alike because the ONLY place to buy casual clothing is Walmart.
Also, the Carlsbad Walmart is one of the crappier ones. People actually drive 35 miles north to visit the Artesia Walmart. (Sad…)
However, I’m voting with my wallet & letting them know that I appreciate the vegan items they’ve reluctantly chosen to carry.

Day #25

The unpacking is going well… only 10 or so boxes left to go. That’s down from possibly 50 boxes? So rejoicing is in order!

Today I’ve tackled the kitchen, specifically the baking/spices areas of the pantry. M and I now own two of every conceivable spice, as  well as many random baking flours and such. We’ve run out of room so any more baking/spices items are going to stay packed!

Clearly the universe is telling me to start baking, thus making room for more baking stuff. Yay!

Day #24

I’m happy that its Spring! While Spring isn’t my favorite time of the year… fall is…. there is still the glorious sound of happy birds to cheer me up during a long day of unpacking and arranging the house. We are surrounded by bushes and trees full of doves, house sparrows?, and larger birds of prey.

Also, there are new flowers. That’s always a welcome sight.

Day #23

Today I am extremely happy to finally have my transition from Texas to New Mexico license plates done! It only took 2 months….

Not only that but I now also have a local bank account and safe deposit box. Whew! busy morning….