WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE EVERYTHING????

 By

Gypsy Rhapsody

(a 1977 Airstream that loves it when the Texas crew comes)

Always lots of fun!!!

V and D's Texas daughter, Emilie, and grandkids, Vincent and Maddie, have been coming to see us in New Mexico for the past 10 summers.  That's right...10 summers.  They pack in the fishing, swimming, shopping, summer tubing, zip-lining, go-karting, and hiking.  They do like to repeat all the old stuff, but trying something new is always fun.

Soooo, back to the same question...What to do when they have already done everything???

Their first newbie for this summer was the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado.  It wasn't entirely new, but it had been so long since they went, that it felt new all over again.  They were up for the adventure.   They piled in the truck and headed north.  They rented sleds for sledding down the dunes.  

Maddie, Emilie, Vincent ready to slide down the dunes.

...but to get to the sliding part, they had to walk a LONG way.

Maddie and Emilie to the left.

Vincent to the right.

wished

This is Vannie...sitting on a log in the shade.

Perfect

She said she wished she had taken a photo when they finished.

Sand was stuck to every inch of their exposed body.

Thankfully, there were outside showers available.

Their second newbie was Zapata Falls.  The falls are right outside 

the Dunes Park.  After parking, it is a short hike to the falls.

Maddie, the butterfly whisperer

Look closely at her finger...there sits a butterfly!

It took walking through a stream, and climbing over rocks to get to the falls.

...but they said it was so worth it.

Their third newbie was the Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron. One of the highlights of the ranch is the Villa Philmonte.  An official scout was their tour guide, and Dave said he was as delightful as the villa itself.   He knew his stuff and loved sharing with them all the nooks and crannies of the establishment.  

The villa was built around 1926 in the Spanish Mediterranean style.

Living space is over 28,000 square feet.  It still has some of the original furnishings and fine art, which includes a wonderful player piano.

Vannie said Dave could not resist sitting down and playing a tune.

Their guide said it had been a very busy summer with seminars and various learning activities for leaders.

For lunch the crew headed back to Cimarron to Kathleen's Burrito Banquet.

They all said the food was delicious, but the highlight was the green chili lemonade.  

Wonderfully refreshing, with a light afterburn.

Fourth newbie...picnic at Eagle Rock Lake in Questa.

They have hiked at the lake lots of times, but never opted for a picnic.

menu...hot dogs, chips, Oreo cookies

This was taken after lunch, near the Questa Falls.

If you look closely, you can see the Red River...right behind.

Now, just for a look at some repeats...

Ice Cream

Corn Hole

art projects with friends...check out that deer photo bombing

Hiking Columbine Trail between Questa and Red River

The trail was full of wildflowers.

Go-Carting in Red River

Vincent's in the lead...

Followed by Maddie..

...and then Emilie

Bingo

Winner's...Maddie and Emilie

Their stay was ended with the traditional Rainbow trout dinner.

Fish caught by Vincent!!!

On a side note...Maddie actually flew out by herself a week ahead of Emilie and Vincent.

Vannie and T-Pop had a blast with her.

Eating

Acting goofy

Creating new drinks

...and...getting more beautiful!!!

...and as that great scholar, Winnie the Pooh, said,

"We didn't realize we were making memories.  We just knew we were having fun."

58TH ANNIVERSARY WEEK

 By

Gypsy Rhapsody

(a  1977 Airstream that loves celebrating stuff)

This was Vannie and Dave's 58th Anniversary Week.

They think they have to celebrate all week.

Well, I guess when you've been married that long,

you need all the celebrating you can get.

Let the fun begin!!!

                                                     I was all decked out for the week.

Ready for the fun!!!

V and D's friend, Mark, treated them to a delightful

and delicious meal at the Sundance Restaurant in Red River.

Fajitas were the order of the day...and to top it off,

Sundance treated them to a scrumptious dessert for their anniversary, Tres Leches Cake.

Oh my goodness, Vannie said it was heavenly.  

Tres Leches means three milks...Condensed, Evaporated, and Whole

The next day, they headed to one of their favorite little villages, Arroyo Seco.

It's a quaint little community on the way to the Taos Ski Valley.

Vannie really enjoyed checking out the Yarn shop.

The shop changed hands during the last year, so it was new all over again. 

Dave always loves the General Mercantile Store.

It is full of the most interesting stuff...treasures that one can hardly live without.

...and there is Abe's Cantina and Cocina (bar and kitchen).

Abe's is famous for its breakfast burritos, but today, V and D were hungry for a hamburger and fries.

...and a couple of Abe's famous prune empanadas.

They decided to take some cherry ones home. 

Scott and Nita at Rottenstone Pottery

They are both potters, but

 several other visual artists displayed their work there.

Fine Art New Mexico, LLC

Vannie said that the prints that this gallery creates are fantastic.

2 floors of incredible prints, postcards, etc. 

Just look at that yoga move!!!

Joy Yoga

Holy Trinity Catholic Church

...and then the next day...

Scott and Nita at the pottery shop encourage V and D to check out the exhibits 

at the Harwood Museum in Taos.

Vannie is standing by 2 paintings that had been stolen from the Harwood

in 1985.  Nearly 40 years later, after an extensive investigation involving

the FBI, the paintings were located and returned.

The artists were Victor Higgins (1884-1949)

and Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953).

There was a pottery exhibit.

This piece was by their friend, Scott.

"Austo Hungarian Face Jug"

..and this one was created by their friend, Nita...

"Pachamama"

2 Vannie's

Another exhibit at the museum featured prisms.

Looks like Vannie is trying to say something important.

Probably trying to get Dave to get her best angle.  lol

A girl can never be too careful.

The 4th of July landed during V and D's Anniversary Week.

More celebrating...

Dear Old Uncle Sam...gotta love that guy!!!

He's getting all "pumped up" for the parade.

Vannie and The Unc 

Doug and Stacy Shirley have this "to die for" old car.

They have a condo at the Caribel Condos where V and D work.

The Unc looks soooo happy.  

He is getting to ride in the 

rumble seat.

Main Street in Red River, right before the parade.

Boats...

and Floats...

Small town parades are the best!

Final Celebration

Phillip and Carrie Jowers and Jackson and Abigail

stopped by Questa on their way home from vacation.

Phillip lived in Lafayette back in the day.  

He and his precious family live in Artesia, NM.

According to Vannie and Dave, Phillip is a heck-of-a cook.

So, to top off their anniversary celebration week, Phillip  

prepare eggs, sausage, and biscuits for a breakfast-for-dinner meal.

Another Anniversary in the books...