24 July 2004

Summer 2004 respite

We returned from our annual summer family vacation at the stroke of midnight, today. The trip this year took us on a tour of west Texas and northern New Mexico. This marks the second consecutive year that we have spent all or part of our week with Poppa (Fred); accompanied this year by Carmen.

Highlights of this year's trek included a visit to the West of the Pecos museum in Pecos, Texas; the McDonald Observatory; Carlsbad National Park; Bandalier National Monument; the Santa Fe Opera production of Béatrice et Bénédict; and the Taos Pueblo.

Our trip began at 0530 on Saturday, 17 July. We dropped Oberon with Kristie and Mark who had generously agreed to dogsit. It was then off to West Texas. With a destination of Fort Davis, we stopped for an hour's diversion to visit the town made famous by Judge Roy Bean. The museum was interesting and contained lots of cowboy and western frontier memorabilia. Interestingly, there was very little, other than a modest display, referencing Judge Bean.

We reached the intended destination of our first day about mid-afternoon. After securing tickets for the evening's events, we went back to town and checked into the motel, grabbed a bite to eat, and headed back to the observatory. We are often reminded of the light pollution present in metropolitan areas when visiting Winedale. However, even that experience pales in comparison to the wondrous show seen on a clear night at the McDonald Observatory. Our visual palette for the evening included a glimpse of Jupiter and four of her moons, a whirlpool galaxy, and a beehive galaxy.

Sunday morning marked the beginning of our relatively short trip up to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Following a stop at the border for our customary photo, we arrived at the park a little after 1300. For all but Herman, this was a novel experience. It had been a quarter century since Herman last visited the caverns with his mother and brothers, back in 1978. The subterranean majesty of the caverns cannot be adequately explained with words. All four of us will remember this experience for quite some time.

Monday it was off to our primary base for the week, Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was there where we met up with Fred and Carmen at a house they had rented for their two week stay. The following is a brief synopsis of our itinerary:

day 01 (monday)	—	arrival; relaxation
day 02 (tuesday)	—	visit downtown "Plaza" and Saint Francis Cathedral; trip to Chimayo for lunch and more sightseeing; shopping at Jackelope
day 03 (wednesday)	—	day trip to Bandelier National Monument and the Frijoles cliff dwellings; attended Béatrice et Bénédict; (Fred's anniversary gift to Elizabeth and Herman)
day 04 (thursday)	—	day trip to Taos and the Taos Pueblo; dinner with Carmen's great niece, Victoria, and her new spouse, Christopher
day 05 (friday)	—	departure and return trip

More detail will appear shortly as the images from our trip are processed and posted to the album. Check back for information on when they will be available.

11 July 2004

Official end to the Yankees season

Borrowing from the operatic adage it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings, the 2004 season of the RSI Boys 10U baseball season came to its official end last night with the team party. The event took place at the community pool of a gated community wherein a relative of one of the team members resides. Entertainment involved a pool and the camaraderie of teammates and family. Food consisted of pot-luck dishes provided by participating families.

Other highlights of the evening consisted of distribution of trophies to each of the participating boys as well as dissemination of the individual and group portraits taken earlier in the season. (The individual portraits will soon be posted to the family album for interested visitors.) Most of the parents contributed to a fund to procure a dining certificate for the coach redeemable at Texas Land & Cattle.

05 July 2004

Independence Day!

Yesterday evening was spend with family at the second annual Adame Independence Day party hosted by John and Christy. Adding to the list of participants this year were Kristie and Mark — having relocated to the North Texas region late last summer — and the newest member of our family, Oberon. Margaret and Theodore were also in attendance; along with Pumpkin and Duke. Christy's mother and step-father joined the celebration as well as some of John and Christy's friends. In all there were twenty-seven in attendance, including five canine and two equine participants.

This year's fare was comprised primarily of Tex-Mex dishes. The main course was made up of steak, chicken and fish fajitas and all of the trimmings that go along with that dish. Mark brought a homemade salsa that rivaled our contribution — Central Market's 4^th Anniversary variety. It was a hit and, as of today, has become our preferred recipe. Desserts were American standards such as fruit cobbler, pound cake with fresh fruit, and ice cream.

As dusk approached, preparations began for the evening's pyrotechnics. In keeping with the last three combustible holidays, the focus of the occasion was on aerial display. John and Herman manned and coordinated the two launch platforms and the show duration was the longest yet at just over one hour and thirty minutes. Rockets, mortar, and self-contained all-in-one units (comprised of ground-based visual, aerial and acoustic components) ruled the evening. Collin, Ethan and Avery served as the logisticians. Various sparklers were made available to all spectators.

Additional highlights included a tour of the entry way of John and Christy's ranch house, which had recently been surfaced with "Mexican" tiles. Mark brought along and, via the Westminster Adame iMac, displayed a slide show of images taken during Kristie and his recent weeklong trip to Colorado.

This Independence Day celebration was the best to date. The food was tasty, the pyrotechnics were awesome, and the company was par excellence. We look forward to continuing this annual event a year from now.

continue to the June 2004 archive ⇒