The Long Haul

So here I sit...in Santa Fe...while all others sleep. I live here now! I still feel like I'm on more of a vacation than anything. Probably because last time I was here, I WAS on vacation. But no more, work starts Tuesday, pending a passed drug test, of course. Seems like the drug test would have been more necessary for my last job at the treatment center, rather than now, at the vet clinic. Better avoid poppyseeds! At any rate, it's wonderful down here. The drive though, less than wonderful. It started out early at 6:15 am and did not end until 2:30 am the next day. I vaguely remember parts of the last 200 miles or so...I can tell you this...there are elk crossing signs everywhere down here! What the hell do you do if you're driving down there interstate at 75 and there's a freaking elk in the road?!? I think I would just cry. Yep. In retrospect, we probably should have stopped to take a nap, but the thought of sleeping in a bed rather than in our cars urged us forward. Pulling over and "dancing" in the middle of the road a few times seemed to perk us up, and the driving continued, and here we are. 1,009 miles from the driveway in Nye to the one here with a basically unchanging view that consisted of Keith's 4runner full of toys in front of me. Ugh!


So far, my days spent in Santa Fe have been full of packing and unpacking, spending way too much money, touring downtown and the ski hill, and plenty of back porch storytelling, or listening in my case. In the company of world travelers, stories of strange and beautiful places and people are plentiful. More plentiful, it seems, after a few margaritas and a bowl or two of apple flavored sheesha. The porch, now beautifully lit and basically perfect, is where I hope to spend hours and hours of my free time here. If I haven't mentioned the sunsets yet, I should be beaten profusely about the neck and shoulders because they are absolutely brilliant. The colors are vibrant and we have a perfect year-round view of the setting sun from the porch. Very nice! The following isn't the best photo...but you get the idea!


As far as anything else goes, all is new and different, but all is well. As closing advice, switch cell numbers often...it somehow gets you back in touch with old friends!

Ribbbbbiiiiiiiiittttttt!

Here's to New Beginnings

Well, the summer that just began is nearly over. The first, and hopefully only summer, that will be spent in the city of Spokane reached an early end, prompted by the crazy antics of yet another short and angry roommate. Sometimes I swear that people who are completely nuts just follow me around. While the unexpected early end to my days in Spokane upset several delinquent teenagers and the good roommates, which breaks my heart, I did get to take another great trip down the Madison. While I may not have had the thrilling ride of the two who were lucky enough the exit the boat at the first hole of the class IV rapid, I survived the "kitchen sink" again, thus earning bragging rights for at least a few weeks because a certain someone didn't get to go.

And now that the Salmon trip is out and the Gardiner trip is in, I guess my 18 hour road trip to Santa Fe might also be penciled in a bit earlier than originally planned. A blessing in disguise is what that might be. The 27 hour drive from the Oregon border, through Montana, and on to New Mexico might have been a lot to deal with. Especially considering that I'm scheduled to start work the day after arriving in New Mexico. Probably not good to be a zombie on the first day of work. Could get bitten by a dog or worse, a bearded dragon...

Did I mention that I'm now officially a college graduate?!? I finished up my Theory class a couple of days ago and I graduate for real tomorrow. Odd since I already did the cap and gown thing, but neat just the same. I think I'll celebrate by getting my root canal basically re-done. Woo! Should be a fantabulous day!

As a closing note, I managed to completely melt the front tire on my new mountain bike while quite possibly destroying the entire wheel within 45 minutes of leaving Spokane last week. Dumb! A disastrous setback to the my mountain biking career which has not even really begun. Hopefully my luck with that situation will improve dramatically in the near future. Until then, I guess everybody can continue to give me crap about it...great.