sara with camera

Texas State Fair

As a 6th generation Texan who'd never been to the State Fair, I thought it would be shameful to be more or less residing in the Dallas area and not Finally check out the State Fair.  There was cold weather the one weekend, so we postponed it.  Then a temporary job came up and we, again, postponed our trip until the very last day of Fair 2012.  I had pretty high expectations for the fair.  I mean, Texas is the coolest state there is (I've known this my whole life- there is no disputing it) and how awesome must its state fair be when a little carnival can be a whole lot of fun?  I had visions of amazing & unusual fried things and cool animals and prize winning pies and Big Tex and just seeing the kids crazy happy. I was more than a little dissapointed.  I know all the Texans know, but for you Kansans, dissapointment #1 was Big Tex gone MIA.  Burned up- gone.  Had I been looking out the window Friday afternoon instead of concentrating on the project I was being paid to work, I would have seen the smoke plumes.  I did see the helicopter action afterward, but missed his actual demise.  So that sucked- missing out on him. 

The whole fair experience was much like re-visiting the best place ever from childhood and realizing that it's only a fourth of the size and not near as cool as you'd remembered...only there was no memory, just a little online research and faith in the greatness of Texas.  What we got for $141.50: parking, entry tickets ($15 saved thanks to McDonald's coupons), 2 cokes, 3 waters, nachos (ONE regular sized serving- with fajita meat), a funnel cake, a beer, 3 rides for 3 people, and 2 games for each kid (Matti won a stuffed green frog and Auden won a football :)).  That's it.  I mean that's all great stuff, but we didn't eat a whole lot, ride a whole lot, or game-it-up a whole lot and we spent lots and lots of money.

And the view from this Gigantic Feris Wheel (the only ride I got to ride):

What I did love: the Ferris Wheel ride, the zoo-type animals that we got to see/touch (for free), and that funnel cake.  Never again though.  The Texas State Fair has been checked off the list. 

Love, Sara

p.s. After that initial project, I was rolled into another one (Yea! a bit of money) and so things have been insanely busy and I've not managed to respond to any e-mails or facebook messages or anything of the like (like shamefully unresponsive, but Really busy).  Tomorrow, I'll spend all day editing wedding photos and will try to set aside some time to be a proper friend before I drive back to Dallas Sunday noon-ish.  Have a great weekend, s

the sonoran desert

Yesterday, I ditched the Chihuahuan for the Sonoran (10 hour round trip drive for just an hour or so with the camera...but I like drives)- determined to get photos of a saguaro before we left the area.  They're as tall as trees!  Years ago, I'd driven past them, but I'd never stood beside one before (that I can remember- it seems like I forget a lot of things these days) & it surprised me how really, really tall they are.  I would have been more in awe, but I discovered that I'm a complete fraidy cat & was too busy checking out every sound to fully take it all in.  Every fly, lizard, jackrabbit, chipmunk, or bird had me convinced that a mountain lion or javelina was set to attack.  Apparently, I can't go hiking alone.  I'd feel like a complete coward, but I probably won't ever be mauled by a wild animal...

This is another cholla- like the one in the previous post- just purple & in bloom.

This is a Palo Verde tree- the bark is smooth & green.  Baby saguaros use them as "nurse trees" (same goes for mesquite)- sprouting up under their cover.  The baby saquaros look a lot like barrel cacti- the easy to discern difference is in the thorns, saguaro ones are straight and the barrel ones resemble a fishing hook.

This is another type of cholla (teddy bear, I think).  And, below, a prickly poppy (we have those in central Texas too).

So, just in case you're not on Facebook, we're moving to Waxahachie (leaving El Paso on the 31st) AND I passed the bar!  Pretty big news & all in one week.  While Waxahachie wasn't my first choice, I'm excited to be 2.5 hours from Priddy & close to lots of other family (and some old friends).  Even Kansas friends and family will be a lot closer!

Cool things this week:  I got to celebrate Mexican Mother's Day at work on Thursday & then our Mother's Day yesterday.  Auden made a plate for me at school- he drew our house here in El Paso.  Even though I Hate this house with its popcorn ceilings, metal bars covering the windows, and sand backyard, it's sweet to have that memory.  Matti gave me coupons (as in he'll clean his room, etc) & asked if I was going to use them because he'd rather I didn't. He might get lucky- they might get lost in the move. 

Also this week, I got a little worked up about all the negativity surrounding the Time magazine cover.  I liked it, while it seems no one else did.  I thought the photograph was genius & didn't feel at all taunted by the title, "Are you Mom Enough?"  Maybe because I know I have a litany of shortcomings but feel like I could've sucked way worse & am doing some things pretty well. 

On that note, Happy Mother's Day!  Love, Sara

Gila National Forest

That's a Cane Cholla.

These are Rooms 1 & 2 of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  It was a mile hike (round trip) & a lot of fun (with a running creek soundtrack for the way up & a burnt pine hillside [forest fire a year ago] on the way down)...mostly though, the guys loved the lizards (and may have been fighting over who spotted the most).  Oh, and these structures were home to the Mogollon (Pueblo ancestors) for not very many decades & those black ceilings you see are from fires...the coolest part for me was the likely smoke house/hide tanning slab. I should also mention that while dogs aren't allowed on this particular trail, there are free kennels at the trailhead. How amazing is that? 

  
We drove down to the Gila National Forest on Saturday afternoon (after spending the morning hiking for awhile at the Tom Mays unit in El Paso's Franklin Mountains- the steep trail that leads to the cave) & camped out (Colleen & Jason- That tent and it wasn't just us, but the Dog too).  Chris said it would dip down to about 45 degrees so we brought warm blankets...but it turns out it was about 10 degrees colder & the quilts didn't cut it.  And we didn't take an air mattress along either (our last one bit the dust).  No one got much sleep.  As soon as we got back, I spent awhile on REI picking out sleeping bags and found one rated for 15 degrees with an inflatable insulated pad that slip into it.  I'm not going camping again without it...so at nearly $500, that'll be awhile.  I know that conventional wisdom holds that our ancestors had shorter life spans because their nutrition was lacking, but I'm pretty sure it's because they didn't have central heat & air or pillow top mattresses & the persistant sleep deprivation took them out early.  Have a great week.  Love, s

p.s. I could've taken more photos, but the forest isn't my ecosystem (as Chris would say about the desert). 

rest of em

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
These jail or bank ruins or whatever they were made me so happy.  I wanted to ditch the brown cracker box house we're living in & move into this roofless place.  I mean- bars on the windows either way (at least Chris finally figured out how to open them if there's ever a fire). And, no one can tell me the sky wasn't pink. totally was.

The most random photo ever, maybe.  For miles I had been rolling over cotton balls (or bolls, I guess).  This was the explanation & so I snapped it while driving.  That the cotton is actually in focus is a miracle because it's with the 45mm tilt/shift (manual focus lens) and I didn't bother to take my eyes off the road to peek through the view finder.

Also, I hope you're not annoyed with the spacing issues between the photos--the blog is jacking with me & I can't figure out how to fix it (ok, & now I just posted it & it's fine...seriously messing with me).  In other, less administrative news, the boys are watching Star Wars 3-D.  That's the first thing Matti said to me this morning (excitedly), "Hey Mom, Star Wars 3-D is out today!"  And, last night, when I gave him snuggles he said I was the best mom ever.  I asked, "You don't want a new mom"? (Auden insists on getting a new mom when I make him unhappy because new moms must not make a boy wear at least a sweatshirt in 30 degree weather).  And he said, "No, new moms are the worst."  I agree.

Ninety more pages tonight (Im-possible)...My wish: to make it home in time for good-night snuggles & a little knitting/crap t.v. time.

Oh, and remember, you can click on a photo to make it bigger (reminder prompted by that last, tiny photo).  Love, Sara

sanity day

  

Instead of studying like I ought to have today, I went on a mini-road trip (with no destination in mind or at least that's what I thought).  Toward the end of the day I was feeling a little disappointed in what I figured I had on my memory card when I realized I kind of expected Arizona.  I want to take a photo of a saguaro.  Maybe later.  Today though my route was: Old Mesilla-Deming-Nutt-Hillsboro-Hatch & back.  It was mostly very beautiful.  See.

 

 

I didn't happen to include any of the Hillsboro photos, but it was an interesting town.  Not quite put together enough & there were so many bird sounds, which creeped me out a little.  Crows, shiver.  To a productive tomorrow, Sara

Scary Bathrooms

This hotel in Brownwood has been empty for as long as I can remember, and I've loved it for that long too.  How amazing would it be to make it perfect again?  ...except that it's in Brownwood.

Perfect for the kitchen?  Sierra Blanca, TX.

Brownwood, Tx.  Looks kind of silly small.  Click for a larger version if you like.

My hotel again.

Sierra Blanca.  Sometimes, in buildings like these, I'm afraid I'll run into an illegal immigrant taking shelter after just having crossed the desert border...hasn't happened yet, but if it does, I just hope he or she lets me take a photo (and that I don't pee myself).

Another kitchen print?  Sierra Blanca, Tx.

Sierra Blanca.  If bottles & signs aren't exciting enough for you:  there's a border checkpoint right at Sierra Blanca on I-10 & just over a year ago, agents found a little weed on Willie Nelson's bus (I'm sure they were shocked).  As Willie says, "Tax it, regulate it and legalize it...And stop the border wars over drugs….Thousands of lives will be saved."  Agreed.  (p.s. Nellie the dog is really, as Matti sometimes calls her, Willie Nelson Rogness).

Yep, that is a tree growing out of a building and I was standing when I took the photo.  Brownwood again.

These (above & below) are both Sierra Blanca.  Chris loves that I make him stop on long trips to take photos of oddities.  In my defense, I really hate stopping when I'm on a road trip so I have to be super compelled to pull over.

By the way, Congratulations to Diantha- baby Bryce was born Saturday, which means baby photos next post!

Fredericksburg, Tee Ex

Fredericksburg is my best & I want to live there forever, I think.  Affording a house there might be another matter.  I took a break from bar study yesterday to take a day trip with Chris.  Not only is the town charming, but the German food is amazing (Chris likes the German beer too), the shopping is fun (there's a yarn shop I didn't get to), the architecture great, and it's near both Enchanted Rock & Llano (which is where Cooper's BBQ is located...no one has anything on Coopers, which we ate on our way back to Priddy.  Not only is the bbq the best ever, but it's served on paper sheets & you don't get your own table- we ate next to a couple of Canadians [who drove the whole way just for the cue...or not- I made that up] and Bill from Tow [pronounced t-ow as in owl], TX who is going to see Willie today at Austin City Limits.  Jealous.  I'll be watching video on Oil & Gas.  On to that.  Love, Sara

Ruidoso: Winter Trip

We checked out Ruidoso, NM this summer when Chris wanted to get out of the heat & you might remember that we weren't impressed.  Just because we aren't blown away by a place, doesn't mean we won't give it another try if there's snow tubing involved (see Auden & Matti catching air above).  That was fun (and I'd do it again any day).  Besides, if there's a town chock-full of amazing neon signs, it's Ruidoso (and only fabulous buildings top neon signs).   Chris & I decided that only the locals must ski there (due to unpredictable/shabby snow) and that's why it can't hold a candle to Vail or wherever.  We arrived back in El Paso just before noon on Sunday & I went straight into bar study.  It's been that and work and a car ride (where I justified 8 hours of knitting) and that's it ever since.  What I'm looking forward to next (besides Christmas)- I get to see some of the old HBA co-workers in Austin on Friday.  So. Very. Excited. Almost Merry Christmas & Love, Sara