Exploring North of Santa Fe

We had gone to Chimayo earlier but the place has become a tourist town. They have tried to fix up the church but it looks more like a tourist trap than the old historic church it use to be. Anyways, I didn't get any real good photos there. But, we stopped at a little store by the side of the road and while Roje flirted with the cashier, Dora and Elfida looked for things to buy, I walked across the road and found this interesting tree branch. It must have broken a one time but it survived and grew back against the trunk. It looked like a strange creature was trying to hug the tree.
The day started very warm and then the wind kicked up and the temperature dropped into the low 60s with a windchill factor of about minus 20 degrees. It was cold!!
We stopped at an old church and I made same walk across this wall four time before being satisfied with this photo.
Elfida found some protection from the cold wind behind this old door.

Hey, its Nacho Libre. "I don't believe in religion, only in science."

We made a sudden stop when we spotted something unusual for this part of the country. Roje went to photograph it and...Watch it Roje!!! That would have been funny... not to Roje, but to us...Okay, to me and Elfida mostly.

Well, that's one way to get water across a gully. Two hollowed out trees connected together spanning across the gully worked perfect. What crafsmanship!
That is increadible.

See how well it works.

We made it back to Santa Fe and went to the Olive Garden to eat. Roje, Dora and Sam review some of Roje's photos. We had a huge dinner. Elfida helped some young kid recover some money he had dropped on the floor. The money was picked up by an employee who hadn't turned it in to the lost and found. After dinner we went to the hotel and then spent an hour in the jacuzzi and the pool.

2nd day of Almaguer Road Trip 2008

Ok, its about 0200 AM and I am falling asleep. I loaded up the pictures and scanned through them. This are some of them. We had a great time walking downtown Santa Fe. Big tourist trap area. They have some nice art work on display. On this first picture I had to put the camera on top of a trash can and then run across the street to be in the picture.
This is the oldest house in New Mexico. Notice the sizes on the doors.
Had to get this quick one. I thought it was cool.

Caught this bumble bee feedings. We drove around Santa Fe just exploring the edges of town for about 3 hours.
Veterans memorial cemetery. Those crows were as big as turkeys!!
Found another cemetery and in it this strange looking plant. Sam had to smell it.

Elfida was walking when she said she felt a cold breeze touch her leg them her shoulder as she walked by this graves. They were two children's graves. If there are any dead people near, Elfida is going to sense them.

Hard to imagine that there were people here this long ago.

Very cool picture.

Roje took this one.
Heading back to the truck. Roje told me, "All we got to see was empty lots, rocks, dead people and old buildings!" He wants to go to the casinos.

We kind of got lost and ended up on a road at the top of a hill. The sun was just starting to set so we waited for about 15 minutes to catch this sun set. Ahhhhh...
We drove down the road looking for highway 84 and came up on another hill. This is what we saw from there. ooooooooh.... We ate at Applebee's again. Too tired to go anywhere else.
Well, got to go to sleep, we are getting up earlier tomorrow to explore the towns surrounding Santa Fe.

Almaguer Road Trip 2008

I got out of work at 07:00 AM. I got home expecting everybody to be ready to go. People were just getting out of bed. I fed the dogs and gave them fresh water. We started loading up the truck and managed to get out of Waco by 09:30. Our trip had stared. Roje drove first and Sam took the second shift. I slept taking a few pictures when ever I woke up in between naps.
We stopped at Clovis, New Mexico, to take a potty break and stretch out. We had gone through a rain storm just before coming into the town. The temperature went from 97 degrees to 67 degrees with in 15 minutes. It sure felt good.
Sam was driving down highway 84 when I saw an old church off to one side of the road. Sam made a U-turn and we were off on our first exploration. It was an old abandoned wooden structure that had been a church many years ago. The congregation long gone and the sermons silent for many years. It was in the town of Tiaban, New Mexico.

Sam did a thorough search of the base boards where the alter had once been. The old wooden floor was rotting, but still strong enough to hold our weight. When it was built there must have been no electricity there. The switches and outlets had been wired years later so they were on the outside of the walls.
Some other explorers less responsible that ourselves had left their mark on the wall.

It was still a very pretty building. It has aged gracefully and stands with much dignity.
I set my camera on the bed of the truck and set the automatic timer on. It took three tries before I manage to run from the truck all the way to the stairs and be sitting down before the camera took the picture. Dora, Elfida, Roje, Sam and I, the explorers for the 2008 Almaguer Road Trip.
I took this photo in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. I slept the rest of the trip until we made it to Santa Fe. It was a long 13 hour drive. We located our hotel after making Sam drive in circles for about 30 minutes. Everyone was tired so we walked a couple of hundred yards to the Applebee's and had dinner. After dinner it was time to crash out and get rested for tomorrow's adventure.
Oh yeah, Sam did violate the rule of Road Trips of never listening to directions from a rear seat passanger!

Summer days

As summer comes upon us, we grown ups worry about the lack of rain, high electric and water bills. Elfida and I were at Big Lots. We saw this swimming pool, 10 ft. diameter 2 ft. high. It went home with us. Aaron helped me put it up while Maiko cooked some meat on the grill. I had four kids in swim suits standing around watching the water in the pool slowly rise. Very slowly.
With about four inches of water, I could no longer look at the kids faces filled with anticipation. I gave the go ahead! Four inches was all the water they needed to forget the heat. They splashed, jumped, scooted, and dunked their heads in the cool, cool, clear water.

Oh yes, I envy them and their care free spirit. They can create so much joy out of so little. There were giggles, laughter, screams, and a few tears, all the confines of a small pool of water. Beautiful memories.
One day I was walking through the living room and heard a click, then a few seconds later another and it came every few seconds. I checked all over the room for the source. I found it under the buffet. It was a cry for help from a beetle trapped in a spider's web. Every so ofter it would find strength and twitch its body making it click, causing the spider to move away, then it would return to try and finish off its meal.
Saturday Elfida and I went to Ft. Worth to see Carlos. We got there while he was still a work, but he came out to meet us and get us our hotel room. He returned to work and we went out the lake at the base. We walked along the shore. I found this white flower with a small bee feeding off it. I stood over it trying to get a picture of the bee on the surface of the flower. That bee never cooperated.
Carlos came back as soon as he got out of work. It was a hot humid afternoon. He was looking great and we decided to go eat dinner at Pappadaux. We missed the exit twice and when we finally got there we couldn't find the front door. Ending up on a side entrance, Carlos pulled on the door but it was locked. We started to walk away when the door opened and a waitress called to us to come in. She even took us to a table by the window. No waiting. She was so nice. We also went to see a movie and when we walked into the theater it was almost full. We were standing at the bottom when a lady began to wave her arms and point to the seats behind her motioning with her hand that there were three chairs there. We must have met two of the most friendliest and helpful people in Ft. Worth that day.

We found this church and I went to photograph it. Carlos volunteered to take our picture. I think he's got his daddy's talent for taking pictures.

Not bad for two old grandparents.

I took this one of Elfida and Carlos having a good laugh...probably at my expense.
Yeah that's them again. Beautiful church.
We came upon Mr. Squirrel as we walked around the church. I think it was one of those psychotic killer squirrels. It had this crazy look in its eyes.

Yeah, it was ready to attack me, so we left in hurry. Yep, we met the two friendliest people in Ft. Worth and one crazy squirrel.

Rogelio and Yvonne Almaguer's Wedding

Well, we went to San Antonio to my nephew's wedding. It was great, good food, good music and lots of dancing. Rogelio Almaguer Jr. married Yvonne. Beautiful bride and of course being an Almaguer, a very handsom groom.

Okay, we called him Rojelin when he was little. Here they are with his parents.

And grandma with her son, grandson and bride.

The new Almaguer Family.

Bride and groom with the Luis Almaguer Family.

Carlos and Grandma.

Elfida took about 10 photos before the two of them behaved enough to get a normal picture.

Yvonne and Rojelin dancing.

Jorge Rangel, Carlos friend and guest at the wedding.

Carlos and Jorge in their uniforms. Real headturners everywhere they went. Lots of people came up to them to thank them for their military service. Everyone wanted to know if they had been to Iraq. A yes answer from both of them.

Of course Elfida had to have a picture with both Marines.

We took a family photo and Lily just had to be in the picture with her daddy.

Carlos went up to dance with Rojelin during the dollar dance.

Amy dancing with her daughters. Isabelle and Amy dance the Electric Slide together too.

Before the end of the night they started playing 60s music. Maria Elena, Carlos' aunt, came and got him to go dance with her. The DJ went into a 30 minute set of none stop twist, swim, and other 60s dance music.

Carlos was ready to pass out after that marathon dance. His aunt had to help him off the dance floor. Boy it was a fun night. Walking was painful the next day for just about everyone. Too much dancing!!!

The next day we went to my brother's house to eat breakfast. Carlos showed his new tattoos which I didn't know he had gotten. Well, someone named Tara wrote her name with a perma marker. He wouldn't tell us where that came from.
This one is suppose to be for his mom, but he won't put Elfida's name on it. Okay, got to go to the old website and remove some very old pictures of Rojelin from that site.