Elephant Butte sunset

We are currently at Elephant Butte Lake state park South Monticello campground New Mexico, about 140 miles south of Albuquerque.
Sunsets like this are not common, but with a huge winter storm crossing the country north of us, the conditions are good: dust and clouds.

Pancho Villa Drama

Stunning sunset 5:27 PM December 11th at Columbus New Mexico. View from the Pancho Villa campground to the southwest over the Mexico border.

Another new painting

I did this little painting of Saguaro cactus in bloom last week, and neglected to post it!
A couple years ago we were in the Sonoran Desert late enough in the spring to witness these mighty ancient giants blooming - what treat!

Another Moving Monday

Today we moved from South Monticello campground in Elephant Butte Lake state park to Pancho Villa state park New Mexico. This park is near the Mexico border town of Puerto Palomas.

A winter rain storm pushed across southern New Mexico today. We had some light rain, not much. The rain lifted and the clouds hanging on the Florida Mountains south of Deming were stunning.

This campground obviously experienced a deluge; all the RV sites are very muddy and some have small lakes. We chose a site on the desert edge where we have great views of the surrounding varietal cactus and other desert vegetation. Took a while to get this big rig parked so we aren't stepping out in a mud puddle! Ah, but tomorrow will be warm and sunny 😊.

Good Morning, December!

Shot out the kitchen window of our trailer at South Monticello Campground, Elephant Butte Lake State Park in New Mexico. You can see a sliver of the Rio Grand River.
I love this place!

Monday Move Day

A fairly easy move today from Oliver Lee State Park to South Monticello campground at Elephant Butte Lake State Park on the Rio Grand between Albuquerque and Las Cruces. We have been here before, and really like this place in the middle of nowhere. The lake is higher than we've ever seen it - too bad it's too cold to go kayaking. But there will be plenty of hikes.

A NEW PAINTING!

After a long hiatus, I got out my paints and actually completed a little 5x9 watercolor. I sized it to fit a spot in our 'great room' that's just begging for a splash of color.
This is the Rio Chama in north central New Mexico. We spent a couple weeks in that area a few years ago when the fall colors were absolutely spectacular.

Enchanting View

We have been to Oliver Lee State Park several times in Autumn, and this tree has always been absolutely glowing. This is the view  from our patio.

The haze you see on the mountainside is gypsum dust from White Sands. We need a few windless days to clear that out; luckily, it doesn't seem to bother either of us.

An Enchanting Land

We are currently parked at Oliver Lee State Park near White Sands National Monument and Alamogordo New Mexico. We have stayed at this park several times; it is a favorite. Nestled in the foothills, this is home to a great variety of high desert vegetation, many varieties of cactus and yucca. We are often treated to spectacular sunsets.

Color Me Home #5

Finally, the bedroom.
The two wildflower paintings, Arctic Gentian & Mariposa Lily, are remnants from pre-RVing days - a couple of my favorites.
The ballerina is a scratch art I did when I was about 15, and what prompted my hubby to give me the watercolor class that launched my art career.

Color Me Home #4

The Osprey and Ravens are in the bathroom.
And this is what you seen upon exiting the bathroom. The CityScene is Riomaggori in the Cinque Terra on Italy's Riviera - a delightful not-to-be-missed destination.

Color Me Home #3

What we see coming out of the bedroom, down the steps to the 'great room'.
This lady from Venice Italy must be glad her apartment is on an upper floor; the street below is now flooded.

Color Me Home #2

Some of the paintings now residing in our 'great room'.

Color Me Home!

I finally got all my paintings installed in our new trailer. What I thought would be a fun little afternoon project turned into many hours of work. Those who know about such things will appreciate this.
First, a bunch of my paintings were done in trapezoidal shapes to match the sloped roofline in our old trailer; new trailer has a much steeper slope so those paintings had to be cut to rectangular pieces.
While I was at it, I decided everything looked better with a 1/4" black border. So I had to locate black foam core and then cut backing for 30 pieces. I also found clear acetate bags and wrapping at the art supply store in Santa Fe.

The process was mount the painting securely on the foam core, leaving 1/4" border, then wrap in clear protective acetate, then mount on the walls - no picture hooks in a trailer, double-stick foam tape seems to work best. The walls themselves had a surface that nothing seems to stick to so required some careful prep.
The final stage - actually getting them up - was fun, much like hanging a show.

These are what I see from the kitchen Island and up the stairs to the bedroom & bathroom.

Whew!

We left Sturgis SD on September 29th, after taking possession of our new trailer, moving & getting settled, several trips to the dealer for minor adjustments. While in South Dakota we got to spend time with my cousins Paula and Arlen - always so nice to get together!
We headed south, spending one night in Lusk WY before parking the rig at Boyd Lake State Park near Loveland CO for 3 days; we took care of the annual medical stuff with our wonderful long-time PCP.
Just a short trip to Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood CO where we stayed 4 days and had time with my son Scott & his wife Belinda, plus grandsons Justin & Nehemiah; also had a visit with granddaughter Brittany & her fellow Gabe. Wonderful family!
On south & west for another one night stand at Del Norte CO before 6 days in Durango where we had time with grandson Miles and his new bride Jaime. More great family time.
Then into the Land of Enchantment, where we had a restful 2 weeks at Navajo Lake State Park east of Farmington, just us two.
Next stop was Cochiti Lake, southwest of Santa Fe NM for a week. I reconnected with my niece Maggie & her new hubby Matt, and also with ex sister-in-law Shirley, who I hadn't seen since the late 80s. Wonderful!
And now we are at Santa Rosa Lake State Park, east of Albuquerque, one of our favorite places for a little R&R.

Six weeks, eight stops! That brings us up to date.

Out New Mobile Casita

We took possession of our new 5th wheel trailer today!
While it is only 18" longer than our old one, it has tons more storage and many amenities that will make our RVing life easier and even more pleasurable. It is also much higher quality, and the furniture is even pretty decent.

Some of the niceties: fireplace under the TV, convection microwave + great cooktop + full oven, 12 cu ft refrigerator, hutch buffet, kitchen island, large shower, huge bedroom closet. Bonuses include very quiet air conditioner, furnace, and kitchen exhaust fan - the ones in the old rig are gawdawful noisy.

It is light and airy with great windows, which makes us both happy. And there's even plenty of wall space for my paintings. It will be interesting to see which existing paintings can be worked in; I'm sure there will be spaces for new works. 🤗

Last call

Our last stop with our current trailer- Sturgis SD.
We pick up our brand new 5th wheel in a couple days. It will be another learning curve.

Nice day after a stormy night of thunderstorms, heavy rain, and hail. Luckily no major damage, and also not much sleep.

En route to Sturgis we met my cousin Marilyn Hanson from Omaha at Wall Drug. She had just done a whirlwind trip to the Black Hills and we managed to coordinate a visit over ice cream! Pretty special.

DIGNITY on the bluff

Today we moved 160 miles farther west along I-90 in South Dakota. We stopped at the Visitor Center at Chamberlain, which has an excellent Lewis & Clark Expedition exhibit. This is also the location of the 'Dignity' statue, which I have been anxious to see.

It was raining. So gray skies, but the view of the Missouri River is still spectacular. In the distance, note the old Chamberlain Bridge; it originally spanned the river, bank to bank, but after the dam projects of the 50s it was not long enough to span the newly-created lake. A causeway was built to reach the bridge, which was actually lowered on the west side. Interesting bit of trivia - or perhaps modern day folklore.

The Dignity sculpture is a stunning combination of art and history. Located on a bluff between exits 263 and 265 on Interstate 90 near Chamberlain, the stainless steel, 50-foot-tall statue was specifically designed by sculptor Dale Lamphere to honor the cultures of the Lakota and Dakota people. That’s why he used three Native American models ages 14, 29 and 55 to perfect the face of Dignity.

“Dignity represents the courage, perseverance and wisdom of the Lakota and Dakota culture in South Dakota,” Lamphere said. “My hope is that the sculpture might serve as a symbol of respect and promise for the future.”~~~~ from the Travel South Dakota website

Old church replica

This replica of the original church was built at 1/3 scale and donated to the church. It stands on the new church property.

Lunch in the churchyard

We sometimes pull into church parking lots when we travel; they often have nice big level lots that are easy in & out with our rig. Today, out in the middle of farmland, we pulled into a church that was such a delightful surprise.

Vestre Nidaros Kirke is Norwegian and translates to Western Nidaro Church. This is a Norwegian Lutheran church with a long and eventful history. It was especially interesting to me as my paternal grandmother, whose parents immigrated from Norway, grew up in this part of SD - and we are a bunch of Lutherans.

History lesson from Wikipedia:  Nidaros, Niðarós or Niðaróss was the medieval name of Trondheim when it was the capital of Norway's first Christian kings. It was named for its position at the mouth (Old Norse: óss) of the River Nid (the present-day Nidelva).

Although the capital was later moved to Oslo, Nidaros remained the centre of Norway's spiritual life until the Protestant Reformation. The Archdiocese of Nidaros was separated from Lund (in Scania) by the papal legate Nicholas Breakspeare in 1152, and the shrine to Saint Olaf in Nidaros Cathedral was Northern Europe's most important pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages. Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson led Norway in its attempted resistance against the Danish Reformation, and was forced into exile by King Christian III in 1537. The archdiocese was abolished and replaced with a Lutheran diocese.^[1]

When I was young

I grew up in southeast South Dakota, in Vermillion.
Today we traveled from Granite Falls MN to Mitchell SD, along secondary highways. It was great to drive through farm country, our Heartland - triggered some nostalgia.

I am concerned for the many small family farms that are planted mostly in soybeans and corn. Currently, there is no market for harvest. Even if the trade war with China is resolved in the near future, China has already contracted with suppliers elsewhere. Once you lose a customer it's darned hard to get them back.

I'm amazed at how green it still is this last week of August. There are humungous grain elevators and silos all along the route we traveled.

Heading for the Black Hills

Another move, west and south in Minnesota. We have a few days in Granite Falls. Another 'middle of nowhere'!

Lest I forget

We saw a bear cub today, dead along Hwy 53 in Wisconsin. 😥

Yah, sure, ya betcha!

We moved west & south today and are in yet another 'middle of nowhere' - this time in Minnesota.