My cousin Dennis taking us for a boat ride on Lake Waco, TX
As hubby alluded to in the last post, we went to Colorado via the ‘long way’ earlier this May. First driving for 17 hours straight through to Waco, TX to visit my baby cousin and his family (and to do some business with a colleague in Houston).
Then off to Las Cruces, NM (a breezy 10 hour drive) – land of hubby’s adolescence, our newlywed life and ‘the compound’.
A favorite spot to wander the desert in Las Cruces, NM
LCNM revisited (thoughts)
Sometimes ya gotta be away before ya can come back…or at the very least appreciate what ya left (for whatever reason).
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with this place known as Las Cruces, New Mexico. Town where we moved for hubby to finish his degree at NMSU after we first got married; place filled with his side of the family or in other words: my in-laws. Not inherently a bad thing, just harder to make one’s mark on a new marriage when there are lots of others hovering overhead. Plus life in married student housing was fun except for the crash course in the myriad varieties of roaches and ants harbored and lurking within the requisite 300 square foot cinderblock walls…
Our first-born was indeed born there, in fact, she was the first baby born for the New Year that year (1982). Cool. We couldn’t wait for all the diapers and other baby items everyone said the city would be bestowing upon us because of that incident of nature; we really needed the help with that kind of stuff being poor students and all…except the year before, the city made such a big deal over Baby New Year that it backfired on them since there were some shady relatives, legal circumstances and secrets now publicly revealed surrounding the family that innocent baby was born into.
So, no freebies for us, though we did get a great write up in the local newspaper and enthusiastic announcements on several of the local radio stations.
Oh well, didn’t matter much since we left for the Bay area soon after hubby graduated – within the first month of our Havilah’s life – to pursue his new job at HP (Hewlett/Packard) as a little family without either side of our families too near. And that’s when we grew the most as a three-some; and when our hearts yearned to be closer to both our families…go figure!
After a few days we were back on the road. The familiar I-25 trail took us to Colorado in the usual 9-10 hour time frame. Also, since we know that route by heart, it is less stressful in terms of placement of rest stops and timing on the one gas fill-up necessary to complete the journey.
Bruno’s Purple Giants – Irises in the family and transplanted in our various gardens for almost 50 years (last vestiges shown here in a corner of Ma&Dad’s neglected garden)
Once at Ma & Dad’s place, the dominoes aligned into classic form, readying for that one touch to start the tumbling of items needed to get their estate settled.
For good.
Now that most of the sorting and sifting of the stuff of lives has been completed, I still have much to do to get the house ready for listing, but as a professional real estate agent told me: “You’re on the right path…almost there.”
After a mere 10 days back here in SC for already-on-the-calendar doctor’s appointments/tests and other commitments, we’ll be heading out again to Colorado, land of my (he)art, gearing up and plowing through to the finish line to ‘git ‘er done*’ with all things related to selling the house.
The housing market is rich with possibilities, wish us luck.
* thank you Anna for lending me this phrase
On the day before this year’s Summer Solstice, I’m leaving you with a bit of Manc Music in honor of the turning of seasons. Here are Mancunian native sons, the Courteeners, with Summer.
Laura, a heartfelt trip and post … touching on your memories as young! A tricky start but it seems you three found yourselves and grew ever closer once further away from the family. Yep, strange and yet typical how you missed them!
I must say I am so impressed with you driving all these distances!! Seventeen hours in a car would drive me barmy – I don’t know if it just the traffic in the UK that makes it such an unpleasant experience. I love the photos, the desert looks just like I’d imagine it – you wouldn’t want to get lost there!
Thanks for joining with me in my musings!
I hope to hear of your summer adventures in future posts.
😉
I’ve been to Colorado many many times. My middle daughter lived there for decades. We really enjoyed visiting her. Now she returned home so no more trips out West.
Ahhh, but the best part is that you no longer need to go out West…Nice that you’re all together again (well, closer than before!)
Peace and joy are yours!! Colorado is where my heart is, too!!
There’s more than just orange crush in them thar hills!
😉
Nice post, Laura. You can do it!!
yep, gearing up for that final push starting next week – thanks for the cheers
Settling an estate is sobering work. Made me re-think the value of possessions. Good luck!
The best part is that I’ve discovered new fact/quirks of my folks revealed through the scraps and bits.
I feel a little silly, when you wrote in my blog (he)art, I missed it but not here. Ah yes, good luck and many blessings!
Thanks, Jane!
You’ll get everything done, Laura…I have faith in you. I still can’t believe the Camry has that many miles! I’m a huge fan of the Toyota. I used to own one myself. My aunt and uncle moved from Denver to Las Cruces…they love it there. Safe travels!
Thanks for the encouragement, Jill.
We’re hoping to get our Toy to 420K…you know, making sure we get ‘back from the moon’. But if not, it’s been a wild ride, that’s for sure!
BTW: You should visit those relatives of yours…desert heat is soooo much easier to handle than southern heat IMHO! HA!
Enjoy your summer.
Good musical choice! I think I told you that not only are The Courteeners Mancs they are also Middletonians like myself and how I managed to get hold of some autographed singles for my daughter Courtney who is a big fan. She loves these and Blossoms.
Longest day tomorrow-have a great summer!
Oh wow – a double musical whammy! I’m thinking some of the visuals in their videos are of Manchester? I recognize some skyline shots.
Lucky Courtney to have her Dad get those autographs – and that you share a similar love of their music.
Lucky me to have a Manc buddy who introduced me to this slice of the musical world!!!!
🙂
The home my brothers and I sold after my father died was the home I was brought home from the hospital to, and the one I grew up in. Going through and offloading the years and years of accumulations – sentimental and not – was a big job. Since I still live in the same town, I drive by the house now and then. I am always happy to see signs of family life… a bike in the driveway, new plantings in the yard, toys on the lawn. I don’t envy you your task but the final outcome – hopefully a successful sale – will most likely be very sad but also liberating.
I remember a post you had about sorting through ‘the stuff’ of lives…It has taken this long (Dad passed away in 2016) to sift through all those files, and piles and mystery boxes!!! I wonder if it’s a gender-thing as my brother really didn’t care about going through much of it…at least that’s what he says. Afterall, he knows I’m the organizer/sorter of the two of us.
I am happy (seems somehow easier to deal with) that this house was not the house of my childhood, but still part of the heart of our family. It holds memories of family times with three and sometimes four generations where my own kiddos were the youngest tier…
I like that you can see your family home still functioning as the heart of the family even if not your own…that it’s somehow continuing its purpose.
You can do IT! Love the tunes and keep moving forward!
Thanks for the support, mia sorella-amica!
And I see that the rest of my comment didn’t make it. This happens when I make separate paragraphs. The rest was “I’m sorry you didn’t get the freebies when your daughter was born. ☹️ What a tempestuous time. Glad you were able to move on.”
😉
Oh my goodness, Laura! You have been on the road this year. And about to head out again! May you be protected on your road. Thank you for the Manc music! Sounds like great travel music. Perfect for summer.
Yeah, old faithful #2, the 2003 Camry, has 385+K on it now…not quite back from the moon, but getting there!