Monday, May 4, 2009
LBL Piney Campground, Dover, TN: Mar 23-24
We called ahead to make sure the south road in was suitable for an RV, and were told that yes, the road had finally been cleared. Cleared? Well, back in January there was a horrific ice storm lasting two days that covered everything within a 100-mile radius of Paducah, KY with at least an inch of ice, two inches near Paducah. Most trees lost all of their top branches, the less fortunate trees were toppled at the root or split down the middle. Roads were covered with branches or whole trees. All electricity was out for at least 5 days, some areas were inaccessible for over two weeks.
The campground itself was nicely situated at the southern end of Land Between the Lakes, the thin finger of land between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, which are formed by dams on the Tennessee & Cumberland Rivers. It was pretty muddy (it rained most of the time we were here) and fairly empty; we got a spot overlooking Kentucky Lake. We drove up to the Visitor Center at Golden Pond and bought tickets to two of the shows they have at the planetarium there. We also noticed an observatory, and asked the guy who was giving the shows about it. He turned out to be the director of the planetarium, and we had an enjoyable few minutes discussing astronomy with him. Trouble was, then every time he saw us he'd dash over with some new factoid about whatever. But we had a great time, nonetheless.We also decided to check out the little town of Cadiz on our way to a buffet lunch at nearby Lake Barkley State Park. We are always stumbling across painted animals, where locals are invited to decorate the animal & then they're all auctioned off for some worthy cause, and Cadiz had Painted Pigs. A few were sort of blah, but most were pretty cute. The buffet on the way home was very tasty, except we overate, as always. After the buffet we bought tickets for the Elk & Bison Prairie Drive. What an incredible waste of time & money! Time, because the tickets are little paper cards with a magnetic strip that you pass through a reader, which 99 times out of 100 would not read it. You spend more time trying to get into the place than the actual drive, which was EXTREMELY uninteresting. Maybe during the short period where there are lots of young elk & bison, it might be interesting, but we wouldn't do it again. We saw more bison & elk outside the area than inside it. The exhibits and planetarium shows at the VC, on the other hand, are all well worth it.
Corinth Gun Club & RV Park, Corinth, MS: Mar 21-22
No, that's not a typo, we really stayed at a gun club. This was actually our second choice -- we originally planned to stay at the Corinth Community Center, which we read had RV spaces. This was technically true, I suppose -- after driving around for a few minutes we found some really grungy electrical boxes, the kind you're not sure you want to touch if it's raining, which it was. We tried a few "sites", but none were anywhere near level, so we decided to try the gun club, hoping it didn't look quite so much like a construction site.
Corinth Gun Club etc was actually a nice place to spend a night or two. It rained most of the time we were here & no one was out shooting, so we didn't get to hear how intrusive the noise would have been. There is a lot of Civil War history in this area, but we have become fairly "Civil-Warred-out", so we passed on that opportunity. We mainly relaxed & shopped a bit to help out the local economy.DeWayne Hayes COE Rec Area, Columbus, MS: Mar 12-20
When we arrived here, we were told that one full-hookup site had just opened, and there was another rig driving around looking for a spot. Fortunately we got there first; otherwise, we would have had to join the constant parade of trucks hauling waste water to the dump station. This was spring break and every site seemed to have 3 or 4 kids running around contributing to the general mayhem. Even with all the children we still enjoyed our stay here. This is at least the fourth time we've parked here, and we never cease to be amazed at how really nice this campground is. It's also really reasonable ($9/night) due to our Senior Pass (tax dollars at work for something good!).
We ate out at a couple of our favorite places, including Jones Restaurant, a locally owned Black business, located in "Catfish Alley", a central meeting and business district for the Columbus African-American Community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name came from the aroma of catfish cooking in the alley. One could smell it across Main Street. The Alley held numerous businesses on both sides of the street, and for over 50 years, Jones Restaurant has represented a typical Catfish Alley business of the early years. Catfish Alley was the epicenter of blues, jazz, and soul music in North MS. Today it contains only two businesses and a historic plaque.
It rained most of the time we were here, so when we weren't playing duplicate bridge or eating out, we were hiding inside reading or playing on the computer. We have become somewhat addicted to Facebook. It was fun seeing all the people we knew from the two local bridge clubs. We also went with a carpool of people to a bridge tournament in Winona, MS, which was a fundraiser for the local library. We managed to place "in the money", which means points not $$$. All the money went to the local library, always a worthy cause.
The weather did get nice enough for us to stroll by the Tennessee Williams Home Visitor Center and attend a barbeque cookout festival that was mostly a judged competition (actually a series of competitions in a nation-wide circuit) that gave the winner bragging rights about their barbeque. There were a few vendors, and we were able to eat some really good barbequed pork (Yes, we became carnivores for this special occasion!).Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Legion State Park, Louisville, MS: Mar 6-12
We settled down for a week at this lovely state park, visiting friends & relatives in & around nearby Noxapater, where Willie's mother was born & her parents built the house where they lived out their retirement. It was great catching up with everyone, with definite undertones of sadness, since everyone we visited & everywhere we went reminded us of Tony & Ann, whom we both loved very much. We still miss them both.We are both doing well, and the cats love being in the warm, humid South. The young ones are as playful as ever. Plastic bags are not safe inside with Pandora around to chew holes in them! Since they have each other to roughhouse with, Trixie enjoys watching from the sidelines.
Rocky Springs Campground, Natchez Trace Parkway, MS: Mar 4-5
This is a free no-hookup campground that is one of our favorite stops when we can get in. It was practically empty this time, but is often full of winter visitors parked for a night or two before continuing north. Our favorite hiking trail, which takes you down a stretch of the Sunken Trace to the remains of the town of Rocky Springs, was closed (no reason given) so we satisfied ourselves by walking around the cg. We drove into nearby Port Gibson to gas up the truck, shop for groceries, and see if we could find an Internet connection.Diamond T RV Park, Pollock, LA: Feb 24-Mar 3
We have wonderful cousins, Joe & Marilyn Black, who live in Pineville, LA, adjacent to Alexandria, and we have searched for a decent and reasonably priced RV park to stay in while visiting with them. Thanks to a listing in the Escapees booklet, we may have finally found "the one". This is a wonderful, quiet, low-key park, with grassy spaces, pleasant views, and a resident cell tower which provides excellent reception. Most importantly, we were able to get here without passing through Alexandria, which is a dreadful city to drive through if you aren't familiar with it, and we always seem to wind up taking a wrong turn somewhere. We actually got lost this time while shopping (it didn't help that Google Maps had a non-existent street) and had to call Joe help.We really enjoyed great home-cooking by Marilyn (with able assistance from Joe!) and really good quality visiting time. Joe & Marilyn recently acquired a computer from their son-in-law, and we attempted to give them a crash course (no pun intended) in some of the basics without getting too complicated in our explanations.
We needed to do some shopping one day, but first we went to see the movie "Coraline" since they were showing it in 3-D. We have always enjoyed Tim Burton's movies, and this was no exception. The 3-D made it extra-special. Sunday we decided to visit the local bridge club and surprisingly came in first! You could have knocked us over with a feather, since we both thought we were struggling to stay out of last place.
It was sad parting with Joe & Marilyn, since we don't come East as much with Willie's parents both gone, and we're not sure when we'll be back. We're hoping to make a similar trip in 2 or 3 years.
Southern Leisure Resort, Many, LA: Feb 22-23
This "resort" is built on the top of a hill one mile into LA across the Sabine River (which separates TX & LA). The spaces are squeezed together in tight little rows with badly deteriorating electric boxes & water hookups that you just know you have to sanitize before using. None of the spaces are level. Ours was 2 inches off -- one of the more level spots in the park. We saw some RVs with as many as six boards under one side. We got here on a Sunday & the office was closed, so we drove around & couldn't find an open space until one helpful guy told us that one area that looked like a stretch of dirt road was actually a site, so we set up there. It had full hookups, and the manager drove by several times and never asked us to move, so we must have been okay.We spent much of our time driving around exploring or birding. While on the Texas side we saw a sign for Indian Mounds Rec Area, so we drove back to check it out. This is one of those places where they put a sign out on the main highway heading you down some road, and then never give you even a hint of how to get there after that. We drove here & there and finally decided to head back when we drove past the entrance sign. As much as we could tell, there were no Indian mounds, but there was a good-sized, practically empty campground with quite a few good solar sites -- unusual in this part of the country due to the ever-abundant tall trees. There used to be five camping loops but they had closed three of them, probably due to lack of use. The area is quite lovely but way too far off the "beaten path" for our future interest.
We continued back into LA & up towards Zwolle, stopping to check out a couple of campgrounds on the way. This part of the country, it turns out, is known for its tamales. Sort of bizarre when you think about it, since you associate LA with Cajun & Creole, and you don't associate tamales with either. The AAA guide recommended stopping in Zwolle for a tamale, and we were barely in town when we spotted the tamale company. They only sold by the dozen, however, so we bought 12 fresh, hot & spicy tamales that were so tasty that we each had 3 (they're not very big) and immediately ordered 2 more dozen frozen to squeeze into our freezer.
That evening on NPR we heard a segment about Comet Lulin, which was making what is believed to be a first-time pass through the solar system. We immediately went on heavens-above.com to pinpoint its exact location, which was good, since the description they gave on NPR somewhat off. It didn't take us long to locate it through our binoculars. A lot of people would not be impressed by this little comet looking very much like a tiny cloud, but for us this was very exciting knowing we're two of a small number of people to see it, and it may never pass by ever again.
Rainbow's End, Livingston, TX: Feb 15-21
The last time we were here they had the most wonderful instructor who really helped us on the road to becoming more proficient line-dancers, and she's still here! We really picked a good week to come, since in addition to the regular Monday-through-Saturday classes, there was a presentation at a local retirement community and a performance at the Mardi Gras dinner, both of which we were able to participate in. We also got to attend a yoga class a couple of times. The festive Mardi Gras dinner was delicious and VERY high carb, consisting of Jambalaya, cornbread & bread pudding.The main reason for our visit was to catch up with friends Sandi & Doug Cameron, who have been working here at the CARE center for almost 5 years. They never "planned" to stay this long, but one thing led to another. They hope to be traveling again in a year or so. We had managed to meet up with them many times when they were traveling, but we hadn't seen them at all since they settled here. It was great visiting with them, eating out at a yummy deli twice, and learning how their lives are going.
Colorado Landing, La Grange, TX: Feb 11-14
This nice Passport America park was chosen because of its location about halfway to our next destination. After we had already planned the stop, we found out it is one of Don & Janet's favorite campgrounds. We can see why. It is reasonably priced and in a lovely location, with nice level pull-thru spaces to add to the enjoyment. There are trails along the river (the Colorado River of Texas), where there is potential for bird watching.
Janet told us about the "painted church" in Ammannsville, so we inquired about it when we checked into the campground. It turns out that the surrounding area is famous for its painted churches -- there are at least 15 listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 
We visited six that were near La Grange, including the one in Ammannsville. "Painted" refers not to the exterior but to the interior walls & ceiling: lifelike foliage twines around the baseboards and up the columns; realistic murals decorate the apse. Inscriptions in the four Catholic churches we visited were in Czech; the two Lutheran churches used German.
The churches were built by the wave of immigrants attracted to the area after the end of the Mexican War in 1848 by cheap, fertile farm land, a mild climate, and terrain reminiscent of their homeland. 
One of these immigrants, Heinrich Kreische, bought land on a sandstone bluff overlooking La Grange. He was a stonemason by trade, but after building his home and settling in, he decided to build a brewery. The Monument Hill/Kreische Brewery State Historic Park protects the remains of the Kreische house & brewery and provides tours of each. What was most fascinating to us was the brewery overlook -- looking down on the remains was like looking down on a Chacoan great house. The building style was exactly the same, sandstone blocks & earthen mortar, and the circular cisterns looked so much like kivas it was spooky. It made us realize how advanced the Chacoans were that their style was so similar to that used by a master stonemason 800 years later.A short walk from the Kreische house is Monument Hill, a hallowed spot in Texas history. In 1848 the remains of men killed in the struggle for Texas independence were reburied here in a sandstone vault, one year before Kreische purchased the property. The monument is a memorial to the men who died in two separate incidents: the Dawson Massacre & the infamous "Black Bean Death Lottery". In 1842, Nicholas Dawson led a company of advance militia toward San Antonio to battle the Mexican invaders who had captured that city. As they approached Salado Creek, 500 Mexicans attacked, killing 36 of the 54 men. Later that year, over 300 soldiers ignored official orders & set out to avenge what had already become known as the Dawson Massacre. They marched south & attacked the border town of Ciudad Mier. 250 Texans were captured, but within 6 weeks, 181 had escaped. Within days, harsh desert conditions forced 176 of them to turn themselves in. Enraged by their defiance, Santa Anna ordered the execution of all 176, but diplomatic intervention from the US & Great Britain led to a compromise. Each recaptured escapee drew one bean from a pot containing 159 white beans & 17 black beans. Those who drew black beans were executed. The Kreische family did its best to care for the grave, but it suffered from lack of official oversight. The property was turned over to the state of Texas in 1905.
Pioneer RV Resort, Port Aransas, TX: Jan 28-Feb 10
We visited Pioneer on a bird-watching trip during our first winter on the road, and we were so impressed that we immediately made reservations for the next winter. We wound up spending time here for the next two winters. It was interesting revisiting, and seeing how much our idea of a "suitable" RV park has changed.
As Doug was backing in to our spot, we noticed huge clouds of white smoke pouring out of the tailpipe, so much that he could barely see to back in. The guy who led us to our spot opined that we probably had a blown head gasket. That diagnosis was confirmed by a trip to one of the three garages in Port Aransas -- they said our truck would be out of commission for at least a week. As places to get stuck without a truck go, Port Aransas is actually not that bad. We had several friends in the area who wanted to see us enough that they were willing to drive to see us. Plus there is a shuttle/trolley that comes to Pioneer and circles the town's many attractions.Fixing the truck (we were without it for 8 days) was inconvenient -- AND EXPENSIVE! -- but we saved money on gas. And, of course, we really had no viable alternative.
Speaking of expensive, this park was WAY too expensive. We wanted to return to it "for old times' sake", but we will pick a more reasonable (and less snooty) park for our next visit to the area. The rate for two weeks here was just slightly less than the monthly rate we paid in Carlsbad. Since we made our reservations so late, we were in the higher-priced section, which had mostly newer and more expensive rigs. We felt like the country cousins, and this image wasn't diminished by our smoke-filled arrival. It was nice to be right across the dunes from the beach, but we found we didn't actually go to the beach very often.
We hadn't seen friends Fred & Linda Lanoue since they had stopped traveling and settled down in Aransas Pass (just a short ferry ride from Port A). It was wonderful to see them and especially nice to see them and their two cats settled so very nicely into a lovely single-wide trailer on about 1 1/4 acres. It suits them so well and it is nice to have memories of them in their new place.
Don & Janet Lewis are friends we met when we first came to Pioneer, and we have been great friends ever since. However, we haven't gotten to see each other much in recent years. This was a good opportunity to catch up with them, since they spend their winters here. Don plays banjo and violin with a band (The Medicare Band) that plays at a local watering hole on Fridays & Sundays. It is very popular with its "big band" sound and has quite the following of excellent dancers and enthusiastic listeners. We enjoyed hearing & watching them several times.
Friends Mike & Scott, fellow Escapees who camp-host at Yellowstone in the summers, were also at Pioneer and we had a nice visit with them. Kari Klier, a percussionist friend we met in Boulder, came down from Austin with her new husband for a nice get-together one Saturday night. It was wonderful seeing her again & meeting Jake.Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wilders' Driveway, Harlingen, TX: Jan 20-27
When ex-fulltimer Janet Wilder read of our plan to come to eastern TX, she immediately wrote back offering us the RV pad beside their house. While we hadn't planned to come this far south, her generous offer made us rethink the schedule and add a week down here. There is excellent birding nearby, and we were sure we could amuse ourselves and enjoy Janet & Barry's company for a week. The RV spot is quite wonderful, with expansive views, full hookups, free WiFi, laundry, RO water, and an adorable Toy Poodle puppy (Mickey D) to play with. Barry brought the puppy by one day, and both the "new" cats viewed him & touched noses, with no hissing or spitting. The fact that they each outweigh Mickey D 2-to-1 probably has a lot to do with that.We tried out the local bridge club and found it to be definitely second-rate compared to the places we are used to playing. It is held at the local Elks Club and the bridge room adjoins the bar with no partition in between. The whole building smells like a dirty ashtray. When we mentioned this to one woman she looked shocked & said the game was "smoke-free". Here that only means that no one smokes at the game. They were having a tournament that weekend and we decided to play in the Sunday Swiss Team game if they could find a pair to make up our team. They found two women, who were both very nice but also very unsuited as partners. One was a beginner & the other an advanced Life Master. They miscommunicated all day long, but we still had two impressive wins and happily left with our dignity intact!
We went birding at nearby Estero Llano Grande State Park, about 25 miles from here. When we were here many years ago, one of the birds that had eluded us was the green kingfisher, and we hoped to see it. Our first outing to this park was pleasant, but pretty disappointing bird-wise. We saw one new species (tropical kingbird), only identifiable because of our guide was able to distinguish its song from the almost identical Couch's kingbird. 
For the rest of the outing we were shown places where rare birds had been earlier that day. We did see a black-throated magpie-jay, which is a Central American bird that does not migrate. They thought this bird had escaped, so it does not count on an "official" life list, but it was lovely to see.Saturday we accompanied Janet & Barry to a nearby flea market. This is a standard winter activity for RVers, and we needed to keep in the pattern. We mostly "window shopped" but did find a few things that we really needed plus some reasonably priced and excellent looking produce. The avocados from Mexico are especially wonderful.
We had one more day allotted to birding, and instead of trying someplace new, decided to return to Estero Llano, since there were continued reported sightings of some birds we hoped to see. The wind was blowing hard which usually makes for poor birding. However, we headed over to the pond area, where a kindly fellow birder encouraged us to wait around for a green kingfisher that had been there recently. It was worth the wait! We saw both the male & female, and we really got good looks at them both. Plus, we got to see the male catch a fish and fly away with it in its beak. Then we went on the guided walk into the area with the "real rarities". There were many excellent birders in the group, so there were lots of eyes searching. They found almost all the rarities, and we got to see two of them -- rose-throated becard & tropical parula. We were pretty happy!We really appreciate Janet & Barry for having such a wonderful RV pad to offer us. It is their way of keeping in touch with the RVing community, since they now live in a lovely home in Harlingen. It's wonderful to have such a friendly place to stay!
The weather here has been varied, but warm & humid for the most part. We know most of our readers are having lots of cold weather, but we are complaining about the heat & humidity now. I hope it won't be this way until we get west again! We both hate it when the pages of books start curling up and if you spill water on anything it takes several days for it to get dry. The forecast is for much cooler weather starting tomorrow, so who knows, next time we may be complaining about the cold!
Mathis Motor Inn & RV Park, Mathis, TX: Jan 18-19
This stop was at a Passport America park halfway to our next destination. It is near some areas of interest to birders, so we went out for a small bird walk at the City of Corpus Christi Wildlife Sanctuary, located at Lake Corpus Christi, in order to tune up our rusty birding skills. We needed to prepare for birding South Texas, a major world-class birding area. We had a pleasant walk and felt good about our abilities, considering how long it had been since our last real birding outing.Lone Star Corral SKP Co-Op, Hondo, TX: Jan 13-17
The main reason for this stop was to visit downtown San Antonio, which neither of us had ever seen. After planning our visit, we discovered that friends Larry & Claudia King had recently gotten a lot at this co-op and would actually be there when we were. We hadn't seen them for several years, so that was an added pleasant surprise. We had visited this co-op once in 2000 and for some reason found it unfriendly and just didn't like it at all. This visit we found people quite friendly and many things likeable about the park (not that we're longing to live here or anything -- just a much more favorable impression). It was great visiting with Larry & Claudia and learning more about their lives and their future travel plans. We were also pleasantly surprised at how good the line dancing classes were here. We were able to attend two of them.
We went to downtown San Antonio for one day, planning to return another day if we felt so inclined. We headed for the central area where we could park and walk around and see lots of places. We started at The Alamo and continued on to the Riverwalk area. Most people already know the story of The Alamo, which Texans rightly regard with unabashed pride. It was impressive to see the actual site. Also, for us "desert rats" the vegetation throughout the city was quite impressive. 
The Riverwalk was created in 1968 for a World's Fair, and has been maintained as a tourist attraction ever since. It is NOT just a mall beside a river, which is what we were expecting. It is an entire sunken area, lower than the main streets, with canals throughout & walkways on both sides. Foot bridges cross it, stairways go up to street level, streets cross above on bridges, and there are lovely boat rides. Restaurants of every variety and price range overlook the canal. Lights hang from all the trees -- it must be really lovely at night. Since we don't like navigating in unfamiliar places after dark, we didn't stay for that. 
With the help of numerous tourist maps, we were able to go up to street level to view several historic cathedrals and government buildings (San Fernando Cathedral, Bexar County Courthouse, St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Joseph's Cathedral). We saw the Hemisfair Park, with the Tower of the Americas (similar to the Space Needle in Seattle) and the Torch of Friendship statue. We wandered through La Villita, where historic houses have been restored and are now art galleries & shops. It was a very pleasant & interesting day, but we were not ready to take the 100-mile round trip & brave the traffic again in any of the following days!On our last day here (Saturday) the local fiddle club had a fiddle fest at the clubhouse. This consisted of a "backup group" (players from the fiddle club) and various people (of varying talent levels) playing their instrument and/or singing. There was a break for a delicious pot luck lunch, followed by more singing & playing until everyone ran out of songs. Since the backup group was so talented, even the inadequate singers were enjoyable. It was one of those occasions that makes Willie want to get out her violin and learn to play fiddle!
Schreiner City Park, Junction, TX: Jan 12
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This is a lovely city park beside the Llano River, which allows free camping (with no hookups). We enjoy the setting and were able to park right beside the river in a nice sunny spot (in order to get maximum solar power). There is a friendly little bridge club here, and we timed our stay to play in one of their two weekly games. Many of them remembered us from our stop four years ago. We came in second and were pleased. They urged us to stay longer, but we had to decline.Saturday, January 31, 2009
Parkview RV Park, Ft Stockton, TX: Jan 10-11
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Parkview is a Passport America park conveniently located a day's drive (for us) from Carlsbad. It has gotten some unfavorable reviews, but let's face it, this is West Texas, not the Hanging Gardens. West Texas is ugly, and the park is Spartan, but the spaces are large and they have free WiFi (not that we were able to connect to it) and the price was right. If you're ever stuck for something to do sometime, go to Ft Stockton and you'll find out what "stuck" really is. This town isn't dead, it's petrified. The highlight of our stay was grocery shopping (laughing our way through their "produce" section) & trying to find somewhere in town where you could buy a Sunday paper. We never did, which speaks for the literacy in Ft Stockton.Keystone Mobile Home Park, Carlsbad, NM: Dec 5-Jan 9
As the name implies, the park caters mainly to mobile homes, but does accept a few RVs, usually for longer than the month that we stayed -- actually one month plus one week, even though we were only charged for a month (such is small town USA). The park's location turned out pretty ideal for our stay, since we were spending much of our time playing bridge or line dancing, and the Senior Center where these were held was only a short drive away. Not surprisingly, we discovered a few bridge players & line dancers live here permanently.
We planned our arrival to coincide with the STaC (Sectional Tournament at Club) bridge games, a week-long nationwide event where the same hands are played at all participating clubs. It's a good chance to see how you "stack" up (har har) against the entire ACBL. STaC week in Carlsbad culminates with their Christmas Party, held at the local Best Western. First we all play bridge, then margaritas are served (the losers always suggest that next year the order be reversed!), then dinner & socializing. The mood this year was dampened a bit by the non-appearance of Judy Hanttula, who was called away because her mother, Mary Thomas, had taken a turn for the worse in her battle with liver cancer. Unfortunately, Mary passed away the next day. When we first played at Carlsbad, Judy & Mary greeted us like long-lost friends and were instrumental in our joining the ACBL and the Carlsbad club. We loved playing bridge with them & loved talking with them before & after the games. Mary will be missed by the entire club. Doug thought the memorial service was the most uplifting he had ever attended (Willie was unable to attend due to a doctor's appt -- the only time she could fit in during our entire stay, doctors being pretty scarce here).We were pleased to learn that the line dancers were having a Christmas Party, where line dancers from around the state (& Texas) are invited to attend. Every year the instructor spends I-don't-know-how-many hours setting the latest dances to holiday music, which we then practice all of December & perform at the party. There are actually two senior centers in Carlsbad, each with its own line dancing. North is where we play bridge and do most of our line dancing. South caters to the less-affluent & Hispanics, definitely the poor cousin. We enjoy the line dancing at South at least as much as at North, but due to conflicts can only attend once/week. South attended the Christmas Party, but also decided to have their own party, finally agreed upon on Dec 30 (sort of a New Year's Eve Eve Party). It was at a local watering-hole with a DJ who played CDs from class. There was lots of beer, cheap happy hour food & everyone had a great time.
We got to participate in another Carlsbad bridge tradition -- the New Year's Eve party, which is a potluck followed by bridge. Usually when you play duplicate bridge, you keep the same partner for the entire game. Not here. Someone figured out a rotation where each round you have a new hand & a new partner. It was enjoyable, although I wouldn't have minded playing more than one hand with some partners (and fewer than one hand with others!). Neither of us did well enough to get any master points, at least not until Willie found a few scoring errors. Allow me to digress for a minute to explain that there are two annual master point "races" (who has earned the most master-points) within the ACBL in various categories, and that we had led both races in our category for our unit (Carlsbad) all year. Since we always play with each other as partners, we were always co-leaders. Well, when Willie discovered the errors, it bumped her score up a little, but due to the vagaries of duplicate scoring, it actually bumped Doug up even more, enough that he earned a whopping 0.08 master point, which, much to Willie's chagrin, put him alone in first place in both races.
We found time to attend 3 Christmas concerts. The first was a concert by Santa Fe Opera Apprentices. We were surprised when a trio of singers with piano accompaniment appeared -- for some reason we were expecting a chorus. The singers were quite good (of course) and the selections, a mix of obscure & traditional, made for a quite pleasant evening. Next was the Carlsbad Choirs concert. The choirs are comprised of "good" and "very good" high-school students who were both excellent. The soloists did not shine, due to poor sound equipment. There is only one major auditorium for students in Carlsbad, so they were not able to practice in that venue. There was a "guest appearance" by the Riverside Elementary Third Graders, led by a remarkably talented woman (who turned out to be the daughter of fellow bridge players). Usually children's choirs are mainly "cutesy" with little talent and even less discipline. This was not the case here. She kept these kids in perfect order, and they performed a delightful musical skit called "How the Penguins Saved Christmas" with the cutest costumes you could imagine. They were certainly the highlight of the concert. The third concert was a "Dessert Concert" at the First United Methodist Church. This was an interesting experiment with serving dessert while various people sang and then adjourning to the sanctuary while various choirs performed. Here there were abundant children of the "cutesy" variety, lots of chaos and a bit of good singing. It was quite festive!
Since it was "only" 280 miles to Albuquerque, we decided to spend Christmas with Gayle, Bob & Paula. Gayle made reservations for us in one of the guest rooms at La Vida Llena, and Bob & Paula committed to feeding us all dinner for the two nights of our visit. We decided to rent a car for the trip to save on gas and wear-and-tear on the truck. A friend from our bridge club (who lives right behind us) agreed to take care of the cats. It was hard to leave the cats, as we are so unused to being without them, but we all survived the separation!
Albuquerque is delightful to visit on Christmas Eve. There is a Christmas Eve tradition to light luminarias (small candles placed in brown paper bags) throughout the town, but especially in certain neighborhoods, one of which was Bob & Paula's (Nob Hill). You either walk or drive to view them, but walking is definitely preferable. Words cannot express how exquisitely lovely it is to walk through a neighborhood where all the streets, sidewalks, driveways, and architectural features of the houses are lined with softly glowing luminarias. The "real" candles are so much more attractive than the currently popular electric luminarias.
Bob & Paula created marvelous meals for Christmas Eve & Christmas, and we came away stuffed both times. We really enjoyed the visit, despite having to rush away Friday morning before a storm hit (when we got back to Carlsbad the temp was 70 but it was snowing in ABQ).
No trip to Carlsbad is complete without a visit to Carlsbad Cavern NP. For our New Year's Day & 17th Wedding Anniversary celebration, we decided to eat out at a Chinese buffet and visit the Caverns. The Chinese food was filling and adequate. We'll try another more highly rated buffet next time. The Caverns were, as usual, quite lovely, although there were a lot more people than we were expecting. What happened to all the people who used to stay home and watch football on New Year's Day? We enjoy visiting Carlsbad because you can wander the main route on your own and you don't have to be led by a tour guide (and we get in free with Willie's Golden Age Pass). We lingered until the last elevator was leaving.Harvey Hicks, one of the founders of our bridge club, has spent many years roaming the countryside around Carlsbad, and in so doing has found numerous ancient sites on both public & private lands. He offered to take us to a nearby pithouse village site & we quickly accepted. It was very interesting to see and to hear about the history of this land. Harvey has an extensive collection of points, dating back to the earliest hunter-gatherers. More outings are promised for future visits.
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Carlsbad and hope to stay longer next year. It still has a few drawbacks (lack of decent shopping and doctors), but the people more than make up for that.