Another Beautiful Day in Arrey

I hope all the ladies reading this had a very nice Mother's Day yesterday.  I hope you had a chance to spend time with your children, and enjoyed a day filled with warmth and love.  Children should remember to "Honor thy Father and Mother" every day, but it's nice to have a special day to honor our parents.  Those of us who no longer have parents would love to have one more day to spend with them and a chance to thank them one more time for how much they gave to us.  To any out there who are estranged from your parents, for any reason at all, please reach out to them now.  None of us knows how much longer we, or our parents, have on earth.  Before you know  it, it will be too late, and you will be filled with regret that you didn't tell them how much you loved them.  Please don't put it off, or you may be very, very sorry.
We had a very nice day.  After a lovely breakfast that Jim made, we went to church in TorC.  The choir sang two of my grandmother's favorite hymns:  The Old Rugged Cross and Amazing Grace.  The pastor gave out Bible bookmarks to all the mothers that were there.  Later in the day, we invited Janice (below is the promised picture of our friend Janice)

 to join us for a delicious dinner and had angel food cake for dessert.  In the evening we sat outside and watched yet another spectacular sunset.  One might think all sunsets are about the same, but if you did, you would be very mistaken.

 This is looking over towards the east and the office here in the park.

 These are looking west, outside the park.Below are views as it got later in the evening and the sky got darker. 

As you can see, the beauty here is amazing and ever changing as we watch it and thank God for all He has blessed us with.
Now to back track a bit, Manny came out on Thursday and re-sealed the cracks on the roof of our RV, but we also found out that we need to have the slides and windows re-sealed too, which he is going to do next week.  It is not cheap, but much less expensive than if we get a leak and have to have major repairs done to the RV.  Tomorrow Sal is coming out to wash and wax and detail the RV from top to bottom.  And on Thursday of this week, Larry of Larry's Mobile RV Service is coming up from Las Cruces to install the EZ connectors, to replace the cable that broke loose and did all the damage to the car back in March.  Then all we have left to do will be to get the RV registered, once the DMV gets the copy of the title from South Dakota.  

On Friday we went to Hatch to Franciscan RV to get a replacement cover for the bathroom ceiling vent.  There was much to see, and photograph there.

 I'm not sure how this piano got dropped on top of the AirStream trailer, but it catches your eye.

 They have an open garage of vintage cars on display and some are even for sale.
 I had to take a

picture of her, just because she was there!  Below is a picture taken inside of two player pianos they had.

Next door to this RV service place was a store called Hatch Chile Express.


 
It was a gold mine of things I just had to have!
These wind socks and dried chilies were hanging outside.  I bought the wind sock you can see to the far left in the picture above.

 This beautiful display of chili pepper crosses impressed me, but I felt we couldn't risk the dogs getting hold of one and chewing on it!

Jim took this picture when we first entered the store, and yes that is the back of  my head in the lower right corner.....my best side.  I was able to get some MILD green chili salsa from Las Cruces, made with Hatch chilies, and I bought a magnetic cross to add to my magnet board over the end of the couch.  I got a cute tee shirt and a chili dog shot glass, and a beer stein from Hatch for Jim.  It was a really nice outing!!!

It is time to close now.  I would like to include some "Mom"-isms that were printed in the church bulletin yesterday.
The term "working mother" is redundant.
Mother is a verb.  It's something you do, not just who you are.
A mother is not someone you lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.
Nothing is really lost until your mom can't find it.
Life doesn't come with a manual.  It comes with a mom.

I would like to add that becoming a mom doesn't come with a manual either.  We learn as we go along, and we definitely make mistakes, but we never stop loving our children, and we never stop worrying about them.  If you still have a mom, please love her, and forgive her for all the mistakes she made.  She did the best she could.  She gave you life and then tried to guide you to become the best person you can be.  She prayed for you and watch you grow.  God knows how much she loved you, so please let her know you appreciate all she did, and the sacrifices she made for you.  Now, keep the shiny side up and enjoy this wonderful, if not perfect life you have.  It IS a grand gift from God.

The Fiesta Parade and More

Hi Everyone,  

I truly hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Before I get into how grand ours was, I want to try to answer a question that was asked of me.  I was asked what made us choose New Mexico for our home, and what we love most about being here.  First of all, is that the beauty of the landscape is almost too much to put into words.  If someone had said years ago, that I would come to love the desert for it's beauty, I might have told them they were out of their minds!  To just pass through this area quickly, one can miss much of what is here.  It takes time to see all there is; and all this beauty changes with each passing day.  But it's not just the scenery, which could be enough for some people.  For us it was also the people.  People here are kind, friendly and generous.  They trust others, not like in some areas where people are suspicious and afraid of each other.  The people here have welcomed us, and reached out to us.  The people at the lovely First Baptist Church greet us with joy and friendship every week when we come in. 
 

I took this picture Saturday morning from the parking lot of the A&B Drive-in across the street, before the parade began.


Janice McCravey, the owner/manager of this RV park, Arrey RV Park, is incredible.  
I am sorry this is not a good picture of Janice, who is a beautiful person and has become a good friend to us.  I promise I will get a better picture of her for the next blog posting.

When we chat and I tell her whatever I've been having a problem with, she gets on her smart phone, and looks up whatever it is I need help with.  Maybe I could do the same thing on my computer (since we don't have smart phones) but SHE does it because she wants to help us out, and sometimes she knows better than I would, just where to look for something.  This RV park is not the biggest park around, but it IS the friendliest!  In the evening, residents sit around together and swap stories, and just enjoy the congeniality of being together. We have pot luck dinners at least once a month, so that gives us a chance to meet and enjoy the company of campers who are passing through too.  Janice and her daughter, and Jerry are working very hard to get this park cleaned up and they are doing a great job!  The previous manager had some unfortunate health issues and was not able to do all that was needed to keep this place in great shape; but changes are happening, and this is a great RV park to visit.  


Now for the pictures and stories about the Fiesta Day Parade.  We are told that the Fiesta is the biggest event of the year in TorC.  The parade is well attended, and enthusiastically supported.

Our friend Ric is watching from in front of the church.  He is the one in the blue shirt and the drill instructor's hat.

 The local and area law enforcement take part in the parade, as do all of the fire departments from around the area.

 How cute is that?  As you can see, on the right is our own local truck.

Young men and women of the local ROTC proudly marched by.

We have not had the opportunity to meet this lady, but she looks like she could be quite a personality!

I kept this picture full sized so you can see that the girls are in poodle skirts and the boys are in jeans and white tee shirts.  Since this Fiesta began back in the 1950's, I think maybe that's the reason for the outfits. 

This lovely young lady is the Fiesta Queen.  She seemed like a delightful person as she smiled and waved to one and all.

After her came the Hatch Valley Chile Queen, appropriately wearing a red hot chili colored dress!

Here comes Doc Holiday and a colorful local lady!

This float was from the Geronimo Museum in TorC and shows local attire from the earlier days of this area.

I don't know the name of this group of riders, but they sure did look good.

As you must know, this is a desert and brush fires are an ever-present danger, so the parade included Smokey the Bear and a forest ranger in a cute antique vehicle.  Below is a float from    the New Mexico State Veterans Home.
 
I guess everybody wants to get into the party!  And it really WAS a party.

This cute float was from one of the local hot springs, called The Pelican Spa, here in TorC.

This group of ladies are from the Red Hat Society in Elephant Butte, having a grand time for themselves!  We got a real kick out of the remote control car from Fast Stop, below..........and it was 
so fast that it took me several tries to catch a picture of it scooting around in the street!

This was the Shriner's Train.  They help support the Shriner's Hospitals for children. 

 I'm not sure who sponsored this van, but they were celebrating "WHATEVER" on their vehicle.

 This float was celebrating the "turtle ascension", and New Year's eve as they yelled, "Think Snow".

This group wanted to encourage everyone to recycle and not fill up our landfill with reusable materials.

This was the lone rider at the end of the parade.  It was a wonderful parade, and a town full of joyful people, happy to celebrate all they are thankful for.  It was fantastic to be there with all of them.
It was a real blessing to be here for this, and a real blessing to live here among so many wonderful people.  Our friend John Deimer sent us some wonderful pictures today, and the email ended with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Many of you may have already read it but I would like to close with it.

"I am thankful for small mercies.  I compared notes with one of my friends who expects everything of the universe, and is disappointed when anything is less than the best, and I found that I begin at the other extreme, expecting nothing, and am always full of thanks for moderate goods.”
 Ralph  Waldo Emerson

Another Beautiful Day in Paradise

It's hard to describe how happy I am to be in such a perfect place and enjoy this beauty and peacefulness.  I want to include a few pictures I believe I had forgotten to post in earlier blogs.

 I didn't have any place for some magnets I had, so Jim bought and mounted a metal cookie sheet beside the end of the couch for me to display them.  Cool, huh?

 This is the corner of a local store called Lil Abner's.  I didn't ask how a boat ended up in the corner of the store....but Caballo Lake IS nearby.  On the right is a FastStop gas station/store in Williamsburg.  The picture didn't really capture what I was trying to show.....but again, a vehicle (the white VW) appears to have run into this store too.  I guess I should wonder how much some people drink before they drive.....
Last Friday night we took Ric to dinner at the Arrey Cafe, a popular local restaurant.  The food is pretty good, but the main appeal is the incredibly friendly atmosphere in there.

It's located right on Highway 187, next to the only grocery store in town and across the street from the post office.  Very convenient, I'd say.

You may have heard us mention (or seen on TV) tiny houses.  Well this looks to me like a homemade one we saw going down the street in TorC this week.

Anyway, things are going well for us.  We got our driver's licenses, and are registered voters here now.  I spent most of one day this week notifying many, many people, and businesses of our change of address.  What a nuisance!  I hope we never have to do that again.  Today we changed our bank account to a local branch in Hatch, another cute little town nearby.  When you come off I-25 to go into Hatch, the first place you see is Gilly's Chilies, where we always buy the green chili sauce I love.

After you pass this, you come to Franciscan RV Sales and Service, as you will see in the next pictures.

Not every RV shop has a giant holding a tiny RV in his hand!


Farther into town is Sparkey's, a little restaurant that is known for their Green Chili Cheeseburgers and their statues.

We have eaten there in the past, and the food  is OK, but not nearly as good, in my humble opinion, as the A B Drive-in in TorC.

After we went to the bank in Hatch, we stopped at the "Hometown Hardware" store.  We will HAVE to go back and spend more time there.  It is an interesting old time hardware store...........not like Home Depot or Lowe's.  We both want to poke around in all the nooks and crannies of this store.  No telling just what one might find!  

Today is the beginning of the Festival in TorC.  Tomorrow we are going to try to get into town early enough to park our car at the A B Drive-in to watch the parade and then have lunch there.  There will be music and vendors set up in Ralph Edwards Park after the parade, but I don't know if we will stay for that.  If we take the dogs with us, that would probably not be a good idea since Willie gets so scared in crowds.  

Speaking of Willie, he woke us up early Monday morning (like 5 am) and long story short, he ended up at the veterinary office in TorC and was treated for a urinary tract infection (or maybe a kidney stone he might have passed).  He is on an antibiotic for two weeks, and he seems much better already.  It breaks my heart to see either of our furry kids get sick, and is such a relief when they feel better.  I feel so helpless when I don't know what is wrong.  Thank God for good veterinarians who care for animals so kindly.  

As always, we thank God for our many blessings.  I am amazed at how beautiful and green it is now here in New Mexico.
   I feel very blessed to have found this beautiful place to call home, and when we do stop traveling, some time down the road, we will be very happy to live among all the wonderful people and the beauty of this state.  Enjoy each day as it will never be again.  Don't put off until tomorrow the things you want to do.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed, but today is what we have, and we should be grateful for each day we have.  As Ric often says Be blessed, and know God and see Him in everything around you.  Bye for now.

New Mexico!!!!!

Hi Everyone,
The biggest  news for today is that Jim and I are now NEW MEXICANS!  However, as a local guy, Jeff DuKatt says, we're Not really NEW and we're Not really Mexican!  We went to the DMV here in Hatch, NM to get our driver's licenses, and we have registered the car here.  We have to wait on the title for the RV before we can register it.  I love the new license plate on the car.  
As you can see, it is turquoise, a favorite color of mine.  Unfortunately, I can't get the same color for the RV as they say that one has to be yellow....yuck.  Alas, it is what it is.  We hope to get the motorhome registered before long.  We requested the copy of the title last week, so it should be here soon.  We are also registered voters here in New Mexico.  YAY!  

The other news is that we will be changing our mailing address in the next few weeks, but if anyone wishes to, you can already send mail to us at this address.  Please do NOT send any more mail to the South Dakota address.  Our PHYSICAL  address here, for anyone who wants to visit us, is:  

13953 Highway 187
  Arrey, NM 87930

However, the MAILING address is slightly different, as follows:

James & Suzanne Haggerty
c/o Arrey RV Park, LLC
HC31, Box 111 Highway 187
Arrey, NM  87930

The owner/manager will be forwarding our mail to us, once a month, when we leave here.  Janice is very nice, and is a really hard worker.  She and her daughter are working long hours to clean up and fix up this park to be a really nice place to live or visit.   Last night we invited her to our home for  dinner.  It was nice to just sit and chat a while.  

Next weekend will be the Ralph Edwards Annual Fiesta with a parade on Saturday in T or C. I'm hoping to be there for the parade.  They only put out a newspaper once a week (or maybe twice).  I try to remember to pick it up on Friday to know what is happening locally.  

The guy who was supposed to be here today to fix our gas tank leak is in the hospital, so yesterday we asked Big Al if he could see if he can fix it.  He is supposed to come out today.........but if  you remember from my last post, we can't be sure if that will be this week or next...............time is less important here in New Mexico.  Anyway, we won't be leaving soon, so although we would like this fixed ASAP, we must wait until he comes to see us.  We have to drive to the DMV in Hatch in the RV for the vin inspection so we hope to have the repair done before that.  I hate having to pack up just to drive there for the lady to look at the vin number, but she says that's the law here.  Alas, it is what it is.

Yesterday was a cooler day, which we really enjoyed, but it is still very windy.  Yesterday it faked us out.............the wind seemed to have died down, so Jim put the awning out and set up our chairs............and back came the high winds, so he had to take in the awning again.

 
Here are two pictures of the incredibly beautiful sunset we watched last night.  As I have said many times before, no artist can top the beauty our Heavenly Father provides for us if we just take the time to see it.  

I don't know if I explained how fortunate we were to have Big Al do the repairs on our car this past month.  When he gave us the estimate on all the damage I was overwhelmed because there was simply NO WAY I had that amount of money to pay him all at once.  Because he is a friend of Pastor Ric's, he agreed to do the work and allow us to make payments on it until we paid it all.  Yesterday we paid the balance to him.  We feel very blessed that he would do the work and trust us not to "stiff him" on the bill.  We knew we wouldn't do that, but he didn't know US at all, so he couldn't know that.  Again, I don't know if I have already reported this, but it was Big Al that we took the car to when it had a terrible shimmy whenever we got on the freeway at speeds over 65. He drove it a few miles and told me to take it to Quality Tires because it needed the wheels balanced.  Once that was done, it drives perfectly.  We all know that some mechanics could have told us it needed something more expensive and taken advantage of us, but he is an honest, and honorable man.  We thank Ric for taking us to him, and we thank Al for being the kind of man he is.

Life is good, here in the Land of Enchantment, as New Mexico is called.  We do look forward to getting back to California to see family and friends, but we are truly grateful for all the people we have met here, and for all we have been able to do.  I really think we had been pushing ourselves too much, and needed to slow down for a while.  God always knows best, and we have learned to stop and listen when He speaks to us.  We are enjoying attending the beautiful First Baptist Church in T or C while we are here.  We are learning to count all of our blessings, even ones that may not be obvious at once.  Someone once said each day is a gift, that's why it's called the present.  Don't worry about the future because it's not here yet, and there is certainly no reason to worry about the past because you can't change what has happened.  Live in the present and trust God that the future holds many blessings for you.  Bye for now.