Mid June? Already?

Jake arrived back from Puerto Rico quite recovered from the malaise that taught him that he is allergic to mangos. Long story, but he does have an informed opinion about the Puerto Rican health care system. He had a lovely time, other than the mango fiasco.

Quincy is back from Oregon and prepared to work at the Rio Grande Theater for the summer. So patronize the arts!

The Wallow fire in Arizona is asserting itself in Las Cruces. We gasp not at the beauty of the sunsets; rather, we gasp for oxygen as the smoke gets increasingly thick.

But some of us leave for the East Coast Tuesday. Stu will have a few days with humidity but without smoke.

Oh, and Stu is now part of the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. He moved across the road to help in developing a food technology program. Southern NM actually has a food industry, so he will enjoy working in an applied field again.

Great weekend!

Great weather has returned to southern New Mexico just in time for a visit from my cousin Jay last weekend. We hit Soledad Canyon Sunday (on mountain bikes, not a good idea) and the Dona Ana Mountains Monday (an excellent idea). Between cycling excursions, we had great conversations that ranged pretty much everywhere. A great visit!

Jacob started his semester at Willamette Monday. After his very busy fall semester, he needed the long break and was almost ready to go back. Quincy is well into her second quarter, since she started back on January 3.

Oh, and Stu and I are now in the mountain bike business, too. Thanks to my friend Jimi, who helped us pick out bikes and the trails to ride them on!

Kids, travel, other stuff

Great Thanksgiving. Both kids were here and it was good to spend time with them.

Quincy gets home Thursday, with one quarter down, 11 more to go. Or so. Next semester she plans to continue with calculus and Japanese in addition to her other first-year courses. She seems to have made friends and loves the area. Last week, she went ice skating in an an outside rink for the first time ever. Not too many of these in El Paso or southern New Mexico.

Jacob will be home after our winter trip (the Keys this year!). He is lucky enough to have a red-eye flight from San Francisco to Miami (he does not think this is a bad thing...), and we will all join up in Miami for a trip to Key West. He leaves to go back to Oregon on his 21st birthday, which means at least we get to spend some time with him on his birthday.

More later. Quincy is Skyping.

Long time, no blog

Stu and I on a Sunday hike. Annie (age 11) and Rosie (age 10) are still happy to go walking with us, if they appreciate 4 mile hikes now more than 6 or 10 mile hikes.

Back from Summer travel part 1: Kid travel. Quincy needed to be in Ashland in Late July, and Jake needed to return from Pullman (summer job) about the same time, so we did a grand circle up the west coast, east to Pullman, and down the Rockies to home. Long days in the car, but we had good conversations with the kids.

This weekend, Quincy and I head east for a visit to my dad and brother, then on to NYC for her graduation trip. We have a studio apartment about a block from Times Square, and it should be a good time. Stu will join us for a long weekend.

Then at the end of September, Quincy heads to college, and we officially become empty-nesters (although Annie and Rosie are hoping to step into the void).

Moon over Onions

This moon rose over the Mesilla Valley Sunday after we all helped Quincy's band set up luminarias, New Mexican Christmas decorations. (Photo by Quincy.)

As we pulled off the road by this onion field to take this picture, another car also stopped. People in New Mexico always seem to travel with their cameras to capture moments like these.

This is the end of a time for us, as the last year with both kids at home. Although Christmas will be spent together for some time, this is the final year of parenting two kids at home.

As they move on, we keep the home fires burning.