Santa fe
The park we stayed at is called Santa Fe Skies. It is appropriatly named, with sweeping views:
Lordsburg
This morning’s destination…. Silver City New Mexico. But how can you go through an entire day driving down the road, without changing the target a few times? We considered Las Vegas, decided to go to City of Rocks, ultimately ending up in Lordsburg. Normally, a person wouldn’t spend the night in Lordsburg on purpose. Lordsburg is the place you stop for the night when you can’t make it all the way to the place you really meant to go. Except for us. We’re still in New Mexico, but within perfect striking distance of the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona, a “sky island” in the desert. It is perfectly isolated in Arizona, but within the range of several Mexican species of birds that are found nowhere else in the United States. Tomorrow’s target birds are: Mexican chickadee, juniper titmouse, and yellow eyed junco. We covered a lot of thermometer today. We went from twenty-five degrees this morning to seventy-five degrees this afternoon. We don’t have to unhook the hoses tonight. It won’t go below freezing.
Santa fe
We like it here in Santa Fe. We like the altitude, the weather, and the sunsets. We like the adobe architecture. We like the way the streets wander around through town instead of being laid out on a grid, even though the terrain doesn’t require they do that. It’s interesting. We like the birds. This morning, from the coach, we saw mountain bluebird, western bluebird, curve billed thrasher, pink sided dark eyed junco, scrub jay, white crowned sparrow, house finch, common raven, canyon towhee, mockingbird, and a hummingbird. We got to watch the wooing ritual of the curve billed thrasher. The female ran all around acting interested and unattainable, while the male crouched on the ground in a full-body puff, flexing his wings and tail while he flicked the dirt and twigs with his bill. Who could resist that? Poor Annie got sick and had to go to the vet. Bladder infection. She has been on antibiotics since Tuesday and feels a lot better now. Back to her charming happy self. The job here was a pleasure. Had the exit conference today. Tomorrow is a travel day. We get to drive from the north of New Mexico to the south of New Mexico. Next stop, Silver City.
Racquetball
Remember how I was always telling you how good I was at racquetball? Well, nevermind. Now I suck at racquetball. Up till now, my game hadn’t changed at all. I hadn’t been on a court in months, but hadn’t missed a day in my head. I recently went on a court, expecting to play that game that was still in my head. It didn’t happen. My body wasn’t ready for it. It hurt my elbow to follow through on the backhand stroke. I think I hyperextended it. I had no wind. Apparently two mile slow jogs on the beach at sea level aren’t much preparation for the bursts required for racquetball at five thousand feet. I thought at least I’d be able to hit the ball with some pace, but noooo. No timing. Popups. Line drives into the dirt. Wasn’t much there. It got better after I found someone to play, but it never got good. I guess I can’t preserve the game by just thinking about it.