Not even phoning it in.

A friend told me I was being lazy with my blog, and so here is a lackluster presentation of some mediocre photos. I hope you blandly tolerate this entry.

Turtleback Mountain

It's a good time of the day to show you The Turtle. If you're seeing An Armadillo, turn around.

Rio Grande with Turtleback in the background

This is the time of year that the small dirt dam is rebuilt across the river. Keeping water behind it maintains the pressure needed for hot springs to flow in the free-flowing tubs downtown.

Looking generally northward toward Truth or Consequences

If you want to be mistaken for a local, you must never say "Truth or Consequences" in Truth or Consequences. It is always "T or C."

It must also be the time of year when people sit on the new dirt dam.

Along with very reduced flow from Elephant Butte Lake, this little dam creates a low-water vehicle crossing just a bit downstream (not shown). 

A Very Good Dog

Long-time friends in Albuquerque.

Widget

Keisha

Cat people, this is the best catitat ... habicat ... catio I've ever seen.

Home Dairy Alley

I went back to Ithaca, after a six-year absence, to meet my new grandchildren. I wanted to tour the new Ithaca Commons, with some old landmarks. Home Dairy was in business in 1979 when I first arrived in Ithaca, and is no more.  Ironically, when the Home Dairy was there, this historic landmark was not. This is the sort of thing that keeps me confused.

It's just a wall.

Notice the dates still on the photos? Lazy.

There was snow for my visit in November, which is just on the friendly side of unforgivable. At this charming moment, my son said, "Nina, that's where the dogs [do stuff]."

What cat?

Didn't take this picture. Lazy.

If there's a time of the year that can fool me into thinking I'm doing life wrong, it's this one. We've come to an agreement this year, Dark Solstice and I, that we treat one another gently. Treat one another gently, too.

Would you rent out your RV?

A lovely young woman from RVshare approached me to write about their services. Everyone knows you can rent an RV, but what about renting yours out?*

I conducted a straw poll with a group of women RVers: would you rent out your RV? A large majority said "no, even if it's not my home," but a few said they would definitely consider it. Maybe your rig sits around most of the year. Maybe you're making painful payments on the RV that is sitting still. Insurance is heavily involved. Rigs older than 15 years aren't eligible. 

Anyway, research for yourself. I have no experience with this company, but Gaby at RVshare dot com was able to answer all my questions, including "would you rent out your own RV to strangers?" [She does.]

* I'm not making any money from this inquiry, and I'm not promoting the company. ETA: I became an affiliate 7/12/2017, so technically I probably am now, sorta, promoting them. All else applies, especially ... Do your own due diligence. Do not drink while doing research. If research lasts longer than four hours, turn off your computer, grab a beverage, and head out to your RV (this is almost always preferable to seeing your doctor).

Summer is glaring at me through other people's double-paned windows. It's hotter than a tin roof everywhere, except on an actual tin roof, where it is hotter. Because I live right, I have been enjoying cool houses and cold drinks with warm pets.

It's true: I have been restless. I have threatened to run away from home and responsibility, and I do it, too, until I get just outside responsibility's front door.

Monsoon has not yet begun, despite early promises. The virga you see in the clouds is evidence that humidity hasn't yet reached appropriate proportions. When it does, the virga will turn to actual ground-drenching rain. I hope I haven't blinded you with science.

Elephant Butte dam.
Dam what?
Dam the lake.
Why should I dam the lake? I like it.

I hoped to give you some perspective about the level of the lake. The Rio Grande downstream has been flowing high for months. We like that.

Families have been moving, more or less continuously, down the river in flotillas. I began to fear they were refugees from Colorado seeking asylum in the Gulf of Mexico, and so I've been throwing food and bottled water at them. They seem surprisingly ungrateful.

Can you see the elephant, or just its butte?

Thunderhead lying.

I heard there was a spot in New Mexico that had nine inches of snow on the ground yesterday. It may or may not be accessible by Prius.

Have a nice trip, see you in the fall.

 Because some mountains are ostentatious, I present the Sangre de Cristos:

Lenticular clouds AND a moon. Whatever, mountains.

A joke you've heard ... Mountains are not just funny, they're hill areas.

Because some cats are ostentatious, I present Sophia:

Sophia is 1/4 of the reason we were in Taos, but a bigger 1/4 than most. For being one quarter, she was more like seven-and-a-half-eighths.

Our friend bought bird-safe collars for her natural-born killers. I'd like to exclaim, "They really work!" I'd like to exclaim that, but the fresh bundles of feathers we found each day exclaimed otherwise.

We get it. Yes, you're very pretty, sunrise.

Kit Carson Road

Likewise

We were here on Kit Carson because our friend has a show at The Ranch at Taos, and because we spotted coffee.

Caffe Tazza

Taos colors were at their peak for us.

Taos was kind to me. I played with kitties, and read, and gazed out at mountains in all directions. I felt inner conditions gently ease, unknot, and rearrange themselves. I had solitude; I had dear company. 

In my opinion, Taos to T or C in one day is excessive. I felt pretty beaten-up on both ends. But, an overnight also seems excessive if there's an ETA on the line. 

 It was fun to meet Judy, and to see Chris again, back in Truth or Consequences. Judy is from the same tiny village in New York State that I am; in fact, I can picture her house.

Judy and Chris, Elephant Butte, NM. 

But, where's Roxanne? Let's get some selfies!

  

Oh Judy, everything's fine. 

Judy said, "I think you have ... " CLICK!
"Do you think it's possible there's ..." CLICK!
"I'm pretty sure you've got ..." CLICK!
"Hold up a minute, your ..." CLICK! 










We're back "in town" briefly to care for some pups, and then we end our summer season in TorC and head for Arizona.