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Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
Travel Journal February 2009
Area of operation
Travel Journal February 2009 (begins at Leasburg Dam State Park near Las Cruces, NM
On the first of February, Renée graciously accepted a cold from Chuck. She spent the greater part of the day in
bed in order to get rid of it quickly.
Chuck had his ENT appointment in early February and received the news that his problem was not only collapsed
cartilage but obstructions in the upper portions of the nose where the success rate was only 50/50. With these
odds, he decided against any further procedures at this time. The memories of the last operation were still too
vivid! The following day he had a follow up appointment with the dermatologist, where a lesion was discovered on his
back. It was removed and sent to the lab.
Dick called with an invitation to La Posta to celebrate Renée’s birthday on the eighth. The next few days were filled
with daily chores and on Saturday we met Don Williams, an old acquaintance from Las Cruces when we lived there
from 1979-1990. He invited us for lunch at Dion’s, which serves pizza and subs. We ate well and had a good time
reminiscing (see photos).
A few days before Renée’s birthday, Dick called to cancel the La Posta invitation since he had developed a severe
cold. On the eighth we celebrated Renée’s birthday with red roses (see photos) and she spent most of the day on
the phone with well-wishers from around the globe. Since Dick had to cancel, we decided to go to the Cattle Baron
in Las Cruces. The food there always was and still is excellent!
The following day the mail arrived. We had not received any mail since shortly before Christmas, finally receiving
the last holiday greetings.
Note: We would like to emphasize to all who have access to the Internet and email to please send greetings
electronically so that we don’t have to wait so long. We get our physical mail less than once a month and sometimes it
takes even longer. Thanks for your understanding.
Mail day is always a lot of work since it entails the physical bookkeeping. This time it was a bit more intensive for
Renée since she discovered that she should have submitted the paperwork for her civil service pension six weeks
before her 62nd birthday. With several hours of intense effort this was accomplished, notarized and mailed.
Chuck had a doctor’s appointment on the tenth and presented the doctor with the daily record of his blood pressure
readings for the past three months. The doctor agreed that his medication needed to be increased. Lab results
also showed that his cholesterol readings were not being kept in the safe range, despite a low fat/low cholesterol
diet with flax seed oil and flush free niacin supplements. He has not even eaten an egg for over three years! So he
is now also on medication to regulate the cholesterol. On the same day, the dermatologist called and informed him
that the lesion was positive and he had to return to have more tissue removed. For the next three weeks a salve
treatment was placed on his back to attack and eat away the cancerous cells. This is still ongoing.
The next few days were spent on household projects and trips to Las Cruces where we tanked up for $2.05 a
gallon for diesel (☺). Chuck worked on an improved terrestrial antenna for digital reception and Renée on
sewing/crocheting.
At the end of January we had gone to the El Paso Saddle Blanket Company and bought rugs of a Navajo design to be
used as windows coverings in the RV. With a lot of effort Renée hand sewed and crocheted them together so that
we have matching covers for all the windows. They also serve as an excellent insulation for winter and summer,
when needed.
We went out to eat a few times in Las Cruces. “Renée’s Place” is a very unusual small restaurant that was listed as
serving German cuisine. It is only open for breakfast and on Friday evenings when the German dishes are served.
The owner is a woman from Mannheim who has lived here since 1959. She is quite hard of hearing and had even more
difficulty understanding German than English.
Chuck tried the schnitzel and it was excellent. Renée found the sauerbraten to be acceptable but not worth a
second trip. Pepe’s Chicken is a fast food restaurant that serves charbroiled chicken with tortillas, beans and a
salsa bar with a fantastic assortment of spicy sauces. We discovered it last summer and always take a large order
home with us.
On the 17th we finally went to La Posta with Dick, who had somewhat recovered from his bout with the flu.
Afterwards, we returned to Leasburg Dam State Park, where Dick presented Renée with multiple birthday
presents (see photos).
On the 18th, Chuck had another eye appointment and finally the pressure readings were found to be in the
acceptable range. This means they have finally found the right combination of medications to control it, so the
appointments will now be annually instead of bi-monthly. Afterwards Chuck made a shopping trip to stock up before
our departure from “civilization” the following day.
The 19th was Lobo’s 14th birthday! Looking at him now it is hard to believe that we were certain that we would lose
him at Christmas! He is doing quite well these days for his age! He had a special dinner of goulash and hot dogs
which he thoroughly enjoyed.
On the 19th we left Leasburg Dam State Park and drove via Hatch and Deming to Pancho Villa State Park in
Columbus. Sandra (the lady we had invited for Christmas dinner) had called us earlier and advised us that the park
was almost full, but she had obtained permission from the park ranger for us to double-park on her camp site.
When we arrived, the park was completely full. Our favorite spot was occupied by the former Dolly Parton tour bus
(see May 2008 journal) from the millionaire and his wife we had met in northern New Mexico. There were several
RV’s trying to find a spot and as we drove around and saw that nothing was available, we backed in next to Sandra’s
tent/shelter. She was not there but had told us she would return later that evening. As we hooked up to the
utilities, we saw that people from all around the camp ground were staring at us, going back inside and bringing
others outside to see this newcomer who was taking over a camp site that was already occupied! Most of the people
were of an apparent group of RV seniors that made us look like youngsters. For quite some time they watched us,
fully expecting the ranger or someone else to come and evict us, but it never happened. After dark, Sandra
arrived but it was apparently too late for most of the on-lookers who had since gone to bed. We later found out
that they were a group that were there for a club meeting, but had nothing to do with the upcoming Pancho Villa
Days. They left shortly thereafter and the park was not so crowded.
We had decided that if our favorite spot with a double electric hook-up became vacant, we would move to it.
Otherwise we would gain very little. We then learned that the millionaire had extended and would remain in that
spot until we left.
On our first Saturday in Columbus, we made a trip to the flea market in Deming. Sandra came with us and we
invited her to lunch at Campos. During the next few days we completed the Navajo rug project for the windows.
Afterwards we took a trip to Palomas to stock up on Lobo’s medication, which is much cheaper there. We also had
lunch at the Pink Store.
On the 26th Dick came to visit for a few days, bringing with him the fixings for a meal of bratwurst and sauerkraut,
which, of course, required a campfire to properly prepare the bratwurst. Dick spent two days at the campsite next
to us. Renée and Dick continued their favorite pastime of playing Scrabble, with Renée continuing to win every
round.
On the morning of the 29th, Mary (Chuck’s sister) called to tell us that she had begun her Copper Canyon tour from
Tucson. She had been unaware that the bus would leave Tucson, travel to Mexico via New Mexico, through
Columbus to Palomas and then to Copper Canyon, with the return via Nogales, AZ. The bus broke down outside of
Tucson, was replaced in a few hours and they continued on their way, where we were able to meet her at the Pink
Store in Palomas where they had a rest stop. We had a short visit, just long enough for a few pictures (see photos).
To be continued….
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