From White Sands we drove up the stark but beautiful Tularosa basin through the tiny town of Carrizozo (love that name) not far from the original ground zero, up towards Santa Fe arriving there well after it got dark. At the start of the four hour drive, Evan repeatedly asked "When will we get there now?"
Jo warned him "Evan, the next time you ask that, I'm going to ask daddy to stop the car and take you to the side of the highway and spank you".
Evan (small voice) "So how will I know when we get there?"
Jo "You will know. Don't ask again till it gets dark"
Evan (a couple of hours later, smaller voice) "Is it dark now?"
At the hotel in Santa Fe, the kids got to share a room with Grandma, which was great for all of us, except probably Carol. But everybody slept well - after the previous day's morning hike in Cloudcroft and the afternoon rumpus at the White Sands dunes. Early next morning, Carol texted "My male room mate is hungry". By the time Evan got to our room he was so hungry he was crying. We practically ran downstairs for breakfast. He ate everything in sight. Then we warmed up at the outdoor hot tub and ventured forth. Our first stop was the Santa Fe children's museum - a small enough affair that the children could run around and do what they wished. Nothing came with instructions, which was an interesting way for the kids to explore. Here you can see Vivian building something big and complicated and Evan demolishing it almost as fast.
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Then we ate lunch and the kids and I left for a park while Carol and Jo shopped the plaza. Later that afternoon we drove out towards Clovis. We drove past the Bosque Redondo memorial and Billy the Kid's gravesite near Fort Sumner along the mostly desolate Route 84, past Canon Air Force Base and into Clovis, our very last destination. Along the way Evan asked Vivian (many many times over) what the names of his cousins were and how old they were and other details ("And what is their Daddy's name?"). The next morning we met Aaron and Beth for breakfast and spent the day chatting away till Peyton, Gage and Logan came back from school and the five cousins played together. Then Peyton had to retire to do her homework and Gage to soccer practice and Logan and Evan bonded. By the time it was time to leave, Evan was calling himself Logan Jr. The next day, as we drove back to Austin, he said "Logan is my best friend ever. When can I meet him again?".
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It took us eight hours to drive back to Austin. The entire road trip was about 2000 miles long and we took seven days.
The kids spotted Ava on the trampoline as we drove up and were out of the car before it came to a stop. Vivian and Ava hugged as if they hadn't seen each other in years. They played. Evan went to poop at Ava's house (that's what friends are for). Carol headed back to Canyon Lake. Jo went to meet her Lift friends at Arro.
Later I took the kids to China Cafe for dinner. Cecil scooped up Evan and carried him around while Mariam asked Vivian "Where is Mommy?".
"Mommy's at Happy Hour" Vivian announced, loudly enough for the whole restaurant to hear.
Jo warned him "Evan, the next time you ask that, I'm going to ask daddy to stop the car and take you to the side of the highway and spank you".
Evan (small voice) "So how will I know when we get there?"
Jo "You will know. Don't ask again till it gets dark"
Evan (a couple of hours later, smaller voice) "Is it dark now?"
At the hotel in Santa Fe, the kids got to share a room with Grandma, which was great for all of us, except probably Carol. But everybody slept well - after the previous day's morning hike in Cloudcroft and the afternoon rumpus at the White Sands dunes. Early next morning, Carol texted "My male room mate is hungry". By the time Evan got to our room he was so hungry he was crying. We practically ran downstairs for breakfast. He ate everything in sight. Then we warmed up at the outdoor hot tub and ventured forth. Our first stop was the Santa Fe children's museum - a small enough affair that the children could run around and do what they wished. Nothing came with instructions, which was an interesting way for the kids to explore. Here you can see Vivian building something big and complicated and Evan demolishing it almost as fast.
Then we ate lunch and the kids and I left for a park while Carol and Jo shopped the plaza. Later that afternoon we drove out towards Clovis. We drove past the Bosque Redondo memorial and Billy the Kid's gravesite near Fort Sumner along the mostly desolate Route 84, past Canon Air Force Base and into Clovis, our very last destination. Along the way Evan asked Vivian (many many times over) what the names of his cousins were and how old they were and other details ("And what is their Daddy's name?"). The next morning we met Aaron and Beth for breakfast and spent the day chatting away till Peyton, Gage and Logan came back from school and the five cousins played together. Then Peyton had to retire to do her homework and Gage to soccer practice and Logan and Evan bonded. By the time it was time to leave, Evan was calling himself Logan Jr. The next day, as we drove back to Austin, he said "Logan is my best friend ever. When can I meet him again?".
It took us eight hours to drive back to Austin. The entire road trip was about 2000 miles long and we took seven days.
The kids spotted Ava on the trampoline as we drove up and were out of the car before it came to a stop. Vivian and Ava hugged as if they hadn't seen each other in years. They played. Evan went to poop at Ava's house (that's what friends are for). Carol headed back to Canyon Lake. Jo went to meet her Lift friends at Arro.
Later I took the kids to China Cafe for dinner. Cecil scooped up Evan and carried him around while Mariam asked Vivian "Where is Mommy?".
"Mommy's at Happy Hour" Vivian announced, loudly enough for the whole restaurant to hear.
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