Today we are spending our last night on the road in Deming, New Mexico.  I am looking forward to seeing my little home and all our winter friends.  Most of the people don't arrive until next month.

Today we traveled through Hatch, New Mexico.  David likes to stop there for lunch but today went we went through town we couldn't find a place to park the truck and 5th wheel.

Hatch is a village in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,648 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is experiencing moderate growth, along with its outliers of Salem, Arrey, Derry, and Rincon. Hatch is widely known for its famous Hatch Green Chile.

Lots and lots of chilis.

This area also has lots and lots of pecan trees.

Today we made a lot of headway.  We left Kansas and went through Oklahoma and Texas.  While in Texas we saw Feed lots and it reminded me of the movie An Officer and a Gentlemen.  "Boy there are only two things that comes out of Texas.  Steers and  xoxoxox and you don't look like a steer.  Don't know why I was thinking about that I guess I have been in the car too long.  So we finally arrived in Vaugn, New Mexico for the night.  We do have internet but can you believe my Verizon phone has no service.  We did gain a hour today so what should I do with the extra time?????

September 19, 2012

We left Iowa and headed to Kansas.  We spent the night in Lyndon, Kansas.  These trees were at our campground.  David said they were Hedge Apples or Monkey Balls!! 

Maclura pomifera, commonly called Osage-orange, hedge-apple,^[1] Horse-apple, Bois d'arc, Bodark, or Bodock^[2] is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, typically growing to 8–15 metres (26–49 ft) tall. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on different plants. The fruit, a multiple fruit, is roughly spherical, but bumpy, and 7–15 cm in diameter. It is filled with a sticky white latex sap. In fall, its color turns a bright yellow-green. It is not closely related to the orange: Maclura belongs to the mulberry family, Moraceae, while oranges belong to the family Rutaceae.^[3]
Maclura is closely related to the genus Cudrania, and hybrids between the two genera have been produced. In fact, some botanists recognize a more broadly defined Maclura that includes species previously included in Cudrania and other genera of Moraceae.
Osajin and Pomiferin are flavonoid pigments present in the wood and fruit, comprising about 10% of the fruit's dry weight. The plant also contains the flavonol morin.
It was once thought that placing an Osage orange under the bed would repel spiders and insects. This practice has declined with the rise of synthetic insecticides. However, scientific studies have found that extracts of Osage orange do repel several insect species, in some studies just as well as the widely-used synthetic insecticide DEET.^[4]

HEDGE APPLES

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Not a big ball of Yarn but it is something BIG


The Big Well, in Greensburg, Kansas, USA, is a water well that was designed to provide water for the Santa Fe and Rock Island railroads.^[2] It was built in 1887 at a cost of $45,000, and served as the municipal water supply until 1932.^[2]
It is billed as the world's largest hand-dug well, at 109 feet (33 m) deep and 32 feet (9.8 m) in diameter.^[3]
The Well of Joseph in the Cairo Citadel at 280 feet (85 m) deep and the Pozzo di S. Patrizio (St. Patrick's Well) built in 1527 in Orvieto, Italy, at 61 metres (200 ft) deep by 13 metres (43 ft) wide^[4] are both actually larger.
It was designated a National Museum in 1972;^[5] in 1973 it was awarded an American Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association.^[6] Under the name of "Greensburg Well," it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972.^[7]
Visitors entered the well for a small fee, descending an illuminated stairway to the bottom of the well.^[2]

The well is located inside this building.

So it was 41 degrees this morning and we have the heat running. Time for us to pack up and head to Arizona for the winter. We spent most of the summer with Keira and now she is settling into 1st grade at a new school in West Des Moines and making new friends. Marcy, Chad and Keira will move into their new house September 27th. I think they will be very happy in their new place. Drive time was always a chore for both of them. Marcy drove 45 minutes each way and Chad drove about an hour one way. New jobs are only 10 minute drive. Not enough time to warm up the car!!!

Mandy and Steve's trip to Poland was wonderful and they got to meet their little girl. Time was short with her and they got back to Arizona on Labor Day September 3rd. More paper work and more waiting til they all go back to Poland to bring her home. On September 8th Mandy went to Mayo Clinic with severe stomach pain. After many tests it was decided by all her Doctors that she needed to finally have her gallbladder removed. She had surgery Sunday morning and is home recovering. Thank God she did not get sick in Poland. She has been having gallbladder problems for several months but because of her medical history they were hesitate about her having surgery. Having had my gallbladder out after an attack I know how sick one can be so we are all happy that the decision to remove hers was made. Now we all look forward to bringing their little girl home.

As for us we will be leaving our summer home and head to Arizona tomorrow. We hope to be there on Sunday the 23rd. Looking forward to seeing all our Snowbird friends.

Travel map will show our route unless the Mr. decides we need to see the biggest ball of twine!!!