Trip Finis

The two weeks has past.  The kids are now back in the familiar environs of home – back to being with predictable parents rather than the strange ways of two old people.

We never made it to Los Alamos – we substituted Red River.  It’s a funky old mining town turned ski resort.  In the summer, lots of flat-landers come to Red River to escape the heat of the cities.  The women shop in the myriad boutiques, while the men enjoy the saloons.

You may wonder why there are no pictures of the kids in Red River.  Oh yes – we had our cameras with us, but there was no opportunity to get pictures of the kids.  What happened was this: once I parked the car, I turned around to face the two of them in the back seat and told them to “get lost.”  We didn’t want to see them until they wanted to leave town.  With cell phone in hand in case they needed us, we turned them loose in the one-street village.

They had a ball – and took care of some of the money that was burning a hole in their pockets while wandering around.

One last comment about “unplugged.”  As we went back into the mountain areas outside Red River, Boy-san was heard to say “Wow!  This is great!  We’re in the mountains – and I’ve got three bars!”

We’ve spent the majority of our time in Angel Fire, home of the first memorial to the fallen warriors of the war in Việt Nam.  Erected in 1971 by Dr. Victor Westphall, and dedicated to his Marine son, Lt. David Westphall, the memorial remains a mecca for us old veterans of that unfortunate war.  Of course we had to take the kids there, though it was uncomfortable to answer a 13 year old boy’s romanticized questions about war.  “Wow, Grandpa!  You got a Purple Heart?  That’s cool.”

(As always, be sure to click on each photo – you’ll see the full-sized version that way.)

I’ll end this series of postings with random thoughts and photos of the last two weeks.

While in Taos, we spent a bit of time in a kewl store – the Overland Sheepskin Company.  Grandma had to try on a hat, but I couldn’t convince her to buy it.

Next - this is for my Vietnamese friends.  There is a pedaled conveyance called a xich lo or cyclo (say sick low) that is still very common in Hûe.  We saw this in Denver – it’s for tourists to take a tour around the downtown area.  I’ve never seen anything like this before in America, my friends – so don’t think they are common.  Oh yeah – the lady is the driver, not a tourist.

Zach turned into a wild and crazy teenager during the trip.  The teenager is just starting to break through the boy – there’s not much evidence of teenage angst or rebellion - - yet.  Don’t worry, Mom and Dad – the photo was staged. 

There’s lots of boy left in him – if there was something to climb, he found it and shinnied up.  We had a great time with Zach, and we were also amazed at how well he got along with his sister.  They were almost inseparable and seldom fussed at each other.  (When I was growing up, my sisters were my enemies.)

I worry about Ely, though.  More specifically, I worry about her father.  In the near future, this pretty girl is gonna break some hearts.  I have offered to help her father buy a shotgun, but he’s declined my offer so far.  Ely has a lot of self-confidence for an eleven year-old.  Breaking through the girl is an ability to be reflective and thoughtful.  There were a number of times when she surprised us with her insights.

What kind of a trip was it?

Fun.

Comments

[Tom]

Congratulations - This makes a for a great summer. Now back to wishing the grandkids were around to talk to. The responsibility of all granparents is to pass the family legacy on. I'm sure you did a lot of that over the two weeks.

Tom

[Thuy]

Doug, they have cyclo in Charleston, SC. My cousin used them in her wedding.