I'll stick the last picture in here first -- three "Easterling girls" -- just to set the theme.
To catch I-25 east of Santa Fe when heading north we sometimes take county roads and state highways that lead east from our area. It was a windy day -- very strong wind from the north. As we drove east snow that had been around several days was being driven across the road -- looked almost like fast-flowing, frothy water. Actually, quite pretty, sun shining; sorry I didn't get a picture. No real problem driving for a while, though, as visibility was good and the snow was not accumulating on the road.
After about nine miles of this we got to a point where there were drifts on both side of the road, narrowing the road to one lane while the blowing snow really reduced visibility. Spotted a car stopped on the road ahead of us. We stopped and the car's driver came back and told us she couldn't go any further. We'd have to back up. We did so, for about 100 yards, hoping nobody would come up suddenly behind us, and got turned around in a driveway, back-tracked and then took the road north to Madrid, then Santa Fe, with no problems. Told Susie I could just see us in a ditch, all day, with our emergency supplies, 10 miles from home!
Whenever we get the opportunity we stop in Las Vegas, Susie's main home town, for a meal at the Spic and Span restaurant. We even planned ahead this time, very light breakfast at home, brunch at S and S. False start delayed us a bit, but we enjoyed it as always. Great Mexican food, tortillas prepared on site. Outstanding donuts, too. Uneventful journey after that: some periods of high wind; the usual construction slow-downs through Colo Springs.
(I love the drive from Las Vegas to Raton (some call it boring) -- majestic golden plains framed by mountains and mesas, punctuated by ranches and occasional tree-lined stream beds. Ah, New Mexico!)
Got to Highlands Ranch to find Malia decked out in a shirt her statistical grandpa got her (caption: I'm statistically significant). Didn't take her long to remember her China traveling companions.
For our Albuquerque friends, mark April 1 on your calendars: Malia will be baptized at our church -- St. John's United Methodist -- and there may be other opportunities to greet Malia and her family that weekend.Saturday morning we stayed with Malia while her parents made a half-hour trip to Target. Both parents and child handled the separation well. Here we watch basketball -- getting psyched up for March Madness.
Saturday pm we all went down to the Cherry Creek Mall for some shopping and people-watching.
Later that evening, on the way to dinner, Susie started playing a game with Malia with a little soccer ball that made Malia laugh and giggle more than we'd heard her. All in all, a great day. Malia, of course, did exceptionally well.
Sunday morning Susie and I drove to nearby Parker, CO, where my boyhood friend, Dennis Clark, preaches and shepherds his flock. Dennis and I go back to the summer before I was in sixth grade. We lived in Manhattan, KS, and Dennis was spending the summer there, living on the same block, while his dad was in summer school. My dad had just gotten the job of president of Northern Oklahoma Jr. College, in Tonkawa. He needed to hire a band instructor. I told him, my friend Dennis's father is a HS band director -- hire him. He did, and Dennis's Mom later became my Dad's secretary. (Small world dept.: The Clarks were in Hope, KS, at the time, home town of Albuquerque/St. John's friends, Anita and Loren Keller.) We palled around together and with a third musketeer, James Gilbert, all the way through high school. Then, I went to OSU, they went to OU, but, hey, can't hold a grudge forever.
Sunday evening we celebrated Chinese New Year with two other couples with adopted Chinese daughters by going to a nearby Chinese restaurant. Another good time was had by all. Here, Susie corrals the three girls for a picture. Btw, all four girls are wearing Chinese garb -- Susie's jacket from Guangzhou.
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