No More Driving

What a summer this has been.

Last I wrote (before the comment response post), we mentioned that we were moving to Boise. Well, that is now in the past tense, for we are here. After our whirlwind weekend in July, we returned to Dallas, gave notice on our home, called up ABF, packed up all our stuff (I should say Mark did all of that, while I sat in the office and worked), and sent it off to Boise. Then we loaded the rest, including me and Mark and Kai, into my little old Honda, and said adios to Dallas. As much as we didn't like Flower Mound, we did make some very good friends there. And as always, that was the hardest part of leaving. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my a very good girlfriend of mine, as she was off in Ecuador during our whole Boise adventure (from the initial visit until now). :-(

We drove west to Albuquerque and spent three blissfully relaxing days with Jon and Val. I think mostly we ate and laughed and caught up on the past year. And in between all that we slept and napped and just a had a few days of breathing space, our first chance to step back in more than a month. On Thursday, we bid a sad farewell to the Ashes, knowing that we will see them again soon in our new digs, and continued west to Chaco Canyon, a site I'd been wanting to see for, oh, about 15 years. The road to what could be one of the smallest national parks in the U.S. was a bit rough, to say the least, but well worth it for me. (Mark and Kai may disagree, as they had to hang out near the car due to the hot sand.)

After I had my fill of Chacoan ruins, we traveled back out the deeply rutted dirt road and finally veered north toward the Colorado border. It was so fantastic to see the Rockies off in the distance again. How we missed them!! We camped out near Navajo Lake along the San Juan River, and reminisced about good times we'd had in the past floating along that same river further downstream. But our memories were cut short as the mosquitoes came out in full force, sending us for cover inside the tent.

Those same mossies chased us out of camp the next morning, and we were on our way to Mesa Verde bright and early. Good thing, too, as we spent a good chunk of the day exploring the park. (OK, I spent a good chunk of the day exploring, while Mark and Kai hung out in the shade trying to stay cool.) Thank you, Mark, for being the awesomest husband and not complaining while I went off to get my archaeological fix!!

We then continued north, up through Moab and beyond, finally finding a great little campsite (near midnight) just east of Provo. No mosquitoes, cool night air, and lots of frogs (or toads?) for Kai to hunt. Nice.

Then yesterday, the final haul into Idaho, through miles and miles of potato fields, until we landed in Boise, at last, where we showered off all the dust, said hello to Heather (our fabulous host), and promptly fell asleep in a big comfy bed.

Now here we are, ready to start our next adventure. Where will we live? What will Mark do? These are questions we'll be answering in the coming weeks. For now, we are thrilled to be in a place where we can walk down the street and sip coffee with the neighbors while eating fresh blackberries just picked from their incredibly lush garden. This afternoon, we are heading down to a swimming hole along the Boise River. And tonight, who knows, maybe a barbecue.

. . .

Well, we found the swimming hole and it was PERFECT. Then a nap and drinks and food at the wrap place around the corner. Life is good. Now, everyone keep your fingers crossed on the rest of our plans for this week. If all goes well, we will fill you in. Oh, the anticipation!