From the West to the East, and Back Again

Almost thirteen months after our departure on our excellent adventure, we flew east from New Mexico on Thanksgiving Day, landing in Boston in time for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Keith's brother's cozy home in Somerville. With our niece visiting from Port-au-Prince where she works with the Haitians on rebuilding their country, and our nephew on break from college in Washington, DC, it was like "old home week", made even more delightful by the presence of our son and daughter-in-law who had flown from Albuquerque to Boston just two days prior to us.

Our lovely daughter-in-law Bevin and handsome son Rene

Our good friends Deborah and Nancy

Keith and his brother Ken

Having ten days to see everyone we wanted to see and do everything we needed and wanted to do, it was a tall order to accomplish it all and manage to be fully present for each encounter with family and friends without allowing our minds to wander too much to the next destination.

The first few days in New England were relatively easy, and our time in Boston and Manchester-by-the-Sea flew by. Walking on Singing Beach in Manchester with our dear friends and visiting with our god-daughters was joyful, but we were still quietly daunted by the next leg of the journey.

With our friends Maria and Vint

Keith's goddaughters, Andi and Vikki

A five-hour drive to New Jersey on the Monday after Thanksgiving delivered us to the hospital where Keith's father was dealing with some serious health issues, and we were closely involved in his transfer to a nearby rehab facility. Unfortunately, our itinerary prevented us from lingering too long, and it was most difficult to leave him in the rehab, miserable and lonely, as we made our way to Brooklyn in order to visit a very dear friend who is waging a battle against metastatic ovarian cancer.

Having only twenty-four hours with our friend was bittersweet, but we were quickly able to adjust to her skeletal body and see that her spirit is intact, and no matter her outer appearance, she's still "in there", with the same sweet smile and loving manner. Being entertained by her delightful grandchildren, the two cherubic children were an antidote to our weariness and opened our hearts for a visit that lifted all of our spirits, even as Keith became ill with apparent bronchitis and our subsequent destinations beckoned us away.

Exhausted, we drove north to Western Massachusetts and our beloved Pioneer Valley, spending the night at the Pioneer Valley Cohousing community, a stay made all the more enjoyable by the hospitality of good friends.

Once in the Valley, Keith's illness became worse, and it became apparent that Mary would need an emergency root canal. As if orchestrated by powers beyond our control (as it most likely indeed was), Mary was able to undergo urgent dental surgery by the best root canal specialist in Massachusetts, surgery that immediately resolved the pain that had been incrementally increasing over the last few months, coming to an excruciating head during our visit. (Thanks to this masterful oral surgeon, Mary was able to avoid the astronomical pain that the high altitude of the flight home to Albuquerque would have certainly caused.)

During our few brief days in Western Mass, we were able to revisit the home of our friend David who took his own life last November several weeks following our departure, as well as spend some time with an elderly disabled friend who brought a joyful lift to our spirits.

David, one month prior to his death

Amidst Keith's illness and Mary's pain, our very dear friends hosted a heartwarming and wonderful party in our honor, and we were able to spend an unforgettable evening with more than 20 friends who arrived with delicious food, drinks, smiling faces and open arms. The conversations and sharing were deep that night, and a circle towards the end of the gathering allowed many to share life updates, memories and stories with the entire group.

Finally, as our ten day sojourn came to a close, it was time to face the ultimate test: our 10 x 10 storage unit. Sorting and repacking the flotsam and jetsam of our lives in the damp, cold New England air was no picnic, but we were able to successfully fit everything into a 6 x 8 x 10 space on an 18-wheeler moving truck which will deliver our worldly goods to our New Mexican storage unit in just under a week. It was a Herculean effort, but it will bring us great peace of mind to have all of our things where we can access them, rather than sitting in a damp storage bin 2,000 miles away.

Even though it was a stretch, to say the least, dealing with our stuff now clears the way for more uninterrupted quality time with friends and family during future visits to the East Coast. We look forward to certain special things being once again in our possession, including our super-duper juicer, German vacuum cleaner, and some beloved art that will soon grace the walls of our casita.

We are so grateful to our friends and family who hosted us, treated us with such love, and who made this trip wonderful despite the physical and emotional challenges that confronted us along the way. We honestly had some trepidation that our visit to New England would engender some wistful nostalgia, perhaps triggering the feeling that completely relocating to the West was not necessarily what we ultimately desire. However, what resulted from this trip back East was the cementing of the notion that we can continue to nurture and grow the many wonderful friendships that will no doubt mature into lifelong connections regardless of geographic distance.

Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder, and this also applies to our return to New Mexico. Flying over the breathtaking mesas and mountains, we did actually feel like we were coming home, and Tina greeted us happily with a wagging tail and her ubiquitous and unending desire for treats.

It wasn't easy, but the trip was extremely successful, and we feel incredibly blessed and grateful for the wonderful people in our lives. Now we will settle in for our first New Mexican winter, and continue to allow our lives to unfold as they will. It's good to be back.

Thanksgiving Images

Our son, Rene

The Thanksgiving table

Brother Ken

Near Harvard Square

Chandelier in The Plough & Stars, a Cambridge bar

Our niece Sabina, visiting from Haiti, and our daughter-in-law Bevin

Our handsome nephew, Adam

Sister-in-law Barbara, brother Ken, and Bevin

Ken and Barb, married 26 years

Family Photos

Keith and his mom Barbara,  who is sitting at the Commons piano

Barbara and Mary, walking at The Commons

Our son Rene, Barbara, and our daughter-in-law Bevin 

Three generations

Happy Birthday, Rene!

This past weekend, we were lucky enough to spend a a lovely overnight visit with two of our favorite people in the world: our son Rene and daughter-in-law Bevin. They came down from Taos last Friday after work and joined us for a concert by Modest Mouse at the inspiring and interesting Paolo Soleri Amphitheater at the Santa Fe Indian School, and then for birthday brunch on Saturday morning. It was great to be together, celebrate Rene's 27th birthday, and share delicious homemade quiche and chocolate ganache cake.

Happy 27th, Rene! May stepping into your late mid-twenties be a year of good health, fun, adventure, breakthroughs and a whimsical acceptance of all that is!

With love from yo Mama y tu Papa <3

Mexican Train Stops in Taos!

When Mary's parents passed through northern New Mexico this week on a whirlwind visit after attending the Kiwanis International annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, we all convened at our son and daughter-in-law's house in Taos for a fun night of Mexican Train, pizza, wine, and lots of laughs (the serious countenances in the following photo not withstanding....)

Mexican Train is a strategic domino game popular among the retired set, but we and our son and his wife are totally hooked and play almost every time we get together. Although we all become rather loud and excitable (and occasionally vulgar) due to the tension induced by the stressors inherent in the game, it's all in good fun, and last night our daughter-in-law Bevin took home the prize. We're proud of how she has learned so fast, but I'm determined to beat her next time!

A Texas Tribute: A Damn Yankee Comes Home (but not to roost)

On our Excellent Adventure, Keith and I have traveled through much of the vast state of Texas, saving beautiful Big Bend country for another time. We have actually taken a shine to Texas and to Texans, but have yet to find a place here that feels like it could be home. However, now that Keith and I are officially legal residents of the Lone Star State, I feel it is a ripe time to claim my Texas heritage, especially since just yesterday in El Paso I paid homage to my ancestral roots by visiting the grave of my great grandfather, Will T. Rives. (Please note the world famous Chico's Tacos across the street from the cemetery, a restaurant that smelled so good as I paid my respects that we had to go and sample their goods soon after.)

Here I am offering some prayers of thanks to the spirit of this man I never met---my great grandfather---and for the three generations of William Thomas Rives that followed him: my grandfather ("Big Bill"), my Dad ("Little Bill", who would be Colonel to you, Sir), and my big brother Tom, who died of cancer during his senior year of high school when I was sixteen.

Will T. Rives saved a girl from a most certain and tragic death had he not rescued her from a speeding horse. His heroic act caused him a serious injury that pained him for the rest of his life. Apparently, he contracted tuberculosis and died in a TB ward from a gunshot wound that was most likely a suicide. His gravestone,  lovingly engraved by my father and his cousin, reads: "Warm, Loving, Brave".

The widow of Will T, my great grandmother Kate Marmion Rives, was no shrinking violet. Being fluent in Canary Island Spanish, she pulled herself up by her Texan bootstraps, ran a roadside Mexican restaurant in the 1920s, supervised hotel chambermaids, and worked for the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. She must have been a force to be reckoned with, and was apparently a character to boot.

I learned from my father, a stellar family genealogist, that I am 11th generation Texan and that some of my people came to "Tejas" from The Canary Islands of Spain (when Texas was still a part of Mexico called Tejas).

I remember turning ten years old in the Texas Panhandle in a small town called Canyon where my family of six lived for a year before we had to move on, as was the Army way. Nearby is Palo Duro Canyon, which Texans fondly refer to as "The Grand Canyon of Texas". Keith and I visited both Palo Duro Canyon and the town of Canyon on this trip and I got to visit our old family home and take a jolly walk through memory lane. Here I am in a lively video clip sharing some happy childhood memories in front of the old house, nearby which is the park and swimming pool where we played and swam as kids, all of which are still thriving and remain just as I remember them!





When we were kids and moving just about every year, we almost always stopped in Denton, Texas to visit my grandparents. My Dad and his only sibling---my Uncle Tim Rives---share the same birthday, September 22---but 17 years apart! Tim was closer to us kids in age than he was to my Dad, and my brothers and I really looked up to him, cool superstar high school football player that he was. Here we are together on his Denton, Texas ranch from a visit in 2009. Keith and I are glad we visited the Denton Rives again on this trip, getting to know each other more and sharing in depth about each other's lives, reflecting back on some hard family times and what got us through. We also watched the Super Bowl in its entirety!

Paying homage to Texas would not be complete without including my parents. (Please note that my mother is not a Texan but a New Orleanian, so her saucy side of the family is a story for another time). We are grateful for our relatively frequent visits to see my folks, especially on this trip when our rig needed time-consuming, expensive repairs during which they put us up and put up with us! My parents have lived in an active retirement community called Sun City outside of Austin for more than a decade where they are thriving in many ways. They model intentional community for us and we are grateful that they are so happy and well connected to a really nice network of kindred spirits. One day, we will be too!

---Mary

Lazy Ann Ranch

For the last two days, we have been visiting Mary's aunt and uncle at their home on The Lazy Ann Ranch in Oak Point, Texas, just on the edge of Denton, the eleventh largest city within the Dallas/Fort Worth "Metroplex".

Mary's Aunt Leslie and Uncle Tim rescue horses, ponies and miniature horses, rehabilitating and breeding selected favorites for sale and barter. They care deeply for their animals and they have opened their home to two of their adult children, along with two wonderful grandchildren, Zack and Jaion.

Here's a great one of Mary and Zack playing around with Photobooth on our Mac after watching the New Orleans Saints win the Superbowl:

We had a great time hanging out with family and watching a football game---something very uncharacteristic for us!

Mary's Uncle Tim is only seven years older than her, and he is a full seventeen years younger than his brother (Mary's dad). Their ranch and home are lovely and very comfortable, and their hospitality was generous and greatly appreciated!

Keith and Jaion

Zack, Jaion and their mom, Amy (Mary's first cousin)

Mary and her Aunt Leslie (above) and Uncle Tim (below)

A Mary and Keith Update From Texas

After almost a week in the shop, we went to pick up our rig at the mechanics today, and drove it down the road towards Mary's parent's place, happy to be reunited with a vehicle that is at once our home, our transportation, and a funnel for our hard-earned money.

Mary detected a very unhealthy sound emanating from the left back axle (which was allegedly just repaired) and we unhappily returned the rig to the shop for yet another round of diagnostics. The mechanics were in denial that anything was wrong, claiming to have driven it ten miles this afternoon, but we're sure that something isn't right, and we hope they can correct the problem and send us happily on our way tomorrow. 

On the audiovisual front, today I dropped our digital camera and it now seems to have given up the ghost, so we will need to buy a new one tomorrow, since traveling without a camera is absolutely unthinkable. "D'oh!"

Meanwhile, Mary's parents are being the kindest possible hosts, and we're relishing this special time with them. From excellent Tex Mex food to our games of Mexican Train, this time has been simply wonderful. We even get to drive a golf cart around the streets of Sun City!



Speaking of Mary's parents, just today Mary's mother Lydia singlehandedly arranged an impromptu Laughter Yoga session here in Sun City, and fourteen enthusiastic retirees participated. (One woman remarked about a phone call she received inviting her to attend the session: "When Lydia calls, you jump!") The Laughter Yoga was absolutely hilarious good fun, and we hope to be able to upload some videos for your viewing pleasure soon. 

This afternoon, Mary attended a relaxing yoga class at the Sun City fitness center, and Keith was able to swim some laps in a lovely indoor saltwater pool, successfully avoiding the plumes of toxic shampoo and soap in the locker room showers that can wreak havoc for those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).

We are in the process of contacting intentional communities in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, and hope to be setting up some visits in the very near future. In the next few days, we will pay a visit to Rainbow Hearth Sanctuary and Retreat Center, and today Mary made a nice connection with the Windspirit Community, a certain stop on our Arizona itinerary. With our beloved son and daughter-in-law in Taos, we will no doubt be spending time in that neck of the woods once the ice, snow and frigid temperatures thaw. And when it comes to California, we certainly want to go, but due to the economic situation there, living in California is seeming less and less likely as time goes by. Still, there are plenty of people on the Left Coast who we would love to spend time with.

Our time here in Sun City has been very restful. I remarked to Mary just today that, even though the wanderlust is still there, it sometimes seems so hard to get started again once we've had a good long stop. A rest from life in the rig is good, but getting back in the saddle can be a challenge once we've had a chance to heal our ersatz saddle sores.

Anyway, folks, that's a quick and breezy update from Sun City as we turn in for the night and head to Dreamland. We send you our best, thank you for your comments and support, and will report on our progress over the next few days.

Buenas noches!

Mexican Train!

Well, my brother Ken told me that every day he checks to see if we've posted something new on our blog, so I felt a great desire to satisfy his blog hunger with a post. Thus, this little missive.......

Since the rig is still in the shop and we're stationary here in Georgetown, Texas, this evening we traveled virtually by playing a rousing game of Mexican Train with Mary's parents, Lydia and Bill.

For those unfamiliar with Mexican Train, it's a form of dominoes much preferred by Bill and Lydia and their friends (and many others), and it is truly great fun when one begins to get the hang of the various strategies involved. This particular game is a Rives Family favorite, and this is certainly not the first time that we've spent an evening around the kitchen table, teasing one another and laughing as the dominoes fly.

Traveling takes on many guises
and when the rig is lame
then it's time for Mexican Train!

---Keith

Christmas Photos

Keith and his sister Janice

Our wonderful hosts: Our niece Caroline, Keith's brother-in-law Bob, and Keith's sister

All of us at the Christmas Eve church service with Keith's mother Barbara