What do Pueblos, Petroglyphs, Stilt Walkers and the President Have in Common?

Yesterday, Sunday, dawned overcast and chilly.  Not just chilly for us, oh no...it was chilly for everyone here!  It was only 57 degrees upon waking, and we were told that is the coldest temp they've had since June 25!  Oh my, I think that means Winter is on its way!  So, what else happened Sunday?  Well, we discovered that we have double-booked ourselves!  How on earth did THAT happen?  I know I checked and checked our dates, and that shouldn't have been the case.  Well, it WAS.  Turns out, when we registered at the Air Force Base, we leased a site for a week.  Further research showed that we should have only purchased four nights!!  Well, crapola...now we have to fix it!  We called Camp Verde, in AZ, and got them to push our reservation back a week, then we called Meteor Crater, in Winslow, AZ, and got them to adjust our incoming date, plus add a day.  Good thing we had an extra 3 days to play with...we were planning to go to Gila Bend, but we had no reservations, so it was no trouble to just alter the dates and route a bit.  That (and a big, hot breakfast & cleanup) took all morning.  After that, we decided maybe we should get to work on Aunt Grace's financial report.  Oh.My.Gawd.  It was after 5 pm when we got to a stopping spot!!  I'm sure glad that report is only due once a year!

Sooo, today, we had planned to stay on base, because President Trump is due to fly into Albuquerque and go deliver a campaign speech at Rio Rancho, just a bit north of town.  All weekend, they've been warning us of road closures and detours, and being unfamiliar with the streets, we thought we could just avoid the crowds and stay in.  HA.  That plan didn't last long - both of us wanted to get out and about and see some sights!  So we figured we could head WEST of town, to go see the petroglyphs.  That we did!  See the sign?  We were there!  That picture is devoid of people because we waited for another couple to move away from the sign.

We meandered up the path and stopped to read this sign.

As we were reading about this facsimile of a petroglyph, this couple came up and explained that they knew the artist (Zia Pueblo Native) that had made it, and they had just come from seeing him, where he presented them a special rock of their own.  Can you see it?  Star (the lady on the right) is holding it in her hand.  That's Rich, her husband of 10 years, on the left.  Peter Pino is the artist, and the carving on the rock is the story of their friendship.  We spent about 3 HOURS with this couple, trading life experiences, travel stories, and sharing tearshed over loss of fur babies.  They are absolutely charming and fascinating, and we were so very honored and privileged to share a little of their life's journey.  We are absolutely certain our paths will cross again.  In fact, we came to a stop light (most people call them traffic lights, we call them stop lights, because they're always RED!), Rich and Star pulled up beside us, handed us their calling card, and we both reached out & pinky swore we'd meet again!

 The large rock is the petroglyph Circle of Life that Peter carved specially for the Visitors' Center.  It is the only one you're permitted to touch, because oils and the pressure of rubbing fingers actually destroys the carving.  As we chatted, and watched the informative movie, Star held her rock (the smaller one) in her hands, the entire time.  When she opened her fingers, you could see where it had become darker and the design appeared more faint.  As it was exposed to the air again, the design reappeared.

The photo on the left shows the back of the small rock, with Peter's signature.  You can see a P, looking back & honoring his ancestors, and a forward facing P, looking to the future, both incorporating the Circle of Life, flanking the stacked "M" signifying the Present, the Nadir, representing the lower world where the spirits of the Ancients live with the supernatural beings representing the caves, springs and lakes, and the Zenith, where the spirits of the upper world reside (sun, sky, clouds).  The dots along the bottom represent water, a precious commodity in this part of the country.  The ones on the left signify that water is plentiful, because there are more, and the ones on the right signify that it is farther away (see the spacing?) and less of it.  So, if you were traveling, and saw this, you would know which way to travel safely.  Star is modeling the front of the stone, where she and Rich are portrayed on their stilts. So, you can find Star and Rich, traveling from fair to fair, all over the country....today, they are heading toward Miami-Dade area, or maybe Raleigh, NC, first, I can't remember.  NC is for the state fair, and Miami is for a specific commissioned performance.  Together, they run StiltCircus, an entertainment provider, and basically, dance, entertain, and bring joy to the world and its inhabitants.  They had just wrapped up a two hour stint (with NO BREAKS!) at the New Mexico state fair today.  She makes ALL their costumes and booth backdrops, and we talked for quite some time about the logistics and emotion of life on the road.

Eventually, we had to leave their company, because they had business to tend.  Just like normal people, they had to get their oil changed, and a few other routine and mundane chores.  We were heading to find The Madonna of the Trail, in downtown Albuquerque.  We invited them to come along, and even join us for dinner, but, they really had things to do before they moved on to their next gig.  We, on the other hand, headed downtown.  We had no idea what we were looking for, but I had marked it down as a point of interest, so there must have been something that caught my eye.  We found an empty, metered spot, fed it a buck, and started down the sidewalk.  Embedded in the sidewalk were various plaques, engraved with quotes about truth and justice, from various famous people, ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Cesar Chavez.  When we arrived at the State Courthouse, we were impressed by a huge representation of the Scales of Justice.

 After walking completely around the block, yup, all four sides, we found what we were looking for...a monument memorial to the pioneer women that blazed the trail for all the rest of us.  The Madonna of the Trail.  Right across the street from where we had parked.  But, if we had gone directly there, we would have missed that beautiful sculpture of the scales and all those inspiring quotes.

 Also, down the street, was this little shop.  Right down in the middle of all the skyscrapers and huge courthouses, this little unassuming Pueblo-style pink storefront, Sunwest Silver.  We still had about 30 minutes on our parking meter, so we headed on in.

Holy Moley!  I've never in my life seen such an impressive array of turquoise!!!  See those display cases?  They were on every wall.  See those racks in the back?  They held tray after tray after tray of loose stones, of all shapes, colors and quantities.  

Click on this panorama to make it full size, and you'll see the extent of what is in store!  And this is only out in the PUBLIC area!  There was a whole 'nother room in back, with a sign on the door, reading $300 minimum purchase!  It was the wholesale room, and there were THOUSANDS of trays of loose stones there too!  What was really funny, we were greeted by a clerk when we first entered and she let us know they were having a 30% sale on all their jewelry.  Yaay.  So we looked in every case, walking all around the room....we got to the back wall, and there were two young ladies there that wanted to see Bailey, so of course, we obliged.  We found a rack of bolos, and you know Dick is on the lookout for a new one, so of course, we asked to see the pretty blue one.  It was only $575!!!  But the young lady informed us that everything was 50% off, so it would only cost about $280!  What a bargain, right?  But, did you catch that discrepancy??  We did.  And when we went to checkout, we made sure to take our purchase to the younger clerk, with the larger discount! 

While we were browsing, this young man came out with a new bolo he had just completed.  It was HUGE and heavy!  The slide is a horny toad, silver, inlaid with coral colored stones, and the silver tips are a two-part poured cast, but they're in the shape of the little toad's feet!  They were also inlaid with the same stones.  It was heavy!  Obviously, they'd not priced it yet, but I can only imagine, a lot of bread would be exchanged for that piece!

Soooo, dinner was done, and we were contemplating taking a hike (walking the dog) and a little blurb came on the news about President Trump should be landing any minute at Kirtland Air Force Base.  What a sec - WE are at Kirtland Air Force Base!  We should be able to go watch, right?  We may or may not agree with Trump's policies and/or politics, but, daggum, this was a presidential plane arriving, right here, where we were! Here it is, coming in for a landing.

Here is a link to a video of the helicopter taking off.  We are not really sure if the Pres was on it or not!  But it was a heck of a sight!

And here is the plane, in all its glory, waiting for his return.  It was pretty darned big! Those little dark shadows under it, towards the front, are full-sized people!!

That was about all the excitement we could stand for one day, so we headed back to the camper, where the trash and dirty dishes waited.  So that was our day, dear friends, what went on at your place??  We never did get up to see the original petroglyphs, so, perhaps tomorrow!  Always tomorrow, free beer tomorrow!  If you've been to Rotten Ralph's, down on Anna Maria Island, you know that story!  Y'all stay safe, remember to open your hearts to the people around you -- you'll never know who you'll meet!Wha

How often do you get to climb into a Pueblo Cliff Dwelling?

Just outside Manitou Springs, is an attraction they bill as Manitou Cliff Dwellings.  These are actually Anasazi ruins that date back 800 to 1000 years old.  However, they are no longer in their original location.  The original 40 rooms were in a canyon located in the Southwest corner of Colorado.  From their history page:

Over a several year period, the ruins from McElmo Canyon were collected, packaged, and finally moved by oxen out of McElmo Canyon to Dolores, Colorado. There, they were loaded and shipped by railroad to Colorado Springs, and finally brought to Cliff Canyon by horse and wagon.  Crosby’s men then faithfully reassembled the dwellings in dimension and appearance to those in the four corners region, instead they used a concrete mortar in 1907 as opposed to the adobe mud/clay mortar the Anasazi used.  This allows individuals to walk inside and tour through our dwellings. The Manitou Cliff Dwellings is a preserve of these ancient dwellings, here to protect them for future generations to visit.

Soooo, because they used cement, instead of natural adobe mortar, visitors are permitted to wander in and around the ruins, without fear of destruction.  Here's what they looked like when we got there early in the morning.

We went through the museum first, then came out to the ruins to begin exploring.  And this is what it looked like by then!  Wow, where did all those people come from???

This is a bread oven, and it holds about 30 loaves at a time. It is constructed of adobe bricks, covered with earth and straw.  A fire would be built inside, and left to burn for hours.  A large flat rock partially cover the opening.  When the fire died, the ashes would be removed and the bread loaves placed inside to bake (the wooden paddle was used for placing the loaves inside).  The oven, or horno, was originally constructed in 1920 by Chief Little Deer, but due to usage and natural weathering, it required some reconstruction in 1999.  Work was done by a local stonemason, and the oven is still in use today.

There is a free standing Pueblo, that, today, serves as a museum/gift shop.  It was actually erected at the turn of the century, specifically to house a Native American family of dancers that lived onsite and entertained visitors for 3 generations.  This family lived in the Pueblo until 1984.

Inside the museum were several historical artifacts, and the explanations behind them.  There were several examples of bones and skulls, but I could really relate to this young lady.  Can you see the arrows pointing to the holes in the top of her head?  Drilling was the method of choice for migraine relief during her lifetime.  Oh my word!  At first, I was horrified by it. But, then again, the more I thought about it, sometimes, it seems as if drilling a hole might relieve pressure, so maybe it was a little more logical and pain-relieving than you'd think.  All the skeletal artifacts were actually facsimiles, because the Antiquities Act of 1906 protects all fossils and skeletons found in National Parks and Monuments.  Knowing they were just copies made it only a little easier to view them; they were still pretty creepy.

These two skulls showed some of the oral issues suffered by the elder women of the tribe.  Corn was a staple of their diets, and some form of cornmeal was served with every meal.  Corn was ground in sandstone, by other rocks, and the resulting mixture was gritty.  And in order to make the cornmeal more palatable, the elder women would chew some cornmeal into a paste.  Their saliva would break down the cornmeal and turn the starches to sugar.  When they'd chewed it enough, they would spit it back into the communal pot to make the dish sweeter.  A lifetime of such chewing made for quite a mess in the mouth of these ladies.  Sure makes me appreciate that I can just go to the store, buy sugar in a bag, and scoop some out when I need it!

This was one of the earliest types of structures; it held four families and was originally 2 stories tall, with the lower story's walls solid.  This shows the outer wall collapsed, along with part of the floor of the 2nd story.  The little indentations on the right are actually the ladder up to the door, which is the larger, rectangular hole in the wall. 

This is the view, looking down into the Kiva, a room used for religious rituals and political meetings of the early Puebloans. 

Dick climbed up the ladder to the 2nd story, but even he didn't enter!

 After seeing all there was to see at the Cliff Dwellings, we went down into Old Colorado City.  Like most historic city areas, new shops and boutiques, and bars, lots of bars, have moved into old buildings in an effort to revitalize the downtown areas.  There were shops of Tibetan/Indian culture, head shops, a glass blower (who apparently specializes in handblown bongs!), a VERY small quilt shop, some Colorado souvenir/T-shirt shops, and a chocolate shop.  Nope, no fabric purchased.  No chocolate either, can you believe it? 

There was an old gold miner's car from Cripple Creek at one corner that caught our eye.  Other corners held flowering rock gardens or buckets and pots of annuals all in bloom.  There were several murals painted on buildings too, so, all in all, the historic area was pretty and inviting.

On the way home, we got a couple more shots of the Garden of the Gods from the roadside for ya.  Enjoy!

Next up, balloon liftoff!  Till next time...

Downtown Pueblo and RiverWalk

Soooo, yesterday was Monday, and as you may know, most museums are closed on Mondays.  I think it's because they're open on Saturday, so they make up for it by closing Monday.  Well, it was promised to be a scorcher (and it was, setting a record at 102 degrees) and I knew we couldn't be out and about too awfully much in that kind of heat.  We both had business resolve and phone calls to make, and that took up most of the morning.  Dick made his dental appointment for Tuesday (today), and called the insurance company to figure out why they are billing for another $24, I talked to Newmar about the crack in the floor, my father (I know, miracle of miracles!), and a rheumatologist out in Phoenix.  My calls actually took the longest, since the new doc wanted any and all lab tests and results faxed to him.  THAT was a chore and a half!  Last bone density was done in 2017, that part was easy.  It was dealing with that awful corporation, Florida Cancer Specialists, that began the run-around.  I'll spare you all the gory details, and tell you only that I got my name and reputation cleared, AND supposedly, William faxed the results of the bloodwork they did back in December.  Hopefully, the new doc won't lose it by the time I get there!   Newmar gave me a couple of repair shops we could go to when we get to Phoenix and Tucson, so we'll deal with that down the road, when we are closer to Arizona.  After all that, we looked around for something else to do, and we spied with our little eyes, a DIRTY DUSTY PUPPY DOG!  Our neighbors on both sides had left, so we hauled out the table and shampoo and set to it!  And here's the result: 

Then we were ALL tired and we just hung out in the camper, chillin' as best we could.  So the dental appointment was for today, at 3 p.m.  After breakfast, that gave us about 5 hours, travel time included, to wander around and see the sights.  We started at Hotel Vail, which was built in 1911.  It was luxurious for its time, and it was purchased by the Pueblo Housing Authority in 1979.  After extensive remodeling, it was ready for occupancy in 1984, and is now housing for the elderly and disabled.  It is said that the historical features were kept intact, but we couldn't enter it to verify such rumors.

Across the street was the museum we intended to visit, El Pueblo History Musuem, a community museum and story.  Outside was this majestic eagle sculpture, surrounded by beautiful Mexican tiles inlaid in the cement foundation.  You can see that it was presented Henry Reyes, of Pueblo, CO, by the citizens and authorities of sister city, Puebla, Mexico, in 1992.  

Inside we found a few rooms, each with a themed display.  The room about the ever-moving border and displacement of residents probably contained the most actual artifacts.  These Commanche moccasins really caught my eye, surprisingly, not because of the elaborate beading, but because of just how small they were!  I would have to say in today's sizes, they'd be no more than a woman's six 5!  They were really tiny!

Pike's Peak, also now known as America's Mountain, was named for US Army Brigadier General/explorer  Zebulon Montgomery Pike, even though he never reached the summit. He was killed by an explosion during the War of 1812, and showering stones from the explosion dented his scabbard.  Personally, I failed to see said dents.  ???

Outside was an archaeological excavation of an adobe placita ("little plaza") that was found on the grounds.  This settlement stood on the northern bank of the Arkansas River, which was long known to be the geographical boundary between the United States and Mexico.  This was an important trading post for Native Americans, pioneers, Mexicans and Europeans until 1848, when most inhabitants departed for the California Gold Rush.  You can see the adobe brick walls below the grid lines of the dig, in the photo below.

Touring those displays didn't take too long; it was a pretty small, but important, museum.  It also had dioramas relating to the Children of Ludlow, and the Colorado Coalfield Strike and Ludlow Massacre.  The young man who was tending the admissions desk admitted that he was born in Pueblo, had gone all through school in Pueblo, and had never heard of this important event until he started working at the museum.  It was definitely a story that needed to be shared and repeated, and every single worker today should be thankful for the sacrifice made by those pioneer miners and over 9,000 children who endured the strike.  After we had seen everything inside and out, and looked at all the trinkets in the shop, we still had about 2 hours to spend before the dentist appointment, so we headed a little farther south, to find the RiverWalk and the Pueblo Heritage Museum.  Along the way, we spied this beauty of a building.  Signs indicated it was the Pueblo Depot.  We found a place to park nearby and walked up to the building, with the idea of taking a picture for your enjoyment.  We were pleasantly surprised to find A Little Bite of Heaven, a charming little bakery and gelato retailer, on the ground floor.  Dick didn't want any (whaaaaaa???) because he didn't bring a toothbrush, and he didn't want to visit the dentist with dirty teeth.  So we kept walking and came upon the front door.  You know I tried it.  And it OPENED!  It opened to a magnificent foyer area, filled with glass display cases, with lots of railroad-related artifacts, postcards and newspaper articles.

The woodwork and stained glass inserts in the transoms were just beautiful examples of the craftsmanship of the times (1889-1990). 

 

Dick pointed out that it was the time before nails were used, showing me the wooden plugs that were used instead.  I've never actually seen that technique in a still-standing building.  

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And, I'm going to guess that all these doorways and casings were hand carved.  No CnC machines in those days!

Again, we had the pup with us, and she always, ALWAYS gives me a tug, just as I'm clicking the shutter, so, sorry for the blur! But, please, no singing, no dancing, no swearing.  This is a respectable house.  No fun either, if you ask me!  That sign was a bit odd, since it was posted right on the threshold of the bar area/waiting room (for Americans only, as you'll see in a bit). 

The bar was impressive, for sure.

As was this sideboard.  See how tall it is?  Notice, you can't see the ceiling!  

Looking outside, you can see a covered veranda, complete with ornate ironwork, and the train tracks behind the parking lot, complete with a coal train moving down the tracks.  

For all my quilting peeps, check out the Grandma's Flower Garden floor tiles.

The sign said, No Public Restrooms, so I was surprised to find this inside.  I could not resist taking a peek inside.  Yes, the pup came with me!

Inside I found marble sinks and wooden benches.  

Even the stalls had beautiful wooden walls.  Not very sanitary, but they sure were pretty.

Back out in the hallway, we found an early horseless carriage.  No other signs or identifiers, sorry.

Attention: Immigrants.  Your waiting room is behind the baggage depot.  We never did find it, but I'm sure it was nowhere near as opulent and ornate as the "American" waiting room we just left.

This room would make any model train aficionado swoon.  It was filled with models of all sorts.  I'm guessing they aren't the type made for playing with - I'm pretty sure they are scale  models of cars at are, or were, actually in use.  

The door to the train room is marked Union Pacific Railroad, Suite A, Rio Grande Yard, LLC.

Check out the metal steps leading to the second story....I wonder how many thousands of feet have trod these same steps, and what are all the stories of the people that have come before me?

Once upstairs, we noted we were in the office of the Pueblo Public Defender.  Several employees were up there, working hard, and we were asked 3 times if we needed help.  I know we were intruding, but we just couldn't help ourselves.  When we told them we were just admiring the building, we were told, people do it all the time, and to take our time.

 So we did.  :)

Outside, the flowers in the front were spilling out of their buckets and appeared to be well cared for.

When we could finally tear ourselves away from the Depot, we saw the Arcadia Building, just across the street.  It was built in 1901, as a hotel, by Italian investors.

Just down the street, I saw a sign that said Neon Alley.  I had read about it, but pretty much all I knew was that it existed in downtown Pueblo.  Further research would inform me that it's "the greatest assembly of neon art West of Times Square and East of Las Vegas." 

As we were admiring the neon art, though, we kept a close eye on traffic.  Even so, we almost got run over by a gent in an SUV, who was obviously in a hurry, and obviously oblivious to the fact that there were pedestrians in his path of travel.  Speedy travel.  To his credit, he did stop, roll down his window, and apologize profusely.  And sheepishly.  He even thanked US for watching out for HIM.

We found ourselves back behind the Depot again where this antique Mercedes was parked. Again, no identifying marks or informative signs were evident. 

There was also this beauty.  This is Santa Fe 2912, built in 1944. She sometimes saw service in the Pueblo area, and provided rapid service between LaJunta and Los Angeles.  According to the website, they are collecting funds for restoration, which sort of surprises me, because she's in much better shape that the locomotive we saw in Amarillo.

Can you see what Dick is gazing up at?  Any guesses?  That is the marker for the high water line, from the flood of June 3, 1921, when the water reached 10 feet, 6 inches.  That's a lotta water!

We still had about an hour to spend, so we headed toward the RiverWalk. As we approached a stop sign, we were privileged to spot this triangular building, The McLaughlin Block, built in 1891.  It originally contained a hotel, 2 saloons, 2 restaurants, a barbershop and a shoe shop.  There was also a garden out front, that has never been unearthed after the flood of 1921 filled it with debris and mud.

As we approached the beginning (or the end, if you will) of the RiverWalk, we came across this adorable sculpture of children playing with garden hoses.  As we were sitting there admiring it, the water came on!  It really was charming, and later on, as we walked by it, we saw a lady playing in the water, cooling off.  Couldn't blame her; if we didn't have someplace else to be, we probably would have joined in the fun!

I'm thinking this might be a pleasant way to spend some time - it's a narrated boat tour, for about $6 a piece.  What a bargain, eh??  Another day, perhaps.  And perhaps not, as our time here is growing short.

We walked up the river just a bit, and came across The Center for American Values.  It was HOT.  The dog was ready for a break, and so was I!  And the sign said FREE, so, in we went.  Boy, were we in for a surprise.  The walls were lined with photographs of all the Medal of Honor recipients, in the settings of their choice, each with a saying or quote of inspiration.  We were greeted by the docent, who graciously explained the mission of the display, and let us know the only other place you can see these photos is the Pentagon.  We were truly honored and humbled to be in their presence.  The docent played a welcome video for us, which showed several recipients explaining what they did to earn their medals and how they felt at the time of sacrifice and courage, and how they felt when they received the medal itself.  There was one old guy that was telling about his medal ceremony, and how it took place in Hitler's stadium, where there was a huge Nazi swastika flag that could be seen for miles.  The engineers of the unit were able to hang an American flag over the swastika flag, signifying how America and democracy prevailed.  Just after they (he and 3 others) were presented their medals, somehow, that swastika flag was blown to bits.  He never really explained what happened to the American flag, if it went up in the explosion, or if it had been taken down...  but you could hear the satisfaction of and pride in a job well done in his voice.

It was truly a moving and humbling experience.  Again, we were presented with an opportunity to view a small piece of the World Trade Center.

Here are a couple of photos and quotes that inspired me.

There was also an interactive kiosk, where you could touch an icon of any of the photos, hear the stories of the recipient, often in their own voices.

During our visit here, Bailey was laying at my feet, just chilling.  For the most part, I was able to relax in one of the oversized chairs, so we were both ready for the hike back to the car.  Remember that dentist appointment?  Yeah.  Well, we got there in plenty of time, and they gave us an estimate of anywhere from 70 to 90 bucks, depending on what they had to do.  OK, not great, but OK.  Dick filled out all the paperwork, and we sat down to wait his turn.  We were STILL about 30 minutes early, so we both got to read a couple of magazines in full.  For SOME reason, Dick kept showing me pictures of food (knowing all the while that I was hungry!!).  Finally, they called his name, and he got to go in the back, while I kept reading all the latest gossip about movie stars I know nothing about, other than their names.  And sometimes, not even that much.  After about an hour, he came out and I could hear him discussing the bill over at the reception counter.  I heard a hundred and eighty something, and looked over at him - he had paled considerably!  The clerk was kind enough to explain and itemize it for him, and there really was no option but to take out his new credit card and hand it over.  I mean, really, what are ya gonna do???  Not pay it?  I think that would be considered Theft of Services, and while he does like to eat 3 times a day, I'm pretty sure he'd rather not do it in a holding cell.  And I can't drive this big bus, at least not out on any roads, with traffic, passing or oncoming, and oh yeah, don't forget the HILLS around here, so he'd better not do anything to get locked up!  

Just as we were arriving back to our rig at the campground, we got a phone call from Nancy, the park owner.  She was letting us know that there was a power outage, and she was calling everyone with a pet, to see if there was anything we wanted her to do.  She volunteered to come to the camper, break a window or call a locksmith, whatever was needed.  How sweet is that?  Could be expensive, but it was 102 degrees, and RV's can become ovens in no time flat, so she was calling all pet owners to advise us of the outage.  Thankfully, we had the puppy with us, so no problems there.  We fired up the generator and turned on one A/C unit, and closed all the shades, and we were fine.  The outage didn't last long, and they came around to let us know power was restored.  Yeah!  Now it was finally time to start on dinner!

Tomorrow, the hot springs are open.  We still haven't decided on what to wear (or NOT to wear), and they are forecasting severe storms for the afternoon.  We'll see what happens and let you know!

Till next time!