Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It:  Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

July 7, 2021

Temperature 101 Degrees

New Mexico Veterans Memorial

Course Correction

My oh my it is getting a wee bit warm in these parts.  The skinny is that by Friday we’ll be at 104 and over the weekend we are likely to see 105 or better.  No, this is not normal for these parts this time of year.  Yet it is what it is and we’ll just have to deal with it.  The key to living with these temperatures I’m finding is making sure you get done what you need to get done early in the day.

Back to yesterday.

When we left the Museum we decided to try and find the New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park.  We weren’t really expecting more than a small city park tucked in some forgotten corner of the city.  Were we ever surprised.

Covering 25 acres the Park is a special place that pays tribute to veterans from the past, honoring those who currently serve our country, and inspiring future service men and women.

The City designed the New Mexico Veterans’ Memorial with open space, landscapes, sculptures, museum and meeting space to celebrate the lives of those who have sacrificed to make our country and the world a better place.

Let me take you on a tour.

You guessed it, closed.  I understand that there is a really wonderful museum behind those closed and locked doors.

Various memorials recognized battles and wars from the past.

There were a number of exhibits associated with WW II.

 

Moving around the park.  I know I missed a lot because it was mid-afternoon, hot, and I was beginning to wilt.  But here is what I discovered as I walked about.

I was there and ,yes, the ground at times ran red with the blood of those who gave all.

The Garden

The Call

The Fallen Friend

Preparation

Still other exhibits

I consider ourselves very fortunate that we had the opportunity to tour this Park.  In addition to date it has not been ravaged by those mistaken individuals who are so bent on erasing our history and our past.  I hope they never discover this Park.  This is a place to stop, remember, reflect and find inner peace.  May it never change.

Fast forward to today.  We have decided to stay here one more week.  The first reason being the coming heat.  We have a site here that is partially shaded.  We could be in direct sunlight at our next home.  The next reason being that all the attractions we wanted to see in the Alamogordo area remain closed.  We had hoped they would open by July but that is not the case.  So no reason to go there.  The final reason being simple economics.  Our site here is under thirty dollars a day.  The KOA we were headed to was over fifty dollars a day.  A much better bargain right where we are.  We’ll stay another week.

Another day is in the books on The Road of Retirement.  We played some Mexican Train, had a coupe of glasses of wine, and just kicked back and enjoyed the day and each others company.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

Thanks for stopping by today.  We always enjoy your company and appreciate your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It:  Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

July 6, 2021

Temperature 99 Degrees

National Museum of Nuclear Science and  History

We had several things on the docket today so we were up and at it bright and early.  Well, bright and early for us.  We were out of the house and on the road by 8:15 am.

Our first stop was at Aspen Dental for a follow up visit and the completion of my free exam.  I was told that based on the results of my exam that they would give me a suggested plan of treatment for the reminder of my teeth.  Well, I have their suggested treatment plan and all I can say is once again Mexico next year is looking even better.  Really, I don’t understand how anyone on a fixed income can afford dental care today.

After the dentist we were off to Albuquerque.

This was our destination for today.  The Museum is a national repository of nuclear science information chartered by Congress and located in Albuquerque.   The mission of the museum is to serve as America’s resource for nuclear history and science. The Museum presents exhibits and various educational programs that convey the diversity of individuals and events that shaped the nuclear age.

Unfortunately, this is as close to the exhibits inside the museum as one can get at this point in time.  The reason being, of course, due to COVID-19.  A volunteer at the Museum we talked to explained they simply don’t have the staff that would be needed to complete clean the Museum each night after closing before reopening the next day.  So, the Museum remains closed.  We knew this, though, before we even left home.  So, why did we come?

We went because we also knew that Heritage Park had just reopened.  The nine-acre outdoor Heritage Park is filled with planes, rockets, missiles, cannons and a nuclear sub sail.  The museum collection is the largest aircraft collection for public viewing in the state of New Mexico.  Come on, lace up your walking shoes, put a comfortable hat on your head, keep a bottle of water handy and let’s go inside and see what we can discover.

A replica of the tower used in the Trinity Test.

The Trinty Test was the code name for the first detonation of a nuclear device by the US.  It was conducted on the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery range which is about 70 miles – as the crow flies – southeast of where we call home at this moment.  It is also in the vicinity of our next stop on our journey home.  The test was necessary because the complexity of the design of the bomb raised questions as to whether it would even work.

To conduct the Trinity Test a 100 Foot Tower would need to be constructed.  The original tower was manufactured off site and then shipped in sections to New Mexico where it was assembled.

A copy of the original purchase request for the original tower.

A better picture of the tower showing the steel framework, the various platforms, the steel ladder, and Gadget in the middle.

The nuclear device detonated at Trinity, nicknamed Gadget, was shaped like a large steel globe.  It was a plutonium implosion device which was of the same design as the Fat Man Bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

Next.

The 280 MM Atomic Cannon was the largest nuclear capable mobile artillery piece manufactured in the United States.  It really didn’t have much of a range.  Honestly, I never even knew we had an atomic cannon at one point in time.

When it comes to bombs, well, we had a few ways to eliminate the human race.

Along with the bombs we also had missiles.

 

The first guided missile ever deployed by the United States Air Force.

The replacement for the Matador was the Mace which was an early cruise missile.

The BOMARC was designed to intercept and destroy incoming enemy bombers.

The Snark was an intercontinental cruise missile.

The Jupiter was an important link between early short range rockets and later weapons that could reach any point on earth.  It was the first to use a heat shield on its nose cone the design of which would later be used on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft.

The Thor was an intermediate range ballistic missile that was developed and deployed early in the Cold War.  It had a range of 1,500 miles.

The US built the missiles, provided the spare parts and training.  However, Britain agreed to provide the bases, infrastructure and personnel.  Each missile was designed to fit inside a Globemaster transport II aircraft for delivery to Britian.

The ultimate missile of missiles.  The Peacekeeper was the most powerful, accurate, and technologically advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile we ever built.  It could reach any target anywhere in the world.

One Peacekeeper could deliver a number of nuclear warheads on different targets at the same time.

Then there were the airplanes.  Here are some of the most notable.

Silverplate was the code word for the aircraft modification project for the B-29 to enable it to carry an atomic bomb.

We’ve covered the nine acres and it is time to call it quits.  The temperature is soaring and its time to find some shade and a cold drink of ice tea.

Yes, I did manage to get a new T-shirt.  The gift shop was open.

Well, we went one more place today but I’ll save that for tomorrow.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  We count ourselves lucky that we at least found another place open.  Some people live to shop.  Well, we live to sightsee and sightsee we will as often and whenever we have an opportunity.  Time for some shut-eye.

Thanks for coming with us today.  We always enjoy your company and appreciate your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It:  Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

July 5, 2021

Temperature 101 Degrees

Worship At Our Home Church In Colts Neck, NJ

Hamilton, An American Musical

We were moving slow this morning.  Don’t know why.  We both had a good night’s sleep.  Suffice to say we never got moving until around 10 am.  But hey, who cares it is not like we had an appointment to be somewhere this morning or something pressing that needed doing.  Really, let’s always remember the retired person’s creed:  Never do today what you can to tomorrow.

We began with worship at our home church.

Since Pastor Scott is on vacation Pastor Debbie was at the helm.

Our first song.

Special music by Maggie Tripold and Alicia McQuerrey.

Her message this morning was simple and straight to the point – in God’s eyes all are created equal, all have equal access to His love, grace and mercy.  Furthermore, she went on to emphasize the best way to love and honor God is by treating everyone as an equal.

Our last song.

From 2018 all five bell choirs performing Stars and Stripes Forever.

Moving on.

 

We were able to stream the play Hamilton on the Disney Channel.

Truthfully, I had no idea what the play was about so I decided to do a bit of sleuthing.  This is what I discovered.

Officially titled Hamilton: An American Musical, it’s a musical theatre production. Specifically, one that tells the story of forgotten American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his ascent out of poverty and to power against the backdrop of the American War of Independence.

As the opening line of the musical states: “a bastard orphan son of a whore and a Scotsman” who grew up on St Croix, a Caribbean island in poverty. He got out by hard work alone and made it to New York. Hamilton was a polymath who wrote the majority of the Federalist Papers, which helped to ratify the US Constitution, and founded the country’s banking system, coastguard and NY Post.

He wasn’t flawless, though: Hamilton’s downfall came in the form of the country’s first major sex scandal and he died in his fifties after his rival Aaron Burr shot him in a duel.

It was a fascinating theater production, great music, exceptional acting and well worth viewing.  But be forewarned if you are going to view it, it runs for close to three hours.  So settle in and get comfortable.

When we finished with the Disney production of Hamilton we went foraging for the few things that we had recently run out of – like eggs and milk and bread. It was surprising to see that the store was basically empty and – hooray – everyone was wearing a mask.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Tomorrow we’re setting out to see what we can see in Albuquerque.  We found at least one museum that has it’s outside exhibits open to the public.  The way we see it, one is better than none.  Who knows, maybe we’ll find some other attractions also open.

We’re glad you decided to spend a few minutes with us today.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It:  Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

July 4, 2021

Temperature 92 Degrees

Happy 4th of July

I think we can all agree this is not a normal 4th of July.  We have the COVID-19 pandemic raging across our land yet there are those who want us to believe it is all a hoax.  When many Americans are wrestling with the racist misdeeds of the country’s heroes there are those who would want us to believe that those crying out for change and justice are nothing more than a left wing mob intent upon destroying the fabric of our country.  Our country is divided and in chaos.

Yet, given all that I still firmly believe it is a great time to be an American.  We may be off course but we have the power of the vote to right the ship.  We have the freedom to choose who we want to lead us.  Yes, despite all that is going on which seeks to tear us apart and pit one against the other, I am still proud to be an American.

I believe Lee Greenwood said it best in song

“Proud To Be An American”

There was also a food truck on site.  Well, sort of.  They only offered three items, one of them being hot dogs.  Hot dogs, are you kidding me this was supposed to be a Mexican food truck.  Doesn’t it say New Mexico’s Favorite?  Oh well, we went back home and had our own left overs.

That’s about it for our day on The Road of Retirement.  I did a few simple chores today – cleaned our washer/dryer, cleaned out the dryer vent, and flushed out the fresh water tank.  Oh, almost forget as the washer was going through the spin cycle we heard a funny rattle from the front of Elvira.  Guess what I found?  Our front TV was dancing up a storm!  The screws holding our front TV to the mount had backed out.  I can only imagine what might have happened the next time we were on the road.  Glad I found the issue and corrected it now.

Hope you had a great holiday today.  Maybe you had a chance to spend some time with family or a few friends.  We’re glad you decided to spend a few minutes with us.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!