last call

Today is our last day in Taos. We're up early, enjoying a new view of the world, even though it's only from our own driveway. When we step outside we see the house in a way we've not seen it before, looking back at it from an irregular angle that makes it look quite pretty. Tomorrow morning we'll scurry around, hitching, stowing, securing, and double-checking before we pull out of the driveway like turtles, slow and steady, with our home on our back.

We have one last little party tonight. A dinner at Deborah and Thomas's, with Karena, Kathleen and Kat, and Julia. The core group. The small set of people at the heart of everything we do here. If we're lucky, the rains will stay away tonight so we can sit outside by the fire, drinking maybe a little too much, while we all try to pretend we're not at least a little bit sad.

We keep telling people we're not really leaving, just going a little farther out on the mesa. I feel like we're some kind of traveling circus, with dogs doing silly tricks, a glass blower, hula hoops, the gypsy wagon of course, and Rick and me, the resident philosopher and fortune teller. Maybe we have something to share out there, I don't know. I do know we have a lot to gain, as long as we stay wide open.

For those keeping track, our first stop will be Ojo Caliente hot springs. We need a little rest after all this work we've done. A day to soak our bones seems like just the thing. On Thursday we'll head to Deming, NM to see Uncle Gene. Friday and Saturday we'll be in Flagstaff, AZ, where I hope to find internet again, and then Sunday, the fifth, we'll go to the Grand Canyon. I'm likely to drop out of sight there for a few days, or even the whole two weeks. Don't worry if I do. It won't mean I've gone over the edge. It will mean I'm having a blast with the Canyon and the condors, and not giving much thought to the computer. That will be OK for a little while.

So here we go. One last day here. Better make it a good one.