Good morning, ya'll. It has been forever and a day since I last chatted with ya'll. I sure hope you are doing well and the last few weeks have been good to you. Have you been quilting or stitching the days away? Or have you just been enjoying the long summer days doing whatever catches your fancy? I hope you have been enjoying yourself either way. I sure have missed ya'll!!!!๐ค ๐
Well let me tell you what has been going on here in the holler. First, Mr. Pinker and I had a wonderful vacation . It was nice to be off the grid roaming around the countryside in the ole' red truck and with Annie the raggedy little camper.

We named her after our first camper ( Raggedy Annie # 1 which was an older camper that we used to have. She wasn't pretty , but she was built well). This one is a little raggedy too, but she fit our needs perfectly and both the truck and the camper had a great trip considering they are over 20 years old.
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Abiquiu Dam |
Anywhoo, Mr. Pinker and I rolled back into the holler after almost 2 weeks on our trip westward. We traversed around Oklahoma and New Mexico visiting some of our favorite boondocking camping spots and even enjoyed discovering some new ones .
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Echo Amphitheater in New Mexico was closed . |
It rained just about every day, but the sound of the rain on the roof of the camper , made a good night's sleep for me.

We did not see as many animals as usual, but we did see a few. While in Valles Caldera National Preserve, we saw 2 wily coyotes traipsing along the prairie dog fields.
The barks of the prairie dogs warned that predators were around.

Thankfully, I did not witness them getting an afternoon snack. Aren't the prairie dogs as cute as a button?

We visited a lot of the same sites that we have been to before .
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Sandstone Bluffs- El Malpais National Monument, NM |
The lava flows at El Malpais National Monument were spectacular. We always enjoy hiking them .

We were disappointed that we could not go into the lava tubes and caves this year.
The sandstone cliffs were amazing.

The flowers were not in full bloom as they usually are in late June , but they were still beautiful.

When in New Mexico, we always stop at Blake's Lotaburger . Ya'll , it was yuuummmy!

Every year that we travel out west, the last day of our travels , we always spend the night at the edge of Oklahoma/ Arkansas ,and then I shop the Goodwills along I- 40 as I make my way back home. I will show you my finds in another post.
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Slug Bug Ranch, Conway, TX |
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Cimarron River near Eagles Nest, NM
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By midnight, we were back at home in our own beds. After unpacking and settling back into our routine, we soon realized that our internet was out. ( I'm old school and do all of my browsing , blogging and checking emails on the computer so that meant I was off the grid still. ) Yikes! ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ฅ
Mr. Pinker determined that we needed to upgrade our modem and router so that meant waiting for a few day for them to arrive.
In the meantime, just a couple of days after getting home, Mr. Pinker was off to the hospital to have a scheduled surgery.๐ค๐ฉน He is doing well and recovering at home . I do believe he is bored and is ready to go back to work , but that will be in due time.
Soon afterward the router/ modem came and as soon as Mr. Pinker was feeling up to par , we installed it , but it was a no go. Long story short.- well, we had to wait until our cable/internet provider sent a service worker to our home to repair it. But I think I am back in business . ๐
Sooooo- that's what's been going on in and out of the holler.
Thank you so much for all of the kind messages checking on how Mr. Pinker and I was doing.❤๐ค It warmed my heart something good. Ya'll are the sweetest!!!!
I had hoped to get online as soon as we returned , but I am sure you understand. I am hoping to get back into routine . I will be posting my June doodle tomorrow as long as the Lord is willing and the creek doesn't rise.
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Rio Grande Gorge Bridge |
Well ya'll it may take me a few days to catch up, but I will get there. Have a beautiful day, my dear friends and ...
As always...
Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll
Melisa

Live life with no excuses . Travel with no regret. - Oscar Wilde
Hugs and Stitches!!! ๐ค❤๐งต

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. Love and miss you., Amo ❤❤❤