The past couple weeks have worn me down a bit. And put a lot of milage on my car! Last weekend, the family and I loaded up and drove up to Farmington, NM. Family, and church. We actually ended up going a bit further north, with a stop in Durango, CO. That was very nice. And finished off with a run out to Navajo Lake State Park.
I hadn't been that way in a long time. In Durango, it was also my first time at the Bar D Chuckwagon. Now I was already familiar with them and had heard some of their music from CD's that other friends and family had in the past. My son has been up there before with his grandparents. So it was indeed a treat. If you're not familiar with them, let me share a bit about it. The Bar D is an experience. You drive up into the mountains, park, and then you make your way up the hill and it suddenly opens into this little ranch with shops, a playground for the kids, a train ride, and then some. When dinner time comes, the signal for everyone to come to the dining area, which is outside. They do have a canopy that can be closed for inclement weather. Then they have everyone get in line by table and send you through the food line. Beef or chicken, with beans, and basically a ranch/cowboy affair. The food is really good. Afterwards, the Bar D Wranglers go up, and entertain you. And I mean entertain. They play music first and foremost, but they also joke, tell stories, call out people's birthdays, family reunions, and whatever else they're aware of. It's a really good time. Afterwards the shops are open a little longer, and you can meet and greet the band. So truly a highlight of the trip.
Of course, I love checking Veteran Memorials. Imagine that. So, we headed over to the All Veterans Memorial Plaza in Farmington. It's a great park, I've been to several times. However, it was high on my to-do list this time because I missed out on a huge event there last year. The Woody Williams Foundation added a wonderful piece to it honoring the sacrifice of not only fallen warriors, but their families as well. It truly honors the loss while bringing home the fact that their families have to deal with the struggle as well. My mom got a little misty eyed out there.
While at church on Sunday, it was a nice surprise to run into a friend working there I hadn't seen since Covid started as well. We had gone to seminary together. He's working at that church now! It was good to see him and catch-up face to face.
There were other things, however I'm not sharing about them here. We came home, and it was brief for me. As I then turned around to head back on the road for Las Cruces and Mesilla, NM. Now, while it's been a short time since I was last in the Farmington and Four Corners area, it's been YEARS since I was last in Las Cruces and Mesilla. Just driving past the university was incredible to see how much has changed since I was last there. I must say, construction aside, it looks good. Plus sharing in fellowship with fellow Veterans and talking about God is always a good thing in my book. Smiles all around. I was gifted with a new challenge coin for my collection as well. That was a nice treat from the Marine Corps League Detachment that hosted the event for us. Now, I get to stay home for a couple days before I go back to work on Wednesday to start gearing up for the new school year.
