Look at that curly hair! ...and Las Vegas, NM Carnegie Library

The town of Las Vegas, which is about three miles from Storrie Lake State Park, has a really nice library.  I stopped by a few days last week and used their fast Internet connection to get some things downloaded.  When I was in the library a few weeks ago I got a library card, so this time, I was all set.

The library was built in 1904, so it's now 110 years old, and still a beautiful building.  It sits in the center of an entire block of lush green lawn and large trees.  I would love to live across the street from the library in one of the old Victorian houses.

From Wikitravel:  Carnegie Park, an area of town centered around Carnegie Park, which has a Carnegie Library that was modeled after Thomas Jefferson's home, the Monticello. The surrounding blocks are filled with old Victorian homes.

Katie loved walking through the grass:

A few weather photos from the last week, storms and sunshine:

The clouds came in, the fog appeared and it started pouring rain:

Thunder and lightening:

And we had bright, sunny, hot parts of the day.  This large earth mover was bringing some of the mud at the edge of the boat ramp back up the ramp and dumping it on the side.  That'll make it easier for the boats to come and go from the ramp.  (Thanks Jeanne, for the photo.  I left my camera in The Palms.)  You can see the clouds building in the distance.

It was so hot yesterday I had my air conditioning on because I NEEDED it, not to exercise my generator!  That doesn't happen often.  The humidity made the heat feel worse and I was sure happy when the sun went down and the air cooled.

LADIES ONLY???

You may or may not be interested in this, but it might bring back some memories.  I made a life change last week.  Jeanne and I were talking about hair styles, whether or not to use a blow drier (she has great curly hair that looks good long or short and just got a fab hair cut.  It looks just darling and she sure doesn't need a blow drier!)

When I was a little girl, my mom would wash my hair and then make those little circles of hair on my head and cross bobbie pins to hold them down - I would have curley hair the next day after sleeping on the bobbie pins all night.  Remember that, ladies?

Then rollers came on the scene, and I sure remember sleeping on those things.  Some were plastic, then came sponge.  Ouch!

Next was the blow drier cap:  wash, roll up in curlers and sit under the cap with hot air blowing on your hair while reading a movie magazine.  That was an improvement for sure, no more sleeping on curlers.

Then the hand-held hair dryer became available, and that was a real improvement.  We could put rollers in and spot dry them, or blow dry using a brush and then (or not) a hair iron to straighten the hair, or a curling iron to put some curls in.

I've done all that over the years, except the iron.  I've never just washed my hair and let it air dry.  I don't know why, it just wasn't part of my hair styling system.  LOL

After Jeanne and I talked about it, I decided to try just letting my hair dry by itself.  It's been too hot to use the hair dryer, and honestly, I get tired of that bother.

This is what I ended up with:

What a surprise - I love it, and it's so easy!  If my hair is too hot on my neck, I just make a pony tail below the clip and I'm ready to go.  Funny how we get into our life habits and don't think to try something new, and I should have tried this years ago.  I've been letting my hair grow since that awful hair cut I got on Christmas Eve in 2012 - 19 months ago.  It's getting pretty long now. 

WELCOME to two new Followers:

Monica - a mom who loves to quilt, garden, collect vintage sewing machines, and travel the world. Monica has three blogs, if you check out this one, Color My World With Warmth, you can access the other two on the upper right sidebar.  Besides her love of quilting, she enjoys collecting vintage sewing machines and treadling. Monica, you are quite a quilter, I love the scrappy Irish Chain quilt you are starting to put together - what a lot of work!  Your photos make me want to take up quilting again - maybe some day.  Thanks for following along with us!

Welcome also to Phil Southers!  Phil doesn't have a photo or any infomation, so I can't share anything with you, but we're happy to have you following me and Katie, Phil!  

Welcome aboard to you both!  :)

From me and Katie, have a great Saturday, everyone!  :)

Wordless Wednesday - Hummingbird Photos

These were all taken at Storrie Lake, mostly yesterday.  The difference in how they look in the shade and the sunshine is amazing.  I'm not sure if I have two kinds of hummers here, or more.  Anyway, they are all gorgeous, and so much fun to watch!

From me and Katie, have a great Wordless Wednesday, everyone!  :)

Update on Katie - and - Leaving Heron Lake

I've been enjoying my time here at Storrie Lake, and thought I'd better post these photos I took as we were leaving Heron Lake and driving this way before they get too outdated.  I'm sure the Verizon tower will be repaired and operating soon, and this is what you can expect to see if you're driving north on US84.  Some of these I took heading up and some heading back down.  It was a beautiful drive with good roads and gorgeous scenery.

We drove past the Georgia O'Keefe Home and Studio on the way up.  It's on the right side of the road, right there on US84.  It was highly recommend by Renee, but I decided to keep going and visit it on the way back.  Unfortunately on the way back it was closed when we stopped and the tours were full for the next two days.  Oh, well.  Next time. 

On the way back, further along US84 is a natural rock formation called Echo Amphitheater:

Driving on the road to the amphitheater right off the highway:

When I got to the entrance to this little picnic area/amphitheater, there was a place to stop and pay $2 to enter.  I figured I only wanted to see it, and I had a good view right there from the driveway, so I snapped my photos and turned around.  I know, I know, $2 will never be a budget breaker, but why spend it when I don't have to, and there were two vehicles blocking the payment area.  They were there for a while, I guess looking for $2 or figuring out whether they wanted to pay or turn around.  Too much of a hassle.  But it was interesting to see.

This is what it says about Echo Amphitheater on Wikipedia:

"In the spring of 1861 a group of settlers from Iowa were farming in northern New Mexico when they were set upon by a band of Navajo who had ventured into the region. The settlers (one family was the Zendalters and another family was the Treblers) were taken to the top of the amphitheater and executed. Their blood spilled into the amphitheater, staining its walls. Three years later, when the Navajo were being forced on the "Long Walk" to Bosque Redondo by the U.S. Army, ten Navajo men were killed at the top of the amphitheater in retribution for the earlier deaths. Once again, blood spilled down the walls of the amphitheater. The blood seeped into the pores of the rock and dried and supposedly is still visible today. It is said that in the echoes returned from the cliff's walls one can hear the anguished cries of the dead."

As we were leaving Heron Lake State Park, driving along the road to the highway, there was a large gaggle of Canada Geese on the hillside.  They look like the same geese here at Storrie Lake.  I had to stop for a photo op:

That's all the photos from my trip to Heron Lake.

UPDATE ON KATIE'S SWOLLEN ANKLE

There is an animal hospital here in Las Vegas, NM,  that I pass on my way to town - it's about halfway between the park and the Wal-Mart, so really convenient.

Katie was due for her annual appointment and I scheduled her at this facility.  They see large and small animals, have been in business for a long time, she could get her physical and the shot she needed, and if the ankle required anything done to it, they could handle her at this location.

We went yesterday - and it was a really positive experience.  The Vet and his staff were all super nice to me and to Katie, Dr. Nelson explained everything as he went, and then he checked out Katie's ankle mass.  It was still puffing up with fluid, then going down, but never going away - and it's been six months.  He asked me a lot of questions as he examined the area, and then diagnosed it as a Seroma.  I've never heard of that term before, so he explained it to me.

A surgical site or trauma are the most common causes of Seromas.  Katie's was caused by trauma (stepping into a red ant nest and getting bit) which caused the blood vessels in the area to send out capillaries which secrete blood serum.  It pooled in that area right above where the ants bit her, causing a serum-filled sac, which usually goes away.  For some reason Katie's Seroma didn't resolve on it's own, and continues to fill and empty depending on her activity level.  He said it's nothing to worry about as long as there's no change.  He prescribed Professional Neglect.  I liked that!  If it enlarges a lot and won't go down, or if it starts bothering her, then it can be drained and a steroid shot administered to the area.  He said that doesn't always work though, and he'd rather just leave it if it's not causing any problems.  Such a relief!

We'll probably be here again next year at this time and Katie will see Dr. Nelson again then for her annual physical appointment.  He can check it out again at that time if it's still there.  He's probably about my age, so I hope he doesn't retire any time soon!  :)

Ben Nelson, D.V.M

Las Vegas-San Miguel Veterinary Hospital

84 NM 518,  Las Vegas, NM 87701

505-425-3538

www.lvsmvetmed.com

If you are ever here at Storrie Lake State Park, or in the Las Vegas, NM area and you need a vet, I would highly recommend Dr. Nelson.

Does that camera make my nose look big?

Of course not, Katie, you have a tiny little nose.  

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :)

The Osprey at Heron Lake State Park

As were were leaving Heron Lake State Park, I noticed an Osprey nest on the left side of the road, high up on a pole.  I took tons of photos before we moved on. It sure is nice to have a good zoom lens on my camera.  I didn't get anthing like these when I was at Heron Lake two years ago.

Aren't they beautiful?  I'm assuming there are babies in there, but I didn't see any.

They both kept turning their heads, on the lookout for danger or any little old ladies taking their picture.

When we got to the Visitors Center I decided to stop and ask about the Verizon tower, and also get some photos of the Osprey nest behind the center.  They have two "spotting scopes" set up so you can get a good look at the mom and babies in the nest.  This sign has information about the birds.

Since I have a good zoom, I went outside and took some closeups of them.  The mom was constantly scanning the area, and the baby was moving around a lot.  It would lay down, stand up, stretch, etc.  I think there were two youngsters in the nest, but only the one on the right was moving.  Maybe the other one was asleep?

I'm glad I stopped to get the photos!

Below is a royalty-free photo I found on the web showing how beautiful Ospreys are in flight.  Look at the concentration in his eyes - and his talons!  I sure wouldn't want to be his prey!

And so we left Heron Lake.  (sad face)   I got some good photos driving back to Santa Fe, though, and will post them next time.   It's a beautiful drive!

WELCOME to two new Followers, Janet David and "Unknown," who are at the end of the list of new Followers.  No photos and no information, so I can't pass anything on to you.  Katie and I are happy to have you both following along with us - Welcome Aboard!

From me and Katie, have a great Wednesday, everyone!  :)