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4 July 2002 Click on the
pictures to enlarge them.
Greetings again from New Mexico. The last six months have passed quickly and
many things have changed for us here. The big news is of Linda’s mother.
SAD NEWS
In our Christmas letter we told how Linda’s mother’s health had deteriorated and
she had to move into a nursing home in September. It seemed to be good for her
and she felt better. She was able to celebrate her 90th birthday on 24 December
and then come to our home on Christmas Day. Later, she was in and out of the
hospital due to pneumonia. Finally she was hospitalized on 1 March and died on
17 March. She was buried in the National Cemetery in Santa Fe where Linda’s dad
had been buried six years ago.
 |
Frances Beatrice Kliewer Baxter
(24 Dec 1911 – 17 Mar 2002)
At our home on Christmas Day with Samantha. |
We miss Bea but rejoice that her pain is over and she is at home with her Lord.
KLIEWER FAMILY REUNION
In 1932, as Bea’s father was dying of cancer, the Kliewer family decided to get
together for their first reunion in Fairview, Oklahoma. The reunions have been
held every five years since then. At the reunion in 1997, Linda agreed to head
up the 2002 event. We are presently busy with that, with help from cousins in
Fairview. The reunion will be on 3 – 4 August. That should be our next motor
home trip.
BOSQUE DEL APACHE
On 11 February, we went to Bosque Del Apache with a busload of other senior
adults from church. Last year we got to see a Whooping Crane, but the crane did
not spend the winter there this year. We did see eagles, sandhill cranes,
coyotes, and Canada geese.
Eagle, Coyote, Cranes, and Canada Geese.
ASTRONOMY AND DINOSAURS AT GHOST RANCH
Robert was asked to go to Ghost Ranch Conference Center in northern New Mexico
on 22 – 24 April to present his solar system talk and telescope viewing to about
100 6th graders from the Pojoaque Intermediate Schools. He was also asked to do
the same at Tohatchie Middle School on 30 April. We decided to make a motor home
trip and do both presentations with some sightseeing between and at the end.
This would also give us the opportunity to show planets to the students since we
could be there at night. (We normally just look at sunspots during the day.)
There was also a wonderful alignment of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and
Saturn in the evening sky at the time.
Colorful rock formations near Ghost Ranch.
We drove up to Ghost Ranch and spent three nights in their campground. We had
time to do some sightseeing there. The Ranch is currently a Presbyterian
Conference Center, but earlier in the 1900s it was a dude ranch, and was the
home of artist Georgia O’Keefe. It is also famous for its dinosaur quarry where
many Coelophysis skeletons have been unearthed. (New Mexico’s state dinosaur.)
The Ranch has an Archaeology and a Paleontology museum.
City Slickers at Ghost Ranch.
Here we are seen reflected in the window of a cabin that was constructed at the
Ranch as a prop for the City Slickers movie.
We had some problems with gear slippage on the bed in our motor home, so we
returned to Albuquerque from Ghost Ranch. Coincidentally, our latest issue of
Trek Talk was in the mail, and it told us exactly what to do to fix and prevent
the bed problem in our Trek motor home. We fixed the problem in a few minutes.
MESA VERDE AND TOHATCHIE
On Saturday we returned to the road and went to Mesa Verde National Park. This
was our first visit to the park since 1998. In 2000, we camped nearby and saw
the large fire that burned in the park. Now we were able to see results of that
fire. We visited the Cliff Palace ruins.
Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde.
We drove down to Tohatchie from Mesa Verde. The 30th was a busy day as Robert
gave his presentation to 6 classes. The following day began with a dead engine
battery in the Trek. We started it with the coach batteries and drove to Gallup
where we bought a new battery. Then we went to Grants, NM, where we spent 3
nights in the KOA campground. That is only 85 miles from home, but we have never
spent the time there to see the new El Malpais National Monument.
EL MALPAIS NATIONAL MONUMENT
The Malpais is an area of recent lava flows. There are also several cinder cone
volcanoes in the area as well as ice caves. We had seen them previously, so we
concentrated on visiting the other features of the area. There are many sink
holes and lava tubes in the monument. Robert climbed down into one of the tubes.
We hiked to see some other collapsed lava tubes. It was very rough climbing up
and down over the broken blocks of basalt.
Large Lava Tube.
We hiked to see the lava falls.
Linda at Lava Falls.
We went up on the sandstone cliffs that overlook the freshest lava flow.
Linda on sandstone cliffs.
SALINAS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Southeast of Albuquerque are three old Spanish missions. They are Abo, Quarai,
and Gran Quivira. Together, they make up Salinas National Monument.
Quarai mission ruins.
We went to visit the missions with our senior adult group, and had lunch at the
almost ghost town of Claunch.
Car parked in Claunch.
LAKE POWELL
(Glenn Canyon National Recreation Area)
From 19 – 28 June we took a trip to Lake Powell with James, Norma Jean, Stacy,
and Chris. They took their Suburban and towed their trailer. We towed their boat
behind our motor home. On the way, we stopped at Meteor Crater near Winslow,
Arizona.
Robert, Linda, and Stacy at Meteor Crater.
We all camped in the Wahweap RV park. Much of our activity was on the lake, but
we did visit Glen Canyon Dam and also hiked through lower Antelope Canyon.
Antelope is a beautiful slot canyon. It gained some notoriety in 1997 when 11
tourists died there when they were swept away by a flash flood.
Entering and inside Antelope Canyon.
Rainbow Bridge National Monument is located in one of the side canyons of Lake
Powell. We went there by boat.
Robert and Linda at Rainbow Bridge.
We had been at Lake Powell in 1998, but this time the lake water level was much
lower due to the drought we have been experiencing for at least three years. (57
feet below maximum level)
On our way home from Lake Powell we stopped at Grand Canyon National Park.
Robert and Linda at Grand Canyon.
E-MAIL CHANGE
Our primary Internet Service Provider has changed to Comcast.net. Please note
that our newer e-mail address is RMalseed@comcast.net We still have our
CompuServe address, however.
THE BOTTOM LINE
We continue to be thankful for the Lord’s provision for us. We trust in Him, and
pray that you will do likewise and enjoy a wonderful summer of 2002.
Love,
Robert & Linda
& Pico (Pico will be 15 years old on 21 August.)
& Samantha
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Page last updated:
14 March 2007
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