Mother Nature

Cactus fruit



This is the hail from the storm we drove through in mid New Mexico. It was hailing so hard we had to pull over to the side of the road and wait it out. Mother Nature can be quite scary at times!



Looking back at the storm.

Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns is located in Southern New Mexico and is well worth seeing if you are ever in this area! It's the biggest series of caves I've ever been in and is full of stalagmites and stalactites. Taking photos inside was mighty difficult without a tripod, but here are a few I took.


















The original way they explored another cave.



Dripping water is prevalent in the cavern...



as are ponds.

New Mexico Sky

We drove into New Mexico at dusk.



They make nice sunsets in these parts! It's easy to see why artists get inspired in this state.



Janet driving into the sunset.

On the Texas Road

My last post about Texas features the view from the road on our last day before entering New Mexico. I love these old fashioned windmills.



New fashioned windmill.



We saw these pumpjacks everywhere.



Luckily, the wind farms seem to be competing pretty heavily with the oil wells!

Photo Friday Challenge: Shiny

On the road in Texas.

Meanwhile, back in Seattle...

I went to Folklife this weekend to meet fellow Seattle photoblogger, Christy, of On Focus Photo who had a booth there. I really enjoyed meeting her, however, was anxious to get out of the insane crowd as soon as possible. Here are a few photos I managed to snap before leaving.

Visiting the relatives: past tense

We visited the Glen Cove cemetery to see the graves of Janet's relatives. This cemetery is nice and small with a great view!



Janet's great grandparents.



Child's grave.






We found the old homestead her grandmother and great grandparents used to live on called "peanut ridge." The house used to lie between the tree and water tank and got blown down in "the big storm of '82" according to a man who was kind enough to tell us all about the place.



This was actually her great grandfather's old truck bed seen on the property!

The Branding Wall

In Coleman, Texas they have a "branding wall" which shows all the brands people are using in the area.

Owl Drugstore

We stopped for breakfast at the Owl Drugstore Soda Fountain and Grill on our way out of Coleman, TX after visiting with Janet's great aunt Edith. She is 93 and still going strong!



I love eating at places like this. You feel like you've stepped backwards in time.









An old cash register on display in the store.



Register tape.

The "Hill Country"

Many people said that if going through Texas, we should make sure to drive through the "hill country." We now understand their enthusiasm. It was beautiful! We took smaller roads and saw incredible views both in the distance and of the many wildflowers along the roads. Lovely country!

100 Strangers Series: 4

Lou the Ranger. She works at the LBJ house giving tours and sitting on the porch contemplating life when no-one shows up for one.

LBJ's boyhood home

We stopped by Lyndon B. Johnson's boyhood home while driving through Texas since it was on the way. We also drove through Midland, Texas which is the home of Bush. Sometimes I think I should call this trip: "Maya's presidential tour of the U.S.!"