The mountains are calling and I must go.
— John Muir (paraphrasing)
Sunday, August 15. My road trip to the East Coast is over, and I’ve returned to the West, to the mountains and red cliffs of Durango.
Cynthia invited me to spend the rest of August in her guest cabin where I’ve spent many happy days over the past three years. I accepted her invitation before she could get all the words out of her mouth.
I couldn’t have landed here at a better time. Sunny days with temps in the low-mid 80s . . . nights in high 50s . . . low humidity (today it is 14%) . . . and just enough breeze to move the air around a bit. I’ve been hearing about the heat wave and storms passing through places I’ve just driven through — Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina — and I feel lucky to be here in this beautiful place.
I arrived on Saturday, early evening. Cynthia was waiting with a glass of wine and her special salmon dish ready to pop in the oven. Rey was in Taos so it was just the girls.
Annie started squealing the moment I pulled into the driveway, and when she saw Cynthia standing on her patio she pawed at the air and strained at her leash. I let go and she raced up the hill, leash trailing, to greet her second mommy. MeMe was less than thrilled. We’ve wished for three years that MeMe and Annie would become pals. That didn’t happen but they manage to coexist.
It was a lovely, restful evening, exactly what I needed after a 7,000-mile road trip through 16 states, sleeping in 15+ different hotel rooms in as many cities.
Sunday morning Cynthia and I had coffee on the front patio of the Cabin, as we always do when I visit.
On Sunday night it was dinner at The Mine Shaft, one of my favorite restaurants on Durango. Cynthia had Fish ‘n Chips with the best French fries outside of Taos. I had their scrumptious Mac ‘n Cheese and Lobster. On a previous visit it was Mac ‘n Cheese and Sausage. Not sure which was better.
Cynthia left for Taos Monday morning, so it’s just Annie and me guarding the premises.
I’m now moved in, unpacked, my car emptied so that I can take it to the car wash tomorrow. For the first time in two-and-a-half months I cooked dinner for myself. Which I have missed, although I got so tired of cooking in Taos. What I want is a nice balance of cooking, eating out, and ordering in.
Yesterday Annie had a get-acquainted appointment with her new vet. She went in all nervous and whining and straining toward the door. After a brief examination by Dr. Daley and some stroking and a dozen tiny treats from the technician Emma, Annie left the clinic all calm and waggy-waggy.
Right now, late Wednesday afternoon, I’m at my computer and Annie is on her bed on the desk looking out at the backyard, both of us listening to the rushing waters of the creek that runs behind the cabin.
Despite the 89 degrees outside, it is cool inside the cabin. The yard is so shaded that I haven’t even turned on the ceiling fan today. Just opened a few windows to let in the pure mountain air.
So what’s next?
Stay tuned!
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