Greg: Indeed it is always Spring or Summer in your neck of the woods. You guys have it too easy out there! I may live in the Arctic, but I'm a tropical guy at heart. And this horrific winter has sealed the deal, I'm moving south this year, come hell or high water. I would love to be surrounded outdoors by lovely plants like yours instead of a five foot mountain of snow outside my window, and the dull brown and grey of leafless trees. Good job on your plants, all looking great. Christopher

Oh my gosh, what a surprise to see my old thread pop up! It was, all in all, a great trip for them all. What worked? Just about everything . . . and thanks to everyone for the wonderful advice! ~ Sleeping arrangements: DD and 2 of the girls fit nicely in DD's room (bed, window seat bed and single mattress on floor). The two other girls slept out on our living room sofas. That room closes off with 3 sets of French doors, so they had a bit of privacy, at least. The 2 guys slept in our guest room. Bathrooms: I decided before anyone arrived that, with seven 18 & 19 year olds in one house, there would be no long baths; only quick showers. So, I put 2 wood tv tables in the bathtub with a laundry basket on each. One held big stacks of folded bath towels and washcloths. The other was for the used ones. I told them not to hang the damp ones. The nightmare of many wet towels hanging everywhere inspired that decision. Great one on my part!!! I just washed and replaced the towels every afternoon while they were out sightseeing. I also had stocked both guest bathrooms with a box of essentials: from travel-size tubes of toothpaste, deodorants, Kleenex; small combs, Tylenol, Tums, Chapstick, toothbrushes, girl essentials, sunscreen. Thank goodness, as they were pretty much all used! ~ I put a supply of local postcards, stamps and pens in each bedroom for them to send postcards quickly and easily. Also a supply of local travel books to inspire their daily outings. ~Food/Meals: as I expected, they ate like they were all starving. They loved my meals . . . even the vegetarian. I'd stocked up on enough snacks to keep them all happy. Thank goodness! ~Sightseeing: LOL LOL LOL!!! None of them had been to New Mexico before and their expectations were funny, to say the least. We have small herds of wild horses, but they're wild, not kept in pens. Our visitors wanted DD to drive them , wherever they were so that they could "pet them" and take pics! That didn't happen (LOL), but they did see some occasionally here and there. Same with coyotes. DD had to warn them not to make a big deal about any Native Americans they saw. They tried to speak Spanish to people here, which was met with patience and kindness (thank goodness!). Our chile was "too hot", but they loved exploring Santa Fe and Albuquerque. And Madrid, NM, where the movie "Wild Hogs" was filmed. What didn't work? Well, getting 7 college freshmen to agree on anything, such as where to go exploring next or what movie to watch, was a PIA for DD. One gal turned out to be a hypochondriac, which frustrated the rest. And, DS & his girlfriend decided at the last minute to cancel their hotel reservations and sleep on a queen-size air mattress in our foyer (the only place left!), as they stopped by for a few days on their way to his new job in Tucson, AZ. So, we ended up with a real houseful . . . but it was a lot of fun. Would we do it again? Yes, if DD asked. Would DD do it again? Absolutely not. She said it was fun but exhausting. This Spring Break she's bringing (just) two of her close friends/sorority sisters here to celebrate her 21st birthday. They'll dance at some of the higher end (read: safe) clubs. Shop Santa Fe and ABQ Uptown. Visit Madrid and The Tram. Eat out at some favorite spots and generally spend all the money their parents promised them for this year's Spring Break on themselves instead of an expensive hotel room. Their first choice, Austin, TX, was pretty much already booked up, as South by Southwest will be there at the same time. They were looking at $500/night for modest hotel rooms and super-inflated SbSW ticket prices! So, we'll be entertaining again, but on a much more sane level! Lynn

Love peaceful time in the yard. I have it here most of the time other than a little dust up with neighbors. Oh well. They are quiet now. We are getting rain here on and off today. About the time I decided to pack it in out side it stopped raining. Then I went back out to put latches on gate and it started pouring. Hahah I gave up showered and will mosaic the rest of the afternoon evening. I do not know when spring break is here. I do not pay any attention to the school happenings. I am far enough away from it to not hear the kids coming and going. I do hear when the pool opens. I think this is still out there in the far future this year. I only worked where I could in the yard yesterday. Things are pretty wet where the snow piles were. In a couple more days that will be dried out. Still trying to decide what to do with this yard. I know for sure I need to make it easier to take care of. I want it to not look so wild and crazy.

What a trooper! Hope you are getting to rest today. Your mention of the Mine Shaft Tavern brought back memories of a trip we had to NM. We had always taken the interstate from ABQ to Santa Fe. I decided I wanted to take the Turquoise Trail and stop at the Mine Shaft Tavern for lunch. DH’s sister and her husband were traveling with us. She was not at all adventuresome and when I told her we were going to a biker bar for lunch, she got really anxious. It was, of course, a perfectly nice place with perfectly nice people and if memory serves me correctly, they had pretty good burgers, too!