Back at the Ranch

We left Austin before the crack of dawn without breakfast since we expected to eat at Mama's in LLano.

No luck here because Mama had closed shop so we continued on our way. Our goal was Brownfield, Texas about 350 miles down the road. The weather was kind to us and the road was clear all the way. At Brown field we stayed in a Holiday Inn Express which turned out to be an excellent choice. The room was clean and quiet and the service, very good. The hotel is operated by an Iranian group tied to the former Shah and settled in the

US after the Iranian Revolution about two decades back. We've found out in our travels that many Iranian

exiles went into the hotel operations and have become very successful. After breakfast on March 16 and drove

into a heavy morning fog which tested our nerves. I started out the day thinking that the weather would clear

as soon as the sun came out. No luck, the fog remained with us for the entire morning with less than 50 feet

visibility on a narrow 2 lane road. Large trucks were moving in great speed on the oncoming lane which made

the journey quite scary. Needless to say, both of us were sitting on the edge of our seats straining to see what

was coming next. If we take this trip by car next time I think we'll divide it in three days. The day cleared up

and the rest of our journey was uneventful to our relief and we sat back and watched the miles skip by though

New Mexico where the landscape on the way is moonlike. We arrived home at 3pm and promptly collapsed.k

Getting home was nice, however, there was so much to do here that I began to feel that our lifestyle in Austin

at the condo was so simple that we have to make a sea change in our lives to keep happy and healthy.

Keeping track of all our things and obligations as well as the maintenance of a large home is too much for

our age and although we're still in reasonably good condition, the strain is beginning to show and it is clear

that our plan to divest ourselves of many things including our place in New Mexico should take place this

year. Even Annabelle, who loves the garden and rural living realizes that she can no longer keep up with the

demands of running a complicated household. Now, back to the taxes, car registration, piles of unread mail,

remaining bills, etc., etc. tasks that we used to take in stride, seem so overwhelming at this stage. To readers

of Despicable Tours, listen carefully, don't wait for old age to do the things you always dreamed of, although

it is wonderful to reach the 80s, you soon discover that even simple tasks become difficult,and

memory, a burden.