06.30.2003 | 11:42 pm

It is late and still 100* We have returned from the final, last HURAH of the wedding� the open house in New Mexico, where we greeted and met all the new son-in-law�s friends. Every last one of them works for �The Lab� there in Los Alamos. That is so weird to introduce yourself and finally after so many introductions end up saying, �Let me guess, you must work at �The Lab.� For you all younger than about 35, the lab is the nuclear testing lab in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It is the very same place where the first Atom Bombs were built and deployed. Son-in-law does work in the TOP SECRET area. As he politely told me this week end, �If I told you what I did, I�d have to kill you.� Youch! Needless to say, daughter has married a gentle, nuclear scientist, with high clearance from the FBI. He�s very smart too.

The open house was given by some friends with whom SIL works and goes to church. They have a beautiful, new home. Surprisingly, they built the entire home themselves. Here is the dining room. These nuclear people do more than work on blowing things up..POW!

The next day we headed to Albuquerque, as brother, the Podiatrist, his kids and a nephew would be there for the HIghland Games.

My niece, Heather (is that Scottish enough) was competing in the dancing competition. She is doing so well. My sister-in-law, her mother, has even taken a special sewing course to learn how to make her authentic kilt and other things. We clapped and cheered like crazy for her. There are many levels and age groups for competetors. Heather was able to move into the Intermediate group by winning a first, two seconds, and a third place. It was so fun to play at the Highland Games with the family.

Try to imagine earth 350 million years ago. What is now the southwest desert was a vast ocean, surrounded by tropical rain forests. As we traveled along Route 66, from Albuquerque to Flagstaff, the terrain was gray and bleak. From my lovely, bucket seat in the van I viewed layer upon layer of ancient sedimentary rock, eroding back into the sands of time. The cut-off to the �Petrified Forrest� came into view and I suddenly realized we were driving through the bottom of a vast dry ocean bed, devoid of aquatic life of any kind. If I had been an ancient traveler, all those years ago, I would have needed a big boat and a good local guide to get me through the forest. Today, June 30, 2003, as we sped along toward our destination, all that remains of that ancient world are fossils, weathering rock formations, and mile upon mile of red sand. The rain forests have been replaced by pines in the higher elevations and giant saguaros in the lower elevations. Although the desert of today at times seems lifeless and dull compared to what I might have seen long ago, it is home, and I am glad to be home.

catsnapples~ at home in the desert

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