
Christmas Letter 2024 from the Gray Nomad

Greetings from Albuquerque. Its mid-winter, and this pic shows how mysterious the snow and mist can make Sandia Peak look, as snapped from my upper deck. The year started with a bang on my 80th birthday in January. My step-daughter Kim came with Mary Ann from Kansas and they helped organize the party. Lots of … More “Christmas Letter 2024 from the Gray Nomad”

I was attacked by a chow.
Thirty-eight years ago, I walked into a pet store not to get a pet, but just to look. I looked into this kennel and there was this little black bear looking right back at me. Needless to say, I walked out of the pet store with my first black chow puppy and have been in … More “I was attacked by a chow.”

The first monkey in space – a true story – and a children’s book that made me cry.
Independence, Kansas is where she called home. Her habitat was an island with a castle, this much was known.Miss Able is a rhesus monkey born in Independence, Kansas in 1957. She lived in the zoo in a small stone castle called Monkey Island. This story is based on truth.

Click on the book cover to … More “The first monkey in space – a true story – and a children’s book that made me cry.”

Red Rocking in New Mexico
Last week I came across a calendar I had designed for 2015. To tell the truth, I had completely forgotten about the calendar. The pictures and the words lifted my spirit at this time of injustice, loss, death, and despair sweeping across the country. The following photos and words are from different months of that … More “Red Rocking in New Mexico”

Six white boomers
Kim McGrath invited me to talk to her first-graders about Christmas in Australia. So with my rabbit trap, boomerang, and didgeridoo, I turned up in December 2018 at her first-grade class at Independence Elementary school in Kansas. Six-year olds!
I can make a noise with the didgeridoo, and the kiddos found this entertaining.
Miss McGrath … More “Six white boomers”

A cute new children’s book by Kim McGrath.
Kim Pollock McGrath is my step-daughter who lives in Independence, Kansas. This is an inspiring story about how God intervened – around the time of her sister’s tragic death – and Kim became an author.
Kim is an elementary school teacher. For many years, she wanted to write a children’s book. Lots of ideas came … More “A cute new children’s book by Kim McGrath.”

Hiking toward Heaven – East fork of Jemez River
WHATS IN THIS BLOG: • The Jemez River and its scenic beauty. • Hiking to a perfectly lovely waterfall.
The Jemez River starts in the Jemez Mountains about 1.5 hours drive from Albuquerque. Soon after this you come to the Valle Grande – an immense crater left after a series of volcanoes about a million … More “Hiking toward Heaven – East fork of Jemez River”