{"id":8545,"date":"2018-01-01T09:27:05","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T14:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/?p=8545"},"modified":"2023-06-24T00:32:13","modified_gmt":"2023-06-24T04:32:13","slug":"december-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/8545","title":{"rendered":"December 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

We did not make it home for Christmas this year but our December was filled with many fun trips.<\/p>\n

John\u2019s Memphis flight simulator move ended early and we hit the road the next day travelling to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.<\/p>\n

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He tried his hand searching and sifting for diamonds. About all he came back with was mud. Too bad, but it was a fun trip and he learned a lot.<\/p>\n

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The next stop on our trip was in Lawton, Oklahoma where we stayed at the Buffalo Bob RV Park.<\/p>\n

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We stopped here to spend some time with our friends Warren and Cindy. John met Warren when he started working for BSC. They are a great couple and we loved spending time with them. Hope to do so again in the near future.<\/p>\n

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It was clear however, that we were not quite far enough south when one morning we awoke to a dusting of snow and cold weather.  Time to go!<\/p>\n

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We don\u2019t often stay at the same place twice but as we rolled across the country it became quite nostalgic for us. We were ending our fifth year of travelling in almost the same area we started, Roswell, NM at the Bottomless Lake State Park.<\/p>\n

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This was where John the Rockhound was born when he found his first Pecos Diamond.<\/p>\n

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We found more this trip, of course, and John found a big hole. There are lots of big holes like this one around this area of New Mexico. With his bad knee, he decided rather than hiking down to see what was there, he would be content to gaze down from the rim.<\/p>\n

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Christmas day was spent on the phone talking and video chatting with family. We had a big steak dinner and homemade pumpkin pie. Yummy.<\/p>\n

Our next stop was the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Preserve. This time of year migratory birds inhabit the preserve and it is spectacular even if you aren\u2019t a bird enthusiast. The birds come here by the THOUSANDS.<\/p>\n

Snow geese<\/p>\n

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Sand hill cranes.<\/p>\n

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And every other kind of duck, crane, goose, egret, whatever, you can think of.<\/p>\n

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We, of course, took some time for off-roading and rock collecting.<\/p>\n

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Our favorite time to visit the preserve was around the evening fly-in when all the birds come back to settle for the night.<\/p>\n

Snow geese.<\/p>\n

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Sandhill cranes<\/p>\n

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Possible sandhill cranes, cool picture none the less.<\/p>\n

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We wrapped up our 2017 adventures at the Flight Deck where we watched an adult eagle survey his surroundings.<\/p>\n

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And enjoyed a beautiful sunset.<\/p>\n

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We rang in the new year with friends in Cottonwood, Arizona.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We did not make it home for Christmas this year but our December was filled with many fun trips. John\u2019s Memphis flight simulator move ended early and we hit the road the next day travelling to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. He tried his hand searching and sifting for diamonds. About all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[807,235,995,996,162,65,806,110,994],"class_list":["post-8545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-bosque","tag-cottonwood","tag-diamonds","tag-lawton","tag-memphis","tag-new-mexico","tag-oklahoma","tag-sandhill-cranes","tag-warren-and-cindy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/1215171604_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C388&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3hvz5-2dP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2989,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2989","url_meta":{"origin":8545,"position":0},"title":"We Love Memphis, TN","author":"Wendy","date":"October 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Our backyard for our short stay was in the Meeman-Shelby State Park about a 20 minute ride from downtown. The park is beautiful if you love dense, towering hardwood tree forests and lots of peace and quiet. The park borders the Mississippi River and we took a drive down to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_1871_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_1871_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_1871_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3020,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/3020","url_meta":{"origin":8545,"position":1},"title":"Beale Street, Memphis TN","author":"Wendy","date":"October 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I feel mellow, dude. Right on man. We have seriously enjoyed our time in Memphis, especially: We spent 2 wonderful evenings walking around listening to street musicians, outdoor concerts (John\u2019s favorite Fuzzy Jefferies\u00a0) and club hopping enjoying the bigger acts that scored venues like the B.B. King Club. Some other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_1916_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C679&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_1916_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C679&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_1916_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C679&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8465,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/8465","url_meta":{"origin":8545,"position":2},"title":"Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid","author":"Wendy","date":"October 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"John and I aren\u2019t big shoppers, but sometimes there is just a store we\u2019ve got to see. The new \u201cimmersive retail experience\u201d is more like an amusement park than a mini-mall, and if you like the outdoors, the new Bass Pro Shop is worth a visit if you\u2019re passing through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_7771_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_7771_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_7771_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2513,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2513","url_meta":{"origin":8545,"position":3},"title":"A Rockhound is Born!","author":"Wendy","date":"April 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A discovery of Pecos diamonds in the wilds just outside of Roswell, sparked an interest in rocks and geology for John. With support and encouragement from me and some new found friends here in Deming, NM, John has found a new pass-time \u2013 rockhounding. Rockhounding is more than just collecting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/johnRGM.jpg?fit=576%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/johnRGM.jpg?fit=576%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/johnRGM.jpg?fit=576%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2269,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2269","url_meta":{"origin":8545,"position":4},"title":"John’s a Rockhound","author":"Wendy","date":"February 12, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been hoping that John was going to be able to find some sort of a hobby, besides his gun enthusiasm, that he can do to occupy his time when we aren\u2019t hiking, traveling or fixing the RV. I read and crochet in my downtime, or at least I try\u2026.he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DSC_0073_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C437&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DSC_0073_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C437&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DSC_0073_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C437&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":974,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/974","url_meta":{"origin":8545,"position":5},"title":"Fall Into the Blues","author":"Wendy","date":"November 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Tonight was the annual Blues Festival Fall into the Blues concert \/ fund raiser. A solo act and band are selected in March to go to Memphis the following year and compete with other blues bands. This event helps raise money to offset the cost of their travel expenses. As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/P1000795.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8545"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14245,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8545\/revisions\/14245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}