QUICK TRIP TO EL PASO

The original spring break plan was that Sarah was going to El Salvador for a week with a group from the church in Columbus and Melissa and I were going to spend time sorting through all the things that still need attention at her mom's house.

But then Caleb called and said he would be off work the first weekend of our break along with the following Monday and Tuesday and wondered if we might come down to visit El Paso.

We didn't need to think about that one too long - we have been eager to see his new home territory and meet some of his current friends. So we got some airline tickets - leaving Louisville around 8 pm Friday night after Melissa finished her week at school, spending 5 days in Texas, and then returning this past Wednesday evening. 

We thoroughly enjoyed seeing Caleb's house, the Army base, attending church with him, making a roadtrip to New Mexico, and meeting his friends. I believe we made the most of the few days the Lord gave us together.

To begin with, here's Caleb's house and "yard". (I don't think I would enjoy living in the desert myself.)

The El Paso Museum of "Art". (At least it was free.)

Artsy benches outside.

Caleb grilled some hamburgers for us and some of his friends on Saturday night in his backyard.

Interestingly, Caleb has made the local Anglican church his current spiritual home. It was a great service filled with liturgy and tradition. 

Sunday after church we found a cute little farmers' market, making for a very pleasant afternoon. 

On Monday morning, Caleb and I hiked up a local mountain to explore some abandoned tin mines, guided by a friend of his from church, Tim. It was a bit of a workout - about 6 miles round trip - but the scenery was beautiful and the mines were interesting. 

Even though he had the day off, Caleb still had to report to a meeting on Monday afternoon. It gave Melissa and me the opportunity to see the base, Fort Bliss.

After Caleb's meeting got postponed an hour - and then canceled altogether! - the three of us drove up to Cloud Croft, a quaint little mountain town in New Mexico about 2 hours north.

We stayed overnight and did a bit of shopping the next morning, but the wind kept increasing. By the time we headed back down the mountain, the sky was filled with dust. 

There wasn't a cloud in the sky all day. At first everything looked kind of hazy...

But soon the sky turned yellow and the dust and sand were blowing across the highway like snow up north. I was glad Caleb did the driving. The 2-hour trip turned into 4.

On Wednesday, Caleb had to go to base for the morning, I did a little work, and Melissa cooked up enough food to keep Caleb in lunches for the next several weeks. 

By the time we flew out of the El Paso airport, just ten minutes from Caleb's house, the windstorms had moved on to Dallas and our flights ended up getting delayed. I don't think we got to sleep back home until around 4 am.

But we wouldn't trade those five days for anything. 

They left Melissa and me all that much prouder of Caleb, his service to this country, and the man he is becoming.