Day 77 – Albuquerque, NM

Don followed through on last night’s promise; he and I got in the truck and drove to a small park in Bernalillo, which is where the RV Park actually is. I was thrilled to see the grass, and immediately enjoyed an enthusiastic roll in it. When I finished my roll, I took off running across the park, which seemed to irritate some dogs who were fenced in an adjacent yard. They barked a lot, but it didn’t bother me. I ran, then rolled some more, took care of some business, ran some more, rolled some more, just enjoyed having some grass to revel in. I noticed that Don had brought a tennis ball, and was bouncing it on a concrete pad; I trotted over to him, and he bounced the ball over to me. I caught it expertly, then ran over to a far corner of the park and dropped it. I know, I know, this isn’t what retrievers are supposed to do, but Don knows I’m a little different. Besides, the exercise is good for him. After a while, we decided that I had enough fun and headed for the truck and went back to the rig. When I jumped out of the truck, I think I landed wrong on my right foreleg, because it started to hurt a little after that. Nothing too bad, I think a few days bed rest and some extra rations will take care of it. Don and I sat outside in the sun for awhile and talked, until I got too hot and we had to go in. After we all had lunch, I was ready for a nice nap and they were ready to head out for some kind of a museum. I wished them a pleasant afternoon, and went to sleep.

They returned in time for my dinner, for which they get another gold star. Of course, they had to tell me all about the things they had seen that afternoon, and I had to listen. Actually, it sounded pretty interesting, though a bit over my head. The place they visited is called The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, which may sound a little obscure, unless you know Don pretty well. See, when Don was much, much younger, he studied in college to be a Nuclear Physicist. He actually did pretty well at school, and got invited to some functions where he met a few actual, practicing Nuclear Physicists. He soon came to the realization that they lived in a world that he didn’t recognize, 24 hours a day, and he would have to move to that world if he continued on this course. Short story, he became a Mechanical Engineer. But he still has a strong interest in the nuclear world, so this museum was a natural for him. Maybe not so much for Geri. But even she said that the displays were really interesting, and they both were of the opinion that the museum had a wealth of information, particularly regarding the development of nuclear weapons. Since most of the development and early testing of the bombs took place in New Mexico, this seems like a natural place to have such a museum. They saw casings that were made for the bombs that were dropped on Japan at the end of the Second World War, warheads used in missiles and torpedoes, and the H-bomb casings that were accidentally dropped in the ocean off Spain back in the 60’s. I know nothing about any of this, just what they tell me. Don even saw a model of a nuclear powered cargo ship that he applied to work on back in the Sixties. When they left the museum, they drove through Albuquerque on the route of old Highway 66, looking at what remained of the old motels and restaurants that served tourists before Highway 40 was built. Don found the one motel that he had stayed in when he was thirteen years old, travelling with his parents. He said that, at the time, he thought that this place was the most glamorous and exciting accommodation he had ever seen. Now there’s a chain link fence around it, and it’s a wreck.

Geri and Don went out for dinner to a place that the owner of the KOA in Tucumcari had recommended. They came back moaning and groaning, complaining about having eaten too much, but they couldn’t stop because the food was so great. Sometimes I think that they need someone to keep an eye on them, what they eat and so forth, like they do for me. Anyway, Don says he’ll take me back to the little park in the morning, even if he has to lift me into the truck. I know he’ll do it, because he always keeps his promises. To me, at least. Will let you know how it goes. Nite, All!