Refuge Robledo Mountain 2 Chapter 15
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We caught up to the wagons about half a mile out of Las Cruces, and slowed the horses to a walk next to the wagon the padre was riding in. Father O’Shea took in the shotguns and pistols we were all carrying along with the rifle scabbards.
“You are all well-armed for such a short trip. Are all those guns really necessary?” he asked wryly.
Tom barked out a laugh, and Anna responded with a grim smile of her own. “You just listened to us explain about the attacks in town and the large attack at the Hacienda. What do you think happens out here? This isn’t civilized country yet, Padre. There’s no real law, and we’ve had to fight off quite a few Indian and bandit raids over the last four years. Hold ups are becoming more frequent as well, although most of those are between Mesilla and El Paso.”
He thought for a minute and then asked, “Is it really necessary for the ladies to be armed as well? Are they any good with those guns?”
This time it was me laughing. “Father O’Shea, we told you not an hour ago that Anna killed two and Yolanda killed one with those weapons they’re carrying. I’d say they’re pretty good with them. As a matter of fact, of the four of us, Anna is the best pistol shot while Yolanda is the best long-distance rifle shot.”
He looked at us with more than a healthy measure of skepticism.
Looking down the road I spotted a barrel cactus that would be perfect for a quick demonstration.
“Padre, do you see that barrel cactus on the right side of the road about forty yards out?” I asked. At his nod, I turned to Anna with an eyebrow lifted in question.
With no more prompting than that Anna drew, fired five quick shots, holstered her pistol, and was returning the raised eyebrow to me. Father O’Shea was looking back and forth at the barrel cactus and Anna as if unable to believe either the speed with which it happened, or the small cross Anna had drawn on the cactus with her shots.
“We don’t play around with weapons out here, Padre. If someone is carrying a weapon, they’d better know how to use it,” I responded to his unvoiced question.
We rode in silence for a few minutes before the Padre asked another question. “What did you mean when you said Yolanda was the best long-distance rifle shot? Aren’t most rifle shots long distance by definition?”
“They certainly are. But most rifle shots are less than four hundred yards. When I say long distance in this context, I’m taking about anything beyond that,” I replied.
Again, he looked at me with skepticism.
“We’ll show you on our morning ride, tomorrow.”
Tom chimed in at that point. “There’s no need to wait, Paul, unless you’re not interested in fresh meat. There are two bucks on the side of that hill,” he said, pointing to a small hill just under 1200 yards away.
The rest of us pulled out our monoculars and looked where he was pointing. Sure enough, two young bucks were getting ready for a fight. I shook my head at his eyesight and handed Father O’Shea the monocular. He looked a bit puzzled at first but put it to his eye as he’d seen us do and gasped. Finally locating the deer, he looked at me questioningly. I simply pointed to Yolanda.
With a grin, Yolanda opened her scabbard, taking out her A700. I had the wagons stop while she dismounted, settled into a comfortable firing position, found the sight picture she wanted, tested the wind, adjusted the settings on her scope, and prepared to shoot.
“Watch the deer through the monocular, Padre,” I said quietly as Yolanda patiently waited for everything to line up to her satisfaction.
She pulled the trigger, chambered another round, and fired again four seconds later. I heard Father O’Shea gasp and I looked at Yolanda with a raised eyebrow.
“Fresh venison for the table,” Tom said with a grin.
Yolanda put her rifle back in the scabbard and closed it up. Grinning broadly, she nudged Tom and they rode off to field dress and pack the deer, telling us they’d catch up. Father O’Shea handed me my monocular as we rode to catch up to the other wagons.
“Sorry we took so long, but we decided to skin and butcher the deer while we were close to the river to clean up,” Tom said as he and Yolanda rode up to us two hours later.
We rode for another hour talking back and forth when Tom said it looked like there was going to be one heck of a party at the Hacienda tonight, because from what he could see all the villagers and campers were on the plateau waiting for us. Anna beamed me a huge smile, and I knew she was thinking about the dancing as a prelude to exploring more possibilities.
Anna and I took the lead crossing the Rio Grande and climbed the slope to the Hacienda while holding hands. We were met by a reception fit for a king as we were thronged by well-wishers.
Eventually, we were able to introduce the Padre to the entire assembly and let them know he was considering becoming the village priest. The villagers almost overwhelmed him with questions and escorted him to the head table. I’m not sure what unsettled the Padre more, the greeting he was getting or the Hacienda itself.
Inside the courtyard, Anna wanted to go inside and clean up a little before the party started. Following her to the door, I swooped her into my arms, and carried her inside. Smiling broadly, she gave me a quizzical look.
“It’s tradition. The groom carries his new bride over the threshold of their home.”
Bang! Huge super megawatt Anna smile.
Carrying her over to the stairs, I set her down two stairs up. Throwing her arms around me, she gave me a kiss to end all kisses. Completely distracted by the kiss, I almost picked her back up to carry her into the bedroom. The sound of dance music wafting in from the courtyard brought me back to my senses and I settled for chasing her upstairs where she caught me and shared another of those kisses filled with promise.
We finally broke the kiss, cleaned up, and walked out on the terrace. Standing at the railing, side by side, we looked over the courtyard and at the plateau beyond. There were people everywhere. The masons were playing waltzes in the courtyard while couples danced across the open space. Tables under the archways held more food than one of Mrs. Mendoza’s courtyard gatherings. The musicians chose that moment to break into the “Vienna Waltz”.
Taking a step back, I presented myself to Anna with a small bow, and held out my hand. Eyes twinkling in happiness, beaming one of those special megawatt smiles, she curtsied, and came into my arms.
For the next several minutes we danced, oblivious to anything else around us. When the dance ended, we just stood there next to the railing, back where we’d started in each other’s arms, sharing another soulful kiss. For just a few moments, the rest of the world disappeared and there was only the two of us, hopelessly lost in each other’s eyes as we silently celebrated our love.
The moment disappeared with thunderous applause from the courtyard and lower plateau. Anna and I turned to see what everyone was applauding. Turned out it was us. Smiling at everyone, we waved, and then applauded the musicians. Giving Anna my arm we descended the outside stairs to join the party in the courtyard below.
Cristina met us as we reached the bottom step and escorted us through the dancers to a table where Celia was just setting down our lunch. With a grin, Martina reached around me as I sat down to add a small plate of bizcochitos. Smiling my thanks, I quickly popped one of the delicious cookies into my mouth, before Anna could interfere. Anna was shaking her finger at me when Tom, Yolanda, and Father O’Shea joined us at the table with their own plates of food.
“Looks like all those dance lessons paid off, Paul. You actually looked pretty good up there,” Tom said with a smile as he sat down.
I nodded, chewing on my cookie.
Father O’Shea was trying to watch everywhere at once. “Is this to be my congregation?”
Swallowing, I said, “Yes, Padre. Within the constraints we explained at our first lunch, they are a part of your congregation.”
“What do you mean by ‘part’?” he asked with a surprised look on his face.
Tom answered him this time as I was chewing again. “Padre, within the next few months, these folks will be joined by another 200 farmers and 100 vaqueros along with their families.”
At that point Father O’Shea finally began to understand the scope of the Estancia. I knew that tomorrow would open his eyes even more.
Finishing our lunch, we talked to whoever wandered by, and received congratulations on our nuptials and the terrace waltz. I was sipping my customary after-lunch coffee when the musicians took a break. Anna disappeared inside and reappeared carrying my guitar.
Handing me the guitar she asked me to play. So, I played “Anna’s Song” watching the smile light up her face. When I was done I played “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and again Anna’s smile lit up my world. I started to put the guitar down for a break when a little boy came up and asked me to play some songs for kids.
“I’d be happy to, young man; but first, go get the other kids. When you’re all sitting down, I’ll play a few songs just for you.”
With a grin and a nod, he ran off. Five minutes later the courtyard began filling up with kids. Most of them looked to be twelve and under but there were quite a few teenaged girls who appeared to be their minders hanging around the edges. Looking out at all the kids, I realized there almost wasn’t enough room for them all in the courtyard. The village plaza would have to be the site for all future parties, as there just wouldn’t be enough room here for everyone when the Estancia was fully staffed.
I decided to start out with a song that no kid I’d ever met could resist. When I finished “16 Tons,” I sang “Sweet Caroline.” I paused to take a sip of coffee and then asked the kids if anyone would like to hear a song about unicorns. A loud of chorus of ‘yes’ and I was off singing the “The Unicorn Song” followed by “Una Paloma Blanca.” A quick sip of coffee and I swung into “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” followed by “I Know an Old Lady.”
Sunday morning, we finally rolled out of bed at eight. I convinced Anna to try the shower with me. We talked about last night, laughing as we soaped each other up. All that shower fun really tired me out. I was very tempted to just go back to bed, but Anna insisted that we have breakfast and get ready for church. Anna got dressed, opened the curtains and French doors, and cleaned up the room. I unsuccessfully tempted her the entire time, trying to change her mind and enjoy the day in bed with...
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We skipped our exercises and practice for the second day in a row, in the interest of leaving town early in the morning before anyone else was awake. I’d paid for the room and stables for four weeks the day after we’d checked in. We still had two days of the four weeks left, so there was no issue with just leaving. After one last check of the room, we walked downstairs carrying the saddlebags and scabbards and slipped out the back door to the stables where we saddled the horses, added the...
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I left Tomas alone for a few days. He went to the village and rode along the river with Jesus and others he’d picked from the files. He was getting a feel for the land where he was going to be responsible for growing crops. The day before the election, Tomas asked to see me after breakfast. I asked Clara to send a coffee service up to the terrace and Tomas followed me upstairs. We sat down at a table enjoying the early morning sunshine. As I poured our coffees I asked Tomas what was on his...
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Standing at the terrace railing with a light breeze blowing from the north while sipping a fresh cup of coffee the next morning, I watched the gaggle head down the slope before breaking into their separate groups. Giuseppe and Sofia with their escort of three of the cousins headed off towards the site of yesterday’s ambush. Tom and Yolanda rode out to practice shooting, while Miguel and the cousins led their group of farmers across the river to begin another day of Apache training. My mind...
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I sat at the picnic table on the patio looking out at the nightly spectacle of glorious colors as the sun set behind Picacho Peak. A song with a snappy beat wafted softly over the outside speakers hidden in rose bushes climbing up both sides of the patio on their trellises reaching for the roof. I couldn’t quite make out the words to the song, but it was very familiar. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe I was actually back in my twenty-first century home. But I did know better. “You’ve...
After breakfast, the next morning, we all went our separate ways. The Padre, Yolanda, and Sofia were taking her kids to school while Alejandro went out to visit his cousins on the upper plateau. He was a little sad to see the others leaving but brightened up when Anna said he would be starting school in a few days and would go with them in the mornings. Tom and Giuseppe went off to check the dams and the quarry. I told Cristina we were going to be using the study most of the day and asked her...
I was surprised the next morning when Miguel, Maco, Jesus, and Lupe joined us for breakfast. It turned out they always joined the Hacienda for breakfast, before leaving for Las Cruces. Alejandro watched with interest as Miguel and Maco greeted Anna. He seemed relieved that we were indeed cousins of all the Garcias. As we were preparing to leave, I told Alejandro to help protect his sister and the Hacienda while we were gone and got a grave nod in return. I gave Anna a big hug and kiss. As I...
We left Las Cruces on our return trip home as scheduled, with a passel of kids dressed for the ride, and a wagon full of clothes for growing kids. Tom, Martin Amador and I rode along behind the wagon, as the ladies rode near the front of the wagon on either side, talking to Celia, Beth, Izabella and the rest of the kids. Celia hadn’t had a chance to see George during the trip, as he was back out on patrol early the next morning after our visit with the Colonel. Martin had reluctantly come...
Leading all five of my horses, I walked into the Las Cruces of 1850 for the first time late that afternoon about four, after nearly a full day of walking. Mr. Mendoza’s Livery Stable and Freight Yard was easily found. The first person I saw directed me to the distinctive building with the wooden second floor at the north end of town. Luckily, Mr. Mendoza was outside talking to a young boy. When he saw me, he looked surprised. He quickly dismissed the boy, telling him to muck out two specific...
The stable boy had my wagon and mules waiting for me, after I checked out the next morning. I made quick work of loading the door and jambs on the wagon, before heading to the bank. Levi had everything ready to go, and in less than three minutes after I entered, I was back in the wagon and started for home. I spent another three butt numbing days getting home! The next morning, I loaded up the empty panniers on the mules, saddled up the horse, closed up the wall and house, and left for Las...
I checked out of the hotel and was at the restaurant a little before eight, getting my Anna fix. Just as Anna was bringing my coffee, Jorge and Giuseppe walked in together. While we were eating, I reminded them I had to get my horse and mules from the stables, and then make a few stops in town for supplies before leaving. I paid for the breakfasts, said my goodbye to Anna, and walked over to the stables. I spent a few minutes talking to Mr. Mendoza, while the stable boy got my horse and...
“I’m sure glad this is all over,” I said to Anna, four days later, as we were leaving our bedroom to get JJ and go downstairs to breakfast. For three of those days, Anna and I babysat the Greenburgs until lunch when we were replaced by Tom and Yolanda. That left my afternoons free to visit the various parts of the Estancia, usually with the older kids, as well as get in some shooting practice. The other day was spent in the Estancia meeting, where we reviewed the progress we’d made against...
I was up at first light, ate another MRE, and was on my way back to the RV shortly after 7AM. Although I was paying attention to possible threats, both animal and human along the way, I was replaying yesterday over and over in my mind. Finally, just before arriving at the little plateau and my RV, I decided that I had more information than my pea brain could handle, and I needed to let my subconscious work on it for a while. For now, I would act as though I was in fact in the Robledo...
“Wake up, Paul! Raiders are attacking the camp!” This was no whisper. Dream Laura was fairly screaming in my ear. It was just after daybreak, and Laura’s voice woke me to the screams, rifle fire, and shotgun blasts coming from the camp. I slipped on my boots, holstered the pistol, and grabbed my rifle. Once outside I ran to the edge of the plateau. With a quick glance I saw ten or eleven bodies around the outside of the mason’s camp, and a handful of men running away from the camp. Tom was...
As I’d warned during the meeting, 1858 and 1859 proved to be busy years for everyone associated with the Estancia and the various business enterprises. The Estancia got back to work after the holidays on January 3rd, the same day our guests left for their return trip home. The normal Estancia wintertime repair work continued on, although at a reduced pace, while ten teams were assigned to Tom and Giuseppe to quarry a hole at the southern end of the Robledo Mountains. That hole, measuring 200...
I was two days out from Trujillo Gulch and had just saddled up for the days ride, when the faint sounds of gun shots came from the east. Without thinking, I mounted up and rode towards the sound of the gunfire. I was two miles west of the Camino Real, and figured that was where the gun fire was coming from. As I rode, I realized what I’d done, and debated with myself whether this was really the smartest course of action. I may be a defender, but was I to be everyone’s defender? The thought...
Taking down the adobe bricks from the cave entrance, I thought about the next step that I dreaded so much. A heavy door of wood and adobe bricks was going to need sturdy support from the wood door jamb it was going to be hung on, which meant burying the jamb a minimum of nine inches. Digging down into nine inches of rock was not going to be easy. I started digging the hole for the left support jamb using the largest cold chisel and the heaviest hammer I had. The floor here didn’t seem to be...
The trip from the Hacienda to the meeting site was thankfully uneventful, although I must admit to having a sense of unease until we’d passed the area of the last mountain lion attack. The weather had moderated and become warmer, but we weren’t fooled. The seasonal spring winds were nearing their end, but we had to expect to have to deal with them, and dust storms, for the next couple of weeks. We arrived in the clearing mid-afternoon of the day before the meeting. Miguel, using hand...
I fell into a deep sleep, while watching a kaleidoscope of shadows dance around the room. Flashes of lightning backlit the curtains on the window. For the third time in as many years, and the second time in as many weeks, Dream Laura visited my dreams that night. She was getting stronger, as tonight’s visit had us sitting across from each other at the picnic table on the covered patio of our old house, the patio we had built together just after we’d bought the house. Everything seemed...
I made my way back through the courtyard and into the house heading for the dining room intent on having another cup of coffee. Before I could sit down, however, Mr. Greenburg saw me. “Paul, if you have time this morning, and you’re feeling up to it, Rachael and I would like to talk with you for a little while regarding our discussions before you were hurt.” A quick glance at Anna and with her small nod of approval, I replied, “Certainly, Sir. I’m at your disposal. How about we get a coffee...
At my insistence, we pushed hard on the way back home, knocking two days off the return trip. The dull ache in my shoulder hadn’t returned at all since we left the Hacienda, so I felt comfortable pushing a little harder. As we dismounted in front of the courtyard gate, I asked the cousin who took my horse to send a message asking Nantan and Miguel to dinner this evening. Saddlebags over our shoulders and carrying our bedrolls, we entered the Hacienda looking forward to seeing our wives and...
After the Monday morning staff meeting, I holed up in the study with Tom and Yolanda. I’d been wrong in El Paso. It didn’t take two days to give them the background and go over the tentative plans Anna and I had been working on. It took all week, and even then I’d just scratched the surface of the background. The major problem, as always, was trying to figure out how to answer their questions in terms they could understand. I tried to stay away from things they didn’t need to know about....
I was sitting in the restaurant the next morning, finishing up breakfast and thinking about how Anna’s smile seemed to make my day. I’d just taken my last bite when Anna came over with fresh coffee and sat down, giving me another one of my Anna smiles, and asking me what I had planned for the day. Swallowing my last bite and taking a sip of coffee I said, “I was hoping to talk my fiancée into spending the morning riding with me, and perhaps start learning to shoot. Do you think she would...
I woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than I had since the mountain lion attack. Stretching my arms out to my side, I looked at my right hand, flexed my fingers, and laughed at the thought that I could play the guitar again. I hadn’t realized until yesterday afternoon how much I missed it. Jumping out of bed, I ran through my tai chi exercises and the katas, before cleaning up with a basin of water, and getting dressed. I was whistling as I walked in the back door of the...
Tom and I were relaxing after breakfast, enjoying our umpteenth cup of fresh hot coffee when the ladies had decided we’d had enough time. “So, Pablo, you’ve had your breakfast and coffee, now tell us about the trip,” she demanded in an almost imperial voice. Looking around the table, I realized for the first time that Tom and I were the only men in the room. “As you command, my Lady,” I replied giving her a sitting bow. “But first, where is everyone?” “Well, it is harvest time, Paul. Tomas...
Early the next morning I awoke and stretched out on the queen size bed, luxuriating in the feel of crisp cool cotton sheets and thinking about how good I felt. All those minor joint aches and pains I’d learned to live with over the years simply weren’t there. And those dreams! I rarely remembered my dreams after waking, but somehow, I knew that I remembered every one of last night’s dreams. The dreams of my past, both good and bad. With a yawn and a final stretch, I got up and started my...
Although they were always on our minds, we put the unsettling spirit visits behind us and got on with our lives. I spent as much time as I could in the RV cave melting gold, but it was only a couple of hours most days, and the small mountain of gold seemed to defy my attempts to reduce its size. Giuseppe returned from his short trip to the base of the Doña Ana Mountains late Wednesday afternoon in a jubilant mood. Over supper he informed us that he’d found the rock we needed to build the...
I was up before first light the next morning. I found two of the ladies already up and quietly preparing to make breakfast for the camp. I walked down to the river and soaked my head in the water to wake me up, as well as help tame my hair. When I lifted my head from the river, I found Giuseppe and Hector had joined me. After relieving ourselves we walked back up to the campfire where the ladies handed us each a cup of coffee. We sat drinking our coffee and enjoying the quiet of the...
Standing at the opening of the cave, they stared inside in stunned disbelief. I cleared my throat, regaining their attention. “No one else besides you three know about this. I expect it to remain that way. The cave and what’s in it are never discussed outside this room, and then only if the door is closed and barred.” Handing Mr. Mendoza the lantern, I watched from the doorway as they wandered around exploring. All I could see was the soft glow of the light when they were in the smaller cave...
Six weeks later I was again lying in Mr. Mendoza’s hayloft. Tom’s even breathing and soft snores provided background accompaniment, as I marveled at everything that had happened in such a short time. With the exception of the six days Tom and I spent on a trip to El Paso, and a two-day trip to the Hacienda, the four of us had spent virtually all of our time together. The first morning of our two-week visit at the Hacienda they’d seen me practicing Tai Chi on the plateau in the early dawn....
“Good morning Maco,” I said, walking into the dining room for breakfast. “We missed you at breakfast yesterday and again at dinner last night.” “Good morning Paul, or rather, good night for me,” Maco answered wearily. “I just stopped by to have breakfast with Beth since I haven’t seen her for a couple of days.” “What have you been doing to be so tired?” “I was the Scout hidden behind you yesterday. All of us were in our hides at three yesterday morning and we stayed in place until three...
I was up early the next morning after a restless night, dreading the conversation Anna wanted to have. Walking into the restaurant I was surprised to get my normal Anna smile, hug, and kiss. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all. She pointed me back to my usual table and brought over two cups of coffee. Sitting down, she said that breakfast would be out in a few minutes and asked how I’d slept. “Not well. It was a restless sleep that had me tossing and turning all night,” I...
“¡Juan! ¡El hombre malo!” I yelled as Tom and I walked into his office the next morning. “¡Dios Mio!” he exclaimed. “You startled me,” he said shaking his finger at us before reaching for a towel to clean up the small amount of ink he’d spilled on the countertop. “It’s good to see both of you again. Let me put these books up and we can talk.” Tom and I busied ourselves getting coffee before sitting down at the small table. Juan grabbed his coffee off the counter and joined us. “So, my...
Before going to bed, Tom and I worked on the mortar shells in the den. “Paul are you sure this is going to work?” Tom asked skeptically, as he applied hide glue around the brass sides at the bottom of the 12-gauge shotgun shell. “It should work just fine, at least for the shotgun shells, Tom. The tricky part of all this is the caps in the top of the shells.” Squinting, I focused my mind on dabbing just a little hide glue on the percussion cap before sticking it inside the plunger cap and...
We were up early, and after breakfast, we rounded up the deputy and the stage coach manager before walking over to the bank. The four of us walked into the banker’s office over his objections. I closed the door and told him to shut up and listen, as Anna looked away to hide her smile. I asked the banker if the ‘Mayor’ had been up to date on his rental payments for the stable and house. When he said that he was current, I turned to the Deputy. “I want a complete inventory of the stables to...
The next morning, bright and early, Tom and I loaded up the wagon and drove it over to the back door of the bank, where Levi was waiting for us. I signed the withdrawal receipt and accepted a deposit receipt of $35,000 for the sale of 4,000 head of cattle to Richard King. We loaded the bags of money into the steel wagon box, locked it up, and drove it back over to the hotel. In the hotel restaurant, we found the ladies waiting for us, along with Richard King, a total of twenty vaqueros, and...
“Damn Paul! None of this was here two years ago! How many people live in this village?” The questions were coming rapid fire from Steve, as we sat on our horses looking out over the village from the hills. We’d insisted that Steve spend his first day on the Estancia recovering from his trip. The only thing remotely resembling a discussion of our plans, was getting him to accept that he would need to ride a horse to Austin and back. Well, that and convincing him that his chances of surviving...
Tom, Giuseppe and I were relaxing after lunch while we waited for the ladies to arrive. A little after one o’clock, one of the cousins came into the camp telling us that wagons from Las Cruces were on their way. I thanked him, and the three of us went up to the slope, where we used our monoculars to watch the wagons. There were ten heavily laden wagons about a mile away moving slowly up the road. With a groan I said, “My back is already starting to hurt, just thinking about unloading those...
I shared my dream with Anna the next morning before we got out of bed. She agreed with Dream Laura’s thoughts on both JT and ‘the Boss’, which didn’t really surprise me as I’d noticed before how alike their thought processes were. While Anna showered, dressed, and left to check on JJ, I sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, and tried to meditate, something I’d never really been all that good at. Maybe I was trying too hard or perhaps I was just too rusty, but a half-hour later, I gave...
In one way I was right. It was an interesting few weeks. In another way, I was wrong. It was not just a few weeks; it was fifteen weeks. It started shortly after breakfast that first morning. As soon as Steve, the Judge, and Hiram finished bringing me up to date on their activities, I asked Juan, Jorge, George, Heinrich, and Giuseppe to join us in the den. I had the territorial map spread out on the desk, watching as Steve finished up tracing all the new land purchases he’d made, when the...
“All right, Paul, it’s been two hours since we said goodbye to Frank and Lee and watched them ride southeast towards the Estancia. My curiosity is killing me, now tell me about Cisco and Frank like you said you would.” I had to smile. It had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d told Tom I’d tell him how I knew about Cisco and Frank. I knew his curiosity was about to burst. We’d left Tucson less than twenty minutes later, riding hard with Frank and Lee. With a full moon, we’d hadn’t...
My head was pounding! Somehow, around the pain, I thought, ‘After seventy some years, you’d think I’d remember never to mix distilled and fermented alcohol!’ I may have looked twenty years old, but I was well over seventy. Getting sent back over 160 year’s in time was bad enough. Throw in losing everyone and everything I knew, and it was even tougher. Losing fifty years off my apparent age paled in comparison, but it was rough, too. Well, losing the years, both in time and age, had its good...
Tom and I were becoming bored. The Segundos were all doing their jobs well. Cattle were being delivered on time, and the herd continued to grow. The land along the river was being cleared and prepared for planting, while early harvesting in the greenhouses had already started for some of the crops, like tomatoes. Building activities were continuing at a furious pace, with the fences, roads, water retention buildings, and School/Community Center all in different stages. We spent quite a bit...
I was on the terrace on a fine bright sunny afternoon, staring in horror at the list of things I’d come up with for Steve to do when he got back from Austin. No matter how I looked at it, I just couldn’t see how he would ever get everything on the list done in the time-frame we wanted. I was seriously starting to think that maybe we’d over extended ourselves this time, and we would have to push the time-frame out another year, when something in my brain sparked. I suddenly remembered a...
“What do you mean something funny is going on in the land office, Paul?” Steve asked. Tom, Steve, and I were in the family dining room going over our land plans one last time, after finishing a large breakfast. Anna, Yolanda, and the boys were with Mrs. Mendoza over in the house writing up the invitations after she agreed to host the meeting tomorrow. “I’m not sure what, but something just wasn’t right about the map in the land office when we were there the other day. In all the excitement...
Our final day in Santa Fe was hectic as Tom and I, with the ready assistance of the escort teams, gathered supplies for the trip home in the morning, and picked up the trunks, booze, and books that afternoon. With little fanfare, we departed Santa Fe the next morning after a good breakfast with the Judge, Hiram, Helen, and Steve. We assured all of them but most especially Helen that we’d be back the first week in November with the ladies and babies. Pushing the animals hard we travelled...
The mules didn’t seem to be laboring with the load, so I figured to make good time going back to the cave. By this time, I didn’t feel threatened between Las Cruces and the cave, but I stopped just out of sight of Las Cruces. I pulled my rifle out of the panier and put it in the seat box with me, just in case. I also made sure I could get to the pistol at my waist easily, before driving on. The trip was a little longer with the mule pulling the wagon but not overly so. As I drove and watched...
As I drove along the Camino Real, I sang “Fever” to the mules. They didn’t seem to mind. Then I opened up my mind to them on the various situations I found myself in. I talked about waking up 160 years in the past as a fifteen-year-old who few people took all that seriously, but with the experience and attitude of a sixty-six-year-old. I talked about my unsuccessful efforts to determine if this was all real or if it was just a psychotic episodic loop I was stuck in. I talked about the strange...
My goal was to reach Santa Fe in fifteen days. Unlike the last time I’d made the trip I stayed on the road pushing hard. I knew the route this time and wasn’t quite so concerned over threats. The first six days I averaged almost thirty miles a day, but the mules were starting to get tired, so I backed off to a steady twenty. This gave me enough time in the mornings to do my Tai Chi as well as the Aikido and Krav Maga katas. Except for the mornings I was in town, and the first six days of this...
We’d been sent to Saudi Arabia as part of a special operations unit, formed specifically to find and retrieve downed airmen from all branches of service, and all coalition countries. It was a mix of special operations forces from the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Air Force contingent, except for twelve Combat Controllers and six snipers including JT and me, were all Pararescue, otherwise known in the Air Force as PJs or Rescue Rangers. Pararescue is a unique group of special operators. When...