After all the Christmas chaos with family, we headed west from Aubrey, TX, to the great state of Nevada. We arrived at NevadaTreasures RV Resort, Pahrump, Nevada, on Jan. 10. Some RV friends from Wisconsin were also there for the winter. We looked forward to reconnecting with them.
As soon as we arrived, we both came down with COVID. It must have been the omicron variant because our symptoms were mild, but we were “out of commission” for a little over a week after arriving.
Pahrump has a population of about 44,000 people. It is located in Pahrump Valley in NYE County. It is about 62 miles west of Las Vegas. Of course, it has several casinos! Pahrump is surrounded by the Spring Mountain Range to the east and the Nopah Mountains to the west.
Here is something else interesting about the Pahrump Valley. Take a look at these signs. I have NEVER seen signs like this before!
Yes! That’s a picture of a donkey! I thought these homemade signs were really cute! They have wild horses and wild donkeys freely roaming around Pahrump Valley. Some times you even see them within the city limits. I never could get a good photo of any of them.
After resting a bit and reconnecting with our friends from Wisconsin, Darrell and Malia, we were ready to explore the surrounding area. Our first day trip was to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
The desert has its own unique beauty. Since it was winter when we visited, the desert was still pretty brown. I wish we could have visited in the spring when all the desert plants are blooming (but then it would MUCH HOTTER-no thank you!). Here are some of my pictures with a few captions.
If you zoom in, you can read about the ancient pupfish that live in the area. They are really small; they are about the size of minnows. Devil’s HoleWe could see the pupfish, however, there was no way for me to zoom in enough for them to show up in a photo.Believe it or not, but there is SOME water in the desert! This is Crystal Spring. You can barely see Crystal Spring.This is the new Visitors Center. It had a lot of informative inside. Behind the center is a boardwalk around a beautiful section of the desert where you can see more pupfish.Part of the boardwalk. You can see the Visitors Center in the top left corner. It was about a mile hike around the whole boardwalk.
While there, I tried to imagine what the refuge would look like with everything blooming and the animals coming back to life from winter hibernation. I bet it is really exciting and pretty.
It has been twenty years since our youngest son enlisted in the Navy. Mike felt an urgent calling to serve his country right after 9/11/2001, as did many Americans. Just like most parents, we felt the usual fear of our son being placed in harm’s way, but we also felt very proud of him.
So, off he went to boot camp. Next he attended aviation electronics school followed by SERE training in Maine (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape). Then he became an aviation electronics specialist on the E6-B Mercury that flies for the Navy. After many years of doing that job, he decided to go back to school and became a flight engineer on the same aircraft. Through the years he worked hard, advanced through the various ranks, received numerous accommodations, and finally became Chief Petty Officer. Before we knew it, twenty years had flown by, and, at the ripe old age of 39, Mike decided to retire.
The Navy set his retirement ceremony for Friday, December 3rd. This worked out really good for us because we were planning to be at their house for Thanksgiving. We just extended our stay for another week so we could attend. My sister, Lisa, and her husband, Rob, brought my 91+ year old dad from St. Louis to Oklahoma City to attend the ceremony.
The Navy’s retirement ceremony is quite impressive. The retiree is in charge of and makes all the decisions regarding the ceremony. Mike chose and arranged for everything: who would be part of honor guards and presentation of flags, the main speaker, who would sing the national anthem, who gave the opening and closing prayers, and who would speak or read the traditional“Old Glory” and “The Watch.”
Here are some of my pictures from the ceremony along with a few captions.
Allready to go.The shadow box and solid oak chest for all of Mike’s Navy uniforms and memorabilia. This was our retirement gift to Mike. A friend ofhis made it, and I must say the craftsmanship is impeccable. Mike leads the “Arrival of the Official Party.”Parade the Colors.Our oldest son, Jeff, sang the National Anthem and did a wonderful job. Guest speaker and mentor to Mike, Edward J. Primeau, USN (Retired).Presentation of Awards by CAPT Jessup.Passing the Flag Ceremony was completed while “Old Glory” was read. It was a quite moving ceremony. As the flag approached the end of the line, Mike joined the line. Finally the flag is passed to Mike, and he ….. ….. walks over ….. ….. and presents it to his mom – ME! Talk about an emotional moment for me. I felt so honored and proud. Then I thought about those moms and wives who have received a flag folded like this under more sorrowful conditions. However, I was filled with love and respect for this son who served his country so honorably. Mike’s wife and children also received special recognition and awards for their sacrifice and service in supporting Mike’s career. Mike gave a WONDERFUL retirement speech. It had the appropriate amount of sentiment, humor, memories, and encouraging advice for those younger Naval personnel in attendance.Mike prepares to be “relieved of the watch.”This friend of Mike’s did an EXCELLENT job reciting “The Watch.”Being relieved of the watch.First, Mike exits through the honor guard. Mike returns to escort his family through the honor guard. All the family in attendance: (L to R) Jack, Betty (me), Jeff, Kylee, Mike, Jennifer, Jackson, my 91 year old dad (Gary), and my sister and her husband (Lisa and Rob, who brought my dad down from St. Louis).Just foolin’ around after the ceremony ….. ….. trying to look tough. Maybe these are a couple of future Navy officers.
What an incredible ceremony! If you ever get a chance to attend a Navy (or any military) retirement ceremony, I would suggest you go. You won’t regret it.
