Reed did all the driving from Tucson. As soon as they could see Las Cruces on the horizon, Skylar made a call to his cousin there. Earlier, he had called his Mother and got a phone number from her for their cousin, John Trembly. She told him that he was living with his great-grandparents, and helping them out so they could stay in their home. They were in luck. John answered his phone right away. He sounded very happy to hear from them. When Skylar told him they were pulling into Las Cruces, he even sounded excited. After Skylar told him where they were on the highway, John told them to drive to a certain exit which was just a few miles ahead of them and not out of the way. He said he would be waiting for them there and they could follow him back to where he was staying. He was sure his great-grandparents would love to meet the two of them, since they loved to have company. Several minutes later, they reached the exit and pulled off as John had directed. He was waiting for them in one of the fast food marts by the side of the road. They recognized his car from the descript- ion he gave Skylar. John rolled down his window and motioned them to follow him. It wasn't very far before they pulled off the road and into a yard. Everyone got out there. John had phoned ahead to let his great-grandparents know they were on their way so they were waiting outside when everyone pulled into their yard. Skylar was first to introduce Reed to them. Then John introduced them to his great-grandparents, Ira and Lois Woodland. Everyone took an instant liking to each other and they started visiting as if they'd known each other all their lives. Suddenly, they heard the boom of thunder. John looked up at the sky and said, 'We'd better get inside! It looks like a bad storm heading our way. I'd sure hate for us to get soaked out here!' No sooner do they get into the house and there is another loud boom of thunder, followed instantly by a downpour of rain! 'Well, that was close!' says John. 'Sure glad we got inside in time!' Everyone agreed and the conversations continued. The old folks were still pretty lively. Ira was going to turn 103 this year. Lois just turned 97. They had moved out to Las Cruces back in the 70s. Ira was working a pretty good job then and was able to buy this place for cash money. It used to be a farm, so they wound up buying a couple sections. Over they years, they had been selling off little pieces of it, each time making more money than they thought they could ever spend. Finally, Ira said that was enough! They didn't need to sell anymore. They were going to keep the last section to keep people from moving too close to them and allowing them to still have some privacy! They were simple folk and didn't require much to live on. Lois still used an old coal and wood stove to cook on. They used to raise all their food up till a few years ago when their health started fading but were starting to do it again now that John was there to help in the garden. They were quite surprised to hear about Skylar's career in modeling. Skylar and Reed filled them in on some of their exciting adventures since starting out from San Diego several days ago. Everyone gasped and shook their heads when told about the aborted theft attempt of Eleanor. Lois excused herself and went out into the kitchen. She started fixing supper. 'You guys are staying for supper aren't you?' she asked. 'We don't want to impose.' Skylar told her. 'Nonsense! There is plenty of grub for all of us. I insist you stay. And if you are staying over, we have a spare bedroom as well. I won't hear of you getting a motel when we have a place for you here!' 'Well, I guess that's settled!' John smiles and winks to Skylar and Reed. 'Looks like the two of you have just been adopted!' ------------------------------------- M4, M3, M2 and V2 characters. Rendered in Poser 9. Post work in Photoshop 7. Thank you for taking a peek! Your support is greatly appreciated!