Ah, Santa Fe, way too little time in Santa Fe!! The three days we were there went like the wind,but it was wonderful spending time with Doug. Fortunately, Doug ferried us around while the pickup was in the shop....and never complained. Thanks be to the gods, out of all the very expensive problems that could have occurred, this turned out to be a fan clutch replacement-- only a little bit expensive...
Doug is a busy man. He's working on a master's in teaching science as well as working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. On Tuesday 9/27 we had a tour of the lab area in Alamos.Doug's working for Dr. Aviva Sussman, who is involved in subcritical testing of nuclear weapons. At the Bradbury Science Museum, we saw at video on just what this is. In a nutshell, we have a huge atomic stockpile which cannot, of course, be tested by detonating. However, for national security, it's important to know that these aging nuclear weapons are still viable. There are any number of ways in which this is done, using computers, and a number of other ways that are way over my head. We couldn't go into the labs, nor did we take any pictures of the grounds-- it is a huge area. Following our tour we drove to the Valles Caldera, a huge meadow created by a collapse after a number of volcanic eruptions, a million years ago. Doug would like to do some rock testing in this area.
When he completes his master's, Doug then intends to get his PhD. in geophysics or structural geology. He and Bill had the best time talking geology together. Geology is one of Bill's passions, and he's just thrilled that Doug has the same one. Later in the afternoon we met Aviva and her husband Matt and 2-year-old Ellie for a burrito meal at the Butterfly. Love these burritos.....Aviva and company are quite down-to-earth, and we weren't able to spend nearly enough time with them. Maybe another time.....
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