December 1-2: Our flight to Albuquerque was routine, until it wasn’t. We got to Dallas just fine, but when we re-boarded the same plane to finish our trip to Albuquerque, the flight crew discovered that a bird had flown into the engine on the way into town. They didn’t want to keep us on the plane not knowing how long it would take to clean the engine, so they told us to go get something to eat and we would re-board, again, in about an hour or so. Instead, it was arranged for all of us to board a different plane for the reminder of our trip, and we landed with enough time to have dinner with Lou’s dad at his retirement villa. The next morning, Lou brought us all breakfast from Weck’s, Pop’s favorite. I highly recommend the huevos rancheros. While he napped later in the day Lou and I took a little hike in the Cibola National Forest. The trail I picked (Jaral Trail #204 Loop) was marked “moderate,” but tell that to Lou’s knee. He ended up tweaking it not too far into the hike, so we altered our route a bit to avoid the steeper sections.
December 3: We had breakfast with Pop and then drove to Placitas to look at some lots that Lou learned about while doing house hunting on-line. They were in our price range, in a gated community with utilities and water already on-site, and the restrictions didn’t appear to be as strict as the ones in the community we were looking at near Knoxville. We had an appointment with the property manager to look at a couple of lots, and she ended up spending most of the morning and part of the afternoon driving us to the lots she thought we would be most interested in seeing. As luck would have it, a builder on another site was able to meet up with us at the site we decided was our favorite to answer some of our questions. While we did get caught up in the excitement of planning and imaging our life in that environment, we did NOT make an impulse-driven down payment. We needed some time to think this through very carefully AND continue to look in other locations we are interested in. When Lou first proposed the idea of building from scratch, my first reaction was “No Way No How”. It still to some extent is, but given my druthers, I’d still prefer to move into a turnkey house. On the way back to Pop’s the lights in the rental started flashing warning signs so we had to go back to the airport to exchange cars before meeting up at Pop’s for a Rising Star takeout dinner with his brother and sister-in-law.
December 4: We spent the morning and part of the afternoon with Pop, and drove to Santa Fe via the Turquoise Trail in the early afternoon. Our original plan was to stop in Madrid for a fried green chili at the Mineshaft Tavern, but as we were driving into town we saw a number of fire engines lining up to put out a house fire. One of the old renovated miner shacks had caught fire and they were attempting to prevent it from spreading to the adjacent shacks. We later learned that they were successful, but the one that had caught fire was burned to the ground. In addition to the fire, it was a popular Christmas shopping week in town, and there was a large crowd at the Mine Shaft already. We decided to keep driving, and stopped at Beer Creek Brewing Company for a beer and a basket of wings. It looked like a fun place to be on a warmer day when they could host live music, and they allowed dogs, of which there were many that day. We got into town just after the Inn on the Alameda check-in opened, dropped our bags in our room, and went in search of a watering hole while we waiting for the hotel bar to open. We found ourselves at Desert Dogs Brewery and Cidery and drank our beverage on the tiny balcony overlooking the passersby on E. San Francisco Street. It was getting chilly and we didn’t want to miss the reception at the hotel, so we left as soon as we had finished our one drink. When we first started going to the Inn, the reception hour was spectacular. They had a wide selection of appetizers, fruit, cheese, and white and red wine. Beginning a few years ago they cut back to bringing each patron a small plate from the kitchen, and no more beer or wine unless you ordered it from their small bar. Now, they offer no food at all unless you pay for an appetizer. They do have a small selection of quality alcoholic beverages, including tequila, and I usually try something new each time we go. On this trip, I tried one that was aged in red wine barrels. While we were drinking our beverages we decided we would just have dinner at their small on-site restaurant, Joe’s Tequila Bar, and while we were enjoying our chips and salsa appetizer, the manager brought us a half bottle of champagne in celebration of our engagement-versary (for this is where Lou proposed).
December 5: I’ve long admired the beautiful pieces created by David Griego Designs of Santa Fe Goldworks, and hoped that one day I could invest in one. We’ve been talking for awhile about getting an anniversary band for our upcoming 20th wedding anniversary, so took the opportunity while we were in town to stop in and chat with them about what I wanted. Having done a little research prior to our arrival, the helpful sales person (Dawna) quickly tracked down the four I was interested in, and I narrowed it down to just one. She very wisely encouraged me to take it outside so I could see it in natural light, and that was what ultimately sold me on “the one.” It was so incredibly beautiful and vibrant that I felt myself tear up at not only the depth of colors, but at the blessings that led me to this moment. Even so, my heart raced and hands shook as I turned over the credit card and made the final decision to make this happen. It was probably a good thing that we had eaten an early breakfast, or I might have lost my lunch as Dawna charged our card. Now that its done, I find myself anxiously waiting for news that its on it’s way to my join our little family of bands.
There’s a funky little restaurant in Pecos (Frankie’s at the Casanova) that we discovered the last time we were there. It wasn’t difficult to find as it’s on the main road and one of only a handful of restaurants in the entire town, and possibly the only one opened on Sunday. We didn’t know when we set out for lunch that they served ONLY breakfast on Sundays, but we were ok with the limited menu as it meant I could have huevos rancheros for the second time on this trip. It was not a disappointment. After lunch, we took a drive into the Pecos Wilderness on one of the many public access dirt roads. Our intention was to find an “easy” hike in the area that Lou would be able to manage with his newly injured knee. We should have guessed that when you go up, up, up and your ears are popping the whole way that there’s no such thing as “easy.” Our choices were strenuous and strenuous, so we very carefully turned our rental car around and drove back towards Santa Fe.
While Lou was driving, I found a trail marked “easy” on AllTrails: Grasshopper Canyon Trail. The parking lot is quite literally right off of I25, so we were skeptical that we’d ever hike far enough away from the traffic noise. We worried too much, because .3 miles into the hike we were no longer able to hear anything but the birds. The trail is not well marked, but it is well traveled and difficult to get lost unless you wander off of it, which I don’t recommend. It crisscrosses a stream until you reach the canyon, and then you can continue if you so wish by bouldering and wading (or swimming) through the pools. The trail even in they dryness of December was muddy in places, so I imagine it only gets worse during rain and snow events. It was so easy to hike, though, and close to Santa Fe, that it gets heavily used during warmer months when people are seeking to escape the heat. It really is a great place to spend some time picnicking while the kids and dogs frolic in the stream and climb the rocks.
We returned to town a little too late to have a leisurely cocktail before getting ready for dinner. We learned when we booked our hotel that Doug Montgomery was going to be performing at Fenix at Vanessie on Sunday night. We’ve been going to see him every couple of years since our engagement twenty years. I wanted this night to be special, so I took extra care with my clothes, hair and makeup, and was feeling pretty when the Lyft driver dropped us off at the lounge. We made sure to arrive early to get a good seat, and were able to sit right in front of the piano. Doug came out to do a sound check, and I slipped him a note requesting that he ask Lou, during his show, if he would marry me again. Not only did he oblige my request, he dedicated a lovely song to us that made both of us tear up. Shortly after, a young man sat next to us who had been invited by Doug four years prior, to play during one of his sets. He was only 17 at the time, and continues to aspire to be a professional musician. We bought him a drink and dinner, and he stayed for the entire show just to get a chance to chat with Doug after it was over. Not only did he get that chance, but he also got to play his piano while the restaurant was closing up for the night. A quick note about the state of ride-share in Santa Fe: it’s barely there. We had to walk home because there were no cars available AT ALL at 10:00pm. Fortunately I was wearing my kitten heels and not my stilettos.
December 6: Monday morning we awoke even before breakfast was offered so that we could drive to Albuquerque and have breakfast and spend the morning with Lou’s dad before we had to turn in the rental car. We had a great visit with him, and it was nice to see how pleased people were to see him in the dining room again.