Christmas in New Mexico

Our first week in the new house went by in a blur of work and appointments and getting things set up and ready to leave for a trip to NY. In all the rush, Christmas preparations were not on the top of our to-do list, but we knew we wanted to take a day to relax and celebrate in some fashion. Buying presents for each other was out of the question -- there was simply no time -- but we thought we might buy something for the house to give each other as a Christmas gift. On Friday, I went to the apartment to finish cleaning it, pick up any last mail, and do laundry (we don't have a washer and dryer at the house yet). While I was waiting for laundry to dry, I drove to a (normally) empty lot in the desert that had been turned into a Christmas Tree store with a temporary fence and an RV. A folding table was set up with a cash box and credit card swiper. I was driving the company truck which only has a 6 foot bed, so I bought a 6 foot tree, choosing the first one in the row for the sake of time. I still needed to be back at the house to meet the alarm company guy, then I had to go to work at the music studio. It was 40+ degrees and sunny without a hint of snow. So different from our usual weather when we would get a tree at Olde Saratoga Home and Garden and stand around in the cold and snow while we talked with the owners. Stephen took the tree out of the truck and put it on the stand while I was at work in the evening, and that was the extent of our pre-Christmas preparation.

Saturday the 22nd was the day we had set aside for our Christmas, since we are scheduled to fly to NY on Sunday. We started by sleeping in, a luxury we haven't had in several weekends. I got up first and started the dough for cinnamon buns. The manufactured granite countertop in the new kitchen is fabulous for kneading and rolling out dough! I never minded regular laminate countertops, but now I know the practical difference. I had been trying to figure out the adjustments for high altitude baking and for the convection oven, but decided to just wing it and watch them carefully as they baked. Stephen gave an enthusiastic endorsement to the result.

After breakfast (which was more like brunch by the time the rolls were done) we decorated the tree. I bought this New Mexico ornament when Katie and I were in Old Town last weekend.

Stephen helped, and Annabelle considered which ornament to pounce on first.

While we were decorating, our across-the-street neighbors stopped by to introduce themselves and to bring us a gift to welcome us to the neighborhood! We stood around the mostly undecorated tree and talked for a few minutes and then exchanged phone numbers and contact info. What a nice thing!

We also wanted to hang the picture that was given to us by the family as a going-away present, so we chose the perfect location.

It was a beautiful sunny day (again) so we took a walk in the open space behind our house. I had Stephen take this photo because there's a prickly pear, a cholla cactus, and a sage brush all together.

I shed my coat, hat and gloves right away. It's interesting how the thermometer can be deceptive. We saw that it was 42 degrees at the airport, and we're up a bit higher, so I bundled up. But between the bright sunlight and the lack of moisture in the air, if it's not windy it feels much warmer.

This tree reminded Stephen of the tree on the marginal way in Ogunquit, ME that everyone used to sit in for pictures until it was roped off for its own safety. My Facebook profile picture was taken by the Maine tree, but I may have to change it to this one.

There are some spectacular rock formations, and Stephen says he keeps expecting to see Wile E. Coyote with a lever trying to dislodge one to fall on the Roadrunner.

After our hike, we headed into the city to the area on Central Ave where the used furniture and antique (junque) stores are. We were thinking of an old bookcase, or a table for the office, or maybe a comfy chair. Instead, we found a fabulous headboard/footboard for our bed, and gave it to each other for Christmas. We went to Cafe da Lat for dinner, and then came back and set up the new bed. We had thought about driving out to where the luminaria tour takes place, but we were just too tired, so we'll save that pleasure for next year.

So that was our first Christmas in New Mexico, and today we fly to NY to spend time with our wonderful families. When we get back we're looking forward to establishing a routine and getting into the "new normal" in our new place.

Moving In

Monday was the big day -- the truck arrived from NY with all our worldly goods, minus a few things we brought with us in June (Stephen) and September (Diane). Stephen had arranged for a co-worker's son and three of his friends to help unload. They got a little lost trying to find us in the maze of confusingly-named streets and cul-de-sacs in our neighborhood, but arrived in good time to start. It had turned sharply colder overnight, which was a bummer since Stephen had to pack the truck in the cold as well.

Our helpers were tireless, and by the time I picked up pizza for a late lunch, we had unloaded everything except for the big garage stuff such as the air compressor and the lathe. Stephen had borrowed the forklift from work to handle those items. Thankfully, I had to leave to go to work at that point so I didn't have to watch!

This is what every room in the house looked like when I left. Stephen and I had to work all day on Tuesday, so we didn't make any progress reducing the chaos. But on Wednesday morning, I needed to wait for the Direct TV guy, so I started unpacking boxes and setting up the bedroom and kitchen. My goal was to make it so that we could move in on Thursday. I didn't make much of a dent in the boxes, but I found the coffee maker, mugs, some bedding, night stands, and a lamp, among other things. By the time I went to work, I felt as though we might reach our Thursday goal.

On Thursday I had to be at the house by 9 AM to meet the mattress delivery guys. I wanted to get as much stuff as possible out of the apartment and bring Annabelle to the house by that time. I started as soon as Stephen left for work and made 17 trips down four flights of stairs with stuff. Annabelle and my oboe were the last things to go into the truck, and we made it to the house by quarter to nine. I really wish I understood what Annabelle was thinking. It must have been confusing to her to find our old familiar things (the couch, her toys, our bed) in an unfamiliar place. She followed me around all morning as I unpacked, talking away the whole time. Finally, she curled up on the bed and fell asleep. She acclimates very well to new situations, particularly considering how old she is (10). Our cat Maggie moved with us many times and always spent the first day hiding under a bed, terrified.

We stayed in the house overnight for the first time Thursday night. On Friday morning we were able to find the coffee and all the breakfast things. Stephen went off to work and I went shopping for food and bedding for the guest room. I also had to buy a microwave and various small items for the house such as magnetic cabinet latches, a paper towel holder, and a floor lamp.

Stephen picked up Katie at the airport after work and when my lessons were done I met them at Cafe Da Lat on Central Ave. Katie had done so much of the packing that she decided to come help with the unpacking! What an amazing housewarming gift! We were so excited to show her the house after dinner. Since we were exhausted from our crazy week and she was on East coast time, we turned in early.

On Saturday morning Katie and I got started organizing the kitchen before Stephen got up. Katie had actually unpacked and organized the kitchen in our Schuylerville house when we moved in, and in 16 years I only moved a couple of things. However, I have also come to enjoy cooking and baking since then, so I did have some idea of where things should go this time. Katie approved of most of the decisions I had already made, which made setting up the kitchen quite a bit faster than if we had needed to change everything I had already done.

When the kitchen was done, I wanted to show Katie the outside of the house since it was dark when she arrived the evening before. There were some things in the house that were supposed to have gone to the shed, such as flower pots, so we moved those and explored outside. Katie was glad to see that we have some cactus and large yucca in the landscape. We walked up to the start of the trail in the open space and Katie took a video. Then we decided we'd better get back to work!

We accomplished so much on Saturday afternoon that I can't remember the order we did things in. We put together the dining room furniture, found places to store things we don't use often, organized the boxes that can't be unpacked until we get more bookcases, put books on the bookcases we do have, and helped Stephen set up his office.

We quit at dinner time, and watched TV in the evening.

Saturday night I woke up hearing strange noises and got up to investigate. There was a tremendous snowstorm with wind blowing waves of snow against the skylight in the hall. Once I knew what I was hearing, I relaxed and went back to sleep. This is what we saw out the music room window Sunday morning.

The temperature was already above freezing, and the snow disappeared by about 10 AM.

After breakfast, Katie and I started breaking down boxes, folding packing paper, and consolidating boxes of packing peanuts. It was a lengthy process, and I was extremely glad I didn't have to do it by myself. Now Stephen has to take all the empty boxes and packing material to work where it will get reused.

When we were done with that, we brought boxes of books to Stephen's office and Katie got to see where he works. Then we went to the apartment to finish clearing it out, and while we were there I did a load of laundry, since we don't have a washer and dryer at the house yet. We had a late lunch at the Flying Star Cafe and headed back to the house to unload the apartment boxes. More boxes!

All work and no play would have been a shame, so Katie and I went to Old Town in the afternoon for some shopping. There was New Mexico music playing in the square and lots of people out enjoying the day. Katie got a kick out of the Christmas decorations next to cactus in several locations. We went in galleries and gift shops and Katie took photos of the old buildings. Then we headed back to the house for dinner and some more unpacking. We skyped with my family and Katie talked with her family on the phone, then we settled down for some TV and a snack.

Monday morning Stephen got ready to go to work and Katie packed. He took her to the airport on his way to the office. It was such an amazing weekend and I feel like we're really settled in to our new house now, able to find almost all of our things and to get on with our excellent adventure.

Updates

Stephen is home this weekend packing up the Schuylerville house, so I thought I might update some of my old posts.

In the post "Library Card" I misidentified a shrub by the entrance to my apartment as lavender. It's actually Russian Sage. There is giant lavender here as well, and I'm looking forward to planting some in the spring. There's a lavender festival in the summer which I'll be sure to visit. The herbs here grow so much bigger than in NY and there are so many different varieties that I have a lot to learn.

In the post "Apartment Life" I briefly wrote about what it's like to live in a small apartment. We have lived here for two and a half months now, and it has worked out extremely well. I'm very thankful that Stephen's company provided us with such a nice place to live while we looked for a house. Advantages: It takes me about 20 minutes to clean the entire apartment. It's super convenient to take your garbage and recycling to the bins. The gym is great, but there are also plenty of places to go for walks. Disadvantages: Annabelle can't go outside, she's a little bored, and having a litter box in the apartment is not my favorite thing. I scoop constantly. I still don't love hauling groceries up 4 flights of stairs, although I have learned to shop more frequently and buy less at a time.
I came here with a few instruments, maybe half of my clothes, my computer, 2 cookbooks, a very few kitchen things, and the cat. I miss the rest of my instruments, my bike, my kitchen, and my books/music. Oh yeah, and my mattress. I really miss my garden and all the produce I would have frozen by now. I'm looking forward to moving into our new house with all my stuff. But all things considered, apartment life has been good to us.

In the post "A Little Hike" I mentioned that Stephen has never been an outdoor person. I am absolutely thrilled to say that he actually looks forward to our weekend hikes, and suggests new places to hike. He is also considering getting a mountain bike so we can ride the trails near our new house together. Wow! What a bonus for me.

The house hunt was successful, and we're planning to close on Dec. 4 and move in Dec. 10. We have a few projects planned, but mostly the house is ready for occupancy. I want to strip wallpaper and paint the master bathroom, and I would like to change some window treatments. Stephen is going to put up a wall between the laundry room and a space he will use for extra garage storage. One of these days we'll take out the dining room carpet and put in a wood floor, and a wet bar will be converted to a pantry. Oh, and we are going to convert the fireplace from wood to gas, seeing as how we don't have a backyard full of trees anymore!

We have close neighbors but are separated by stucco walls. However, behind our back garden wall is open space, and at the end of the cul-de-sac is the trail head. I took this photo standing in our driveway. We can hike to the mountains you see in the distance.

This photo is the walkway from the street to the front entrance. Guests can more conveniently access the house from the driveway, though.

Professionally, I am starting to substitute teach although I haven't been called for music yet. I am teaching about 24 lessons per week at the New Mexico School of Music, a private lesson studio in Nob Hill. And I'm enjoying playing in the percussion section of the Albuquerque Concert Band. I do have a new appreciation for the percussion section, particularly right now as I'm sporting a lovely purple bruise on the top of my foot from dropping an orchestral triangle on it. There really IS extra gravity back there! I always suspected as much.

Stephen continues to love his job and the city of ABQ. The excellent adventure continues...

New Mexico Thanksgiving

When we discovered that it would be too expensive to go home for Thanksgiving, having waited too long to try to purchase airfare, Stephen mentioned that perhaps we could do an overnight trip somewhere we hadn't yet explored. Then my Mom's cousin Marge, who lives in Denver, wrote that she and her husband would be in Santa Fe for the holiday and kindly invited us to join them for dinner! What luck to have family nearby on our first Thanksgiving in ABQ. Dinner plans were made, but Stephen and I hadn't had time to come up with any other ideas. We have been so busy getting ready to close on the house and planning the move! So on Thanksgiving morning, Stephen went on the internet, and within a half hour he had a proposal ready. He found an available room at the oldest hotel in Taos, right on the plaza. He suggested we drive the scenic route to Santa Fe, and then after dinner head up to Taos and spend Friday exploring new territory. So that's what we did.

Stephen works for a company that is developing high-tech alternatives to spark plugs. The company owns several vehicles that they use for testing. During this vacation, one of the company cars needed to have some miles put on a new set of plugs to get data for the tests. So Stephen nobly offered to take care of it, and we set off for our little vacation in a 5-series BMW. Ah, the sacrifices Stephen is willing to make for his job!

Instead of driving straight up the highway, we veered off to the West and made a loop, going through the Carson National Forest, past the Bandalier National Monument, through Los Alamos, and coming into Santa Fe from the Northwest. The route took us through some majestic mountain scenery. I have heard from several people that they missed the greens of New York and New England when they visited New Mexico, but I find the color palette of the mountains and desert to be so rich that I am mesmerized by the beauty. I can see why artists such as Georgia O'Keefe wanted to stay here to paint. The range of reds, orange, yellow, tan, and brown in the land and rocks, and the subtle pastel greens of the sand, rocks, lichen, sagebrush, and pine trees create an amazing array of hues.

Dinner was at Ristra in Santa Fe. The restaurant is in a Victorian era adobe house, and the cuisine is French fusion. Our waiter was a delight, gracefully dealing with a party of six including one vegan and two gluten-free diners on Thanksgiving day. I couldn't remember whether I had met Marge when I was a child, but we think this might be the first time we had met in person. I had heard many stories about her from my mother who was her childhood friend and her closest cousin in age. Marge and her friend Priscilla are both retired music teachers, so we had a lot in common, and the husbands are all science-oriented guys who seemed to find plenty to talk about as well. It was a lovely dinner with delicious food and excellent company.

It was getting dark by the time we left Santa Fe, so we didn't get to enjoy the scenery on the way but fortunately it isn't a long drive to Taos. We had been relying on Stephen's phone for GPS however, and the battery died soon after we left the restaurant. We had the address of the hotel and we knew that it's on the plaza, so once we got into Taos we watched for signs to the historic district and found the place without a hitch! The Hotel La Fonda de Taos was renovated in 1998, but there has been some kind of hotel on the site since 1820. Our room was tiny but incredibly charming with Southwest decor and a view of the plaza.

On Friday morning we sat by the fireplace with our coffee and enjoyed the ambiance. We walked down the plaza for an excellent breakfast at Graham's Grill, where Stephen was able to get eggs benedict while I had the vegan breakfast special of grilled veggies and tofu with a side of fresh fruit. Then we walked around the plaza and visited the shops and galleries.

On the way to Taos, we had seen a visitor center for the Rio Grande Gorge. This seemed like a good place to find a short hike with interesting scenery, so we stopped to ask the ranger for guidance. He directed us to the Vista Verde trail head a few miles off the main road. We still aren't sure what the difference is between a gorge and a canyon, but this mile-long trail affords spectacular views of the cliffs and river. The rock here seems to be mostly volcanic, unlike the sandstone cliffs we had driven past farther West and South.

When we finished our hike it was mid-afternoon and we had consumed our water and granola bars, so we headed back in the direction of ABQ, stopping at a diner in Espanola for a late lunch. The diner was kind of old and seedy-looking, but we had delicious New Mexican food with leftovers to take home. The Hispanic waitress seemed slightly amused at some of my questions ("What's a tamale?") but she was cheerful as she patiently answered.

It certainly was a different and non-traditional Thanksgiving, but we had a great time. I missed seeing the family and taking part in the traditional rituals, and I definitely missed my mother-in-law's vegan stuffing and my mother's apple pie! But I know I will get to go to NY for Christmas and that's only a few weeks away. In the meantime, we should be moving into our new house! So we had a fabulous little vacation and there's lots to look forward to.

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Are you humming the song yet? No? Then I recommend you go on itunes and download a couple of versions, listen to them, and come back to read the rest of this post!

Historic Route 66 goes right through Albuquerque where it becomes Central Ave. On the East side of the city, there is a stretch of 66 that Stephen loves. You can still see many of the original buildings although they have been repurposed. There are boutiques, restaurants, cafes, antique stores, art studios, tattoo parlors, smoke shops, a comic book store, and more. There is a metal arch over the street with neon lights in geometric patterns. One of Stephen's favorite restaurants is here, so today after church we took a walk around the neighborhood and then celebrated Stephen's birthday with lunch at Yanni's. Stephen had crabcakes eggs benedict, ("spectacular!") and I had a grilled portabella and tabouli ("delicious!").

Snow!

Walking back to the apartment from the gym this morning, I was admiring the mountain, the top of which was just covered by a puffy white cloud. After a moment, I realized that it looked different from usual and I thought I might be looking at snow! We had a cold snap, and it was 32 degrees at the apartment with a forecast high of 43. It had rained in the city the previous day, perhaps a quarter of an inch or less, and the parking lot was still damp. When Stephen got up I asked him to look out the kitchen window, and he agreed that there was snow high on the mountain.

You may wonder why we were at all interested in snow, since we both expressed satisfaction in leaving that aspect of NY in NY. But we are fascinated by this new landscape, and don't know quite what to expect from the changing seasons. So by late morning we bundled up and headed out with the 4-wheel drive Enerpulse truck to see if we could reach the peak of the mountain.

Here's where we first encountered a touch of the white stuff.

Stephen was aware of a road that went up the mountain, having discovered it while motorcycling during the summer, but he had turned back when the pavement ended because the Harley is difficult to ride on dirt roads.






I had to take a photo of snow on cactus!

The farther we went up the road the snowier it got, and soon Stephen had the truck in 4-wheel drive. We did see several other trucks exploring and we pulled over to let a couple of them pass us. The road goes by the trail head to Sandia Cave, a site we intend to explore one day, but the trail is far too treacherous to attempt in snow and we were both wearing sneakers (our boots are still in Schuylerville). We did catch a glimpse of a cave from the road and it made us both want to check it out on a nicer day.

I started to get nervous about the conditions as the road became a series of switchbacks, many next to steep drop-offs. Stephen said the driving was fine. Actually, I think he said it was "fun."

At 10,000 feet, the temperature was 10 degrees and the trees were covered in frost and snow.

Here are some views from the peak.

Driving down was less scary, and when we got to the bottom of the mountain, it was 40 degrees. We had a delicious hot lunch at the Greenside Cafe in Cedar Crest and then went for a walk near what we hope will soon be our new house. We were happy to note that there was NO snow in that neighborhood!