Art and History Museum

I hadn't been to any of the downtown museums because I kept waiting for a rainy or yucky day when an indoor activity would be a better choice than an outdoor one.  Finally, I decided that we'd never go if we kept waiting for that, so we chose a nice, sunny, lovely day to visit the Albuquerque Museum.

 The current exhibition is "Behind Closed Doors: Art in the Spanish American Home, 1492-1898."  The paintings, tapestries, and furniture were gorgeous and the history was fascinating.  I am used to the Northeast, where there's lots of Revolutionary War history and the early settlers were English and French.  The history and artifacts are so different here!  For a while, I tried to read the explanatory signs in Spanish, but Stephen was getting pretty far ahead of me and I was worried he would get impatient, so I read the rest in English.

There was also a gallery full of New Mexico art from the permanent collection.  A variety of styles were represented, some of which we really liked.  On our way out we walked through the sculpture garden.  For me there's no ambivalence about sculpture; I either love it or I find it disturbing.  I loved this representation of an Indian with outstretched hands.  The late afternoon sun prevented a detailed photo.

The museum hosts jazz concerts starting in April, so we hope to enjoy some good music there soon.

The Ides of March

It's the Ides of March, and here's what it looks like in my ABQ yard.  We are supposed to have winds up to 50 mph today.  I went plant shopping early (herbs) and now we're going to walk down the street to check out an estate sale.  If it's not too windy later I'll plant the herbs I bought.  It is supposed to get into the low 70's by Tuesday.

Rosemary

Desert Holly

Rose Bush

Crabapple

Lilac

Kale

Clover

Azalea?

Some perennial I haven't identified.  Anyone know?

A new (to us) restaurant

My brother gave us a gift card to El Patio for Christmas, and we had the opportunity to check it out last night.  It's right across from UNM, so it's very hipster, with tattooed young waiters and a young crowd (except for us!).  It was too cold for the patio, so we sat inside next to a fireplace.  The restaurant is in a tiny old building with lots of character.  The New Mexican food was excellent, and they had no problem accommodating a vegan.  I had fajitas and Stephen had carne adovado.  I almost ordered enchilladas, but the waiter said they were really spicy, so I changed my mind. It was a fun and delicious outing.

 There's a mural on one side of the patio, which you could see if I hadn't stuck my face into Stephen's selfie.