La Luz in DECEMBER!!!

Yes, we knew there would be snow. We thought maybe there might be quite a bit of snow... I think we were both surprised to be in such deep snow ;-)!!!. Luckily, some brave souls had broken trail for us so we didn't sink in too deep or need snow shoes! Polar bear Doug was in heaven!




As we went higher up the trail, the giggling college girls in tennis shoes made way for some serious hikers with ice pics, survival supplies and 4-legged-friends!

It was cold and windy and I was thrilled to finally get to the tramway.... Unfortunately there was a 1.5 hour wait to ride down. I partially de-iced by having some green chili soup and hot chocolate but didn't totally defrost until a hot shower back at the house.

Long legs ...-... Long arms ;-)

Looking for a white X-mas.....

AND FINDING it ON ATALAYA.....

With only one little snowstorm in the area, (which mainly hit Santa Fe and not Albuquerque) and temperatures of high 40's and 50's during the day, it's hard to get into the X-mas mood... Yes, the decorations inside and out are up, yes, the candles are burning and carols are being heard, yes, the X-mas sweaters and accessories are all around at work, yes, the stores are busy with people buying presents,.... yes, I'm eating more cookies than any other time of year,....but what I really needed was SNOW!

Farolito walk

After our hike and an early dinner we went to one of Santa Fe's most celebrated holiday traditions: the Canyon Road Farolito Walk. Small, sand-filled bags with votive candles, Farolitos, line the historic neighborhood streets and adobe walls. Carolers gather around bonfires. Thousands of people, their kids and pets brave the cold (not so cold this year) and celebrate the spirit of X-mas. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

X-mas on SF plaza

Hiking surprise

For another week, I am working PRN at 2 different hospitals. This basically means that I go to work if they are busy and need help and if I want to make some extra $$'s. It also means they can call me in the morning and say they don't need my help that day. This is obviously not a great long term employment situation but for the past 2 months when busy looking for a permanent job and preparing for X-mas, it has been great.

So they called yesterday and gave me an unexpected day off. How better to use it than getting into the mountains?!?!?!?! All the snow in the US is piling up back east and we've had little or none here, so even the higher elevation mountain trails are accessible. I hiked Embudito trail in the Sandia's upto the rim, about 5.5 miles and 3000 feet one way. Until yesterday, Albuquerque hiking has been negatively colored by too many noisy people on the trail... but I didn't see ANYBODY for 5 hours!!!!!!

A few hours in, the skies turned grey, the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped. Thank you Patagonia for keeping me warm and dry!

I love walking...

I was contemplating this during my hike yesterday.

I obviously love hiking in the beautiful relaxing scenery and crisp air, away from the stresses of day-to-day life, but I also like just walking to the store or for dinner, or stroll through the neighborhood for a little exercise before bedtime... I grew up walking everywhere; to preschool and grade school, to the butcher and the bakery, to church and friends houses, to coffee shops and stores.....
There's something about being able to get your body to where you want to go by using your legs and feet and it really is a great thing. For somebody who is spending the majority of her professional life working with people for whom walking is a temporary or permanent challenge, I have grown appreciative of my size 11.5 (I am so happy I don't have to write 12) feet!

Sandia foothills sunset hike

I stopped procrastinating!!!

The time has come....... I've accepted a permanent job!!!! I've spent a lot of time over the past few weeks contacting and talking to people in the PT field, sending out resumes, doing interviews and shadowing therapists in a variety of hospitals, private practices and home health agency's. The options were plentiful, some interactions a little odd, the variety immense, the decisions hard to make. There were so many factors to take into consideration and some compromises to be made: working environment, interest and challenges of the caseload, pay, bike riding distance, impressions of co-workers, time off and starting date...

I've accepted a full time job at UNMH (University of New Mexico Hospitals), the only level one trauma center and teaching hospital in the state. I will be part of their IP pediatric / adult neurology team. I had a great first impression of most people I met, the clinical work seems challenging and interesting, it's about a 10 minute bike ride from the house and they are allowing me to start in January!!!

I am actually surprised about how excited I am! I hope to be happy there in the next few years!!!

Rocks

I've always enjoyed photographing dead trees... I feel like I'm making a little transition to rock formations now...





And I like life on top of some rock formations too ;-)!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Well I didn't have a traditional turkey dinner but enjoyed Chicken Marsala, nachos, chocolate cake, pumpkin pecan pie and apple crisp nevertheless.... And obviously no holiday is complete without getting out in the woods, at least for a few hours!

First snow in Albuquerque!



I have so much to be grateful for,... I am counting my blessings,... especially after my dad just spent a few scary days in the cardiac ICU. He's home now and recovering well!

A -late- Halloween posting

I wanted to write about Halloween as I want to post this picture...
We didn't dress up but didn't look usual either... ;-)!



We had so many trick-or-treat-ers (300-400 I'm guessing!) I had to rush to the grocery store halfway through the evening to get a few bags more candy and at the end of the night we just had 2 suckers left! I do have a sneaking suspicion some of the older kids might have paid more than one visit.....

Practice what you preach!!!

For years I've taught patients to stretch and stay flexible.... For years I've ignored much of my own advice and did too little of it... Well I think it's finally catching up with me! I'm probably as active as I ever was in my 20's and 30's but recovery rate is so much slower and aches and pains and soreness pop up more than I'd like.

So I've started doing yoga a few weeks ago and can already feel the difference with this great body - mind practice!

Here's to another 40 years of physical activity!

Taos sunsets...

No words required, you just have to be there... ;-)!!

Fall break in Taos

We took a break from studying and working and spent it in Taos. We stayed at a lovely bed-and-breakfast and RELAXED!!! Pretty grounds with 200 year old traditional adobe rooms, crisp mountain air, beautiful views, a great small town atmosphere AND very good coffee...

Fall foliage



B&B grounds



Do we look and act stressed?



River gorge

Pole - Pole

Without really planning to, we hiked Wheeler Peak, with 13.161 feet, New Mexico's Rocky Mountains highest peak. We did want to hike the ridge leading to it (as it seemed like it would have great vistas) and somehow, following the Swahili Kilimanjaro motto 'Pole, Pole' (Slowly, Slowly) we made it to the summit in great time. The winds were howling, the temperatures too low for comfort, the path occasionally icy but the skies were wide open and the views priceless!!!






We made it!!!!





On the way down, we saw a 15-20 herd of Big Horn Sheep, apparently all female as they travel together. I think I did an extra few hundred feet of elevation trying to get above them for some good pictures!





The fact that we did enough carb-loading to probably do the hike 3 times must have helped too ;-)!. But we still had room for some icecream from "Taos Cow", a little ice cream store in Arroyo Seco, named in the top 10 US icecream places in "Bon Appetit" magazine 2009!! It did live upto it's reputation and both the cinnamon and chocolate chip flavors were to die for!