Strolling with a purpose

During Doug's spring break. we decided we would try to go to Santa Fe most weekends, if not for an overnight, at least for a few hours of submersion into Santa-Fe-goodness... mainly in the interest of both our mental health states... ;-). So we went Saturday midday. After lunch at one of my favorite places: Counter culture, we drove around for a little, walked around for a little, not quite sure what to do or where to hike.... We finally drove up Upper Canyon Road and hiked a bunch of the Dale Ball trails up Piccachio Peak and from there to Atalaya and back down. Definitely not bad for little foothills trails, and -being as directionally challenged as I am- I loved the signs!! We only went off trail once, and that was just to avoid some icy spots.....









It was the night of "the super moon", 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the usual full moon... We didn't see any oversized werewolves or vampires but the moon really was gorgeous! There's no way my simple camera could have done it justice so here's second best... an ordinary sunset ;-)!!

Spring visitors!!

I absolutely LOVE having visitors and I love 'Whole Foods" fruit tarts,... well last weekend we got to have both!!!! How spoiled am I??? ;-)!!!



Barb and Art made an overnight Albuquerque trip and we had a great time strolling the neighborhood, catching up over food and hiking the Embudito trail.

We're moving back to Santa Fe....

Well, I wish we were but we are not, at least not for a while....
We snow-shoe'd Raven's Ridge on Sunday and despite the overcast skies, it was so much fun and so beautiful, it was hard to leave for Albuquerque at the end of the day!

Wiley reunion

We were up in Santa Fe for the weekend and enjoyed a few Saturday afternoon hours on the trail with Wiley, the best hiking dog ever... ;-)!!!

Desert hike

I've done little hiking in the very Southern Sandia's but I went the other weekend. Because of the sun exposure, most of the snow had melted and it turned into a real desert hike, the kind I do without Doug as he's much more of an alpine hiker. I'm pretty much happy with any nature trail as long as there's nobody else enjoying it ;-)!

How cute is that rock?



Chasing the moon....



And moon-like landscapes...




Pretty-color-cacti

Food shortage?

I don't think there's a food shortage looming in Albuquerque, but a good sale at 'Whole Foods' seems to have turned Doug -at least temporarily- into a version of Fritz, my brother in law, who does the food shopping for their household and makes their pantry resemble the food section isles at Sam's Club.

Fun celebration, February 14th and.... Fevers

What a fabulous week it should have been: our 2-year-anniversary and the Valentines-Day just a few days apart... ;-)!!! But the flu interfered with the celebrations. The last time I remember having a fever was when I was 17 and had mono. I had totally forgotten how miserable a combo of fevers, headaches, nausea, coughing fits and snotty noses can be! At least it was short-lived and I'm back in the land of the healthy. I guess I'll get my flu shot again next year!

Looks like spring but it feels like winter!!!

Well, I talked too soon about ABQ spring temperatures... There's nothing quite alike a 3rd of the country being hit with a cold weather/storm front to realize Mother Nature is the one in charge....
We had the coldest temperatures in Albuquerque history (-7F, -21C). Unfortunately, the weather front brought little snow so with the clear skies it looked like spring but definitely didn't feel like it! The governor declared a state of emergency for the entire state. Increased demands and rolling blackouts in West Texas left 10's of 1000's of people without natural gas. Government agencies, schools and universities were closed for 4 days to conserve energy.



On a positive note: I didn't have to brave the cold by bike as Doug chauffeured me to and from work as a little intermezzo to home studying!

Looks like winter but feels like spring!!!

I hiked the Pino trail today, a 5.7 mile hike up the West side of the Sandia's. It really did feel like spring, almost 60 degrees and sunny in town, just a little cooler at elevation!!! Still lots of snow and ice... which made it look absolutely gorgeous!!!

But I'd better not get used to the mild spring temperatures and brace for the week to come: highs in the low 20's! It'll be cold on my bike at 8 in the morning!!!

Open fire

I don't care if it's 50 degrees outside,... I still want a fire.....
And no, I haven't cleared the X-mas cards yet (yes, it is the end of January)...

Venturing west of the Rio Grande

We rarely cross the river into the Albuquerque's "west side", Rio Rancho, the embodiment of suburban sprawl with cookie-cutter homes, strip malls and a whole lot of concrete. But it is also home to the "Petroglyph National Monument", a large wide open are with an estimated 24.000 carved images and 'the three sisters' volcanoes.

We hiked around for a few hours and were lucky to catch a stunning sunset! The variety of landscapes in New Mexico is just incredible!!

I believe I can fly!!!!



From the rocky cave...


Low desert grasses...



Looks like the aliens are landing (and we're not even in Roswell!!)...


Colors changing minute to minute...

Side-by-side ;-)

I started at my new job at UNMH. I'm still orienting to the organizational and paperwork part and getting to know the people and the flow of the department but I my impressions so far are positive...

And Doug and I are spending our daytime hours on the same campus. Not that we ever run into each other, but at least we can meet for lunch ;-)!!

Dear Santa Fe, I miss you terribly!!!

I miss living in Santa Fe.... a lot! It's hard to define exactly what I miss but although Albuquerque is only an hour from Santa Fe, the difference between the 2 places is huge. So, whenever Doug can be away from the books for a day, we try to get up there; a hike in the mountains, a walk around town, food at our favorite places... When driving back, I'm always a little sad because we're not staying longer but also grateful because we are living so close....

Yesterday, we hiked late in the afternoon and the moon was already out, creating some interesting light-shows and moon-shadows.






Great dinner, a cozy hotel room and a green-chili-brunch later, we were on our way back to Albuquerque for a busy week ahead....