Sunday, February 20, 2011

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!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

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!