Christmas 2008 - Happy New Year 2009

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chica & Stinky FINALLY got to enjoy their Christmas toys. Santa had brought presents weeks earlier, and both were aware and eager to enjoy, but always the traditionalist, I held them for the big day. Their dear doggie friend Jack had sent a rope and ball tug toy for Stinky, which he loves to carry around, and a little chick toy for Chica, which Stinky enjoyed carrying around hidden in his mouth, until Chica felt the need to remove the wings. Santa brought a couple of other stuffed toys, which sadly had to go to the Dog Toy Hospital within just a few short days. Chica has a rather destructive streak. Fortunately, I'm a skilled toy surgeon.

John and I enjoyed Christmas dinner with our friends Hope & Steve who had recently returned from a long European vacation. It was wonderful to hear their stories and see the beautiful pictures. Their gifts of herbs from Provence and Dumon chocolates were exquisite and still being savored.

This year, like last, we chose to go on a family road trip for New Years. We both struggled with the idea at first, looking through all of our maps and tour books trying to decide what to go and see. Finally we simply decided to go and "see what we would see." John and I packed an overnight bag, dog food, snacks and a camera, loaded up Stinky and Chica (mildly sedated as we learned last year that she pants uncontrollably in the car) and took off towards Silver City. Our trip took us south on route 25 to Elephant Butte. We pulled into the Fort McRae state park and nearly got the car stuck in the deep gravel of one turn out. Thank Goodness John always has an eye on the road and realized how deep it was before I got us stuck. We stopped again further in the park to enjoy the lake views, then continued on to Truth or Consequences, where we turned off onto a long and wonderfully winding scenic road. We would both love to drive the route from "T or C" to Silver City again on motorcycles. The views, the turns, everything was simply a riders dream! We stopped several times just for the view and quick dog walks. We enjoyed a lunch of apples and peanut butter. There are a couple of camping areas I hope to remember when we plan our summer vacation.

We got a room in Silver City for the night. Stinky and Chica weren't too sure about the hotel. Apparently there was a state wrestling meet in town, and the teams staying in the building offered too much excitement. Eventually they settled down and figured out there was a whole bed just for them. John and I chose to get take out for dinner so that we could stay with the dogs as much as possible. We drove up to the local Wendy's and after standing in line watching pure incompetence for 20 minutes, we walked out and went on to a fast food Chinese restaurant. The food was delicious and the servings large. In the end the Chinese was a far better value, and the service remarkably faster.

After our "Super Starter" breakfast we loaded back into the car and began the trip back north. We picked up the return route of last years roadtrip by Magollon and back by the VLA. I enjoyed seeing the antenna again. It's such an awesome site. This time we played with the display at the visitor center that demonstrates the parabolic effects of the antenna. It was amazing to be able to stand in the antenna cones so far apart from each other and clearly hear each other whisper.

I hope to road trip again next year. We don't really need any specific place to go. It's not about where we go, it's really just the time together and the view along the way.

Road Trip: Gilman, NM (Holiday Mesa)

One of my favorite rides takes us to the Gilman Tunnels - a road that used to be a railroad pass through rock with a winding stream next to it and high cliffs on either side. On many trips to this area, John and I have looked to the cliffs and wondered "How do we get there?" Well, John and his trusty steed found the way to the cliff tops - Holiday Mesa - while I was visiting Sam in PA for Halloween. When I returned home, he took me to see the sites.

Being in November 9th, the weather was COLD, so we wore our winter gloves and pants. We experienced snow covered ground in the North facing valleys. The weather made me think of ski season.

The "road" was hardly a road at all. Dirt and horribly washed out, the going was slow and sometimes hard. Often we had to leave the deeply rutted path to venture around trees and back to the road. A couple of times I was sure I was going to get tossed to the trees, but John always assures me... If I just hold on, he'll get us through. Trust me - I hang on!

John stopped at a couple of cool turn outs with great views and cool rock formations. Yes... I felt compelled to take some artsy photos to share. I think you will agree, they are pretty cool.

On the route to Holiday Mesa Overlook, John showed me a little pull out he'd found earlier. If you stepped off the road about 20 feet, there was a sign noting the archaeological remnants in the area, and asking that they be left alone. Scattered about, literally everywhere, were pieces of pottery with hand painted images. I would have loved to have found a larger piece just to have a better idea about the designs painted on them. It was fascinating enough just to stand out in the middle of nowhere and imagine a people living there in population enough to have left so much behind.

The entire area is rich with volcanic formations. So much of New Mexico is. Among the rock formations we saw were "tent rocks" and "razor edges" (pictured here.) We wonder if the razor edges are hollow in the center, but without really good climbing gear and a satellite phone to summon the rescue, we aren't about to try to find out.

(See photo on right - John contemplating a dangerous motorcycle jump... "I can make that!")

On the top of Holiday Mesa, there is an incredible view. It looks back down in the direction of the Gilman Tunnels. Although you can see the road, you can't see the actual tunnels. The view seems to go on forever. You can see the Sandia Mountains off in the far distance.

It was warmer on top of the mesa than most of the rest of our drive. We stayed up top for quite a while - snacking on fruit leather and jerky while enjoying the view. John grabbed the camera and took a couple of photos of his favorite things... his motorcycle and me!

The entire trip (leisurely stops included) took about 6 hours and was all told 140 miles.

A Fine Pickle Indeed!

Ok, so we don't get it. The pickles FAILED - horribly. We aren't sure why. If you have ever made pickles (hot pack method), we would like to hear from you so that we might track down the issue and not repeat the sqishy, slippery-slimey things we ended up with.

On a higher note... our Dilly Beans (made the same day/same way) seem fine.

John and I also made salsa, the day after the pickles. The salsa has been good so far. I think it needs to age a little more - it's very tasty, although a little vinegar-y still. We made a larger batch a couple of weeks later from our own tomatoes and a bushel of Anaheim chilis bought and roasted at the farmstand in Corrales.

Halloween with Sam

I went to Lansdale, PA to spend Halloween with Sam and take him trick-or-treating. Sam has grown; he is taller and thicker - finally.

Upon arrival, I managed to finally pull out the loose front tooth Sam had been nursing since before school got out the previous year. Sam, if you are reading this - wiggle those teeth!!

For Halloween he decided he wanted to be Death. I bought his costume this year, as my sewing machine is close to its last leg - it seems to have a timing issue. Sam wore a skeleton suit with skull mask, under a black cloak. He carried a scythe. He looked very scarey, and actually did scare some of the people he visited.

Before we left the apartment to haunt the local neighborhoods, Sam asked if he'd be able to eat any of his candy that night, and I foolishly told him he'd be allowed 2 pieces - thinking the candy would be miniature bar sized. I quickly learned that people living that close to Hershey pass out FULL sized candy bars.

Sam, Chris and Missy kindly took me on a tour of Philly my last night - complete with Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Valley Forge and a cheesesteak dinner. Thank you guys so much for hosting me and providing time for me with my boy!

Balloon Fiesta 2008

This year for Balloon Fiesta, John and I took the dogs for a ride from Rio Rancho down into Corrales in the early morning to observe the mass ascension. I often describe this event to people as "candy in the sky" because of the rich and varied colors.

Generally, dogs and horses react negatively to balloons nearby. I've been told it is the sound of the gas going through the baffels that sets them off. Stinky never used to bark at the balloons. In fact, he used to just sit and watch them go by, but with Chica prone to barking at anything that flies, he has a tendency to get caught up in the action.

Each year, Thursday and Friday nights host the Special Shapes Glowdeo at the Balloon Fiesta Fairgrounds. This year we went, had a dinner of fair-food (hamburger, hotdogs, nachos, flavored lemonades) then visited the chainsaw carving contest and exhibits. The crowds at the carving site were deep and it was difficult to fully enjoy the carvings, but there was a display and sale tent that had really interested and intricate carvings.

We walked back to the middle of the field. John and I bought funnel cakes - two to be exact. Next year, we'll know better - one is plenty! We stuffed ourselves, and still were unable to finish them both.

As the sun sets, the balloon teams lay out their balloons and inflate them. At dusk, the pilots gas fire the balloons in synchronization, lighting the balloons from the inside for the crowd to enjoy. We particularly like the Special Shapes due to the creative variety. This year we had a haunted house, Darth Vader, a couple of different flying pigs, a clown fish definitely not called Nemo, a bumble bee, ristra, giant beer, and many many more.

Balloonists come from all over the world to take part in the Balloon Fiesta. During the Glowdeo's, pilots often hand out trading cards with images of their balloons and facts about country of origin, size, etc.

Sadly, each year I've been in New Mexico, there have been accidents. With the large numbers of balloons in the air each year, it's expected. This year was particularly tragic. As John and I were walking out of the Fiesta with the intent of enjoying the firework show from our patio, we noticed and enjoyed the inverted triangle balloon. The very next day it was blown into wires, its propane tanks catching fire and the co-pilot died. In true New Mexican tradition, the pilot's wife's vehicle was broken into at their hotel the following night and all of there personal property was stolen too. We are horribly saddened by these events.

Pickles!

We had a couple of false starts on our garden this year... in fact we were pretty sure we weren't going to have any produce to speak of, but in the end our garden produced a lot of cucumbers. We also ended up with a large crop of tomatoes, but we are still waiting for them to ripen. If they do, we will be making and canning salsa.

So what do you do with a pile of cucumbers? Make pickles of course. We read about canning, bought jars, and gathered ingredients. We also bought 2 pounds of green beans to make dilly beans with.

John doesn't like this picture. I think its funny - he was hamming, but managed to look possessed. The untold truth is we enjoyed the project and are VERY excited to try the results just as soon as the pickles are aged.

The process and recipes are straight forward, but the actual act of canning and processing is work for octopus. The hardest part was keeping the jars at a high enough temperature. Water boils at a considerably lower temperature at high altitude. The whole project took us about 4 hours all told.