31 March 2009

NOTE: Photos are at:
http://web.mac.com/goodlenora/iWeb/Site/Library%206.html

It's Library 6, if you can't cut and paste the above.

First off, I need to wish my Mom a Happy Birthday! If still alive, she’d be 91! So, Happy Birthday, Mom!

We arrived in Belen, NM Saturday about noon, and had a really nice visit with my Sister of Choice, Kitty. She and her husband, Jim, moved here from Auburn, WA, a few years ago, and really like it here – I can see why! This is a beautiful part of the world. A lot of wide open spaces, mountains on the horizons, high enough it doesn’t get tooooo hot in the summer, and the cold of winter is dry, so it only goes skin deep, not bone deep ;-)

She told us about the Rail Runner, a fast, and inexpensive way to travel up to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, so we made plans to take the train up the next day. Alas, something came up and Jim and Kitty couldn’t make it, but Kay and I did.

For $7.00 each (Senior Rate) we had a round trip ticket from Belen to Santa Fe, with a two hour layover in ABQ. Kitty told us about the last time they were there, and Jim wanted a Slurpie, and they found one of the 2 or 3 7-11s in New Mexico and got Jim his Slurpie, and Kitty got some nachos. They went outside, and found some little round metal tables with sculpted holes in them, next to the store and were enjoying their treats, when Kitty accidentally spilled some of her nacho cheese sauce. Before she could go back into the store to get some more napkins to clean it up, a very small man, and a very large woman with bright red and permed hair came rushing out a door screaming that Kitty and Jim were just Pigs, how they were Fat American Pigs, and how they (the small man and fat woman) were French and all of France just hates Americans. Kitty tried to explain she would clean the mess, but these people just kept screaming at them. An old derelict wandered by and told them that it was the US who saved their bacon during WW II and they should remember that, and wandered down the street.

So, why am I boring you with this story? Because, in our wanderings Kay and I stumbled upon the 7-11 with the little French restaurant next to it. There is a gate between the 7-11 and their establishment, but it was open, and Kitty and Jim thought it was for decoration, not to separate their little part of France from the rest of the world. Anyhow, I have a photo of La Quiche, the restaurant with the ill-mannered proprietors, and want you all to see it, so when you visit ABQ you won’t give them your money. Unless, of course, you happen to have Francs in your pocket ;-)

After wandering a bit in ABQ (which by the way was very, very cold! But, it was a dry cold, and only skin deep, nevertheless....) we found our way back to the Train Station and relative warmth until the Rail Runner came along to take us to Santa Fe.

The trip to Santa Fe was fun – lots of interesting things to see—like the storm front moving in, snow along the sides of the tracks, tumble weeds flying through the air, and great adobe style architecture. The mountains, those not wearing a hood of cloud, were stark and beautiful.

When we got off the train in Santa Fe, most of the people rushed off to the left. There were no signs telling us where to go, and the train station was closed and locked, so we wandered over to The Station Coffee & Tea Shop to gather some information. They told us where the Tourist Information Bureau was (about 6 blocks away) and gave some great directions. However, I wanted to detour to REI which was just across the tracks where I bought a size SMALL vest, that was on sale for a ridiculously low price and fit perfectly. Suddenly, the skin deep cold didn’t bother me so much! (Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet elevation, and there was snow here and there!)

We walked up to the Tourist place, where the people were absolutely wonderful. We left with all sorts of free booklets and maps and headed off on our own. The first place we found (besides tourist traps we didn’t go into) was San Miguel’s, the oldest Church in the US, and across the street from it is the oldest house (c. 1646 as I recall). From there, we found the town square, and the Art Museum book store. I wanted some history books, and the nice gentleman directed us to a delightful bookstore. (The museum was closed, darn it!) We walked down a couple blocks to The Collected Works Bookstore, where Kay found 3 books for me on the history of Southern New Mexico and Geronimo. From there, we wove our way back down to The Station, where we stopped earlier for information.

This time, when we went into The Station, we had something to eat and drink, and got to know the proprietors a bit. Penny and Weldon. When they found out we wanted to go to Chaco, Penny got on her laptop and did some research, and then called the ranger, and told us that the road is bad, but clear of snow, and as long as we have All Wheel Drive, or Four Wheel Drive, and go slow, we should have no problem. Tomorrow, we will leave here for Chaco! Not only were Penny and Weldon good folks to meet, they put out some pretty good food, too! They make the trip to Santa Fe worth taking, all on their own!

We had no layover on the way back, and last night was a quiet night. Dinner was cheese and popcorn in the hotel room where we had an early turn-in.

This morning, we went to the Belen Tourist Bureau, and again collected maps and pamphlets, and then headed up to Tome Hill. Kitty had taken us their the other day, but we wanted to go back and get some pictures. It’s a good thing we waited, this time the sun made a few shadows for us. I managed to get all of the informational signs photographed, and several shots of the sculptures that are at the bottom. We did not feel like hiking to the top of the hill, so let others have that honor.

By this time, we were hungry, and headed to Rutilio’s for breakfast. A great New Mexican restaurant in Belen (right next to McDonald’s, so you can’t miss it!) While waiting for our food, I asked to see the phone book. Kitty had told me of a great fabric store, Carrie’s Sew & Sews, but I couldn’t find it in the book. Anthony, I think he’s one of the owners, asked if he could help, and when I told him what I wanted, he called his wife, Margaret. She’d heard of it, but didn’t know where it was. In the mean time, she asked one of the customers, who had also heard of it, but.... So, I thanked them for their help, and went back to our booth. Pretty soon, here came the customer. She was on her cell phone talking to a friend, and had the address for us, and about then, here came Margaret with the same information—she’d called her friend to get it! Can you imagine someone in Seattle doing that for an out of towner? I can’t.

So, after breakfast, we headed out to Carrie’s Sew & Sew, where I bought some trim, and some fabric. It seems the store is too new to be in the phone book. You quilters who are reading this will enjoy this part—the store is stocked entirely from Carrie’s stash! It’s all retro fabrics she’d bought in the 40s, 50s, 60s, from all around the world. Bolts and bolts of it! When she died her daughter held onto it, and now that she’s retired, she’s hauling it out, washing it, one bolt at a time, ironing it, and putting it up for sale. They also have an eBay store, so if any of you want to go online, go for it! (I’m sorry, the address is in the car, and I’m in the hotel room with my shoes off and my feet up. Carrie’s Sew & Sews is the name of the store.)

On our way back from shopping, we took a dirt road (really more like a car path) down to the Rio Grande where I got some interesting shots of the river, trees, and of course, Flat Stanlietta. The river is running full and swift, and is very brown with mud at the moment. By the time it gets to El Paso, it will be about 6 inches deep and 36 inches across! By summer, there may be no water in the Rio Grande at El Paso!

Tomorrow, we plan on leaving Belen for Chaco, then Bandelier (Pueblos), Taos, Raton, and Oklahoma City. If we leave tomorrow (Wednesday), we hope to be in Oklahoma City Thursday, but it could be Friday.

One of the interesting things about wandering about Santa Fe we discovered—we didn’t really want to wander into any of the tourist traps, and we have a feeling that we’ll feel the same about Taos. Maybe we’ll go to Kit Carson’s house and museum, and some of the old town, and, probably a bookstore or two. Hopefully, the snow storms will give us a couple days to travel. We are keeping our eyes on the Weather Channel and local forecasts.