"strangers on this road we are on, we are not two we are one"-the kinks

on our way to albuqurque, eric wants to show me cadillac ranch in amarillo, tx. 

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm, and it consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junkCadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

we hop the fence and head out to these cars in the middle of a farm field.

i think those pants are still muddy 

it was pretty cool to see. so off we are, set out for albuqurque.

i have never seen landscape like this.

so then, on my leg of the drive, of course, we are just cruising along and all of a sudden, POP! the tire blows out. we are in the middle of nowhere. within minutes, super hot cop, katie earle shows up. she was just the sweetest thing. she says we are in a bad spot to be pulled over, that the local AAA lady is a jerk, jacks up the prices. she recommends a tire place, makes some calls. she waits with us, averting traffic from our path. she also gives food recommendations. we are in the town of tucumcari, nm. 

it is like straight out of the movie 'cars', complete with our own tow mater, bobby. 

he loads up our van and we pile in his pink cab that has 'all-rite towing' spray painted on the side. tow mater bobby drives us through town, pointing out 'murials' painted on the sides of gas stations. he drops us off at the tire place and in no time, we have a $20 used tire on the van and we are back on the road. yeee haw, muthafuckers.

we get into abq and get settled in at karl's house, as he is the main reason for our trip, his marriage to the charming megan. there is a lively party at kingsley's house, where i get to meet all types of eric's friends from college. you know you are out west when you can get acupuncture at party!

the following day is in fact the big day. the calm coolness of karl makes me reconsider marriage, only briefly though. he is quite handy; cutting the door for the newly finished bathroom mere hours before his nuptials. i get dropped off at a hotel to catch a bus to the volcano where the wedding is held. as i walk up the volcano, which is really just a small mountain for all of us yankees, i see my beautiful baby and his guitar. 

go tell it on the mountain, nassau

the few songs that eric was requested to play, neil young's 'albuqurque' and the kinks 'strangers' would remain in my head for the rest of the weekend.

the view from the top

mini: this little girl was our love child!

all the peeps climb up the volcano for the weddin'

the bride and groom make the trek up the center of the volcano together as their friends and family await them.

they recite poems and love and before you know, they kiss and we are all walking back down the volcano. it was really beautiful.

we then go over to hotel albuqurque for the reception. 

the amazing: Lee

we would be scolded for attempting to 'swim' in above pool later in the evening.

it was beautiful and charming, much like karl and megan. all in a attendance were kind and friendly. i collapse into our trailer home at the end of the night. worn out from entirely too much fun.

the following day, was like an after-wedding brunch that went well into the evening. i was impressed with the burquenos commitment. they know how to brunch!

complete with burritos and a mariachi band! they rocked!

much to the disappointment of the children, this indestructible piñata was for adults: stuffed with mini liquor bottles!


we played music and foosball in the afternoon sun. i love it here!

the next day, we took a trip up to a native american reservation, the acoma pueblo.

A federally recognized Indian Tribe, Acoma Pueblo has a land base covering 431,664 acres and is home to 4,800 tribal members with more than 250 dwellings, none of which have electricity, sewer, or water. In 1629, construction began on the massive San Esteban del Rey Mission, a Catholic mission.  Both the Mission and the Pueblo are Registered National Historical Landmarks.

Acoma Pueblo is built atop a sheer-walled, 367-foot sandstone bluff in a valley studded with sacred, towering monoliths. Since 1150 A.D., Acoma Pueblo has earned the reputation as the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America.  The mesa-top settlement is known worldwide for its unique art and rich culture.

it was so peaceful up on top of the mesa. this town is even older than lamu! so primitive, but the people, who have to deal with tours going through their little town were surprisingly super nice. i suppose they have had great lessons in tolerance over the years...

it was a really cool thing to experience. it felt like we boarded a time machine!

we decided to climb down, which was a great idea as we got to see a different perspective of the pueblo. climbing the mesa was always the traditional way of entering acoma, but they now have a road. occasionally, weather prohibits travel on the road, so the 'stairway' is still used today.

the next day we took to regroup from all the activity of late. there is a wonderful co-op down the street and it was so nice to do some cooking again! i am getting to be pretty damn good at the art of the laundry in the sink method. we cleaned out the trailer, organized our gear and just sort of relaxed. we then decided to go for a bike ride to a nearby nature center to see about volunteer opportunities. barely on the path for a half mile, eric veers off for only a few minutes to get his tires covered in goat heads! also known as the puncture vine...and for very good reason: when we pulled the thorn-looking things out of eric's tires, you could hear the air escape immediately. sucks! we then take the following day going to the bike shop. they have special goat head resistant tires. no way! i am sure we will be back again when they strike my purple beauty. along with the bike shop, we proceed to go to the plentiful thrift stores in town. i scored an awesome book on all natural cosmetics and some sweet communal sunglasses. (i claimed to have bought all 99 cents of them for eric, shhhhhhhh). as we admire our purchases and relax in the trailer, plans are in the works with my new friend, flo to accompany her to a knitting group she attends. and it's wednesday: girls night! (i will always love you, mini! our GNOs will always be in a separate chamber of my heart!) she also teaches belly dancing class afterwards. despite it being an advanced class, my new motto is 'always say yes' so i do. the knitting group is great, we stop at a cute yarn store and then head over to a coffee shop in knob hill to work on our wares. LOVE! despite never attempting belly dancing, i go to a dance studio with some lovely, although very dedicated dancers. i look like a total moron, but who cares! it was fun! i think i may have to add: learn belly dancing to my list of things i want to do this year. it is really adding up so fast...sometimes, i catch myself wanting to shove my whole life into this 'free' time i currently have. ahh, the ever elusive balance! how i strive for thee! i must remember that i have a lifetime to master the autoharp (and at this rate, i'll need it!) and that by design, i will prioritize the things that are important.

right now those things are:

-make thank you notes for africa donors

-learn how to play the autoharp

-maintain this blog (kind of, ugh!)

-learn to crochet some badass socks

-practice sign language

-ride my bike as much as possible

-love my partner fully

and of course, more is added every day. but it is all so exciting. we are sort of plotting our next bold moves: hot springs, hiking and the long awaited visit to santa fe are on the horizon. i feel so inspired, healthy and most importantly, very happy! i wish the same for all of you!