"either way it's okay to wake up with yourself"- billy joel

my time spent in new mexico has been amazing. i am not sure i have the words for all that i have seen or felt since arriving. i have learned so much already. i will always cherish this time spent here and some great new friends.

our friends duane and flo took us to the jemez hot springs! i could move out here for hot springs alone--my new favorite thing!

the van is awesome, but i wouldn't mind living in this here cave either

we were at the spence hot springs, which had a nice hike to. it soon became over run by a multitude of chocolate labs, like my nephew dublin! their were five total, including two puppies. awwww!! note to self: self, baby chocolate labs look like otters when in the water, but they are in fact dogs, not otters. 

i could have stayed at the hot springs all day. it was so relaxing and just what we needed!

it is truly amazing, not only have we not killed each other but we are still in love!

on a lovely sunday afternoon, new friend to me (authors note: eric knows everyone.) nick organized a house concert. we visited nick and selena's place a few nights earlier and i left completely inspired. dedication to art, ones own art is certainly a strength in character. a challenging battle i can relate to. nick and armando (check out his band!) opened things up, their was delicious food and a very pleasant listening crowd. 

we went to corvalis, nm to visit the lovely anna and her precious dog baby, knuckle. anna took us on a lovely walk through the bosque. 

knuckle!!!

it feels so good to be out in nature as much as we are. i realize now what a priority that needs to be. we get to watch a beautiful sunset as the mountains become pink, but only for a brief time.

the hiking crew: knuckle, anna, court, duane, eric and flo

we woke up one morning to find snow outside the trailer. good thing i packed those long johns…it was actually really beautiful. we were headed to cerillos, nm with duane and flo. solid peeps, the weather didn't slow them down for even a second, we were going! i dig their spirit. how rare to find a couple whom you enjoy both members equally and with such great amount? 

i fucking love this girl

cerillos is flo's home town, which i feel so lucky to receive such insider perspective.

and flo's family is a huge part of cerillos. they own and run the case grande trading post and petting zoo, which is fantastic in so many ways. lucky for us, her dad, todd agreed to take us turquoise mining. i can now add this experience to the list of many 'firsts' that i will experience in new mexico.

the mining crew!

it is so remote and looking for turquoise is strangely relaxing. 

we return to todd and pat's house. we visit the petting zoo and of course, more making out with animals!

todd then took some of the turquoise we found and cut it down for us. this may have been the most frightening thing i have seen.

please don't cut your hand off todd!

i couldn't help but feel extremely nervous with expectations of amputated digits, except that todd is a professional and clearly has lots of experience with these tools. just goes to show you what goes into the precious gems you wear on your body….someone out there takes on huge risks so you can wear that!

the petting zoo

we then go into the cerillos museum, which had some really cool artifacts and such rich history.

i love this pic

old shit

we found turquoise!

it was such a lovely day…we also visited a nearby town, madrid. madrid is a quirky little artsy mountain town. i think it may be my favorite. 

we had lunch at a cute place, the mine shaft tavern. i got my first taste of calabacitas! 

the cooks: baffled by my vegan order

we walked around the town for a while and visit some shops. we then went to coolest cemetery i have ever seen (sorry bona venture, you have now been trumped.)

i really enjoyed visiting madrid. but then it was back to the ABQ for some r &r.

i have truly love our little home in albuqurque. i am amazed by how this little trailer is so comfortable. it really feels like home. i have also enjoyed interacting with the chickens, i can't get over what egg-laying machines they are! funny little creatures…

i have been doing lots of crocheting and cooking, some of my favs! although i am seriously lacking in skills, i attempt foosball for the sake of eric as he loves it so much!

we got up early one day to hike the foothills of the sadias mountains. it was so beautiful. i could really get used to hikes like this…

as with most hikes i go on with eric, it wouldn't be right if i didn't almost die trying to keep up with some sort of climbing eric's 6'2" legs can manage. 

thanks for this hat, flo!

we spend some great evenings with duane and flo, playing games, imbibing, discussing and listening to music. 

we then head to santa fe!

we partake in some edibles on the drive and seem to find our own playground within santa fe. the plaza, great people watching. we came across this gallery with kinetic sculptures. they also featured an amazing artist that made chairs out of rocks and iron. they were surprisingly comfortable! 

we then started a game where we would take turns mimicking the next statue within site: hilarity ensued.

we stayed with the gracious alex and giancarlo, who were both so welcoming and interesting. after a long day of walking the town, i take a cat nap, literally, with mr. furley.

the next morning, we went to the farmers market where i enjoyed a delicious vegan breakfast burrito. i was tempted by some home made beauty products, but i remained strong as we are on a tight budget after all. i got a great book at a thrift store in abq on how to make all types of cosmetic things so we will see how this works.

we then decide to head up to taos on the recommendation of well, everyone. our friend nick's (that hosted the house concert) one band of many was playing in the nearby arroyo hondo that night. we walked around taos all day and i scored some found sunglasses! they are pretty sweet too! on our way out of taos, we decided to go to the mamby hot springs, on eric's memory.

it is going to be hard to top this moment: hiked a bit in a canyon, to a beautiful and remote hotsprings, in which we would enjoy butt naked with other people. it was so rustic, so calming, so wonderful. one college kid had his iPod and some little speakers…we enjoyed sam beam and subtle sounds of wind. it was heavenly!

nekkid!

we hiked out just as it got dark, which man, everything sure changes once it gets dark. we dried off and put on warm clothes, heading to the bar to see nick's band. they were awesome! starting with a drum circle, which got everyone fired up. eric worked the door and i just observed the awesome dancing of the majority of the patrons. it was my kind of place! an introspective evening for me though, i enjoyed just watching. 

it was tough to do all that we wanted, the georgia o'keefe museum closing early because of easter and we never made it out to ghost ranch either. i have to keep telling myself that i can't do it all and that i will be back to the land of enchantment as it has truly enchanted me.

our awesome hosts, alex and giancarlo!

then we got to meet up with one of my friends from high school, john. we enjoyed some delicious beer at the second street brewery where john brews the beer! it was fantastic! it was really nice visiting, nice to know john is indeed, still a very cool guy.

we then got to see alex's show at the new mexico university of art and design, where she is a photography professor. it was great!

then back to albuqurque!

it is bittersweet to leave. i am so excited at seeing more friends out in california, but i have so enjoyed the exploration and relaxation new mexico has provided. i feel so full of ideas and the wheels in my brain constantly spinning. we have a delicious farewell dinner at sadies with duane and flo, i sure am going to miss them!

we hit the road in the morning, i have replenished some of our food supply. we have been doing quite well with our budget, prioritizing beer and wine of course! i feel we have been sensible, but never deprived. it is amazing how little you actually need. 

i am easing into this life quite nicely. stay tuned for the california adventures!! 

since i am in fact out west, i shall close with the ever cheesy: be well.