Santa Fe Bargains

Yesterday, Marca and I found a consignment shop on the plaza. We couldn't believe the prices. The owner of the shop had racks of jeans for $5, dresses for $15, coats for $30 and one rack of clothing for $1. We had fun trying on different things and hunting for good finds. I found these leather cowboy boots that were my size for $30. We just had looked at a store with boots that were selling for $500 and up. The boots fit me and were in great shape, so I decided they were mine. Then I couldn't resist this great soft leather jacket for only $30. Marca found a really fun hat that looked perfect on her. Overall we did really well.

Later on we found a great little French Pastry shop at the LaFonda Inn. We had to each split a chocolate croissant and a strawberry crepe. The sun was out and it was a lot warmer than the day before. We enjoyed just strolling around and going into galleries.

In an earlier blog, I had mentioned that we had an afternoon of making art. I am attaching a photo of the painting that Marca created while here in Santa Fe. I thought it turned out great.

Today I am going for a hike with my friend that lives in Santa Fe. Then I will be off to Albuquerque. Marca went back to Colorado this morning. We had a great time catching up.

Santa Fe Walk

This morning Marca and I decided to walk to the square and take photos of the snow. We ended up at a cute little restaurant called Cafe Pasqual. It was very festive and colorful inside. They had papel picados (paper cutouts) hanging from their ceiling. I had a wonderful yogurt parfait with pistachios, hazel nut granola, pomegranate seeds, and honey. I also had a pineapple ginger juice. It was yummy!

Afterwards we went to some shops and galleries. Now we are cozied up in our casita working on some art. Moon Shadow likes hanging out with her bohemian girl friends. ;-)

Catch up day

I guess I have a little catching up to do with my blog. Since I wrote on Wednesday, many things have happened. All good things I might add! On Wednesday I drove from Tucumcari, NM and through Madrid, NM on my way to Santa Fe. Madrid is an old mining town along the Turqoise Trail in the mountains. I was happy to arrive before the snow storm developed that everyone had been talking about. Madrid has these old buildings that are turned into art galleries and coffee shops. I wandered around with Moon Shadow and they were very dog friendly. We spent about 3 hours there. The photo here is from Madrid.

Then I met my friend, Catherine Hyde, who used to live in Grand Rapids. She took me to a great little restaurant in Santa Fe called Maria's Mexican Kitchen. They are known for great food and a thousand varieties of margaritas. We both had enchiladas with the Christmas chile sauce (red and green chiles). It was excellent! I also had a mango margarita. Very good. After catching up, Catherine gave me great directions to my casita that I was staying at. She also told me the "must do's" while staying here in Santa Fe. Hopefully I will be seeing her again while on this trip.

Then came the snow! The next day the snow started coming down. It was the biggest fluffiest snow I had seen in a while. It was beautiful but I was also concerned because my dear friend since I was in kindergarden was coming down from Colorado to visit me. Luckily she did not run into any bad weather until she got into Santa Fe. We had a great time catching up on things and ended up eating some soup by our fire place. Then we sat in the hot tub that comes with this casita. It was wonderful!

So, today we will get out and explore a little more. I will take some photos of the winter wonderland here in New Mexico. It is beautiful on the trees and the adobe homes.

Tucumcari Photos

Here are some images from my earlier posting. The Blue Swallow Motel is the one I stayed at in Tucumcari. The photos of an empty lot is an actual park in Tucumcari. And the other photos are of cool cars in Tucumcari.

Excitement in Tucumcari

After blogging about arriving safely in Tucumcari yesterday, I didn't realize I was in for an adventure. I asked the lady at our hotel about any local parks where I could walk Moon Shadow. She said there was a park just a half a mile down the road. I drove up and down looking for it and could not find it. There were some open lots that looked barren and deserted, so I didn't think that could be a park. I ended up taking Moon Shadow for a walk on the property of the hotel. This too was very dry and barren. Little did I know there were these small round prickly balls that blended in with the dirt and straw for grass. Moon Shadow stepped on one with her front leg. I picked her up and tried to get them off but they were like needles and stuck to you. I carried her back to the hotel room to get my tweezers. By that time she tried to bite them off which made them stick to her face and it cut her tongue. I finally got them all off of her, except for this one needle that was stuck in her paw pad. I kept trying to get it out, but it was stuck in there good. I fought with her for over a half hour. We both were exhausted and out of breath. I knew I needed help. So, I put her in the car and looked for a vet. Luckily I found one just in time before they closed. We finally got that bugger out. It was a half inch long. We both were so happy to get that out of her paw that we fell asleep by 7pm. What an introduction to the South West!

On the road again

Well, I made it to Tucumcari New Mexico today. It was a 430 mile drive. I had great weather. It started out at 22 degrees this morning in Oklahoma and now it is 58 degrees here in New Mexico. Driving through Texas was pretty barren, except for the cops. I saw at least 10 of them. 5 people were pulled over. So I made sure to go the speed limit.

I am staying at the Blue Swallow Inn on Route 66. It is famous. It has been around since those days. I will try to load up pictures from my camera when I have more time. Tonight I dont have internet access at my hotel, so I am sitting in a parking lot of a place that does!

Windy Day

Well, I made it to Stroud Oklahoma today. Just got settled in to the hotel. It was really windy on the highway today. It made me really happy that I was not driving my Jeep. I decided at the last minute to take Brent's car. He has much better aerodynamics than my Jeep does.

We went 400 miles today. I am trying to make it to Madrid, NM early on Wednesday, as a snow storm is supposed to be coming in later that day. I am farther along then I thought I would be.

I stopped in Joplin, MO today. It has changed a lot since I lived there over 20 years ago. The main road is jammed full of hotels and restaurants. It didn't look like the Joplin I knew. Some of the buildings where I lived and worked didn't even exist anymore. Shows you what happens as time goes by.

This trip seems nostalgic to me as I reflect on where I was 20 years ago and see where I am today. I never would have dreamed that I would be traveling down to Arizona with my artwork for an art exhibit. It makes me very grateful.

Brent took this photo the day we left. All for now!

My first day on the road

Well, I left this morning in some drizzle and waved goodbye to my hubby of 13 years. He took a picture of Moon Shadow and I as we were getting ready to leave. I told him I would miss him and that it made me happy we could trust each other enough to allow one another to have our own adventures. It felt like he was really honoring my soul. The car was packed solid. I have just enough room in the rear window to see the traffic behind me.

As I was heading towards S. Haven a group of crows flew in circles and then one crow dove down in front of my car. I was wondering if I was going to hit it. Then it veered off to the right, as if it were sending me off.

The drive was pretty good actually. I didn't encounter much rain. I made it 500 miles today and am staying in St. Clair Missouri.

Time to get some dinner!