Apricity West 2

October 25, 2021, Monday

Old Town Albuquerque - We aren’t really shoppers so we walked around a bit and ate (of course) at Little Anita's New Mexican Food. It seems that they distinguish between Mexican and New Mexican food. 

October 26, 2021, Tuesday

Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital, is renowned for its Pueblo-style architecture and as a creative arts hotbed. Founded as a Spanish colony in 1610, it has as its hearth the traditional plaza. 

Rainbow Man Shop - Rich bought a cross and dragon fly to add to our decor…

The Shed Restaurant 

Superb Green Chile stew

The Turquoise Trail (thanks for the tip, Carole Brown) is a 50 mile stretch between Sante Fe and Albuquerque with little towns and picturesque landscape along the way. 

Cerrillos (current population 150) was our choice of stops to make and I am glad we did. While it was once seriously considered for the capital of New Mexico, today Cerrillos, with its dirt streets, is a picturesque reminder of the Old West. There are shops, the Turquoise Mining Museum, a petting zoo, and hiking and biking trails. The town has been the setting for several motion pictures (e.g., The Cowboys and Young Guns).

 

The Casa Grande Trading Post takes you back in time:

Madrid (MAD-rid)

Gypsy Plaza

Old Company House

Golden - Golden's post office was established in 1880, and was discontinued in 1928 and has since been reinstated. Golden was a placer town in an area of many other towns of the same nature. Golden just happened to be the one that survived. The church here was constructed in the early 1830's and still stands today. In the late 60's there were many buildings still standing here but vadalism was quickly taking its toll. Today, Golden still lives but the placer gold of yesterday is long gone. Placer mining is the mining of stream bed deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment.

 

October 27, 2021, Wednesday

Air Balloon Museum (thanks for the tip, Drew Golaski)

There is so much information and so many great pictures of this museum that I can only pick a few of my favorites to share! 

All Black and White 

Black and white is the most basic form of drawing and design. Positive and negative values form lines, patterns, and textures. The stark contrast catches the eye and can project movement, intrigue, and even stories.

New Mexico holds a rich and long standing history of black and white. Pottery left by Ancestral Puebloan people reveal intricate and complex designs through natural pigments. Today, those are maintained in the works of the living Pueblo People and inspire contemporary artists.

During balloon fiesta, hundreds of balloons and thousands more spectators flood the grass fields. In the sea of color and texture, launch directors clear the way for each hot air balloon to launch safely into the sky. These launch directors use black and white to stand out from the crowd and are fondly called "zebras." Using black and white stripes throughout their outfits, the "zebras" create unique and striking designs. This exhibition gathers the work of local artists to immerse you in an exploration of the unique black and white designs of New Mexico.

Set up for camping in 1897 North Pole balloon voyage…

For 33 years the fate of the expedition remained one of the unsolved riddles of the Arctic. The chance discovery in 1930 of the expedition's last camp created a media sensation in Sweden, where the three dead men had been mourned and idolized. Artifacts including unexposed film were salvaged from a small tin box to give insight into their demise. 

Lunchtime at El Pinto Restaurant - excellent food, much fancier than El Charrittos, but also hiring for all positions.

October 28, 2021, Thursday

Pictures of landscape along the way…

Continental Divide - a 7,000 plus elevation mountain range that separates the watershed that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those that drain into the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

Trains are stopped waiting for the crew replacements - just like truck drivers they can only operate so many hours. These cars are double stacked with containers that would be on the road with us if not on the trains.  

 October 29, 2021, Friday

October 31, 2021, Sunday

We were invited to Richard Martinson's birthday BBQ. He is a friend of Rich’s from Jamestown, ND who has been coming here for years. He is an excellent oil painter as well. Met a great group of neighbors and had a delicious meal to boot. 

November 1, 2021, Monday

So happy to have several activities to choose from this year. M, W, F are line dancing for beginners at 9am. I was quite pleased with my recall of the grapevine from aerobics. My legs were like rubber when it was over, but I can’t wait to go back on Wednesday and Friday. 

Then there was a Stitch and Chat class at 1pm. I brought my crochet project and then realized this class was how to build a reindeer out of dried palm fronds. Roberta Bisel was the leader and said it was fine; I sat at the table doing my project while they made their cute, diverse red-nosed reindeer. 

 

November 2, 2021, Tuesday

Went to Wickenburg today to get some groceries and made an appointment for Moderna booster shots on Sunday.

 

November 3, 2021, Wednesday

Line dancing is a workout for the body and the brain. I enjoy it and am feeling muscles I haven’t used in a long time. Also, riding our bikes for short trips in the park every day reminds me how important it is to keep moving (use it or lose it)! 

November 4, 2021, Thursday 

Said goodbye to Duane and Louise Wegley today as they head back to Tyler, TX. They have a daily blog they started in 2006!! That’s inspiration…

Weekly Jam Session Thursdays from 1 to 3pm. 

13 musicians showed up today - guitars, bass guitars, steel guitars, violin and vocals share favorite cowboy songs. The young lady above is 87 years old and played every song and had 2 vocal solos. Her voice is like an angel. Can’t wait until next week…