26 Miles (Santa Catalina) - Sunday 11/23/2008

It was admittedly a bit gloomy as we set off "26 miles across the sea" as the song goes, aboard the Catalina Flyer. That's the Harborside Restaurant to the right. We pull out around 9:00 a.m.


A glimmer of sunshine along the way.

I spent about half an hour standing on the deck next to the--what do they call it?--the place where the captain hangs out. When we hit waves, I hung onto the railing and let my knees take the shock.

I felt like Slim Pickens riding the rocket at the end of Dr. Strangelove. Whoo hoo!


We passed an outgoing vessel on our way into port. The man next to us explained to his infant son that the jet engines put a lot of bubbles in the water and turned it this color. Thanks, daddy.



The Catalina Flyer safe in the harbor. That's the Avalon Casino in the background, from the Italian word for "gathering place." It's a movie theater and museum that never was a gambling place.


After poking around in some shops and having lunch with the gaggle of cousins, we hopped the trolley to the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardens, where we saw such Dr. Suess-esque plants as this one. (It has island in the name of it, appropriately. Why oh why don't I take notes?)


Along the way we pass this bum. I sneak up to leave a dollar on his chest, only to discover it's our very own Hydra grabbing a nap while the rest of us coo over the succulents and cacti.


From beneath the monument. That's Cuz-M pointing something out.



I love all the details and shoot at least fifty pix in and around the monument.



Inside looking out. What a glorious day.



Hydra and I split from the pack and head for the casino. One of our number has a stress fracture in her foot and is not up for more walking, which is so reasonable. We feel like we need to move.


It only takes us about ten minutes to get there, and we buzz through the museum, which includes a great little exhibit about the May 2007 fire that burned more than 4,000 acres on the island. That's about 10% of it. 2700 people were evacuated by vessels like the one we came over on.



We head back to the mainland at 4:30.


By 6:00, we're back and the lights are on at the pavilion/Harborside Restaurant.



Our welcoming crew. Anyone know what this guy is?

On the Road Again - Saturday 11/22/2008

But not so far this time. Just down to Orange County, where we booked a room at the Holiday Inn, Laguna Hills for the night. Hydra's Michigan cousins are in town, and we're getting together tomorrow for our first-ever voyage to Catalina Island.

I'm not sure whether this hand towel elephant is sweet or just a little creepy. I shifted him to the couch in the room without pulling him apart.

I made a pineapple upside down cake to contribute to dinner, using a combination of recipes and advice from Kitty. I think it was the best ever. Though it's not as pretty, it's better to use crushed pineapple than rings. More flavor and easier to cook.

I thought I took a photo of the cake, but I guess not!

Adios, ABQ

Albuquerque's plaza, which is at lower elevation, was not as far into fall, so there were still leaves on the trees.
I was impressed with the terra cotta and turquoise freeway ramps.



Some interesting graffiti on the freight train next to my Amtrak car. It was a great trip. It was really amazing spending time with Diver again. In most ways, we fell right back into our old, important friendship like no time had passed at all.

What else did I learn from this trip? After weeks and weeks of relying upon spell checker, I now know how to spell Albuquerque.

Ancient Party Rat!

Later that day, we visited Petroglyph National Monument. That's a pack of Cub Scouts going up the hill ahead of us.


Lots of people have been interpreting these petroglyphs for a lot of years. But you tell me... does this look like a rat with a maraca or what?


An excited cat.


An excited pregnant woman.


Not everyone was excited. This bird, for instance, seems calm. They call it a Macaw, but the interpretive sign was pretty faded so I'm not sure why.


Sundry makes a glyph with her hand.

Ha, ha.

Funny Sundry.

Sandia Peak - Albuquerque

We bid Santa Fe a fond farewell early Sunday morning and drove back to Albuquerque. First stop, the Sandia Peak Tram. You go up 2.7 miles and about 4,000 feet in about 20 minutes. That's Albuquerque in the background.



Part of the trail at the top.



Diver on the trail.


We spent about an hour at the top. This is the view back toward Santa Fe and Taos. You can also see Los Alamos from here.

I wonder if it glows in the dark?



Our chariot arrives. Pretty cool trip. I'd like to come back and talk Hydra into tramming it up and hiking it down. (Trust me, he'd rather hike than ride at these heights.)

Taos Plaza and Forbidden Art!

Diver called her husband from Taos Plaza while I ducked into Hotel La Fonda to see the forbidden D.H. Lawrence paintings. Who knew D.H. painted? And that they caused such a stir that they were banned in London and confiscated!?

They only show them at certain hours of the day, and even though I was 15 minutes late, the guy at the desk happily took my $3 and ushered me into the room for the viewing.

All very impressive: they're kept behind a curtain which he pulled open for me. The paintings are, of course, nothing to blink at today.


On the recommendation of some people we chatted with in a shop, we went to Doc Martin's restaurant, which is located inside the Taos Inn. Apparently, the good doctor was instrumental in welcoming artists and artisans to the Taos area. He was really a doctor, but he saw a need for a hotel, and turned his old offices into what became the Taos Inn.



View from the dining room.


A pretty door with a ristra--the hanging collection of dried chilies that you see around this part of New Mexico.



I really liked this guy!


Stopped by a nature center on the Rio Grande and enjoyed the view. This is what the ranger looks at out his window every day. And to think I settle for a leafy tree with red berries and birds. (Hmm, mine's not bad for Burbank!)

Taos Pueblo

The three greeter dogs outside the entrance to Taos Pueblo are our first indication that life is good for pooches on The Rez.




Taos Pueblo has been continuously occupied by the Red Willow band of the Pueblos for over 900 years!



I didn't even notice until I looked at a larger version of this photo that the stone at the bottom right has a petroglyph etched into it.

We had interesting chats with the vendors who have shops inside doors like these. Everything from native New Mexican herb teas, to jewelry to clothing is available. I bought a pair of coral earrings from a woman named Cornflower Blossom.


The sign by the door invites us to come inside for fried bread.



We learned that we should stack the wood vertically to get it to burn properly in the kiva fireplace. I told the man who advised us that I now know how to make 4 kinds of fires: in a kiva, in a flat fireplace, at a campsite, in a cast iron stove.

He said, "Now you have to learn like this," and demonstrated rolling a stick between his fingers, Boy Scout style.

We laughed. I said, "That's next! Maybe I can count starting a fire with a magnifying glass the fifth kind?"

He said I could!



We chatted with this woman while she made us fried bread. (That's her fireplace in the photo above this one.)

She had honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon & sugar for toppings. We opted to try it all, so she put honey on half, and the other two toppings on the remaining quarters.


One of the larger buildings on the plaza.


A young man waits near the graveyard.


Like I said, great place to be a dog. This is the reservation's Catholic church. Something like 95% of the Pueblos are said to be followers of the faith.


Kind of impressive!

This was probably my favorite thing we did during our New Mexico adventure.

Santa Fe Plaza

Oddly, I didn't take any photos of Santa Fe Plaza after we passed through Burro Alley on our way in. It's under construction right now, and not as inviting as I imagine it is most of the time. We looked into the shops around the perimeter, but the best was the group of Native American artisans displaying their wares on blankets along one long wall.

I bought a lovely necklace from a woman named Geraldine. She seemed a little emotional as she handed it over. It's an image of a corn stalk stamped through a thin oval disk of silver. I told her that it called to me because I grew up where a lot of corn is grown and that I connected with the reverence the people here have for corn.

All the current political, economic and dietary misuses of corn aside, it's a crop that has helped people in hard scrabble times survive. My people counted on corn once, too, grinding it kernel by kernel in wooden mortars.


We lunched at a busy little restaurant, Cafe Castro. These are sopapillas. (Later, at Taos Pueblo, we'll learn that these are just like Indian frybread except that they are cut before cooking so they make puffed up pockets.) They are simply delicious, drizzled with honey from a container on the table.

The waitress grinned when I ordered my pork tamales Christmas style. I'd done my research and knew that that's how you get to try both the red chili and the green chili sauces.

The cashiers at Jackalope had told us about Cafe Castro. This is a great place to shop on a budget, and it has a really nifty history. When a local flea market closed down years ago, Darby McQuade invited the displaced vendors to relocate behind his shop. The result is a maze of vendors behind the well-stocked store.

The main store is kind of like Pier One used to be years and years ago, but with the added draw of offering the work of local artists on consignment. It's worth a look if you're in Santa Fe and have the time. I found out there's one in North Hollywood that I'll have to check out.


Back at the B&B...the neighbor's cat.


What a welcoming doorway. That's my hat on the wood. I'd decided against it on our way out.


Diver made a fire in the fireplace. Have I sold you on Dunshee's yet?