Field Trip Friday – Spring Break

I know I've been gone for a while. Spring Break had us piling in the sedan and heading south to Santa Fe. No planes or airport hassels, just the long, beautiful drive down the road to the New Mexico desert. The drive fills me with wonder at the open spaces and makes me believe in the promise of America. Oh beautiful for spacious skies…We met up with some friends that used to live there so were treated to a number of very cool, off the beaten path places. The Shidoni sculpture park and foundry, Charlie Mine's glass studio and The Black Hole - one of the coolest, weirdest places I have ever been. The Black Hole is every tinkerer's, mad scientist's, assemblage artist's, science fair geek's heaven. Really. Located in weird central, Los Alamos, geek capital of the world, it has heaps of old scientific, industrial, obsolescent junk. It was wonderful.

We hiked to some amazing Native American ruins, which in the 1400's was home to the Ancestral Tewa Pueblo people, whose descendents now live in San Ildefonso Pueblo. An ancient place, open to the sky on a mesa, it was uncrowded, tranquil and dusty. Just my kind of place. A glimpse into an ancient culture and way of life. Times change and I was saddened to learn that one of my favorite mexcian food joints in tiny San Luis Colorado was closed. Forever. The family gave it up. It's been a cherished stop for green chile enchiladas on the long drive to Taos and Santa Fe for years. We tried a new place, but it didn't hold a candle to Emmas. But they did have a great mural painted on the side of one of the buildings across the street, reminding me of the bounty of the land. I did make a pilgrimage to my favorite chocolate shop in the whole world, Todos Santos, and it didn't disappoint. Their entry decked out in chinese lanterns and a very hilarious bathing beauty Easter bunny graced the front window. Not too mention a bag of beautiful chocolates.

The long and winding road and the companionship of good friends sharing numerous wonderful meals really nourished us all. Things are greening up here, just budding out and it gives me such hope after a long, dreary winter. Hope your spring breaks soon as well.