There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills!

I stayed way past my limit in Cloudcroft. Even with confirmation from the Ranger that the Forest Service was taking a bit of a “who’s counting?” approach during COVID, coupled with the fact that I did move around a bit, I didn’t want to wear out my welcome.

I had hoped I could stay long enough to see the large stand of aspens at the top of the hill in my favorite meadow turn gold. It was my favorite hiking destination, as it was behind a hiker’s gate restricting vehicular traffic, and with the exception of Labor Day when they opened the gate, I rarely saw anyone up there. The wild horses from the Continue reading

Letters from Georgia

Before I delve in to the New Mexico recap, I just wanted to thank those who commented on my “This Old House” post. I loved reading about your respective memories of that first place we each called “home.” I found the comments not only moving, but also rewarding that writing a post on a personal blog could net me so many wonderful “mini vignettes” in return. Thank you all for the gifts.

Last year when I attended the Santa Fe Opera, the program distributed at the beginning of the performance contained a preview of the upcoming 2019 season. One performance particularly piqued my interest enough to make me want to return for the second year in a row. Renée Fleming, in her Santa Fe Opera debut, would be Continue reading

Tale of Two Day Spas

As if a hot air balloon ride wasn’t enough of a birthday indulgence, I decided to treat myself to a spa day.  After all, the balloon ride was on Sunday, which enabled me to rationalize a special treat for my “official birthday” on Tuesday.  I had a tough time deciding between Ten Thousand Waves spa just 3 miles outside of Santa Fe, or Ojo Caliente, an hours drive away.   Both had come highly recommended with adjectives “zen-like” used to describe Ten Thousand Waves, and “magical” waters of Ojo Calliente.   How does one decide between “zen” and “magic?” Continue reading