Heading Home

Another great breakfast at the hotel and then we enjoyed a few minutes in the wonderful 55 degree temperature while we were dealing with the rental car. The check in and security at Sunport, the Albuquerue airport went smoothly and since there in free Wi-Fi in the airport, I am able to write and send this before we get home!
We have had a great time here; we've seen some beautiful scenery, learned more about our country, eaten wonderful food, won a football game, and met some interesting people along the way.
But now it's back to the real world...whatever and where everthat may be. Hurricane Ike is making his presence known, but the family in South Texas doesn't want or need a visitor right now!

Sunday

This morning, after we ate breakfast at the hotel, we had to wait around so Mike could check in on line for our flight in the morning. We then went to Eastern Hills Baptist Church for their traditional service at 10:45 a.m. This is a church that has an active membership of about 350 according to what the pastor said. There was about 100 or so people in our service, most of whom were older that us! The music was good and he pastor preached on unity among Christians using Acts 2 as his scripture.

On our way back to the hotel, we saw a Whataburger, and Mike had to pull in! We weren't planning on eating lunch today...just an early supper. Oh, well, so much for those plans!

We had a short rest before going to the Sandia Mountains and taking a Tram to the peak. The tram is the longest in the world(2.7 miles) and it takes some 15 minutes to take the ride up some 5,000 feet. Once there we walked around enjoying the beauty of the area. Interestingly, the west side of the mountain is a hot desert area with steep slopes and granite outcroppings. However the east side has gentle slopes, ski runs, much cooler temperatures, and dense forests. After a couple of hours, we took the tram back down to the bottom of the mountain and made our way back to Albuquerque.

We were on the mountain during the time when the restaurant up there, High Finance, was between meals, so we ate after we came down...Mexican again, for the last time. The Carne Asada enchiladas as well as the beef tostados were very good.

Here is the sunset from our 2nd story room.

Happy Birthday, Mack

Today is a very important milestone for our son-in-law who is celebrating the big ....just put the number of people in his immediate family with a 0 and you'll have it! Have a great day, Mack...hit 'em straight!

A Ray of Sunshine

Before we get to the "ray of sunshine", let me tell you what we did prior to the football game. After another wonderful breakfast at the hotel, we went to Old Town Albuquerque.


We took a tour of the area on a bicycle carriage with a very informative guide. The Old Town was a walled city, founded in 1706, and was 5 blocks deep and 3 blocks wide. There was only one road in and out of the city...sort of a gated community but with no gate.

The church was built in 1793 after the original adobe one was collapsed in a rain storm. It has been in use continuously since the time it was built...the oldest church in America with continuous services.

We walked around the plaza where we saw many Aggies who were taking advantage of a little culture before the game. We shopped, listened to music and then ate another meal of Mexican food! We saw a group of Navajo gentlemen who had been Code Talkers during World War II. They were signing books and shirts.

We then went to the University of New Mexico--Texas A&M football game. Here are some pictures of the scenes we saw before and during the game. The final score was the "ray of sunshine" ...28-22. It was really not as close as the score would indicate.

We had eaten enough Mexican food for a while, so we stopped for a Lottaburger, which was very similar to an In and Out burger or a Whataburger. The addition that made it unique was the green chili sauce that was added to it...very tasty.

Santa Fe

Our first stop in Santa Fe was Canyon Road, which is an Arts and Crafts area. We went into several of the unique shops and were so amazed in the talents that different people possess.

We then drove to the Eldorado Hotel where we parked the car before we walked to the Plaza where we participated in the Fiesta de Santa Fe, which is the oldest , continuous community celebration in the United States.

We went to a Basilica that was being renovated but we got to see this beautiful statue.

We went to the Loretto Chapel where we got to see the "miraculous staircase" to the chapel's choir loft. These stairs have no visible means of support...fascinating.

Then we walked around, ate, listened to music, shopped, watched people, and saw entertainment on stages.

The Fiesta Queen and her court...not a good picture.

This is a Navajo Taco.

We went to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum that was also having an Ansel Adams exhibit along with her paintings...very interesting.

On the way home we came upon John McCain's bus that was on its way to Albuquerque where he and Sarah Palin will have a rally on this week end.

New Mexico

We had a long day today and I'm tired! The computer connection has been coming and going here in he hotel, so I'm only doing a little. Tomorrow morning will bring the sun and a better feeling of wanting to type!

We flew to New Mexico yesterday and today we drove from Albuquerque to Santa Fe.

Labor Day

Today we were lazy until lunchtime when we went to Chick-Fil-A for chicken strips. If you wore some football paraphernalia there, you got 3 chicken strips free. Well, we wore A&M shirts and got our free food. (Being on a fixed income will have you looking for free food!) Did I use the word "free" enough in those previous sentences?

We then went to the Hiawasee River to see Rheagan try her water skiing ability. She tried several times and made great progress. Then she went on the tube and had a great time.

We had neighbors, Dave and Libby and Becky over for hamburgers and hot dogs for supper. Karen, Mack, Rheagan and Tripp also joined us. (David had driven to West Virginia.) It was a great way to end the summer.

Now it's time to watch the Vols on TV against UCLA.