Tesuque and O'Keeffe

It was overcast and cold this morning but we wanted to go check out the Tesuque Pueblo flea market that we had heard about.

Eight miles north of Santa Fe, the flea market is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Spring through Fall. In fact it just opened for the season last weekend.

When we arrived about 10am we discovered very few vendors open for business and very few shoppers. We had read good things about the flea market where local painters, sculptors, and Native American jewelers, and clothing designers sell their wares. I guess the recent cold temps have resulted in a slow start to the season. We didn't stay very long, but long enough for me to buy a turqouise pendant from a very appreciative vendor. No photography is allowed on the premises, so no pictures.

Our next stop was the Georgia O'keeffe Museum . Georgia O'keeffe (1887-1986) is one of our favorite modern day painters and lived for many years in Northern New Mexico at her Ghost Ranch house and her house at Abiquiu. Many of her famous paintings were inspired by the beautiful landscapes and vistas in that area.

Also on display today was an exhibit by another New Mexico artist, Marsden Hartley (1877-1943). We learned he lived here in the early 20th century and stopped painting pictures of New Mexico five years before Georgia O'Keeffe began painting it.

This was our second visit to the museum and once again, we throughly enjoyed it. Again, no photographs allowed.

Now it was time for lunch. We went next door to the O'keeffe Cafe that features dishes from a European chef . We had "blunch" as they called it. We each had eggs benedict made with lump crab meat. The food and atmosphere were excellent.

After visiting a couple of photographic galleries we drove down Canyon Road, known for it's many artist galleries and historic adobe houses that line both sides of the street. We didn't stop and look around.

So much to see and do here in the Santa Fe area. We'll just have to come back.

It was shortly after 6:30 this morning that Mollie...

It was shortly after 6:30 this morning that Mollie began licking my hand. This is her way of letting us know she wants us awake and wants to go outside. Ignoring her doesn't do any good, we've tried. So, as hard as it was, we got up (ugh).

John took her outside for her morning ritual and I made coffee. We both sat at our computers with our coffee for about an hour before we had breakfast enjoying the bright sun streaming through our windows.

While John was working on photoshop, I worked on my knitting project with Mollie napping by my side. John has been brushing up on photoshop in preparation for his workshop that begins on Sunday. It was still very cold outside again this morning and neither one of us was anxious to spend much time out there until it warmed up.

After lunch, we took the jeep and headed for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which are about 15 miles to the northeast. We wanted to check out the campground at
Hyde Memorial State Park and also see the popular Ski Santa Fe ski area. Ski Santa Fe is high in the mountains. Some of the runs start at over 12 thousand feet. It's amazing that it only 30 minutes from downtown Santa Fe.

As the road twisted up the mountains we were treated to awesome views. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The higher we went the snowier and colder it became. About half way up is the State Park. Only one of the campground loops appeared to be open and it even had a few campers in it! What hardy souls they must be! This would be a beautiful place to camp in the summer.

As we made our way up the mountain the snow levels got even deeper. Some of the snow piles along the road were higher than our car and higher than the road signs.


When we reached the ski area we were over 10,300 ft in elevation and 25 degrees.. Judging by the number of cars in the parking lot the ski resort was doing a very good business today.

We enjoyed being up in the mountains and enjoyed the snow... maybe because we knew we would soon be out of it. :)

Snowy Santa Fe

The snow began falling around 7pm last night and this morning there was snow on the ground, and on the trees, and on the rv....a total of 6 inches! It was enough to cancel the Santa Fe schools for the day.


But by late morning the sun was shining and the snow was melting and most of it will likely be gone by tomorrow. One of the things we like about Santa Fe is the abundant sunshine. In fact, they average over 300 days of sunshine a year.

Just as most of the country, Santa Fe has had colder temps and more snow than usual this winter.

This week the overnight temps have been below freezing each night. Our winter coats have come out from storage (under the bed), and the bed now has the down blanket on top of the down comforter. Even Mollie wears her sweater day and night. We're trying to conserve our propane so we keep our thermostat set low and run our small space heater around the clock.

The rv park management has asked everyone here to disconnect their water hose after 7pm. This has been a bit of a hassle although we understand their concern. We don't want any problems either. This weekend the temps are supposed to be much warmer and near 60. That sounds very good!

One last hike and on to Santa Fe

Yesterday morning the 3 of us went on one last hike before leaving Mesa. I think we wore Mollie out.


We had a safe and uneventful drive up from Mesa, stopped for the night 50 miles west of Albuquerque and arrived in Santa Fe this afternoon. We went from desert saguaro, through snowy mountains,


back to desert, and now here in Santa Fe we're up at 7,000 feet in elevation. Snow is in the forecast!

We'll be staying at the Trailer Ranch RV Park for the next 2 weeks. It's small and clean and is close to the location where John will be attending the Santa Fe Photo workshop next week. It's also close to downtown. The city bus stops in front of the RV park so we don't have to drive to the downtown plaza unless we want to.

Dinner with Kin Folk

This is our last day in Mesa before moving on to Santa Fe. I have 2 cousins who live in this area. Both on the Randall side. Scott and Pam Randall and daughter Erica have lived here for around 16 years. Mike, Kelly and their 2 boys Troy and Nathan have lived here for almost 2 years.


I talked with Mike earlier in the week and he suggested we all get together for dinner. Scott and Pam were our hosts at their home in Mesa. It is beautiful home with an in ground pool, orange trees and even a small patch of green grass. I didn't know any of the yards here had grass.

Mike's wife Kelly made lasagna and a chocolate brownie dessert. Pam set a beautiful table and made Caesar salad and garlic toast. Great meal with great company.

It was fun learning about their lives and talking about our pasts. I hadn't seen Mike in over 2 years and it's been at least 25 years since I last saw Scott. The evening went quickly and since they all still work and have kids in school we made an early night of it.

We have had a great time here and this was a perfect way to end our stay. Santa Fe is next.

Hiking Wind Cave Trail

Today was another beautiful day and another great day for a hike on Wind Cave Trail. We drove the short distance over to the parking lot near the trail head to begin our ascent. This "moderately difficult" trail is the park's most popular trail and is 1.6 miles one way with a steady 800' ascent.








The trail ends just before reaching the south peak of Pass Mountain. There were plenty of switchbacks and rocky terrain and it was difficult at times. Glad we had our hiking shoes and poles with us.

Spring has come early to Arizona. The wild flowers are beautiful. It sure made the climb more enjoyable.

After we arrived back down at the trail head we looked back up at Pass Mountain with awe and amazement. We could hardly believe what we had just done.

Hiking and Craft Show

Today was another beautiful day in the desert southwest, and a great day for a hike.

After breakfast we drove over to the trail staging area and joined the "Hiking 101 for Anyone and Everyone" hike at 10am. This is just one of the many activities offered here at Usery Mt. Regional Park.

Park hosts Bob and Madge led the hike. Originally from Minnesota, they have been hosts here for 5 years. We were joined by 3 other couples and with walking sticks and water bottle in tow we headed for the Blevins trail, a 2.9 mile loop.

Bob and Madge were good guides as we made our way along the trail, pointing out various cacti and flowers and were willing to answer any questions.

Surprisingly, we walked at a very brisk pace and even worked up a sweat and by 11:30 we came to the trails end. Great hike!

While eating breakfast this morning we had the tv on to a local station and someone mentioned that the 'Great Fair' arts and crafts show was going on this weekend in nearby Fountain Hills. So after our hike, we drove back to the rv for a quick lunch of turkey wraps and then drove over to Fountain Hills to check out the fair.

What a huge fair and huge crowd. After finally finding a parking space we began wandering past the many booths. Our two purchases were for Judy. She found a hat that will be great for blocking the sun while hiking. It's made by the Oregon based company SUN DAY AFTERNOONS and has 50 UPF coverage. She also found a small unique leather purse crafted and designed by leather artisans Tom and Shawn Thomas from Texas. The long strap will be great for hands-free shopping and traveling.

After walking around the fair for over an hour we still hadn't seen everything, but we were ready to leave. We were ready for dinner,and specifically, Mexican food! John had seen an ad for Rancho de Tia Rosa that sounded good so we thought we would give it a try. It turned out to be a great choice. John had chicken Mole Poblano and Judy had grilled Mahi Mahi with mango salsa. Both were very delicious. John thinks this was the best Mole he has had. The restaurant has been voted best Mexican restaurant 3 years in a row.

GREAT HIKE, GREAT FOOD, GREAT DAY...

Camping at Usery Mountain Regional Park

We are enjoying being here at Buckhorn Campground in the Usery Mountain Regional Park. This is another park with the 'it' factor for us. In fact, we would rank this in the top 10 best parks we have ever stayed. Each site is large with a lot of privacy, and has electric and water hookups.

The park is located a few miles NE of Mesa and is on the edge of a mountain region. There are over 3,500 acres in the park that include the campground, a day use picnic area, and nearly 30 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.

It's also a bird watchers paradise. We set up our bird feeder pole when we arrived and we have had plenty of bird activity ever since. We love sitting outside watching them feed and listening to their constant chatter.

Mollie loves it here too. She enjoys sniffing around the campsite as well as walking with us around the campground. She also enjoys scrunching up the rug to make herself more comfortable.


Last night we were treated to a concert of coyotes. There were 2 groups so I guess it was in stereo. This morning on our way to our hike we spotted one of the performers but he was shy and didn't want to pose for pictures or give us his autograph.

This morning we hiked the short( about 1 mile) Merkle/Vista trail which took us up and over a small mountain. The desert is lush and green because of all the recent rain. In fact the desert flowers are just beginning to bloom and will be gorgeous before too long.


This is the desert, so of course there are cacti everywhere. Prickly pear, Cholla, Barrel, and Hedgehog cacti, are just a few that dot the landscape. Most notable however is the Saguaro, which doesn't begin growing arms until it is between 60-75 years old, and can live for 200 years.


It's also protected by the U.S. Government and the blossom of the Saguaro is the state flower of Arizona.

Water and Oil

This past week I experienced first hand just how dangerous working in the kitchen can be. We've all heard the dangers of cooking and frying. In fact, many years before I was born, my great-grandmother died as a result of a kitchen fire that happened while she was canning applesauce.

We don't usually fry fish( after all, we're suppose to be dieting!!) Instead we broil, using the convection oven or we use the small portable grill we carry with us. While staying at the fairgrounds in Casa Grande, we only had 15 amps electrical hookup so using the convection oven wasn't an option. The outdoor grill wasn't set up and we were hungry and impatient so frying the fish on the stove was our method of choice.

I heated up a little olive oil in the skillet ( very little oil, only about 2 tablespoons...really!!) and began placing the defrosted fish fillets into it.
First fillet in, no problem. Second fillet in and a mixture of oil and water splashed up on my arm. And yes, I did pat the fish with paper towel before I put it in the skillet but apparently there was still some moisture left.

Well the blisters broke the next morning, and I've been faithful about putting antibiotic ointment on and keeping the area covered with the biggest bandaids John could find at Walgreens.
Trust me, you don't want to see what's under the bandaid!

I've been cooking for over 40 years and this is the first time I've had a serious burn in the kitchen. The truth is, it doesn't matter if you are preparing a meal in a large space or a very small space like we have here on the motor home. I learned a valuable lesson. Hot oil and water don't mix.

Mud, Mud, and More Mud

It never rains in Arizona? Man, it pours!

With the forecasters predicting rain during the night, John stowed the patio mat, folding chairs and table before we went to bed. Are we ever glad he did. Let's just say...what a difference a day makes. What was dusty hard clay yesterday was gooey mud this morning and it was still raining.

Of course Mollie needed to go outside first thing so John carried her outside and let me tell you, she was not a happy camper. At least it didn't take her long to do her duty :)

We hadn't planned on leaving very early this morning since we were just driving up to Mesa. So we had breakfast and discussed our strategy for leaving. The rain had stopped so we decided to run into town and take care of a couple of errands, hoping that while we were gone some of the ground would dry a bit. But, the ground didn't look any different when we got back. We pulled the jeep up behind the rv and hooked up, got the hoses stowed, pulled in the slide and rolled out. What a muddy mess!!

The trip up to Mesa was safe and uneventful and took us about 2 hours. We'll be here at Desert Vista RV Park until Monday then we'll be moving a few miles over to Usery Mountain Park.