My blog and I have
been on vacation, along with my Fort Worth family. We spent a few days in the
Pecos River area of New Mexico, at the cabin of good friends. And we had a
wonderful time. I have always been drawn to New Mexico—I swore I wanted to move
to Santa Fe but had to content myself with visits. This time I saw an entirely
different part of the state—high mountains in the Santa Fe National Forest. I
learned again that I love the scenery, the fresh air, the crisp temperatures—and
I loathe mountain driving, even as a passenger. I am white-knuckled on hairpin
curves. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have missed a minute of it.
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| Jacob at Cowles pond |
We went ostensibly
so Jacob could fish—the Pecos is a fast-moving, shallow, freezing cold river
full rainbow and brown trout. Jacob fished several times, once with a guide who
is a neighbor of our friends and gave him a slow introduction into casting in fast
mountain water. The first evening there he and our friends’ grandson caught their
limit or close to it---and we had pan-fried trout for dinner. 
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| Castenada Hotel by the railroad |
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| Armand Hammer University |
I expected to
spend my days working at my computer while the guys fished but not so. We went
into Santa Fe one day—highlight of the day was a prolonged happy hour at La Fonda.
Another day we explored Las Vegas (NM). It’s an unexpected treasure of a town
with a rich heritage, a history full of outlaws and railroads and mining. We had
lunch in a historic hotel and then stopped for drinks at the restored hotel by
the railroad tracks. Drove out in the country to see Armand Hammer University—in
a castle-like building, although we couldn’t get close to it.
More on New Mexico
tomorrow, maybe on the food, and on the wind turbines that are all over northwest
Texas.
