May 6, 2015 by Rae

Nickel Tour of Albuquerque

Kelly and I left her house just before 9:00 this morning and headed to the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. We parked and she took me on a walking tour of Old Town, a very picturesque and quaint neighbourhood.

Chiles hanging from the rafters.

This reminded me of New Orleans architecture.

Lots of quaint courtyards in Old Town.

Very ’70s stained glass in the chapel

Quite a fancy church for this style.

We loved the pigeon on the cross.

The church is quite large.

Found a prehistoric-looking wheel.

I love the adobe, the blues, and the bricks altogether. I am rethinking the style for my cabin. 🙂

The sign above the door says, in French, “the door of heaven.”

Big cog wheel.

Coral rose.

Magenta rose.

Cream rose.

Red rose.

I love the Midwest-style adobe bungalows!

This one was grey, not a good colour for adobe.

Love the colours.

Stone wall outside the museum.

She has a membership to the museum, so if it hadn’t been the free admission day, I would have still gotten in at no charge. I made a donation to support the museum.

We didn’t see everything, but we did take in two galleries. The first was a really eclectic art gallery with an incredible range of different styles of painting, including surreal, modern, and impressionist. I saw a lot that I liked.

Then, we did the new gallery about the history of ABQ. We both felt it was a little scattered, but it was interesting. We were both impressed by the giant satellite image of ABQ on the floor of the gallery’s rotunda and I was able to quickly find her neighbourhood!

Sculptures outside the museum.

Next, we headed to the Ranch Market, a Mexican grocery store. It had all the products and services I was used to seeing in Mexico. What a feast for all the senses!

Beautiful tiles outside the Ranch Market.

American-standard Mexican grocery store, if that makes sense.

It was only about 10:00 by the time we came out of the market, but we were both famished, so we headed over to a restaurant Kelly loves that she thought might be open that early, and was, Sharky’s. They are a taco joint with a beach theme (yes, in the middle of the desert)!

Sharky’s.

Historic Route 66.

Lunch was on me and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the prices were in line with what I paid for tacos in San Carlos! More expensive than Maz, but still very reasonable! We each started with two fried fish tacos (hold the mayo for me) and layered on the salsas. They were so good! The batter was very light, the fish was flaky, and the salsas, while hot, had a lot of flavour. So yum!

Fish taco.

We were still hungry, so we each had another taco. Hey, tacos are small. 🙂 Kelly had another fish one and I ordered beef al pastor, but they were out, so I switched to carnitas (shredded pork).

Carnitas (shredded pork) taco.

Our six tacos came to about 14USD for the two of us. Cheap lunch! These tacos were the real thing. ABQ is lucky to have Sharky’s!

We drove around a bit more after and then Kelly had to get to work so we returned to her place. I had already packed and loaded up the truck, so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways around 11:30.

I saw more of ABQ this morning than I would have discovered on my own and didn’t get close at all to the sprawling brown suburbia that I always thought ABQ would be. It is a sprawling city hemmed in by mountains, Native reserves, and the Rio Grande River, and has some neighbourhoods that are real gems. Thank you so much for your warm hospitality, Kelly, Kevin, Lester, and Olive!

May 6, 2015 by Rae

Truth or Consequences to Albuquerque (with a Fort Craig side trip)

I got a late start from T or C on Tuesday. Checkout was noon and I was right on the nose when I left. I had a bit of work to do in the morning and it took longer than expected, plus I had to deal with a few issues related to the change of webhost. I was really surprised that I got out as late as I did and was glad that I only had a couple of hours to drive to get to Albuquerque (ABQ) and wasn’t expected till 5:00ish, so I could do a side trip.

My first stop even before I left town was Walmart because was in dire need of tee-shirts, another planned expense. I got to Isla with a four or five ugly tee-shirts that looked even worse after six months because of all the sun fading and I just threw them out. The only thing I had to wear with skirts, jeans, or capris were long-sleeved light-weight tops. Walmart has a couple of brands that are decent quality and very reasonably priced. I came out with five tee-shirts in beautiful colours for about 30CAD, so that will do me for the summer.

And then, I hit the road. It was very windy going and my gas mileage was the pits. I should have made it to at least ABQ on what I had in the tank, even with my planned detour, but I had to make the decision early on that I would have to refuel in Socorro, halfway to ABQ.

It rained off and on as I drove.

The scenery reminded me a lot of southern Alberta.

My planned stop for the day was Fort Craig, an important frontier fort that saw Civil War action. It’s quite a drive to get there, about 25 miles/40KM or so from the Interstate round trip, but it was worth it for me to go. I had done my research and knew not to expect much, so I was very impressed by what was there.

Quite a drive to get out here, but it was worth it!

There are camphosts on site. I wish we had camphosting like this in Canada. I’d likely still be full-timing if we did. The hosts get all hookups plus a stipend in exchange for working five days a week.

Wish we had sweet gigs like this in Canada.

The visitors’ centre is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but there was a lot of information available in the parking lot, including a brochure, and the trail was open. So it was not a wasted stop.

HUGE parking lot, with flat topped mountain.

Seriously, that mountain looks like it got a military haircut!

The site is basically a bunch of earthworks with some stonework. There is a very, very long trail with informational placards. It was a very nice walk.

At one point very early in my walk, I ran into a lady who is a New Mexico history buff. She talked my ear off for about a half hour telling me all about the history of Fort Craig, the environs, and giving me information on places I need to visit! Wow! What a great encounter! Her husband is from Glasgow, MT, and knows exactly where Assiniboia is. Small world! Just running into her made the trip worthwhile. I won’t be able to hit a lot of what she mentioned on this trip, but it will fit in well into the fall plans, depending on how late I leave.

After she went on her way, I still had tons of Fort Craig to visit, but only about a half hour left if I wanted to make it to ABQ for 5:00ish! So it was a bit of a quick tour, reading only the placards that really interested me.

The lady spoke at length about how the Buffalo soldiers, African-Americans, were posted to Fort Craig. The Natives called them that because their hair is similar to buffalo fur.

Fort Craig is a worthwhile and interesting detour for folks going between T or C and ABQ. I learned a lot about the Mexican-American War, settlement in this part of the US, and New Mexico’s role in the US Civil War. Its location today feels just as isolated as it must have felt in the late 1800s!

It was then time to get miles under me. I stopped in Socorro for fuel, just under $2.60 a gallon, the most expensive I’ve seen yet on this trip, but nothing to get excited about.

It rained hard on and off as I came into ABQ.

The mountains were gorgeous coming into ABQ.

My hosts, blog reader Kelly and her husband Kevin, live just off the Interstate, so their house was easy to get to, even with the traffic coming into ABQ. There was a lot of it, but it was so much more ‘civilized’ than what I got used to in Mexico! People actually signal and let you into their lane! 🙂

I was warmly greeted and invited to throw on a load of laundry (very much appreciated!). We had a beer, caught up, and debated what to do for dinner. The original plan was to grill on the BBQ, but the weather was looking iffy for that. The decision was made for me that I was getting taken out for sushi instead! Wow! Kelly is a new blog reader, but already knows the way to my heart! 😀

We went to a place called Shogun in the Nob Hill neighbourhood. Dinner was awesome. Kevin and I shared between us a crunchy roll (shrimp tempura with avocado), crab and octopus nigiri, an eel roll, and a huge order of sashimi (raw fish without rice). Everything was so fresh and tasty! Thank you so much! 🙂

We took the long way back to the car.

Nob Hill is my kind of neighbourhood; very walkable with lots of shops and restaurants.

Check out the old sign from when this mall was the only thing in the area for miles around!

So pretty!

I want! 😀

We got home and settled in for the evening. I folded by laundry, was shown how to use the coffeemaker, and was left to my own devices until the morning, rather like being home. I’m posting in bed the next morning while having my coffee. Kelly is going to take me around ABQ this morning before I head for Santa Fe. It’s been a wonderful stay. Thanks!

May 5, 2015 by Rae

Out and About in Truth or Consequences, NM (and the Geronimo Springs Museum)

Truth or Consequences is a tiny town. There really isn’t much here besides the hot springs. I am rather embarrassed to admit that I have no desire to explore the hot springs even though several people have briefed me on the various places to go have a soak.

So I’m really not disappointed that I only really had today to go out and explore, or that just about every restaurant and shop in town is closed on Mondays. I didn’t come here for tourism, but to work. If I had been in a more happening community, it would have been much harder for me to focus on work this past week. I did about eight days of work in five and I am exhausted, but now I can take a few days off this week without worrying about it. I am going to be very busy with work soon enough and have actually turned out work for today through Wednesday!

So Truth or Consequences is a spa town that used to be called Hot Springs. Its tourism industry hinged on the healing qualities of their water. In 1950, radio host Ralph Edwards announced a contest that he would do a show at the first town that changed its name to Truth or Consequences, the name of his program. Hot Springs won.

I read some really interesting info about the name change today, mostly that it was rather contested and the town was polarized about it. But it really sounds like it was a major win for the town because of all the free advertising Edwards’ program would bring. Plus, there are hot springs everywhere, but there is only one Truth or Consequences.
So that’s the very brief history of the town. I left home around 10:00 this morning and hit the visitors’ centre about two blocks away. The main core of T or C is very walkable.

The exterior of my apartment. There’s a bunch in a row and I have a corner unit.

The supermarket. Quite good for a town this size. Locals apparently prefer it to the Walmart. There was a good selection of international foods.

T or C’s original name was Hot Springs.

Downtown feels like walking through an episode of Mad Men.

These little medallions appear several times in the sidewalks.

Impressive flower cacti.

The lady at the visitors’ centre was friendly and helpful. She confirmed that the museum, hot springs, lunch, and visiting whatever boutiques were open were all there was to do today. She gave me a map and off I went to the museum.

In front of the museum.

The building is rather nondescript.

The post office is more impressive.

Water feature next to the museum.

Cute little bridge.

More of the water feature.

The Geronimo Springs Museum is the nearly ubiquitous small town museum, filled to bursting with local artifacts arranged as logically as possible. Admission on the website said $6, but it was just $5. Staff was very cold and unfriendly and so I have no idea why since they took my money and ignored me for the rest of my visit.

I spent a little over an hour in the museum, but could have stretched that out a bit more if I had read more of the historic documents presented. It’s a very good little museum and I learned a lot about the local history and colourful folk inhabiting the area, including the famed Apache warrior Geronimo. Here are some highlights:

The town voted to change its name.

Collection of brands used by local ranchers.

And the various types of barbed wires. I saw a wall like this in Tombstone.

Geronimo was rather short.

Heaps and heaps of beautiful pottery.

And loads of arrow heads.

Open the door and…

… step back in time.

The person sleeping in the top bunk is a nice touch.

The old miner.

Old tins of products we still use today.

Gorgeous… tabletop?

That’s how I would have likely dressed in the day. 🙂

Mammoth skull.

Mastodon skull.

This police officer was killed in 1999.

She was killed by a prisoner she was transporting.

There was an exhibit about the Truth or Consequences radio show.

There were lots of pretty dresses on display.

I like this one. It has prints of newspaper articles on it.

Five cents for beer!

A ladies saddle designed for the rough trails of the area not suited to a side saddle.

Windmill outside.

The white pin is mine.

Most of the visitors are from the local area. There were separate maps for the rest of the world and I’m pretty sure every major country was represented!

Rear of the downtown library.

So beautiful!

More ho-hum front of the library.

This car fit right in.

Another impressive cactus.

I’m definitely in the southwest!

Old pickup not hitched to the Airstream.

Old Ford hitched to the trailer.

It was too early for lunch when I came out, so I went back home to research restaurant options since the most appealing place, serving Asian-fusion (!), that was recommended by the visitors’ centre lady was was closed. I went back out about an hour later and decided to try the downtown burger joint, A&B, since reviews for their burgers were really good. It wound up being a rather disappointing and expensive meal at $7.42 for a cheeseburger, fries, and drink combo. The burger was okay, with a good bun, but I prefer the meat to be seasoned a bit and this was just a ground beef topped with lettuce, tomato, mustard, and pickles. Very juicy, though, I’ll give it that. The fries were disappointing. For my beverage, I rediscovered the wonderful U.S. offering of real brewed non-sweetened iced tea.

After lunch, I walked down Broadway and window shopped. There were so many cute little vintage and antique shops I would have liked to stop in, but, alas, they were shut tight. Then, I saw an oasis in the desert, the Moon Goddess shop, with its door open, so I went in. Aaaaah. My kind of shop, New Agey and smelling of patchouli and full of treasures. I was there for ages, going through all the racks when I realised that prices were reasonable! Unfortunately, there was almost nothing in my size, but I did get a really good deal on a long black skirt, so my digging wasn’t for naught.

The owner and I had a nice chat about the quirks of small towns and she was surprised when I told her that Mondays are a very common day off in all sizes of communities because so many places are now open on Sundays. She rang and packaged up my skirt and off I went home.

I’m tired and still fighting a cold, so I hope that this post doesn’t sound like I have any negative feelings about T or C. Museum people notwithstanding, the folks here are really friendly and it’s a lovely little community with all the services, much like Assiniboia. I’m really glad that I stopped in.

May 2, 2015 by Rae

Cozy

It’s rather funny, but my quirky little Truth or Consequences apartment feels more like home to me than the Isla apartment ever did.

The Isla apartment is huge and so cold with all that beige tile and those white walls. There is also no comfortable place to sit.

What a luxury it was this evening to do what I do in Miranda — shut the computer, grab the iPad, and curl up in a comfy chair with a few episodes of something on the iPad while a door was left open to let in the cool evening air. And that was after making a fabulous dinner that included roasting the meat in the oven.

I also love the warm wood floor in here. It’s convinced me that even if I can’t save the cabin’s original floor, I want real wood planks as my permanent flooring, not laminate.

I didn’t put any money into the Isla apartment this winter because there simply wasn’t any until it was much too late in the winter to do so. For next winter, I firmly plan to have enough in the kitty to get a decent armchair if the landlady hasn’t provided something, and I’ll be sure to bring back down my two lovely blankets that added some much needed colour to the space.

It’s been four full days here and I only have two left. How fast time flies! I’m working hard again tomorrow, but hope to get out Monday afternoon to see a little of T or C. There’s a museum within walking distance, so I’ll definitely do that. The admission price of $6 will put me in the poor house, but I have to keep you blog readers entertained, so I’ll sacrifice (*tongue firmly in cheek*).

May 1, 2015 by Rae

Typing

Work is a little out of hand this week, but needs to be done! I’m enjoying my Truth or Consequences apartment very much, especially the comfy bed in a dark and quiet room, as well as the kitchen. The weather has been beautiful, but I haven’t gotten out at all except to the grocery store across the street. This is simply not a tourism stop.

On top of my regular workload, I have to do all the bookkeeping to close April and start May. It’s especially important for me to keep on top of the budget when I have expenses straddling two months and I’m not entering transactions daily. I’ve gotten used to dealing with the three different currencies, but the addition of US cash is giving me a little more work. I may change my mind and just go back to using the credit card for everything and entering estimated totals until the transactions are posted to my account.

I came in right on budget for April, with about 30CAD to spare! This is a far cry from my last couple of months in Mexico where I usually ended with several hundred dollars to spare, but considering all the extra expenses I had this past month (not counting the truck, which came in within its own budget), I’m just glad to still be in the black!

I should perhaps point out that this is not the balance in my chequing account. I use a zero-sum budgeting approach where my budget resets to zero every month, I can only spend the money I earned for that month, and anything not spent at the end goes into the emergency fund. So this means is that I didn’t have to dip into the emergency fund this month and I put $30 into it. Every little bit helps. 🙂

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A Life By Design

"Sometimes in life, we reach to a right place by departing from a wrong port with a wrong ship!" ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

Month: May 2015

Nickel Tour of Albuquerque

Truth or Consequences to Albuquerque (with a Fort Craig side trip)

Out and About in Truth or Consequences, NM (and the Geronimo Springs Museum)

Cozy

Typing