Alarm.
Snooze.
Repeat.
And back on the road for warmer climbs.
Got to see the living battle of Trees versus Desert.
The trees lost.
Plains gave way to towering snow capped mountains.
Had a surreal stop for gas in Santa Fe. Did not announce my presence in the town, and made a quick in - quick out maneuver. A little strange all the same, being back to that place.
On to ABQ.
Picked Erica up, skates and all, at the local Derby shop. Onto a quick pint of the black stuff then to Derby practice and scrimmage before the bout on Saturday.
Erica is feared on skates.....nuff said.
Derby in a cavernous Mexicano bar/club is yet another priceless image.
Onto my first bite of New Mexican cuisine in over a year and good conversations with the Derby folk. The food was great. Myself and green chile had been apart for too long.
Back to Erica's place for the Cure, adventures in air-matressing and good conversation about life, the universe and everything.
Cats, cats, and sleep......
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Day 5: Colorado Springs
Breakfast adventure with Elaine, Gabe and Mara trying to locate and enjoy Dunkin Donuts.
Doughnuts found, eaten, enjoyed.
Mara left to be on her own adventures back to L.A. (she'll have to fill in that one)
Lot's of time figuring out the next leg of the trip.
Lunch with Chris and Elaine.
Hang out time with Elaine and Gabe back at the Baca house.
Picked up Chris from work.
Back to the Baca house for good times with pasta, wine, mutually inflicted pain, wine, American Idol, wine, and a last hold of Gabriel.
Hotel, time to reflect on the amazing people I just had the pleasure to spend time with, and willing myself to continue with my journey.
Toss.....Turn......Sleep.......
Doughnuts found, eaten, enjoyed.
Mara left to be on her own adventures back to L.A. (she'll have to fill in that one)
Lot's of time figuring out the next leg of the trip.
Lunch with Chris and Elaine.
Hang out time with Elaine and Gabe back at the Baca house.
Picked up Chris from work.
Back to the Baca house for good times with pasta, wine, mutually inflicted pain, wine, American Idol, wine, and a last hold of Gabriel.
Hotel, time to reflect on the amazing people I just had the pleasure to spend time with, and willing myself to continue with my journey.
Toss.....Turn......Sleep.......
Day 4: Colorado Springs, CO
Breakfast/Lunch at Chipotle, complete with people watching.
Then over to the Baca House for some hang-out time with Elaine and Gabe.
Dinner with Chris and Mara at the local Hooters, included a tasty beer and hot dog.
Some more hang-out time.
Hotel, pillow talk, cookies, sleep.........
Then over to the Baca House for some hang-out time with Elaine and Gabe.
Dinner with Chris and Mara at the local Hooters, included a tasty beer and hot dog.
Some more hang-out time.
Hotel, pillow talk, cookies, sleep.........
Day 3: Colorado Springs, CO
Awoke feeling great.......or was it.........no.........i'll remember it as feeling great.
Quick stop of the Baca house and then onto a local baseball game! A hat was bought, both to show pride and to hold off the radiation. 25 cent hot dogs, sunflower seeds, and some kind of mystical ice cream that came in many flavors, none of them actually tasting like ice-cream.
Our team won! Yes, I had to be told that. I was really trying to follow along.
Back to the Baca house for some family BBQ and video games......in which I got my ass handed to me.
Early back to the Hotel for Chris' first day of work.
Better pillow talk and cookies with Mara.
Sleep.....
Quick stop of the Baca house and then onto a local baseball game! A hat was bought, both to show pride and to hold off the radiation. 25 cent hot dogs, sunflower seeds, and some kind of mystical ice cream that came in many flavors, none of them actually tasting like ice-cream.
Our team won! Yes, I had to be told that. I was really trying to follow along.
Back to the Baca house for some family BBQ and video games......in which I got my ass handed to me.
Early back to the Hotel for Chris' first day of work.
Better pillow talk and cookies with Mara.
Sleep.....
Day 2: Rifle, CO - Colorado Springs, CO
Awoke and left my small house in Rifle behind me.
Drove through and over the rockies. Got out and touched the snow at the summit. 2 older folks laughed at me for getting out of my car at almost 11,000 ft with just a t-shirt. twas cold.
Made it to Colorado Springs, to the current house of the Baca's. Met my nephew.....
wow.
My world view was shifted perceptibly at that moment.
Held my nephew....
A little more of a shift.
Then crying and a diaper.
A lot more of a shift.
Met up with Mara, and adventures in rocking chairs as I introduced my fiends to the Cracker Barrel. Rocking chairs, thick food, and the "I'tiss".
Adventures in drinking and a sampler platter the size and weight of a small car at a local eatery.
Then Chris and I were onto a Bar/Jazz club for more drinks and an amazing first cigar experience. The band rocked, a CD was bought, more drinking, and mama Mara came and took us home.
An attempt at night conversation, then quick and complete sleep.......
Drove through and over the rockies. Got out and touched the snow at the summit. 2 older folks laughed at me for getting out of my car at almost 11,000 ft with just a t-shirt. twas cold.
Made it to Colorado Springs, to the current house of the Baca's. Met my nephew.....
wow.
My world view was shifted perceptibly at that moment.
Held my nephew....
A little more of a shift.
Then crying and a diaper.
A lot more of a shift.
Met up with Mara, and adventures in rocking chairs as I introduced my fiends to the Cracker Barrel. Rocking chairs, thick food, and the "I'tiss".
Adventures in drinking and a sampler platter the size and weight of a small car at a local eatery.
Then Chris and I were onto a Bar/Jazz club for more drinks and an amazing first cigar experience. The band rocked, a CD was bought, more drinking, and mama Mara came and took us home.
An attempt at night conversation, then quick and complete sleep.......
A moment of reflection...
after a week of travel.
No pictures uploaded yet, but i'll sum up thus far:
Day 1: Newbury Park, CA - Rifle, CO
Tried stopping for gas in Las Vegas, after telling myself specifically not to stop, for any reason, in Las Vegas. Worked out about as well as I had thought and was unable to get gas. To be fair, I stopped in way North Las Vegas, on the wrong side of the tracks as it were, and the only gas stations that I could find were cash only pay inside jobs. Not to friendly to receipt requests and california license plates.
Stopped for gas in a town just North of Vegas, which was populated by about 25-30 motorcycles and choppers (there is a difference) which turned to be manned by 25-30 very sunburned but ridiculously happy french men. Apparently it is a big deal to rent/but a bike and cruise route 66, and feel what it is to be a rough and tumble american. Basically priceless, but no videos were taken.
Stopped in Grand Junction to get a place to crash for the night. Instead found 3 booked up hotels, a county fair in the parking lot of the town mall, one angry and misunderstood 30 something, mustached, makeup wearing, country queen. Again, priceless.
Stopped in Parachute to get a place to crash for the night. 2 more booked up motels.
Stopped in Rifle to get a place to crash for the night. Got a room. Went to the room. Hair in the bathtub, towels on the ground, bed unmade, family size dorritos bag on the ground, and bud light cans overflowing out of the trash can.
Back to the desk and onto room #2. Door opens, dark room, both beds populated with sleeping folks. Like a ninja, was able to leave undetected.
Back to the desk. "the girl that worked this afternoon really screwed stuff up". Onto room #3. A family condo with 3 beds and an upstairs area with kitchen. Enormous King bed all for me. Cartoons, and sleep........
No pictures uploaded yet, but i'll sum up thus far:
Day 1: Newbury Park, CA - Rifle, CO
Tried stopping for gas in Las Vegas, after telling myself specifically not to stop, for any reason, in Las Vegas. Worked out about as well as I had thought and was unable to get gas. To be fair, I stopped in way North Las Vegas, on the wrong side of the tracks as it were, and the only gas stations that I could find were cash only pay inside jobs. Not to friendly to receipt requests and california license plates.
Stopped for gas in a town just North of Vegas, which was populated by about 25-30 motorcycles and choppers (there is a difference) which turned to be manned by 25-30 very sunburned but ridiculously happy french men. Apparently it is a big deal to rent/but a bike and cruise route 66, and feel what it is to be a rough and tumble american. Basically priceless, but no videos were taken.
Stopped in Grand Junction to get a place to crash for the night. Instead found 3 booked up hotels, a county fair in the parking lot of the town mall, one angry and misunderstood 30 something, mustached, makeup wearing, country queen. Again, priceless.
Stopped in Parachute to get a place to crash for the night. 2 more booked up motels.
Stopped in Rifle to get a place to crash for the night. Got a room. Went to the room. Hair in the bathtub, towels on the ground, bed unmade, family size dorritos bag on the ground, and bud light cans overflowing out of the trash can.
Back to the desk and onto room #2. Door opens, dark room, both beds populated with sleeping folks. Like a ninja, was able to leave undetected.
Back to the desk. "the girl that worked this afternoon really screwed stuff up". Onto room #3. A family condo with 3 beds and an upstairs area with kitchen. Enormous King bed all for me. Cartoons, and sleep........
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Crazy time...
Going through worldly belongs and weighing, "am I going to need/want this in the next 4 months???". Which is sorta silly, because if not, why do I even have the damn thing?
Arg, possessions suck.
How did I get this many books? When did that happen? And why can't I figure out which one's I will "need" in the nest 4 months.
What I really need is one'o them Marry Poppins Bags. I just carry around everything I will ever need in one little bag and take stuff out whenever I need it.
I posted some of my Holga photos on Flickr. I'm still trying to figure out the Camera and what it's limitations are, so any comments on the shots would be greatly appreciated.
and back to sorting.....
Arg, possessions suck.
How did I get this many books? When did that happen? And why can't I figure out which one's I will "need" in the nest 4 months.
What I really need is one'o them Marry Poppins Bags. I just carry around everything I will ever need in one little bag and take stuff out whenever I need it.
I posted some of my Holga photos on Flickr. I'm still trying to figure out the Camera and what it's limitations are, so any comments on the shots would be greatly appreciated.
and back to sorting.....
Monday, May 07, 2007
My Last Week...
in California, at least for a few months. It's always strange to stay in a place just long enough to start having a life; i.e. building friendships, establishing routines, and such, then having to leave it to start over again. I am very excited to start the new season at Santa Fe Opera, this year as a member of the staff. I'm just really going to miss all the relationships that have been rekindled over the past few months. It's crazy to think that I could have been somewhere on a cruise ship working away until june, having missed all the experiences of the last few months that I have come to really cherish.
Here's to breaking a leg, what has turned out to be the ultimate expression of routine breaking!
I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, seeing how it's very expensive and painful, but if you are as hard headed as I am, it's not a bad option.
I'm also unspeakably excited to go up to Colorado to visit 2 great friends who have just had a child. I was expecting myself to be less able to really get my head around a person i've known since high-school having a child, but it really feels right, on many levels. So seeing them will be great, then off to adventures in the New Mexican desert.
I predict: great food, good friends, professional freak-outs, emotional turmoil, margaritas, heat, rain, inspiring sunsets, great people, awful people, no-time, far too much time, earth, air, and light, light, light.
Here's to breaking a leg, what has turned out to be the ultimate expression of routine breaking!
I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, seeing how it's very expensive and painful, but if you are as hard headed as I am, it's not a bad option.
I'm also unspeakably excited to go up to Colorado to visit 2 great friends who have just had a child. I was expecting myself to be less able to really get my head around a person i've known since high-school having a child, but it really feels right, on many levels. So seeing them will be great, then off to adventures in the New Mexican desert.
I predict: great food, good friends, professional freak-outs, emotional turmoil, margaritas, heat, rain, inspiring sunsets, great people, awful people, no-time, far too much time, earth, air, and light, light, light.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
