Sand, Mountains & Dust Devils, Oh My!

My  mamacita, sister and niece all came for a visit last week for the first time.  They came from three states, IL, IN, and MI.  We went to Mesilla, the Farmer's Market and one final big day trip to White Sands National Monument and Cloudcroft.  I have done this several times before and I should know by now that you really can't do both places in much less than 7-8 hours but I love it and highly recommend it.

We left my house about 7:30 a.m. and headed over San Augustine Pass which is how you drive over the Organ Mountains on Rte. 70 going east from Las Cruces.  The elevation is 5700 feet.  We stopped at the Aguirre Springs campground entrance to take some pictures of the east side of the Organs.  There was a recent fire there as you will notice in the above pictures.

On to White Sands:  we had to go through the border patrol right before we got to White Sands National Monument.  The border patrol personnel have to ask everyone if they are a citizen of the United States.  They believed us when we said yes and waved us on.  We arrived at White Sands and went to the gift shop.  The museum is under renovation and will be finished by August.  They have a wonderful gift shop so we spent about 30 minutes perusing jewelry, pottery, weaving, T-shirts, salsas, etc.  Then we went on the drive through White Sands.  At times you feel like you are driving through snow laden streets because it is nothing but white road and white dunes on both sides.  But various plants manage to grow out of the dunes.  There are several trails into the sands but we didn't choose to do them since my almost 85 year old mother would not be able to handle it.  However, my niece did sled down a dune several times in a dish style sled.  I will definitely try this next time I go there.  Here are some pictures:

After leaving White Sands it is about another 40 minute drive to Cloudcroft where they say you leave your stress behind at 9000 feet.  You start out in desert terrain and as you ascend you go through pinon pines then lodgepole and finally ponderosa pines as you wind around the mountain.  Cloudcroft is an adorable little western town with a lot of history.  There are some great shops and a few eating establishments on Burro Ave.  Unfortunately, there was a recent fire, I think at the beginning of 2011, that burned down several stores, including my favorite, The Copper Butterfly.  They are getting ready to rebuild and despite the loss of a few stores, we still had plenty of places to browse.  We ate at the Western Bar and Cafe which has great atmosphere and food.  I think the server said it was first built around 1915 and has been re-built several times.  The bar always has some interesting locals around as well as tourists.  I had the Chile con Queso burger which was absolutely fantastic.  My sister had a burger as well and she said that she thought that the burgers looked like the kind that you actually pat together with your own two hands.  My mom was thrilled to have some fried okra as well.  After lunch and some shops, we drove a short distance to The Lodge.  This is a historic hotel with a bar purchased from Al Capone's estate, a resident ghost named Rebecca, a spa, golf course, restaurant, and a couple of nice shops.  People who have stayed there say it is very relaxing.  Quite a few well known people have stayed there including Judy Garland and Clark Gable.  They carved their names into the wall at the top of the lookout tower in the hotel.  When you make the climb up the stairs to the lookout tower you are rewarded with a view of the Tularosa Basin which includes White Sands in the distance.  The hotel has a lot of old world and western charm.  They also have a great Sunday brunch which includes mimosas or champagne.    Here are a few pictures of the hotel and view from the lookout tower.

My niece and I made the climb up the stairs to see the views.  Our calves burned on the way up and our thighs burned on the way down!

We headed back down the mountain and stopped at McGinn's Pistachio Store at the bottom.  We tried all kinds of pistachio and pecan treats, green chile pistachio brittle, ranch pistachios, white chocolate covered pecans; you get the picture.
On the way back to Las Cruces as we were driving across the flat basin where White Sands and the White Sands Missile Range are located, we saw the most well formed dust devil I have ever experienced.  I wish we could have gotten a picture but it didn't work out.  We watched it in the distance as we were driving west for quite a while.  It looked to be about 25-30 feet high and it was a perfect straight up and down cylinder/ pipe shape.  It looked like a little cyclone.  There were several others but this one definitely was the best.
When we returned home, we were all pretty worn out and back to the intense heat of at least 100 degrees after being in 84 degree heat in Cloudcroft.  However, we were rewarded with a few clouds over the Organ Mountains for the first time since I arrived 12 days before.  I hope that is a good sign that monsoon season is on the way for the Southwest.

Farmer's Market Finds

The Las Cruces Farmer's Market is held on the downtown mall every Wednesday and Saturday.  On Saturdays there are over 200 vendors.  You will find everything from fine art, crafts, baked goods, fresh fruits, vegetables,  and nuts to dogs from the rescue shelter.  There are musicians performing and artists drawing with chalk on the street.  Everyone is very friendly, informative about their wares, and the area. In addition, the downtown mall has a few shops, restaurants and the historic Rio Grande Theatre.

This summer one of the art teachers from the local community college and his students are creating a mosaic at the entrance to the mall area which is only open to pedestrians.

I went to the Farmer's Market every Wed. and Sat. while I was in Las Cruces staying at my home and I also took all my visitors with me.  We bought jewelry, photographs, baked potato microwave bags, fresh bread, biscochos,
vegetables, neck coolers, nightlights and candle holders made of tin cans, and jalapeno cookers!  It was a blast.

 Biscochos are a traditional New Mexican cookie with a very "short" (like shortbread/pastry) texture and coated with sugar and cinnamon.  They are absolutely delicious!
We made some jalapeno poppers with the special popper cooker that Patty purchased.  We put bacon bits and gouda inside and they were wonderful.  I can't wait to go back for more the next time I visit!

Dinner at La Posta de Mesilla, Moon & Sun

My girlfriend Patty and I took pictures of each other at this famous Mexican restaurant our first night out.  When we got home we were treated to a beautiful orange moon in the sky. The moon was rising over the Organ Mountains to the east which is the direction that the back patio faces in my home.  The front of our home faces west and the sun was looking especially beautiful the next day.  Unfortunately, I think it was because of all of the fires going on in Arizona and New Mexico.

Belated photos from road trip

I finally got back home to Illinois after over two weeks in Las Cruces.  I am posting some photos from the second day of our drive.  These were taken with my ipad after we got off of interstate 40 in New Mexico at Santa Rosa.  From that point we were driving on mostly two lane roads through land inhabited mostly by cows.  The last two photos are at the Inn of the Mountain Gods lake and golf course outside of Ruidoso.  Notice the beautiful mountain peak in the distance.

More shopping discoveries and good eats and drinks

On Friday, June 17, we headed south to El Paso, Texas. First we went to The Shoppes at El Paso, a very nice shopping outlet on the western side of ELP. We only spent an hour there because we were on a mission to find a shopping area that we had discovered by accident the year before. La Placitas is group of adorable stores from jewelry to antiques with a wonderful, lunch restaurant nestled in the midst of all of them called The Magic Pan. It is not a crepe restaurant like the one of the same title we used to have in STL. They had a huge selection of sandwiches, soups, and salads and a fantastic gift shop in the same building with lots of stuff that women just love. We both bought the neatest purse organizers I have ever seen. I also bought a very nice black scarf wrap. I don't usually have much interest in antiques but I found the sweetest shadow box made out of a rusty metal in the shape of a church with a cross in the middle and bell towers on the sides. It has a mirror inside and a glass door that still opens with a little latch. 12 bucks! It looks perfect in the nicho on my buffet with a wine decanter and large wooden rosary. That is what I call designing on a dime.
On Friday evening we went to dinner at the St. Clair. Winery and Bistro. The St. Clair Winery is a local winery that is very successful. The main winery is in Deming,NM which is an hour west of Las Cruces. The restaurant has great food and our server was very knowledgable about wine and brought us a few tastes to help use decide what bottle to purchase with our dinner. We chose a Pinot grigio. I had salmon with a special sauce named after the owner's deceased wife, I believe it was Dianna. It had a nice bite to it. We sat outside on the patio and during dinner we kept hearing music from across the street. So after dinner, we decided to check it out. The music was coming from Meson De Mesilla, a bed and breakfast, restaurant, and rooftop bar establishment that has opened and closed numerous times since we started coming to Las Cruces. The owner is a lady who also happens to be a jazz and standards singer. Unfortunately, they had just finished for the evening at 10:00 and were closing but it looked like a nice place. So we headed home and had another drink on the patio before calling it a night.

Shopping, eating, shopping, eating

The next few days are a blur of the title above. On Thursday,June 16th, we went to Old Mesilla, which is one of the most charming places in New Mexico IMHO. We circled [or maybe I should say squared] the entire plaza and beyond, marveling at the merchandise and doing some damage.if my girlfriend said it once, she said it 100 times, "that would look great in your house". But you don't have to be from the Southwest to find plenty of wonderful things to buy in Mesilla or anywhere else in NM. There are so many beautiful items, jewelry of course, home decor, wine lover gifts, pecan and pistachio treats, and the usual Southwestern arts, crafts, and touristy items. We had lunch at Peppers, a lovely restaurant that is adjacent to the Double Eagle. The Double Eagle is known for steaks and has a very old western but elegant decor with a bar that originally belonged to Al Capone. The bar is worth a visit even if you are not hungry. Peppers is more casual and the main room is full of tropical plants in a greenhouse setting surrounding a beautiful fountain. We split a green chile cheeseburger which was delicious. However, the lunch really slowed us down on our shopping since we became tired and it was so hot outside. After we rallied through a few more shops, we called it a day.
On Thursday evening we made dinner at the house. We had pan fried Barramundi, a fresh greens salad with blood orange vinaigrette, and ciabatta bread in olive oil with Italian dipping herbs. The whole meal was a result of our trip to the Farmers Market on Wednesday and the local Albertsons grocery store. We tried to get sea bass at the fresh fish counter but they didn'nt have any and the guy working there suggested Barramundi as a good substitute. So being the risk takers we are, we bought a couple of filets. It was one of the best fish dishes we have ever had. We made a lime butter sauce with shallots and white wine from a recipe I had saved out of Redbook magazine. That is definitely a keeper! We also washed it all done with plenty of wine while enjoying the beautiful Organ Mountains and an orange full moon. Awesome day and there are more to come.

Too busy to blog

The past wee has been a whirlwind but I will start trying to catch up. Another issue I have been dealing with is getting a good wifi connection from my neighbor so I can use the Internet.

Our second day of travel went smoothly and we even took a side trip to Ruidoso, NM enroute to my home. We stopped in the downtown area and shared some steak tacos at a local eatery then went to a few shops before heading out of town. Ruidoso is in the mountains and is very popular for skiing and hiking, fishing, etc. I have heard that a lot of Texans go there. On the way out of town we stopped at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, which is a resort owned by the Mescalero Apache tribe. The resort is a beautiful lodge on a turquoise lake with a golf course, casino and restaurants. We also noticed they had hunting as well.

We arrived at my home around 4:00 and immediately headed to the Comcast office in town to get my DVR box so I could set up cable. After. We unloaded the car we ordered carryout chicken roasted potatoes, Greek salad and baklava from a local Greek restaurant. We spent the rest of the evening getting unpacked and relaxing with some wine.

On Wednesday we stayed at the house all day waiting for my living room furniture to be delivered. It arrived by around 11:00 so after that we spent the afternoon decorating with items that I brought from our other home. My friend is a wonderfully creative person and she staged the whole place by the end of the day. Unfortunately, I have not figured out a way to post pictures from my IPad onto this blog so my blogs will be photo-less for the time being.

Oh, I almost forgot, on Wednesday morning beforee the furniture delivery, we went to the farmer's market in downtown Las Cruces which is held on Wed. And Sat. mornings. The were only about 20 vendors there but it was an enticing preview of the 230 vendors who would be there Saturday. We were able to pick up a few fresh herbs and lettuces.

On Wednesday evening we went to La Posta de Mesilla which is probably the most well known Mexican restaurant in town. Everyone goes there who visits Las Cruces. My friend had chiles re Lenox and I had a combination plante of a chile re Leno and enchilada. And of course we each had a margarita! The restaurant has tropical birds in the waiting area and they are quite entertaining. We planned to return to Mesilla, which is a historical town with a plaza, basilica church, shops, and restaurants and is adjacent to Las Cruces. I never make a trip here without going there several times.

More on that in my next blog. Hasta Mañana!

On the road again to New Mexico

My girlfriend and I hit the road at 6:00 am this morning: destination Las Cruces, NM. The drive from the St. Louis area departure point is 17-18 hrs. In the first 2-3 hrs. we avoided a deer that ran out in front of us on the interstate (not to worry, I spotted her way in advance), and two thunderstorms. We saw a HUGE lightening strike that looked like it reached the ground. We also drove through Joplin, MO, site of the recent tornado that devastated a large area of the city. We did see some unbelieveable damage right along interstate 44.

We think we accidentally went through a tollway pay area, we drove in the pass through lane by accident. No one came after us but I expect to get a pay notice in the mail if I can't figure out how to go on line and see what to do about it. We decided to call ourselves the rogues of the road after that episode. We stopped a total of four times, two of which were at Panera. We stopped around 6:45 at a hotel in Amarillo, TX for the night and we are currently enjoying a pizza while surfing the net on our respective devices and watching TV. Tomorrow we should arrive at my home in Las Cruces by early afternoon.

Over and out to the Land of Nod shortly.

Back to the Land of Enchantment

I have not posted for well over a year.  Since that time our dream retirement home has been completed and I just retired as of June 1st, 2011.  I was diagnosed with cancer in January of 2010 and between that, finishing building a home that was 1200 miles away and working full-time as a department chair and faculty at a community college, I just didn't have time to blog!!!!  Go figure.
All is well now and I am about to enjoy a summer of staying for 5-6 weeks in our home in Las Cruces as well as traveling to California for a week of wine tasting, eating, and shopping.  I will return to Illinois for a wedding, a weekend of boating with friends and my future daughter-in- law's wedding shower.  Whew!
Our home in NM turned out wonderfully and we have been taking trips from Illinois to Las Cruces as often as possible and working on furnishing our home. We have a master suite that is mostly furnished, and two guest bedrooms, one of which is furnished. We also have four barstools so we can sit at the kitchen counter to eat or we can eat out on the patio on our cheap patio set (the white plastic kind).  Rome wasn't built in a day after all.

On Monday, a girlfriend and I are driving out to the house in NM in my car so I will have transportation when I am there all summer between trips home and elsewhere. I purchased an iPad2 in order to communicate with my husband, family and friends and hopefully start blogging again.

More later.....