Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Mountain Fix

I got my mountain "fix" via a little trip to NM. Toby took off a couple of days and we headed to Angel Fire, NM where we stayed with friends, Jo and Gene. Jo is my art/blog buddy - last year we went to Eureka Springs for an art workshop together. We decided then that we should get together every year to paint while the guys rode their bike/trikes. This summer they had rented a nice house just off the golf course in AF. Since they had lots of room, we bummed a bed. But we got lots more than that. We had several great meals, live entertainment, and lots of visiting and painting. On Saturday Jo and I painted at the little lake while Toby and Gene did their own thang. This was the view I painted. The guys came by to check on us, but moved on to the ride the ski lift. That night we drove over to Taos to eat Mexican food at Orlando's. We got to sit outside on a beautiful evening and enjoy good food.
Then we moved on to the Taos Brewery out on the mesa next door to the old Sanco offices (where Toby used to work) to hear Suzy Bogguss. With the sun setting on the mountains, it made for a beautiful backdrop. I like this photo with Gene looking like El Patron. The night got rather chilly, but we hung in there to hear Suzy. I stole some of these photos from Jo - didn't she do well?

On Sunday morning we fixed a breakfast of eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and green chilies that we had bought in Taos (fresh roasted). It was wonderful. Later Jo and I walked a little ways from her house to do more plein aire painting. We painted rocks. Two of my painting weaknesses are rocks and water - and that is what we painted while in NM. It was good to paint - especially with Jo. Jo and I were walking around looking for the best view to paint when I said, "If we paint down here, we won't have to lug all our stuff up the hill." She answered, "You are my kind of painter." That is how it is with us - we may not know each other well, but we seem to have the same attitude about a lot of things. Like spirits. Sisters.

Sunday night we went to Red River to meet up with my cousins at Sundance. I love eating there and visiting with old friends - and I saw quite a few old friends while we were there. It was a good time visiting with the cousins, but the food was not as great as usual. Still, I managed to stuff myself.

Monday morning, Toby and I went for a little walk around the neighborhood in AF to walk off some of our big meals. There are some beautiful homes in AF and it was fun to pick out the one we liked the best. The cool mountain air was perfect. I soaked in as much as possible for the trip back to the flat lands and Oklahoma heat. Jo and Gene fed us some carne adovada with our eggs and green chilie before we headed home.

The trip home was nice with a little rain here and there to keep things cooled down. I took pictures of Black Lake and Ocate - hopefully to do more painting. We stopped in Amarillo for supper and then made it to Wichita Falls to pick up my dog at Mom's. We were home by 10:30 PM. It was a long day of driving, but we had one more day of vacation to recover. Toby ended up working a bit, but we just took it easy.

Next week we are tearing up the old part of the house to do some remodeling. It will be a mess for a while, but it should improve the looks and feel of the old house. Some day we will finish all that is needed on this house. Someday.

4 comments:

Stefan said...

Well shoot, I had an autographed CD from Suzy but it is missing now (grr). I sure like the look of that high water! Won't be long before snow... I bet you wish those trees would grow in okie-land :-)

Bag Blog said...

Right now I wish it were the same temperature in OK as it is in NM.

Jo Castillo said...

Boy am I behind. We have had family here and the internet has really been dragging. I know, so many excuses. We thoroughly enjoyed your visit. We need to find another opportunity in the spring maybe...... It is sooooo good to see you guys. We can never talk fast enough. The painting is good for me and the company especially good for Gene, but both of us. They are off up on the ski lift today. It is only open Fri, Sat, Sun now. I have the internet to myself so seems to be working a bit better. Ha. Hugs.

Bag Blog said...

Toby mentioned that he thought renting a house in Angle Fire for a couple of weeks would sure be nice next summer. I won't complain.