The Land of Enchantment

Kate and I drove to Farmington for a two and a half-day stay with my parents over Easter. It was well worth the drive and the weather was perfect for driving the 285 route to Farmington. Here are some photos from the trip. Above we have Shiprock, near, not surprisingly, Shiprock, NM, which is a bit west of Farmington. It's beautiful and it reminds me a lot of Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

This is part of a ridge (naturally formed) that stands like a wall aimed right at Shiprock.

On our hike I picked up a horned toad once I actually caught the guy. He was fast and hid in thorny plants that I sort of had to hit and kick to get the toad to run out.

My mom found this guy and he wasn't budging...we thought he was hibernating still.

I just felt like taking a couple pictures of my parents' bookcase, which they've had for most of my life. Its shelves are always home to some very familiar, worn books, photos, and small houses. Nate and Brooke are pictured here.

Also on the bookshelves: a collection of dice, marbles, and an old Tonka truck.

Blueberry lemon coffee cake from mom's kitchen. Amazing.

P-squared Posse after Easter service.

Driving home now. The next three pictures are of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. They were stunning on this day.

Christmas 2004 - 2010

Merry Christmas! I was thinking, how far back do my digital photos of Christmas go? And I found out, they go back to 2004. So, as I sit here waiting for family to arrive and for my wife to get home from work, I put together a short sequence of a picture from each Christmas since then.

2004: Phoenix, AZ. Pictured here with my cousins Daniel, Brian, Jacque, and my sister, Megan.

2005: Longmont, CO. The trees we could fit in that corner of that room were rocking. It was a fabulous room for many things, but on Christmas morning it was the best.

2006: Longmont, CO. Here with dad and Megan. I had to include a picture of the Christmas blizzard of 2006. Longmont got 20 inches. 

2007: Oak Creek, WI. Our first Christmas after getting married. The snowiest year on record in Milwaukee welcomed us to Wisconsin that year. We got over 112 inches of snow that winter.

2008: Oak Creek and Burlington, WI. Like the year before, the Bradleys visited and brought all of their dogs. Kate is here with Molly on her lap and Max on the floor. And this is about the time I discovered our then camera was busted. Notice the blurriness at the corners.

2009: Farmington, NM. We joined my parents in Farmington for their first Christmas there. It was an unforgettable and tough Christmas after all the crap and abuse they had been subjected to over that last year, but we did our best and we had an awesome time seeing their new home and experiencing their new life in New Mexico. 

2010: Denver, CO. This was our first Christmas spent by ourselves. It wasn't as depressing as we had thought it would be. Actually, we quite enjoyed it, knowing that in a couple days the Bradleys would join us for the New Year's celebration. We relaxed, took a long walk outside (it was in the 50s), and cooked a bomb meal. 

Farmington, The Last Frontier

My dad jokes that Farmington is the last frontier. After learning that even Greyhound is discontinuing service to Farmington, that there are no emissions tests required for cars in New Mexico, and after seeing that it is customary to leave every car you have ever owned in your front yard like your own personal carhenge, it's hard to disagree with him. However, it does have its beauty, whether that's a beautiful sunset or an expansive junkyard or an 1100 -year-old city. Here are some pictures of the last frontier.

Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

A series of very short doorways for Hobbit-sized people. Apparently, even Chacoans had to duck some.

Turns out, walls start to bow and do what they feel like after standing for 401,500 days.

Vulture. Chaco Canyon.

Flying at sunset.

Clouds. Sunset. Farmington.

The last frontier and its expansive sky.

Fungus hanging on to a tree near Durango, CO.

Sunglasses and a Skoal can left in a car, which is part of this massive junkyard on the edge of town.

Broken windshield. Cars to horizon.

Ford Ranger. God Bless America sticker.

Even the school bus comes here to be picked apart over the years.

When you are all picked over, you become the ideal surface for paint swatches and paint balls.

A Slice of Life in Farmington, New Mexico

My mom was in Milwaukee over the weekend. We had a great time, dined on fantastic food and had a Miller Time yesterday during the Miller Brewery Tour. Anyway, my mom is a great person, always bringing me little treats and gifts when she comes out to visit. She brought us a new game, called Bananagrams. It's a blast. She also brought out a few coasters for my collection. She brought Kate a small, Caribbean blue vase. This is debatable, but I think the best thing she brought out was a clipping from the newspaper in Farmington, New Mexico. The following passages are copied verbatim from The Daily Times, with the headlines first, and I must preface this hilarity with a longstanding opinion held by myself and many close to me, that the Olive Garden sucks. It isn't genuine Italian food. It isn't good. If a friend takes you to the Olive Garden on your birthday, or, for that matter, on any other day, that friend is no longer a friend. Olive Garden is the place for break-ups, not get togethers. The anomaly, which most people obviously don't grasp, is that they can make better Italian food at home with a box of pasta and a jar of Newman's Own Sockarooni Pasta Sauce and some freshly grated parmesan. But perhaps I am the naive one here for thinking pasta is something everyone can cook. I digress, to the breaking news:

The Wait Is Over

Olive Garden opening greeted by hundreds of hungry patrons

After years of anticipation, the wait is finally over and Olive Garden is open in Farmington.

The Italian restaurant opened on Memorial Day to hundreds of diners eager to enjoy the first dishes that Olive Garden General Manager, E------ L-------, and his staff could send out.

...

We want to make sure that the Olive Garden is a great place for families to come and get a genuine Italian dining experience.

Lining up at the front doors two hours before they opened at 4 p.m.....

....arrived in Farmington at 9:30 a.m. to see if they could get lunch, but were forced to drive around town for hours before joining the line...

Simultaneously, one of the funniest and most depressing few paragraphs I have read in a long time. The article in its entirety must not be missed. Follow this link.

New Mexico Bowl

Wyoming is on ESPN right now. They finished 6-6 this season and were lucky to get a bowl game. They are playing Fresno State, who is favored by 14-17 points, but nonetheless, the Cowboys are up 7-0 in the 1st. Wyoming isn't on national television all that much, so, I thought it was worth blogging about.

I promise more blogs in 2010. College applications are still taking up a lot of time even though my essay is done. I sent the first two complete apps out last week. Eight more to go. I hope to get some more in the mail before Kate and I leave for New Mexico on Tuesday. We will be there through Christmas. We can't wait to relax, spend time with my parents, and to see their new home.

Merry Christmas!