Category: New Mexico

November 17, 2015

What the… It’s snowing here in Albuquerque! (Don’t tell the sandhill cranes.)

Snow on Albuquerque's Sandia Mountains! Our tiny bit over here on the west side of town melted early this morning. — Snow on Albuquerque’s Sandia Mountains! Our tiny bit over here on the west side of town melted early this morning.

So, we move from Massachusetts to New Mexico for the weather. At least that was one reason. Today (tomorrow by the time I post this) it was 60 degrees back home in Franklin. And the sun was shining. In Albuquerque it started out at about 46 and went downhill from there. It’s 33 now. Rain and then, yes, then snow. Sure, it was only showers and it melted off the fake grass pretty quickly, but still. Damn El Niño.

Meet Leah the Red Tailed Hawk. She was absolutely magnificent. — Meet Leah the Red Tailed Hawk. We did. She’s not a sandhill crane, but she was absolutely magnificent. After a rescue, she couldn’t be released back into the wild because she’d lost an eye.

Saturday, though, like most here, was a beautiful fall day. The trees have been changing, the sky’s a deep blue, and the sandhill cranes have returned to their winter playground. Tom and I headed off to Albuquerque’s Open Space Visitor Center – just down the road from our new house! – to attend the Return of the Sandhill Crane Celebration. There were presentations, talks, viewings and…art!

I knew they had gallery space at the visitor center, but I hadn’t realized that there were fiber artists represented in the current exhibit. It’s called “PARCH” and promo materials described the show as:

…through fiber, ceramic, and paint, six local artists masterfully express their unique relationship with water in the desert.

“Fracture,” a quilt by Betty Busby was on display at the PARCH art exhibit in Albuquerque. One word: intricacy. Okay, and fabulous too.

Betty Busby is a quilt artist who had two pieces in the exhibit. Even Tom was moved by the detail and the work involved not to mention the representations themselves.

Joshua Willis’s “Blue Circle” also appeared in the PARCH show.

Joshua Willis was another artist with work in the gallery.

Unfortunately, the sandhill cranes were no-shows while Tom and I were visiting the center. We did manage to visit with experts on the birds which was good as I learned that the bird the dog and I had been hearing on our morning walks in the Bosque (forest along the Rio Grande) was none other than a…sandhill crane!

(YouTube video by Jazzrobn in Florida. Her dog Dallas makes an appearance at the end. Refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbn8yIq7_LM.)

Clearly, it’s got a distinctive call. In fact, the guy told me – and I’m dating myself and him here – that they used the crane’s call on the old 1960’s Johnny Quest cartoon to stand in for a pterodactyl’s cry. And believe you me, it sounds like a dinosaur.

Carving at Albuquerque's Open Space Visitor Center. — Carving at Albuquerque’s Open Space Visitor Center.

But we saw other things. Check out the carving in one of the outdoor spaces. Unfortunately, I couldn’t determine the artist.

It was another great day in our newly adopted city where there are plenty of art and critters to be seen most every day. There’s certainly no lack of inspiration for hooking, painting, writing, or whatever art anyone might be practicing.One of my goals in moving here is to get my ass out the door to explore everything the area has to offer especially now that I have some time.

Raising a family, working full-time always makes it hard to visit and easy to overlook the special attractions and places in one’s community. Do you go out of your way to see these things? Where do you find your inspirations? What’s your “sandhill crane,” as it were?

October 14, 2015

Summer’s last gasp…

Fall in the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s been feeling like summer.

The past week we’ve been eating out on the patio every night; it’s been that warm here in Albuquerque. Mid- to high- 80s. Lots of sun. And while I’ve felt a little left out of the New England autumnal loop – you know, turning leaves, sweater weather, stoking the fire-pit – I can’t say that I’m regretting this uncharacteristically lingering summer one bit. But it’s all about to change. Friday’s the day, apparently, that some rains come, and the temperature drops that 15 or so degrees that nature eventually demands.

Our loving room looking out to the backyard. Eventually we'll get things on the walls and such, once we take and inventory and see what'll work in this style of house. Till then we're pretty comfy, though. — Our living room looking out to the backyard. Eventually we’ll get things on the walls and such, once we take and inventory and see what’ll work in this style of house. Till then we’re happy to be comfy and settling in.

I’m good with that too. It’ll keep me in the house more, allow me to do some writing, start looking at the job situation here in town. Not that we haven’t been busy. Finally, I can say that most of the boxes have been emptied, and many of their contents have found a place in our new home. We have fully functional kitchens and bathrooms, something that’s an imperative to me. We’ve even managed to lay in some of my favorite seasonal decor: pumpkins!

There's even a cute, little patio perfect for sharing a bottle of wine. Looking for a fire-pit now. — There’s even a cute, little patio perfect for sharing a bottle of wine. We’re looking for a fire-pit now.

The neighborhood’s rather quiet, but a potluck’s been planned for Sunday afternoon in our little park down the street. We’re looking forward to getting to know people, breaking bread and sharing a glass or two. Most important to me is getting the scoop about Halloween. How many kids can I expect to come to the door? Lord knows I can’t to run out of candy my first time out in a new community.

Imagine the views... — Imagine the views…

We’re really hoping to start limiting the trips to Target, Lowes, and all the other big box stores that become a home away from one’s new home when you move. The bank account can’t take it any more. And we’d really like to reclaim that time for fun and exploration. To that effect, we did take some time Saturday and headed with the kid and the dog to hike up in Santa Fe. It was good to get out and remember why we relocated.

Mixed media mat in the making. T-shirts, wool yarn, and some gossamer fabrics to come.

Last update: I am indeed in the midst of a new mat. I’ve included a pic. I’ve finally started pulling my stash out of boxes and trying to arrange it for maximum efficiency and workability. I have no studio or room that can be dedicated to all things hooking, but I do have one hell of a master closet which holds my clothing and, on some kick-ass, built-in shelves, the bulk of my yarns and fabrics. So, with a little more time and arranging, I’ll make it work.

So to all my east coast friends, enjoy your picture-perfect fall days and leaf-peeping. I do miss this quintessential New England season. In fact, send me your photos. I can look at them while bask in this glorious last gasp of summer in New Mexico.

Okay, it's a cactus, not a maple tree. But it's still something to look at. — Okay, it’s a cactus, not a maple tree. But it’s still something to look at.

October 1, 2015

Finally moving in…

Boxes unpacked, packed, and in between fill the office.

Sorry to post and run, but have a gander at our “office.” We closed on the new house a week ago today and started moving in Thursday. Saturday night we finally managed to get the beds up and found some sheets so we could sleep here.

It’s still a mess, but at least it’s our mess now.

Not that it hasn’t been fun. Check out what dropped in behind our house just this morning!

The things that fall out of the sky here in New Mexico... — The things that fall out of the sky here in New Mexico…

Saturday marks the start of Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque. During our morning walks, the dog and I have seen at least 15 balloons at a time dotting the sky. Every day more arrive from all over the world. We’re lucky; most fly close to the house, though not usually this close! More pics next week.

In the area? Make sure you stop by... — In the area? Make sure you stop by.

In the meantime, if you’re in the area anytime, stop by. As Tom Bodett of Motel 6 was fond of In saying, “We’ll leave the light on for you.” Maybe we’ll be done moving in too…

August 3, 2015

When you get what you wished for…

We made it. After logging about 2200 miles, the kid and I finally arrived in Albuquerque a few days ago. We killed a couple of nights in a cheap motel, did some touristy things, and got into the rental house late Saturday evening. Now we wait.

Home, sweet home in Albuquerque for a few months.

Tom’s still in Massachusetts, though not for long. The house closed today; the truck left with our belongings. Tom and the dog will head to my parents’ in Connecticut tonight, then begin their own long journey out here tomorrow. I bid them good weather and no traffic jams. Really, I can’t wait to see them.

As much as we’ve wished for these days to arrive (especially during last year’s endless winter), it’s been a tough couple of weeks: saying goodbye to family and friends; leaving everything we know, including the house; living out of suitcases; days in the car (particularly those few hundred miles slogging through the flat-lands of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas on a two-lane road); throwing out my back once we arrived…

The back yard. I'm given to understand that black widow spiders live under the deck and are plentiful in NM. Oh, my! — The back yard. I’m given to understand that black widow spiders live under the deck and are plentiful in NM. Oh, my!

But I knew these would be trying times, no matter how much we wanted them. Until we find a house to make into our new home, until we make friends and integrate onto communities out here, we’ll be on edge. Change is good — we want to challenge ourselves to grow — but it’s stressful too. Do you realize that the cable TV in this house doesn’t include HGTV, the Food Network, or the Travel Channel? What will I do without House Hunters and the Property Brothers?!!? I suppose I’ll thank goodness for the things that don’t change: hooking; reading and writing; family; and even social media that keeps me in touch with all of you.

Stay tuned for more of the adventure…

Love this rag rug I discovered in my bedroom. The owners of the house both have art degrees. And very good taste.

July 20, 2015

Regrets, I have a few…

I move from a wonderful house, neighborhood, job, church, writing group, rug hooking guild in just four days. Across the country. It’s a planned move; I really have no excuse for my regrets, the things I intended to do, but never got around to making real. And that makes me sad.

Our home has sold. We'll miss her. — Our home has sold. We’ll miss her.

While I did make it to the beach this past weekend for a final farewell to the ocean (necessary when you’re moving from Massachusetts to the southwestern high desert), I didn’t manage to get down to Salty Brine Beach down in the little fishing port of Galilee, Rhode Island. If it sounds familiar and you’re not from around here, it’s because part of the beach blew up last week (no, they don’t know the exact cause yet and exploding beaches are not the norm around here, but the sunbathing lady will be okay). It’s a nice, little place to swim, but more importantly, George’s of Galilee, a fabulous restaurant right on the beach, has a sunny deck where one can sit and eat lobster and drink chardonnay while watching the boats and ferries go in and out. I never got that last lobster.
Despite the fact that I was in New Hampshire last August (and lots of times before that), I’ve never made it to the Dorr Mill Store. It’s my twill tape go-to. Have you seen all the colors they carry? And I’ve never made the pilgrimage to Halcyon in Maine where I get (also via mail) much of the rug yarn that I use. Thank God for the Internet on both accounts.
I planned on hitting up all the cultural activities and museums – especially those dealing with textiles like the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts – before I left. Little did I know how much work, the kid’s high school graduation, home repairs, selling the house, packing, and good-byes would take out of us. Damn, we were lucky if we even managed to watch television. Some evenings The Young and the Restless was as artsy as it got. (I love you, TIVO.)
While life’s been a series of “last times” and farewells these past weeks, there are people I would’ve liked to have seen, especially some I’ve only met through Facebook, but are nonetheless very dear to me. I hope you all know who you are. I’m truly sorry that we couldn’t meet face-to-face. Maybe one day in the future. Tom and I will still have family here in New England, and you are always welcome in Albuquerque.

Lastly, I regret that it took me so long to revamp this website and blog. Posts will undoubtedly be sporadic for a few weeks, but I’ll try to get something of the journey and the adventure up to share. Feel free to check High on Hooking’s Facebook page for updates too. Prayers for safe travels are always appreciated. I’ll see you on the other side of the country. Next stop: New Mexico!