No, of course, I won’t cry because it’s my birthday. But what I will do is keep this post brief. And write it up on Monday the 4th to post Tuesday. Because, peeps, I am très busy on my birthday. After a mimosabreakfast of champions, I’m off for a visit with the rheumatologist. Then I’ll meet friends for lunch after which we’ll head off to Edna Fergusson Library for an afternoon of hooking. Which is good, as I need to finish a piece that’s nowhere near done for Sunday’s Rail Yards Market here in Albuquerque. What the evening will bring is still up in the air, but Tom’s promised to get me gluten free carrot cake from Flying Star. This excites me to no end as I haven’t had cake on my birthday in years. Oh, and there will be wine. Good wine.
Happy birthday to me! What might your birthday traditions include? I’m always looking for new ways to celebrate…anything!
Tynan brings you not just one rug, but two! Yes, there are two rugs on the two frames. The Anderson holds the BIG Boucherouite which is on the l-o-n-g plan. Ty’s keeping his paws on the one that needs to be done for Sunday’s Rail Yard Market. (That might require a little miracle.) Come visit us there. Mention this blog post and get 10% of a rug!
The grapes at Casa Rodena were not going to pick themselves!
Sunday Tom and I tried something new: picking grapes destined to be bottled up as wine by Casa Rodeña right here in Albuquerque. The winery offers an interesting list of “extra curriculars” to members and the public, things like yoga and Pilates in the barrel house, french lessons, even networking for professionals (folks with jobs, not wine-drinking pros).
Only one bucket-full into the day. Still looking and even feeling pretty good. But there were another 3 1/2 hours to go.
Earlier in the month, I’d received an email inviting us (and anyone else on the mailing list) to pick grapes on the property and then enjoy a meal and wine. Sounded good to both of us. Apparently to plenty of others as well; there was a l-o-n-g waiting list.
Bring a hat and sunscreen! Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
They weren’t kidding. Hey, it is New Mexico, the high desert. Plus we’re at an altitude of about 5000 feet. The sun’s muyfuerte. While Tom – being Lebanese – is swarthy and tans at the drop of a hat, I am not. In fact, I’m the perfect melanoma storm: pale skin, red hair, lots of freckles. Hence, I do NOT leave the house without plenty of SPF 50 or higher sunscreen on this body.
Not so promptly at 9:10 or so (New Mexican time is often like Caribbean time), they gather us together to give the pep talk. Casa Rodeña was once again, seventh time in a row, voted best winery in the Albuquerque area. Not surprising; it’s the best we’ve found here. Could easily hold its own in Napa or Sonoma. Don’t worry about the bees. They’re just interested in the juice. And we’re screwed without them! Amen, but a lot of those “bees” looked suspiciously like yellow jackets. Amazingly, none of us we’re stung (or bitten). There’s a romance in grape-picking. And it’s good that we’re doing something slow, even old-fashioned in this digital, always go-go-going age. (I’m paraphrasing.) I couldn’t disagree with that assessment. Besides, the whole thing ends in wine. That’s romantic enough for me. It’ll take us a good three to four hours. By 10:30, you’ll be wondering when it will end. Picking grapes is WORK. Yes, yes, it was. With all those capital letters, it most definitely was WORK.
Tom’s a happy picker here. We’re done!
For some reason grapes prefer to grow low on the vine, like way down towards the ground. Okay, it didn’t help that I’d blown my lower back out earlier in the week. Saw the chiropractor who told me to keep moving. That worked fine till I stretched after being on the recumbent bike Friday. Tom: You think it might be too much for you? We were to pick grapes at a winery. Then have free food and wine. My thought: If you’re gonna drown, go for the deepest water you can find.
So, we picked. And we ripped the leaves off the vines to expose the grapes. They couldn’t hide! And we picked some more. Get hungry? Eat some grapes, but keep picking. (Okay, they had water bottles and some snacks.) For a long time, Tom and I worked the same row of vines. Me, being the more anal one (for this activity), I worked long and hard on my vines. No grape was going un-picked. There was a lot of crouching. Eventually, though, it was easier to just sit on the ground. We were all getting dirty.
Casa Rodena Winery is beautiful. You’d never even know that we’re in the desert here. Let me tell you how pleasant it is to sit near that pond on a warm summer day with a glass (or perhaps a bottle) of wine. If you’re in Albuquerque, make sure you stop by for a tasting.
And then…there were no more grapes to pick! Lunch time! Hot and sweaty, I just wanted some water, which was readily available. I downed that puppy in no time, and we made our way over to where parties and weddings and such are held. A band played jazz. We found the food and wine lines and collected our reward.
Where to sit? Seats and tables were at a bit of a premium, but, you know, at events
Making friends and stomping grapes…with Susan on the right.
like this one, fellow workers become friends. We sat down with another couple. He was mellow, and she was a little bit rowdy…much as myself. Sure, it was a little difficult to talk over the music, but we managed. Turned out Susan’s a technical writer, and Jerry’s an artist. We hope to dee them again sometime soon.
There was wine, talk, music, more wine, and much fun. Susan even managed to get me into the tank to crush grapes à la Lucy (enjoy below). Despite my sore back – I went back to the chiropractor Monday – Tom and I will definitely be back at work picking grapes next year.
Thank you, Old Pueblo Rug Hookers, for a marvelous hook-in! Can’t wait to go again next year. Better yet, I get in free in 2018. Read on to find out why.Sparky’s mango and red chile (from Hatch, of course) milkshake.
Just like I wrote last week, four of us from the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) did indeed pile into a Subaru Outback early Friday morning. And we were off on our annual (okay, my second and Melinda’s first) Tucson adventure, albeit with colds and coughs and arthritis flare-ups. Between the coffee/tea break, lunch at Sparky’s in Hatch (yes, home of the Hatch chiles) and a couple of gas and pee stops, we finally pulled into the Best Western around 5:00 p.m. that evening achy and tired of sitting.
You know you’ve got excellent lodging when the desk clerk tells you about the free, yes, free, happy hour. Sure, we’d brought quality alcoholic provisions, but why open them when someone’s willing to give you something just as…as efficient for free? We hung there the next evening too. Lest you think we drank our way through the evenings, we actually hit up Guiseppe’s, an Italian place across the street from the Best Western Friday night. I had the best mussels! (And not just because they were the first ones I’ve found since I moved out this way a year and a half ago.) Saturday night we headed to a traditional AWAG stop, the deli, Shlomo and Vito’s. Just like being in New York If you don’t happen to notice the ubiquitous saguaro cacti in the area.
Cathy Kelly’s colorific wools.
Sun and 31°F greeted us Saturday morning when we headed off to La Paloma Country Club. The Old Pueblo Rug Hookers (OPRH) throw a swanky affair. Good food (even for those of us handicapped by a gluten- free diet), door prizes, vendors, views of the golf course, and a silent auction. Melinda, Cathy, Mary, and I joined up with Nancy and Mary S. and parked ourselves at a table with a view. Cathy and I set up to vend. Me, some mug rug sets and Cathy, a butt-load of hand-dyed wool. Display rugs were in another room.
A close-up of Adele Yorke’s display rug.
Despite the posh surroundings, it was a hook-in just like the others I attended in churches back in New England. Lots of chatter, food, wool, and rugs, lots of rugs. I was asked to speak for a few moments on hooking with t-shirts. Better than that, I won a surprise door prize: free registration for next year’s hook-in. Woohoo! And I managed to snag an old rug in the silent auction. Anyone know anything about this mat?
A rather elderly hooked rug I acquired in the silent auction. Anyone know the artist? About the mat?Adobe Wool Arts Guild members from left to right, Melinda, Mary S., and Mary.Check out the “quilling” in Rita Vail’s saguaro cactus rug. Rita’s one of the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers.A most beautiful rug by Beth Carlson.
Now that I’m back, it’s time to get down to business. I have to finish my Tynan rug for March 1 so that I can enter it into Albuquerque’s Fiber Fiesta. I did decide to not kill myself to get the traditional rug done for then too; too much hooking and too much going on in my life. Plus, I need to start making product for the summer and any shows I’m doing. The jury’s still out on the Rail Yards Market. I’ve got a class to prep for April
Rugs at the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers Hook-In in Tucson Saturday.
at the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center. You all know the drill: Life relentlessly marches on. But for one weekend, at least, I escaped thanks to the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers.
Hook-in news? How was Eliot? Others?
Lastly, below is the weekly report from Tynan the Dog on the current rug. We didn’t get as much done this week as we’d like, but so much was going on. And who hooks that much at a hook-in what with all that chitchat and other activities?
Tynan’s weekly update on the traditional rug (hooked in t-shirt). Photo taken January 30.
It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, so I’m hoping you’re wondering where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. To tell you the truth, most of it’s been fun though some of it… wasn’t so fun.
Myself, Tom, and Yvonne at Madrid’s Hollar having a stellar lunch.
First off, we welcomed my sister-in-law Yvonne and some of her family to New Mexico on September 29. Yvonne stayed with us for about a week and a half. During that time we made all kinds of excursions. Of course, we headed up to Santa Fe one day. We drove the fun way, via the Turquoise Trail which goes right through Madrid, an artsy, little, one-time mining town. We poked through galleries and shops then had lunch at the fabulous Hollar Restaurant (If you ever get there, I recommend the ahi tuna sandwich. A bonus: they carry gluten-free buns!)
Brother and sister on top of the world. Or at least on top of the Sandias at almost 11,000 feet.
Other days we perused Albuquerque’s Old Town for gifts for Yvonne to carry home to Boston. We headed to the tramway that goes up Sandia peak but it was mobbed given all the tourists here for Balloon Fiesta. Instead we opted to drive up the east side of the mountain. On the way back down I convinced Tom to take an alternative route, one not on most maps mostly because it quickly becomes a rocky, dirt road type of adventure. Especially if you’re in a Honda Accord. But what views! And now I know where Sandia Man Cave is; not that I’ll see it any time soon. Unless we trick out my Honda Fit with big-ass wheels as Tom’s Accord is done with that route.
A globe “glows” at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta.
About Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque’s annual, international party. Last year we attended mass ascension. That takes place in the early morning when all the participating hot air balloons pretty much take off at the same time. It’s an incredible sight, something to put on your bucket list. Because many of balloons tend to fly close to, if not right over our house and Yvonne got to see that, we chose to visit fiesta during the special shapes “Glowdeo.” Special shape balloons aren’t round like most,but are made to be a character or animal or an item like Wells Fargos’s trademark stage coach.
Uncle Sam gets all fired up as the sun goes down in Albuquerque. Wish I could’ve gotten a good shot of Darth Vader and Yoda.
On certain evenings the fiesta holds a “glow” during which pilots fire-up their balloons in the dark. They stay tethered to the ground, as you can imagine it’s probably not a good idea to fly at night.Turns out, you should put this event on your bucket list too. It’s that special.
On Yvonne’s last day, the three of us and Marcelle, one of her daughters, enjoyed a tasting at Acequia Winery in Corrales, a neighboring village in which I think almost every resident owns a horse or three. It was a fitting send-off after a good visit. We hope she comes back next year.
The view from the back patio at Acequia Winery. There’s no place better to sit and sip.
Now for the less-than-fun I mentioned above.
My dentist had started prepping me for a crown not long before Yvonne arrived. Shit happens and my crown became the root canal from hell. Ostensibly, it was finished the day Yvonne arrived and that was to be that. Except, except – and some of those who know me will find this funny – I developed lockjaw. Which continues to this very day. I understand it could be a few weeks or even two months (!!!) until it clears. In the meantime I have to cut up all my food into itsy-bitsy bites till it all resembles a nursing home meal. My only saving grace? I can still drink. Let the margaritas flow! And Acequia’s wine while we’re at it. Oh, and Tom Brady’s back winning with the Patriots, so I guess life’s not bad at all.
What have you been up to these past few weeks while I’ve been on social media-light?
Now that you know where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing, you can also appreciate all the hooking I’ve done the last few weeks. My guild held a 3-day retreat last Monday – Wednesday. I managed to get a lot of my tree done. Here’s to a big reveal soon!
It took a year, but our first visitors finally arrived here at our new house in New Mexico. My parents took the honor, arriving last Tuesday. They departed early yesterday morning, just as the sun came up from behind Albuquerque’s Sandia Mountains.
Mom always says, “Wine tastes best on top of a mountain.” In this case we were celebrating the view from Sandia Crest after arriving via the Tramway.
I have to admit that Tom and I were rather depressed after we dropped them at the Sunport (that’s what they call the airport here). More specifically, we were homesick, something that really hasn’t been a problem for us other than at the holidays. Which are coming up… Still, we had a good time: saw lots of sites, shopped lots of shops, ate lots of food, drank lots of wine. (My beverage proclivities are clearly genetic.) New friends – also from New England – joined us for Tom’s home-smoked ribs and football Sunday. And since you asked, yes, the Patriots did beat those Arizona Cardinals, even without Tom Brady. Woohoo!
Interestingly, I took few pictures, mostly because we were always visiting places I’ve already got photographs of. Guess I better ask my father to share his pics.
But vacation’s over (and it was a vacation for me, especially not dealing much with social media, to be perfectly honest), our visitors are gone, and now I’ve got work to do. There are two weekends of the Rail Yard Market left for me. Mug rugs have been selling, so they have to be replenished. I steamed two today; tomorrow I’ll finish them up. I’m in the midst of finishing a table runner too. And starting a brand new rug, a big round one. I drew it up yesterday. Later today I’ll finish sewing on the twill tape and start cutting strips. (If you’re new to High on Hooking, I sew the tape on first, before I start to hook. It’s just how I was taught.)
The reception I’ve had at the Rail Yard has been so positive that I’ve decided to participate in December’s special holiday market. It’ll be cold standing outside all day (the building we’re in is really just a shell), but I’m hoping that it’ll be worth the effort. And that there will be a LOT of hot tea available. So, I need to get ready for that, come up with some new ideas. More on that later.
Balloon Fiesta: what fall is all about in Albuquerque. Think our visitors will like this?
So, it’s time to get moving and to prepare for…more visitors! Tom’s sister and some of her family will be here in…two weeks! Just in time for Balloon Fiesta to start. Fall is a busy time here in the Salamy household and at High on Hooking. Thank goodness we like it that way.
