YOU'LL BE SEEING GREAT SIGHTS!

"You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights."

My vacation continued on with visits with my brother and his family, plus a dear cousin I had not seen in years - along with encounters with some of my parent's "entertaining" neighbors.  We travelled to the Leanin' Tree Museum and Sculpture Garden of Western Art in Boulder, CO (yes, the same Leanin' Tree that makes the cards), where I convinced my dad to pose atop the donkey bronze, since it said that he could - he did.  We also spent a few days antiquing before hitting the road.  The weather turned threatening (lots of rain and more of those tornadoes I have only heard about - yes, I do admit I would actually like to see one sometime...off in the distance would be fine, if nothing else) and we headed out of town.

This is probably as close to a tornado as I will get, living in the desert...not a tornado, but a hell of a thunderstorm on our way through New Mexico, heading towards our first stop in Las Vegas. 

Stops in the little town of Las Vegas, NM and then Pecos National Monument, made for a pretty wonderful first day out...OK, so I sort of forced my Dad to stop at the Indian ruins and old Spanish Mission of Pecos - I told you it was like being a kid again ('cept I didn't throw up in their car this time)!  Actually, my Mom and I got a map at the one and only place in Las Vegas that they were going to stop at, that directed us up, into old town (which they had never explored), and made him take us up there, too - great little town!  After travelling on down the road and exploring Pecos on foot (ever mindful of rattlesnakes), it was on to Santa Fe.

The sights of Santa Fe amaze me, each and every time I make it through there.  From the art and architecture; the Native American artisans that still sell their wares in front of the Governors Palace; to the occasional, requisite blue door - there is something wonderful each and every place your eyes land.  I believe we ate Mexican food every night but one, on this trip...two of those were spent at Maria's in Santa Fe, where we barely made if out the door after the killer margaritas (we didn't believe they were that a**-kicking the first night, so went back to "make sure" a second...thank God, Mom doesn't imbibe and was trained in the art of "designated driving"!  The food was pretty wonderful, too - there was food?!).  Another night was spent at Tomasita's, where we were entertained by an all-girl mariachi band (one of which I swear was my friend Susan Silva, who lives in VA?!  Yes, tequila will do that to you!) with the most incredible voices.

My folks - I guess you could say they both wear many hats...from chauffeur to tour guide to two pretty wonderful parents...they have always known how to show me a good time - both growing up and these past few weeks...next up, Albuquerque...