I climbed a mountain

Not just any mountain, the highest peak in New Mexico. Wheeler Peak is 13, 161 feet high. We drove up to the Taos Ski Basin and hiked in 5 miles to the La Cal Basin and set up camp. The hike was a steep uphill climb. The next morning we woke up and climbed up through the thin air to the summit. Unfortunately our moment of great joy at the top of New Mexico was a bit dampened by some pretty scary thunder clouds over head, so we snapped a couple of quick pictures and made a speedy descent, well as speedy as you can on two foot wide trail 13,161 feet in the air. On the third day we hiked back out. We had a great time, and little Scarlett is still sleeping it off, still unaware of her own accomplishment, she mostly enjoyed the running around in the woods, rolling in cow crap, frolicking in mountain streams, and sleeping in the big, portable, communal kennel (i.e. the tent). Enjoy the photos:
Above: Matthew at the summit. Below: the view from the top of NM.Above: Threatening cloud, Below: Nonthreatening marmot. Above: Scarlett warms up by the fire on her daddy's lap. It was really cold and damp, and she had thought it was a good idea to romp in the freezing water just before the sunset. Silly puppy. Below: A picture of me at the sign marking the boundry of the Wheeler Peak Wilderness Area, with Wheeler peeking in the background. Note: All photos of the hike in and out are on the way out, as the hike in was enough to manage without photography.Above: me hiking out. Below: The sign that proves that the hike was wicked hard .
And of course, the cutest camper in the world:

Yard Sale

About a week ago we put a bunch of our junk in the front yard and sold it to people who thought it wasn't junk. We were quite pleased with our little profit, but even happier to not have to pack up all of that junk. It was really a win win situation. Friends Frank and Jen came by to keep us company and sold a canoe, while friend Kristin made a tidy profit herself. By the end of the day we were giving it all away for free and drinking the afternoon (and evening) away. Below Matthew and I model some of the items we could not even give away. This is perhaps why one should not drink at a yard sale.
One sale of note was to a woman who came rather late. I had listed "yarn" as one of the items in the sale on my craigslist posting, and had already sold a bag of neglected stash yarn, when this woman comes up and eyes some kntipick's sock yarn that I just didn't really like. I tell her "it's one hundred percent pure merino sock yarn." She sniffs, I had listed it at $2. She get's out the money, and I'm just making small talk, so I say "Yeah, when we were packing up for the move, my box of yarn was so big (see the pic below), I felt I had to sell some." And her response was "I have an entire barn full of yarn, so unless you have a building full of yarn you won't impress me." In retrospect I am so angry that I didn't throw her two dollars at her and demand my yarn back. I was just trying to be friendly and she had to be all uppity. That's Santa Fe for you.
But really, we did meet some really nice folks who came by our sale and it was a really good time. Not everyone in Santa Fe is an uppity yarn barn owner.

where the heck is she?

Apologies. I've been busy, busy, crazy, crazy, busy. I've been perfecting a syllabus, preparing a class, writing a draft of a chapter for my dissertation, preparing a paper to be submitted to a journal (which will definitely be rejected but one should always dream), looking like a pretentious ass in every coffee shop in Santa Fe reading a book titled "Existentialism" - I think I need a sign that says "This is for work, I swear, really, for work," packing up all of my worldly possessions, of which I have way too many, planning a yard sale, trying to do everything I haven't done in the previous year in Santa Fe before I leave, and designing/knitting/ripping a shrug to wear for my cousin's wedding (that I'm submitting as a design - so no pictures or clues), and to top it all off, I have been indulging in this:

Bandelier National Monument

The view of the lower village from up above.


Below: Matthew at the entrance to the Alcove House Kiva.
Below: No puppies allowed, but plenty of wildlife.

Since we are soon to leave the New Mexico, we're trying to do a bunch of stuff in a little bit of time. Sunday we headed to Bandelier National Monument about an hour from Santa Fe. Bandelier is home to some wicked old ruins that you get to climb around in. We had lots of fun, but all that ladder climbing in 95 degree heat left me way tired and a bit sore. Enjoy the pictures.

puppyversary

One year ago today we adopted Scarlett from the Riverside Humane Society and forever changed our lives for the better. Here are some pictures of her from our first year together.

Today:
Having a lick (just a couple won't hurt, right?)
A happy camper:
A sad little fan:
Sharing with cousin Evelyn:
Family photo at tent rocks:
With Uncle Fernando in California:
7/31/07:
We look forward to many, may more years with our beloved little girl. She is pretty much the best dog in the whole wide world.

farmer's market (a jasmine inspired post)

Matthew and I woke up early today and headed over to the farmer's market, because I had a hankering for a VBLT (veggie bacon, lettuce, and tomato). To my horror, by the time we had finished our breakfast burritos there were only two tiny heirloom tomatoes left in the whole place. We would have to go to wholefoods for a few more later. But we did manage to get some great stuff. Two fresh picked eggplants, butter lettuce just like my grandma used to grow, very spicy radish sprouts, jalapeños, corn, fresh onions, and finally a bunch of beets. A couple of weeks ago I was listening to the splendid table on npr and they were talking about beets and how to prepare them. I was intrigued by the idea of topping roasted beets with brown butter and basalmic vinigar, so I tried it out for dinner tonight. It was amazing.

I also made the eggplant. I cut in 1/8ths and brushed it with olive oil, seasoned lightly and baked at 400 degrees for 50 minutes (while roasting the beets). I topped the roasted eggplant with lemon juice and a sprinkle of Parmesan. The eggplant was so incredibly easy and delicious we're planning to do it again next week.
The beets, while amazing, were a tad bit futzy with the peeling and may only be brought out on special occasions.

Home sweet home

At least for now. I arrived back in Santa Fe last night to my beloved little family, including a rather sick puppy. Scarlett has a bad ear infection, and the antibiotics are just not working fast enough if you ask her daddy and I. Poor little girl. My home is already beginning to fade into boxes. No more books on the shelves (except for a few for work and my knitting library), non essential glass wear, and photos on the wall. Soon, it will all be packed and we will say good-bye to the land of enchantment. But don't feel sorry for us, we're going home. Home to the city where we met, the city where we both became grown-ups and fell in love, the city we were married in, the city we love. We have found a little duplex on the lower, western edge of the upper-eastside to call home for a bit, until perhaps we can find something more permanent. I will be teaching a few classes at UWM and still working on that dissertation, which in our love/hate relationship, I am currently in love. And of course, last but not least, I will have many opportunities for big warm knitted garments, hats, scarves and socks for like 9 months out of the year.