Old Town part of Albuquerque, N.M.

We spent most of the morning in OLD TOWN, Albuquerque. If you look past all the T-shirt shops and tourist type offerings you can see the old adobe buildings housing these things. The walls are 2 feet thick and the logs jut out from where the wall meets the roof testifying to the structure of the building. Are these logs from lodge pole pines and is that how those trees were named? Walls are stuccoed and dirt brown in color; the colors of the desert repeated in the structures and compatible with the heat. Wrought iron gates protected entry into private shaded courtyards that we could partially see from the street. This part of the town reminded me of New Orleans with it's private areas hidden from all but those who lived in their apartments. Were these buildings in Miami, they would be bright colors to reflect the ocean waters and scenery. To each part of this country, the landscape reflects harmony with it's surroundings.

We wandered from shop to shop and walked among the courtyards filled with pots of flowers contrasting sharply with the soft shades of the shops. Adobe benches were placed around for a place to sit and watch others that were working or shopping or just enjoying the great weather today.

We left Old Town and went to Garcia's Kitchen on Rt. 66 for a long lunch break. Sipping our iced tea, we weren't in a hurry to be anywhere other then where we were right then. I ordered a chicken taco salad while the husband had a combination platter and we both resisted the te‎mptation to order sopapillas though we did think about how tasty they would be with butter and honey dripping from them.

Our plans for the remainder of the afternoon are to go back to the Sandia Resort and hang out at the casino for a while before we head back to Farmington. It has been a great two days and I'm amazed that my "vacation" continues; amazed and grateful because it is still cooler here then in hot humid Louisiana.

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We are 100 miles from Farmington and sailing down the highway. I watch from my seat in the truck as the terrain changes. From the red soil with no grass to the more mountainous view of grass covered land. This green is a soft sage color and sparse with sand visible barely contained by the grass. Against the outcropping of the rock walls, a homestead can be seen. Usually a corral erected from whole trees encircles the back part of the house. Sometimes the ruins of an old stone building is seen; two walls standing and managing to still support part of a roof. I'm always enamored of these partial structures and the stories they hold. Who lived there and where are they now?

Pueblos glide by noting when we arrive on one reservation and another sign when we leave. The Pueblos are small in number for each tribe and though their reservations adjoin, they still maintain their separate identities and customs. I'm not sure I understand the division markers for the Pueblo Indians. I'm told Pueblo refers to an area and in that area are many tribes that refer to themselves as Pueblos. Sandias, Ruiz and Jimez are a few of the tribes that live under the umbrella named Pueblos.

It's time to do some research on the web on this.

I'm ready to be back in Farmington and spend a little time in the jacuzzi. I'm beginning to think of Farmington as "home" now. Does that mean we have been on this trip too many days?

A swamp cooler!! Water is pumped through this thing and wets the pads that are on the inside of it and the fan then blows air through these pads to cool the houses! Can only be used in dry climates!