My chili stash

We sweated out the Alaska Airlines weight limit yesterday, but my suitcase "only" weighed 38 pounds. The max is 50 (I thought it was 40) so I could have hauled even more chili powder. Well, I have plenty to experiment with New Mexican cuisine.  There's always mail order, or better yet, we could just go back.

The Plazas and museums are fabulous places to shop and we bought fun souvenirs, too. And John surprised me in Taos with some beautiful earrings he found in a rock and jewellery shop.  

We had an early non-stop flight from Albuquerque to Seattle and were home by 10:30. We hit the ground running (unpacking, grocery store, laundry, watering) which made for a long day. No offense Best Western, but oh, our own bed felt so good last night.

We didn't have one bad meal in New Mexico, but a week is about my limit for eating out in restaurants. Last night I made teriyaki chicken and brown rice. Our first "Asian" food in over a week.

I picked the first tomatoes to try that new salsa seasoning. This morning at 5 when John left, it was still dark. The seasons are changing. In the week we were away, the lilies and crocosima finished blooming and the dahlias are coming into their peak.

The weather is warm (for Seattle, that is) but I put on my jacket at SeaTac yesterday for the first time in a week. After the high altitude heat, the air in Seattle feels fresh, moist and heavy. "Syrupy" says John.