Well, that's done

It looks great for an old deck, which is the compliment we like to hear these days.  It was a perfect day for painting-- not hot, not cold, not too sunny. 

After that chore, I walked to the Senior Center for my Wednesday afternoon shift.  Surprise! The teenage co-worker was a no-show again so I was the sole cashier. No problems and no shoplifters, at least that I bothered to notice.

Probably the best part of the job is chatting with customers. Some of them are quite interesting, to put it mildly.  Just like a Nordstrom sales lady, I give advice on their second-hand fashion choices. People actually try on questionably clean used clothing behind a curtain.  You would be surprised how many pull off the price tags and proudly wear their purchases right out of the store. Ugh.

Just in time for the weekend, a big change in the weather. Not a washout, but cooler than normal and a chance of showers both days. Eastern Washington has been blistering hot and smoky, so this will be nice for Amanda and Tom. We're looking forward to our little trip to Pt. Townsend on Saturday.

August colors

 The Ebay picture

My Spartacus Burgundy Gold has become more burgundy than gold.  Still, a splendid looking dahlia.

Oh, if only these were plums-- not thousands of sourish small apples. I'll be raking them up for the next 3 months.

A busy day ahead. Painting the deck this morning, then working at the Stop n' Shop this afternoon.
No time to dilly dally on the computer.

Playing catch up

Another warm and cloudless summer day on tap, although our air turned hazy due to wildfire smoke. Thank you, Siberia.  But fortunately, so far nothing like last August, when the massive B.C. fires turned Seattle into a smokey hell.

We've been busy, John at work, me at home, getting caught up after vacation. I lugged a shopping bag home from the post office, full of junk mail and vacation bills. But what a nice time we had. As they say, you can't take it with you. We'll never forget that Santa Fe Opera experience.

I'm determined to get the deck painted this week, an annual chore that sounds worse than it is. First some lackadaisical scraping, then light scrub with a soapy brush. That's the extent of the prep. John pounds in the stray nail heads and I slap a coat of brown paint on, which takes me about an hour. The deck is almost 40 years old, but it still looks halfway decent with a fresh coat of paint. That is, if you don't look too closely.

Not much headed our way on the weather map, except for a small chance of showers this weekend.  We driving to Pt. Townsend on Saturday to meet up with the kids and celebrate a couple of birthdays. Can you believe Nova will ten on August 10th? Then our lovely Amanda's birthday is on the 11th. She would probably rather not be reminded on the blog how old she is. 

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.

The Sandia Peak Tramway

From the top of the mountain, a 360 degree view.
And on a clear day, you can see 10% of New Mexico. 

Get your kicks

On Route 66...
Well, sorta.

We took a quick by-pass off the fierce freeway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque to follow the Historic Route 66 sign for a few miles.  I needed a rest stop and a soft serve ice cream in the worst way!  Not so much as a gas station the town of La Angostura, but we stopped and read the marker about a place rich in history.  

The cicadas were shrieking in the 98 degree heat, and it felt good to get off the freeway just for a few minutes.  A few miles down the road, we found the ubiquitous McDonald's. There is so much history in New Mexico, but more and more, like everywhere else, lost in the urban sprawl. Unless you look hard.

John took this postcard picture yesterday morning of the famous San Francisco de Asis, a 18th century adobe National Historic Landmark in Taos.  Don't know how he managed, as the place was full of tourists and the parking lot jammed.

Last time we were here, it seemed like the church sat by itself along the highway, but memory is tricky.

You have to look hard to find the Old New Mexico, but it's still there. The pictures below are of old adobe structures near the church.

We have a last day of vacation in Albuquerque and we're planning to take a ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway this morning.  Just can't get enough of that high altitude.