It's Hard to Tell if This is Actually Happening

Last week we flew Topeka to Albuquerque to play in Rio Rancho. I didn't write about our week in Topeka because there was nothing to write about.
Exception: My parents had cookies from Gayla delivered for our opening night.

And Dianne and I went to the art district in NoTo.

He was all over town

Everything in New Mexico was wonderful, right down to the Uber drivers. My breakfast wasn't supposed to be free, but the hotel employees told me they thought I was cool, so I ate free eggs and english muffins every morning. Rio Rancho itself is beautiful; I took some time to run around the desert parks and to the Rio Grande, and with a few days off between our arrival and showtime we had the opportunity to travel.

I don't know the name of these pumpkin looking things

One of our firsts stops was the Ojo Caliente mineral springs. I bathed in the mineral pools while gazing up at the bluest sky I've ever seen, framed by dusty mountains and cliffs. Unreal. After a round of bathing, a clay caking session, and brunch, a few of us climbed the surrounding mountains. The trails are filled with shards of eight hundred year old pottery, cacti, and other shrubs that don't thrive in the North East. We kept our eyes out for snakes, of course.

I noticed and abundance of small lizards in New Mexico, and we saw a few teeny tiny hummingbirds in our travels.

I spent a day in Santa Fe. One of my elementary school classmates told me about her summers here, so I always associated thoughts of the city with her adventures. My first stop was Meow Wolf, the interactive installation piece on the outskirts of town. I don't want to reveal too much, because it's one of those things you need to be surprised by yourself, but I will say it is a Courage the Cowardly Dog/Twilight Zone tripping inter-dimensional is-this-really-happening experience. You're greeted by black lit almost three dimensional animal drawings speaking out of context sentence fragments, then taken into many different worlds filled with subtle details you can experience with all senses, not taste but maybe taste if you're feeling invincible.

In the lobby

Our next stop was a completely different kind of artistic experience: Georgia O'Keeffe. I was first introduced to O'Keeffe's work when I was in elementary school. My art teacher focused mostly on her flower portraits, but a museum attendant informed me that the flowers only comprise about eight percent of O'Keeffe's work. I was excited to see the other styles she produced throughout the twentieth century and the influence she had and success she experienced in her lifetime.

After burritos, Dianne, Lizzie, and I explored the town center. We were accompanied by traditional music at the central pavilion (it was Santa Fe Bandstand) as we walked the chili covered streets. I stepped into a shop to figure out what the chilis meant, and I must have looked puzzled because immediately an employee asked if I had a question. Once I asked, some locals laughed, and I was informed that New Mexico is the world's chili capital, so the chilis are everywhere.

For eating. For decorating.

On our way home we learned our Uber driver is a frequent stand-in for Ben Stiller. He showed us pictures of himself and the actor together on set as we rode through the evening's thunderstorm. It's currently monsoon season in New Mexico, which is something I learned backstage from the local wardrobe crew.

Other important things:
New Mexico is actually called the "Land of Enchantment."
Village Inn serves free pie on Wednesdays.