Everything's Bigger in Texas Except the Canyon

My time in Amarillo is best described through pictures so here:

Sometimes I would look at these flags and pretend they meant Center City Philadelphia.

Actual candid

I think this was also candid, but who's to say

The Heart of Amarillo had me thinking about Love Park back home

We went looking for a lake, but it dried up so we all did this

This was the beginning of our adventure at  

When I was little my mom brought home this CD titled When The Living is Easy that came free with purchase from William Sonoma and on it was "Route 66." Through the years "get your kicks" meant several different things to me, but I've finally figured it out.

I've had one bite of steak before, so here is a picture of my second bite. 

There are cats

This restaurant seats five hundred people at a time and serves forty kinds of fudge. The inside is filled with stuffed animals, horns, haunted house holograms, and musicians. It's known for its seventy-two ounce steak, which is free if consumed within an hour. My sirloin was eight ounces and that was enough. Dianne dared me to eat half of my jalapeño pepper, served along side my steak with a little Texas flag, and I said I would do it if she did as well. A few minutes later a large cup of whole milk arrived to help us with the burn. I didn't realize until after I drank it all that it was meant for us to share.

On our way to Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the United States, our Uber driver told us that Amarillo is the second windiest city in the country. The gusts come down from Rockies and power the windmills on the farms throughout town. He told us that everyone in Texas is family, and they will treat us as such, which I found to be very true this week. Palo Duro is also home to the locals' favorite musical TEXAS.

Spanish skirts on the right

I saw this moth in town. 

Esquire Jazz Club uses these as coasters and I don't know how I feel.

Cadillac Ranch

There were gnats

The Polk Street Christmas Tree was created by Jacob Brenden, Chris Guinn, and Michael Wellborn to recognize Amarillo's contribution of gas to the Texas panhandle. 

The Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts reminds me of the Epcot Ball.

Our hotel provided complimentary made-to-order omelets every morning and a wine/beer/well drink/cheese/guac reception every evening. After our three show day the chef presented us with this plate of fancy cheesecake. I had two slices of the baileys.

Other things I would like to note:
Every car has a huge crack in the windshield--suspicious.
Scratch Bakery serves up delicious macarons also free bottomless grapefruit mimosas.

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.