We celebrated the sale of one of our condos in mid April with a very nice dinner at Tortugas in Longmont: love that place! We had a list of errands to run while we were in town so we tried to focus on getting those done while also enjoying the long lost feeling of a warm sun on our legs. We also tried to catch up with some people and had a great day out with our three nieces on the Sunday.
Domnique, who is now driving, came up with Jordan and Jaquie. We still can't believe that that cute tousle headed little girl who loved to look for bugs with Uncle Nick is now 16 and a half and driving her sisters around...boy time flies. So we went into Boulder to walk down the Pearl St Mall, play on the animals and rocks, get some balloons and have lunch at Jaunitas.
Jordan (left) and Jaquie (on the right with obligatory handbag) enjoying the flowers and the climbing animals on the Pearl Street Mall.
Domnique sitting pretty...how grown up she is these days...and also a great athlete having just qualified for states!
Uncle Nick with the girls...
We had lots of fun with them and treat them to a book each from Borders. Jaquie chose a Hannah Montana pack - she's is quite taken with her at the moment! Jordan chose a High School Musical dance pack: I swear she will be on the stage one of these days! And Domnique went for a more mature Gossip Girl book.
Then Nick had to head back to the cold and snow of Crested Butte and I headed south to New Mexico and Arizona for a taste of summer!
First stop was Alburquerque, New Mexico. The journey was quicker than I expected from Denver at 6 and a half hours, and I arrived at Gloria and Bob's around 3. They were gracious enough to let me split the long drive to and from Las Cruces and put me up for a couple of nights in their beautiful home: Thank you! We ate some delicious steaks, drank some great wine and I enjoyed the (to me!) balmy weather!The next day, Gloria and I headed into the Old Town of Alburquerque.
It is somewhat similar to Old Mesilla in Las Cruces, but on a larger scale. Although very "touristy" with lots of T-shirt shops, the area is very south western with some lovely old buildings, some great galleries and lots of flowers. The signs stated that the original "villa" was built in 1706 and gained it's independence from Spain in 1821.
Flowers and adobe; one of my favourite combinations. Gloria in the Old Town. More adobe and flowers...
...and a little more for good measure! An Old Town passage way and yellow bank roses
After Albuquerque I headed down to visit Toni, an aunt on Nick's side, in Las Cruces. Toni's is always fun. She lives in the country with a Pecan orchard behind the house. It is so peaceful sitting on the patio listening to the doves coo, reading a book and soaking up the sun (notice the common theme here?!).
Hung out in Las Cruces for a couple of days (thanks Toni) and then we headed over to Tucson to visit the Gutierrez clan. Tucson was great: not least because of the hotel pool and the $2 pints of Stella at the pool bar between 11 and 4!!! The weather was lovely and Toni and I were able to catch up with a bunch of people: Jane and Gil, Mark and Chris (formerly known as Luke), Wesley, Jan, Judy, Julia and new baby and Jerry. I also got to relax, swim, read and take lots of photos of cactus and things.
Here is the hotel, pool and views from the balcony.
Jane, Toni and me at the pool...
Julia, Jan, Judy, Jane and Toni
Jan with Julia's baby, the newest addition to the clan: Peyton (I think...)
This is an especially gorgeous Ocatillo cactus which was in bloom while we were there. If we ever have a place in Tucson, this plant will take pride of place in my garden...along with some rosemary, bougainvilleas, oleander, cosmos, indian blanket flower, jasmine, lantana, broom, pomegranite trees...I guess the list just goes on and on...good job I will be gardening again this summer...I think I have missed it! And although Crested Butte is not exactly a gardener's paradise with only 45 frost free days a year (how on earth will I get my tomatoes to grow???) it will be fun to be playing in the dirt again and spending time outside this summer. That is if we ever actually GET a summer...it's May 13th and it is DUMPING AGAIN!!!!
Toni, cactus, palm trees and blooming, resplendent oleander!
Back in Las Cruces, I had to stop in Old Mesilla. I think it must be one of my favourite places for colour: brilliant blue skies, warm sun-bleached adobe, worn wood and old buildings; and flowers. Flowers everywhere...
In Albuquerque again I introduced Gloria to my new favourite shop, Trader Joe's. They sell everything from good cheap wine and Trader Jose imported Mexican beer to organic salads; amazing cheeses, salamis and olives; and dark green aromatic olive oils...just my kind of place!
Having driven through everything from searing desert heat, wind storms, dust storms, rain storms and blizzards I hooked up with Nick again in Denver and we got to visit Rachel, Darren, Rena and Ginger Pie. Here are some photos of Rena at 13 and a half months.
Concentrating on getting as much food inside as possible...with Daddy, Uncle Nick and counting trees in the garden with Mommy.
I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed my dose of vitamin D. Thanks to everyone who put me up and found time to spend time with me. I just wish that it would now stop snowing in Crested Butte so I could get to work on transporting some of the New Mexico and Arizona colour and warmth into the gardens here!!!
