Autumnal in Albuquerque

You gotta love October!

It really feels like fall, and this month, our AC barely came on (in fact, I shut it off completely last weekend and switched it to heat). An added bonus is that the sky takes on a blue tint beyond what most people existing in the gloomy coastlands will ever experience...unless they come to the high or at least dry west.

The valley cottonwoods in Tijeras Arroyo (below us about 1/2 mile) are about a week from having their peak, orange-gold fall color, right on time. Hopefully, I can take in a couple hikes that direction towards the forbidden zone this upcoming week, in between going to Las Cruces / El Paso and Aspen...all for projects.

Today, we went to the McCall's Corn Maze out on the plains of the Estancia Basin, in Moriarty. Not easy to have a more relaxing day this time of year, and out there, the breeze had a distinct chill in it. Even we were only in the upper 60's all day at our house. Some high clouds and smoke from the San Diego fires are trying to work in, but the east winds are keeping all that at bay, at least for today.

Slowly, I am catching up on work, including everything from projects, to getting photos and systems in place, and other miscellaneous items that help my productivity and sanity. And give me time to enjoy some time off, or even to take that important restoration I need. And I am slicing all annoyances from my life, soon to sell my truck from a past disruption in my success, along with some other lingering stuff.

I look forward to the last 2 months of 2007 to be the best I have had.

Going Coastal

I am sitting here on the patio of Tully's Coffee, here in Bothell or Kenmore WA. I am on my vacation, well, a working-vacation. And taking a break (or procrastinating) from projects I have to get finished!

This is apparently the last day we are to enjoy dry, sunny and warm fall weather here in Cascadia. But I did come here to get totally away from the "culture" of Albuquerque, the sight of familiar sunny and dry ground of the southwest, and this did the trick.




Yesterday, my brother-in-law and I rented some cruiser bikes and rode along the Samamish River trail into Redmond, where we not only saw some great park and open space land, but we visited two wineries, a resort, and finished the day over a good, relaxing lunch at a brewery restaurant. The wine tasting was very enjoyable, including some interesting conversation with a couple visiting Seattle on business from back east. The wineries were Columbia Winery and Chateau St. Michelle, the resort was The Willows Lodge, and our laid-back lunch was had at the bustling Red Hook Brewery.


A great way to see and do something you just cannot do in the southwest, let alone Burque.


Mission accomplished! And could not get back to the sunny SW soon enough, even with it's shortcomings!