Dog on a Treadmill

No comments about who should be on the treadmill more!!!

Here's Hannah, exercising with Mom (me). For some reason she will only walk on the left side so these were the best pics we could get.

Sun Aug 23 - 88th Annual Santa Fe Indian Market

Today we woke up early and headed to the annual Santa Fe Indian Market. It's is an amazing event with several hundred Native American vendors representing over 100 tribes across the Nation. Traditional pottery, rugs, beadwork, sandpaintings and jewelry intermingle with more contemporary pieces. I will admit, it would have a lot more fun if I had a lot more money!!!! Oh the shopping I could have done!

As it is, I bought a small Din'e (Navajo) sand painting and called it good.

Our first purchase - an Indian Taco

"Square Tower House",

Medium: Iron Oxidized Sandstone

Artist: Gordon Tonips (Comanche/Kiowa)

Flowers on a hotel balcony

Santa Fe Riverwalk

Street scenes of the Indian Market

Aug 22 - Hannah & Maggie's First Swim

Saturday, we loaded up the Jeep, chased down the dogs & headed to Cochiti Lake. The lake is located on the Cochiti Pueblo just a few miles north and slightly west of us and is formed by the damming of the Rio Grande River by, what else, the Cochiti Dam.

Unlike our previous dogs, Ben & Bear, Hannah & Maggie aren't much into car rides. Perhaps because they tend to puke within 10 minutes of getting into one. However, mean as we are, we loaded them up & headed out bound & determined they were going to have fun. Did they ever. This was their first time to actually SWIM in something. They LOVE water, when we flood the place (that's how you water in the Bosque) they splash around, wrestle and have a fine time. Today started out scary (the water, not just the Jeep ride)... the water got DEEP, feet stopped touching!!! SCCCAAAARRRYYYY!

But eventually they got the hang of it and swam and swam and swam. Maggie would frog hop just as far as she could, leaping clear out of the water until she couldn't get traction. Hannah would start off wading, then when she was forced to swim she kicked into high gear and looked like a speed boat - her chest would ride out the water and big wakes would follow.

And they learned it was even better fun to dunk each other in the deeper water. Hilarious!

One thing that was 'hard' for Bryan & I to get used to is how warm the water is. We are used to wading in about ankle deep and having our feet go numb. What a joy to go in knee deep & it still be warm. Next trip we'll wear out suits and go in further too.








Let sleeping dogs lie... They went to bed at 9 PM and didn't move again until 6 PM Sunday morning when we got up to head to the Indian Market in Santa Fe. Heavenly!!

Vernon's Hidden Valley Steakhouse

So, last night we splurged. And I mean we really, really splurged. On dinner. Oh so tasty... for those readers in the Seattle area, it was no JaK's but probably the closest we've come to date.

We celebrated jobs, school, Bryan's birthday & our 19th Anniversary last night at Vernon's Hidden Valley Steakhouse in historic Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.

Vernon's is well hidden - the front door is very unassuming and in the back of Los Ranchos Liquor store (adjacent to Calico Cantina & Cafe) and you need a password to get in. Based on the prohibition's (for you young un's, that's the time when liquour of any kind was banned in the US and you had to get your libations by nefarious means) speak-easies. You knock three times on the unassuming door, and the peep hole opens. Give your password and voila - entrance.

The restaurant interior is dark, very dark until your eyes adjust. The walls are finished in diamond-finished black plaster, the tables adorned with black & white table clothes. Friday & Saturday nights feature a pianist & Sunday's jazz. The ambiance is very nice, but by the time we left (9 pm) it was getting loud. Our reservations were for 7 PM and we were promptly seated.

We ordered cocktails and bruschetta (excellent and enough for at least 4 people). Entree's come with a vegetable (ours was broccoli & carrots) and a side - I chose loaded mashed potatoes (highly recommend, and I'm SURE they were fat free... almost) & Bryan got truffle mashed potatoes - but we also ordered salads as well. My entree was a suberb NY Strip & Bryan got the Los Ranchos Star - a 20 oz bone-in ribeye. We asked for medium-well & were promptly told that anything over medium was not guranteed but ours came out perfect.

We each ordered a glass of wine with dinner - Bryan really splurged and got the Duckhorn merlot, I was more reasonable & got a Washington State merlot - I have to say, his was WAY better. We don't consider ourselves wine aficionados but lordy that his glass was excellent... it also cost more for the one glass than we've ever spent on even a bottle so that's probably why. It was good enough that we actual looked up the winery and considered joining their wine club.

Dessert was the house special - a chocolate silk mousse creation with a wonderful pecan crust.

Sorry to go on & on describing food but this was just about the first dinner we had that wasn't covered in green (or red) chile's and it was terrific.

Service was excellent. Very attentive without being intrusive. I picked up the pepper shaker and the next thing I knew our waiter was there with offering freshly ground pepper. Water glasses were never less than half full before being refilled... Overall a good experience.

Oh yeah, and if you go, tell 'em Joe sent you.

(photos lifted from their website: www.thehiddensteakhouse.com)

A lazy day around the house with nothing important to discuss

Well today finishes up Bryan's first week of work in over a year. Still getting things sorted out but not too bad so far. The company doesn't have the software that they hired Bryan to use but everything else is OK. They pay 100% of our insurance & its effective immediately so we are able to drop (HIP HIP HOORAY!!!) our COBRA coverage we've had for the past year! That'll be a $700/ mos savings!

I worked M-W at the school helping with some software updates and image conversions (actually learned something there), and wishing I'd paid more attention when I was with the CBRE IT team since it looks like I may get roped into doing some of that kind of work... servers? I don't know nuttin' bout no servers... but I can learn. As long as it doesn't distract from my school work, I should be good to go. Pay isn't bad either...

Let's see - yesterday was spent running a couple errands and lazin' around the house, as was today. Although I spent from 8:30 AM to 2:15 PM completing some online modules for a class I'm also taking. I'm still not quite caught up to where I should be in that class but I'm closer than I was.

We also tried out the new grill... wonderful! So nice to cook on something other than the 'hibatchi' we've been using. This grill is "infrared" and seems to cook quickly & evenly.

Bryan and I are going to try a steak place we've been wanting to try for quite a while and now that we have incoming income... we are out to celebrate!!! It's called Vernon's Hidden Valley Steakhouse and is housed in an old speak-easy. I'll blog more about it when we get back. Hopefully it will be delish, we certainly miss JaK's Grill in Issaquah. Sigh.

Here are some pics I took of the girls today (& prior), I can't believe they are both a little over 60 lbs!!!

I am TOO a lap dog! See, I fit!

(Hannah)

Maggie still fitting in her hole

The never-ending tug of war game

Relaxin' under the apple tree

Here come double trouble

I'm too cute. Maggie

Hanner-nanner

Plums

Storm clouds over the Sandia's.

Blast from the past

It's been almost 23 years but today we ate at Pancho's Mexican Super Buffet... Mostly as a lark and to harken back to our dating days. Wow, how we loved that place (well the one in Fort Worth at any rate) - today wasn't as good as we remembered. It was probably so good back then because it was "all you can eat" for like $4.99. LOL

I'm glad we stopped by, brought back GREAT memories.

Can't think of a catchy title...

So, its official, I didn't jinx it with my last post... we both have found gainful employment. Maybe not the most exciting employment but bill-paying, experience building (at least for Bryan) employment nonetheless!

Bryan was offered & accepted a job as a mechanical design engineer (with an industrial engineer twist) from Visible Light Solar Technologies. A small start-up company here in Albuquerque. They design outdoor, industrial solar light fixtures (or something to that effect) and need someone to actual design the fixtures & ensure their stability, durability, etc... He starts Monday.

My employment is with Pima (where I got to school). They are needing part-time help with their IT dept (which is non-existent basically). Great opp as they understand school comes first and are really flexible around my schedule. Pays the gas... I started today.

Prayers were answered!!! What a relief and we still have some savings left over! Hoo-RAH!

Finally!!! Employment

Today was a GREAT day!!!

1). My Mom's 81st Birhtday! (Happy Birthday Mom!!!)

2). I learned how to take blood pressure & identify various breath sounds

3). I was hired in a work-study type program at Pima Medical Institute

4). Bryan was given a job offer

YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited & relieved!!!!

Plants around the place

Just some flowering shrubs & trees from around the house. Click on image to enlarge.

Rose bushes

Spanish Broom (very similar to the Scotch Broom

in the PNW)

Bird of Paradise

Trumpet Vine

View - Sandia Peak

Mosquito Bush

Mosquito Bush