We landed in Albuquerque mid-afternoon on a Saturday — in fact, just before the start of the 49ers-Vikings playoff game, which was a must-see. So our first order of business after collecting our rental car was to track down a sports bar where we could watch the game.

Craig and I are fair-weather football fans, jumping eagerly on the bandwagon when our team is doing well and blithely going about our other business when they’re not. Since the Warriors are having an underwhelming season, to say the least, this is a great year to be a Niners fan!

I think I’ve watched more football this season than in any other since the days when I used to watch the Ohio State games with my dad. That was something we could do together when his ability to do other things was limited. By the way, have you ever noticed that when professional football players introduce themselves and their alma maters at the start of a game, the OSU alums always say “The Ohio State University”? What’s that about anyway?

ASIDE: In case you were also wondering about this, I now have the answer (see “Connections,” below). Thanks to my friend Rod for doing the research!

In Santa Fe

After the 49ers’ victory (yay!), we headed up the highway to Santa Fe — about an hour north. It was cold. For two Californians, New Mexico in the middle of January presented a wardrobe challenge, but we’d done our best to prepare. Craig had returned from the North Face outlet with two jackets and a vest. I’d rummaged in my closet for a warm coat and woolly gloves, and I’d borrowed a neck-cozy. We thought we were set, but it was still decidedly chilly when we climbed from the car and walked the short block to our hotel. I pulled the neck-cozy onto my head. Brrrr!

We were staying at La Fonda, a lovely old hotel right on the central Plaza. Though it was the middle of January, the Plaza was still decked out in sparkling holiday lights.

I had always wanted to stay at La Fonda, which is decorated throughout with folk art and boasts two big fireplaces, a comfortable bar, and a terrific restaurant. But its central location was the main draw; from the hotel it’s an easy walk to lots of restaurants, shops, and galleries — and to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, where we went to early Mass on Sunday morning.

Mass in the Basilica

We’re not Catholic — or even churchgoers in a regular way — but Craig and I often attend services at a local church when we travel. We’ve found it to be a great way to get a feel for a place. And the churches themselves are often quite beautiful, this cathedral being a case in point.  

Built in the mid 19th century around an 18th-century church called La Parroquía, Saint Francis Cathedral includes only one small chapel from that earlier structure, whose ornate altarpiece you can see on the left, above. The stained glass window shown is also in this side chapel, though whether it dates to the earlier time or the later, I don’t know. (I would guess it’s earlier, because its style differs from the windows in the nave.) The sanctuary was still bright with poinsettias and Christmas trees when we visited on this Sunday in mid January.

The liturgy was almost entirely in Spanish, save for the homily and several bilingual hymns. My Spanish is rusty and rudimentary, but I know the language of the Mass well, having sung it in many and varied choral settings. So it was fun for me to try to follow the Spanish by mentally comparing it to the English texts I’m familiar with — kind of like reading English subtitles while watching a movie in a language you know only slightly. Once I get those two language tracks going in my brain, I feel a dopamine “Ping!” of pleasure when words line up and I understand what’s being said.

The officiating priest, though clearly not a native Spanish speaker, had nonetheless memorized the ritual language — for the most part. During the recitation of the Creed, he got confused and accidentally looped back to an earlier section of the text, then hastily corrected himself and apologized — in English. It was a humorous and very human moment, which the congregation seemed to appreciate.

Heading for the hills

After church, we grabbed lattes at Starbucks (yes, I know…) and then headed out of town and up the twisting road to the local ski resort. It was a beautiful, sunny day (did I mention it was cold?), and the drive was hazardous in patches where the trees shaded the road and kept the ice from melting.

We tend to think of New Mexico as a desert landscape — and for the most part it is — but this northern section of the state is where the Rocky Mountains end. Santa Fe itself is at about 7200 feet, and the base elevation of the ski area is more than 3000 feet higher. No wonder I was breathing hard!

As we climbed, the landscape gradually changed from grey-brown desert scrub to forests of evergreens intermixed with aspens in their winter white over a carpet of snow. In the autumn, I love the contrast of bright gold aspen leaves against the dark foliage of evergreens. In the winter, the combination is less striking but still beautiful — especially on a day of blue skies and distant clouds.

We joined the lunch rush at the ski area, where I ordered a cheeseburger topped with (spicy!) green chilies and then joined Craig in the search for a place to sit. It was fun to find myself again in this joyful melee of children and adults, all clomping around in ski boots and jockeying for table space, their colorful parkas hanging open or tied around the waist. There’s a distinctive energy to these places that I had almost forgotten, and it was fun to feel that again, if only from the periphery.

Whirligigs

Back in Santa Fe after lunch, Craig returned to the hotel to relax by the fire, while I wandered over to Canyon Road, which is renowned for its art galleries. I spent a couple of happy hours meandering and was especially struck by the many displays of outdoor sculpture. In fact, we saw lots of sculpture wherever we went, both in Santa Fe and along the Turquoise Trail, the alternate road to Albuquerque (Route 14). To my northern California eye, much of the New Mexico scenery seems drab (though I readily admit that this is not a fair assessment — and we were visiting in January, after all!). At any rate, the sculptures add interest and color to this landscape and display the artistic sensibilities (and artistry) that have drawn so many to Santa Fe.

I especially enjoyed the gardens of whirligigs, animated that afternoon by an energetic breeze. One whirligig is fun, but the delight is multiplied when they move against one another. I shot some video to give a sense of this, and you can see two clips below. (I recommend playing both at the same time, if you can!)

In the evening we met Craig’s sister and her friend for dinner at a deliciously innovative Mexican restaurant called Paloma. I sipped a spicy passion-fruit margarita (minus the spicy, which simply meant no jalapeño garnish) while we waited for a table. Paloma’s vegetarian dishes were especially good: I loved my cauliflower taco prepared Spanish-style with sultanas, olives, almonds, and sweet peppers and served on a house-made blue corn tortilla. I’ve got to try replicating those flavors at home!

This is your day, so have a lot of fun!

Visiting Santa Fe was not the main reason for our trip. Craig’s Aunt Doris was turning 100, and we had come to New Mexico to celebrate her birthday. So we drove back to Albuquerque the day before her party, which gave us a chance to visit in a low-key atmosphere before the rest of the family descended.

Craig adores his aunt, both for the kindness and care she showed him when he was a young man and for her great spirit and sense of adventure. He makes a point of visiting her regularly, and their mutual affection is obvious. I was struck by Doris’s impish sense of humor and found it easy to see what Craig loves in her.

Besides Craig and his sister, others of Doris’s nieces and nephews, along with their spouses, also made the trip to Albuquerque. She was clearly thrilled that so many of her family members had come to honor her. Craig had not seen these cousins for decades, and he was delighted to renew his acquaintance with them.

In the course of their conversation at Doris’s birthday lunch, someone brought up the birthday song that Craig had taught me early in our relationship.

ASIDE: After reading this post, Craig reminded me that I was actually the one who had brought up the birthday song — something I’d completely forgotten! 

I had never heard it before meeting him, but now we sing it to each other — and to our friends and relations — whenever a birthday rolls around. It’s a fun and lively alternative to the familiar “Happy Birthday to You,” and we sing it like this:

Craig was amazed to discover that his cousins all knew “his” birthday song, too. He had thought that it came from Roy Rogers, but they reminded him that they had actually learned it from another singing cowboy, Heck Harper (Hector Flateau), who’d had a career on children’s television in Portland during the 1950s and ’60s. We sang the song for Doris, and it was fun to see how well everyone remembered this childhood favorite:

Happy birthday, happy, happy birthday!
This is your day, so have a lot of fun!
Happy birthday, happy, happy birthday!
This is your day, so have a lot of fun!
Blow out the candles on your cake and make a wish.
Serve everybody’s favorite dish. (Happy birthday, happy!)
Happy birthday, happy, happy birthday!
This is your day, so have a lot of fun!

After lunch, after cake and ice cream, we said our goodbyes and everyone went their separate ways. Our time with Doris and with Craig’s cousins was short, but we hope those reforged connections will last. Most importantly, Doris had a happy 100th birthday in the company of her family and friends.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with people who are important to us.
Perhaps they live far away and we’ve lost touch.
Maybe they have experienced hardship or loss, and we don’t know what to say.
Perhaps they have become “difficult” — or maybe we have.
And of course, everybody’s busy….
So here’s to those who make the effort to reach out and to be present,
despite the challenges. May they inspire us to do the same. 

Connections

• Why are we called “THE” Ohio State University”?
• La Fonda Hotel
• Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
• Canyon Road
• Paloma Mexican Restaurant
• Learn more about Heck Harper and listen to him sing his birthday song. This longer version differs a bit from ours, perhaps because they sang an abbreviated version on the kids’ show.
• Late addition: Upon returning from our trip, I happened up this episode of 99% Invisible: How To Pick A Pepper, which informed me that “New Mexico remains the only state in Union with an official state question: Red or green?” In case you’re not familiar with it, 99% Invisible is a fascinating podcast that explores “all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world” Strongly recommended.

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