Returning to 113 degrees

Becky sent us off with a great breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. It was sad to be leaving our friends and the nice cool temperatures in Angel Fire. As we were leaving the town, we noted that the temperature was 43 degrees; it will be quite a while before we see those numbers in Tempe!! The trip went remarkably fast as we passed the time listening to the Teaching Company course on Books That Have Made History. The professor is an enchanting story teller, and it was quite enjoyable listening to his commentary on the Book of Exodus, the Gospel of Mark, the Koran, Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and the Book of Job. We stopped at our favorite hangout for a light meal and thought we had stepped into an oven as we got out of the car. It was nice to take a quick dip in the pool before bedtime. Just when we will be getting adjusted to the temperatures again we will be off on our next venture to see our little granddaughters!!!

S'mores and more with Seymours

It was hard to believe that this was our last day in Angel Fire! We have been having so much fun that the days have literally flown by. Not wanting to rest on the laurels of our new puzzle record, Becky and I started a fourth puzzle but only 550 pieces. Despite working most of the morning on it, we were disappointed that we would not break our new record as the puzzle turned out to be more difficult than we had anticipated. After lunch we rented paddle boats for an hour. It was fun, and it was exercise! Fortunately, the best day weather of the trip was on Friday. There was never a threat of rain, so we were able to fill our afternoon with another hike in Angel Fire, the Bear Trail which ended up taking 2 hours and was 3.4 miles in its entirety. While on the hike, we saw a coyote (we think) at a distance and a deer grazing. We were famished when we got home and again rewarded ourselves with a nice cold beer and nibbled on some chips and salsa. Our last meal was a joint effort - Becky made the rice, Russ grilled the halibut, and Diane prepared the asparagus and salad. (We let Jim do the dishes. ) After enjoying a delicious dinner with a great bottle of wine, we settled outside and enjoyed S'mores and tea in front of the chiminea while we listened to music from Diane's I-pod. We definitely saved the best for last.

A puzzling record broken and catching our breath

Our morning was spent working on our third 1000 piece puzzle. The pressure was on as we were trying to break a puzzle record for a single visit. After lunch, we took a trip to the Taos Ski Valley where we hiked 4 miles to and from Williams Lake. I think it was one of the most difficult hikes I have ever done. The trail was very rocky, and the elevation climb was over 1,000 feet. By the time we reached Williams Lake, we were at 11,400 feet. It was SO hard to catch my breath on the climb up. While it was easier to breathe on the descent, it was definitely more difficult on my knees. I was very thankful that I had my hiking sticks. Pictures of our trip to date can be viewed in our Photo Album. One thing that Becky and I learned on our hike is that the human male is very similar to the male elk - they hang out together and leave the females to fend for themselves. :( Before returning to the parking lot, we went into a quaint restaurant called The Bavarian and celebrated with a brewsky before driving to Taos for dinner. Within an hour after returning home, puzzle #3 was finished and our traditional photograph taken. With the completion of this puzzle, we broke a record for the most puzzles ever completed in a summer visit!

Busy, busy day

We woke up to a brisk 37 degrees and fog. Becky and I sent our warriors off to hunt little white balls on the golf course and enjoyed breakfast and a cup of coffee before heading out for another invigorating walk. We attended the musician's rehearsal for the Music From Angel Fire concert and then went out for lunch and a little bit of shopping. We met up with the boys at the house for a little relaxation and a light dinner (and of course the start of puzzle #3) before heading out to attend the concert. The program included Haydn's Trio in D Major for Flute, Cello and Piano; John Williams' Air and Simple Gifts for Piano, Violin, Clarinet and Cello (first heard at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration); Schubert's Rondo in B Minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 70; and Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat Major for Strings, Op. 20. While Music From Angel Fire has been in existence for 26 seasons, this is only the second time that we have attended, the first being last summer. We never did attend a Phoenix symphony concert this year, so it was nice to get our culture fix.

Two down . . . .

After working on our puzzle with our morning coffee, Becky, Jim, and I went for a very long walk this morning. It was overcast and a bit chilly - felt good! Just as we turned the corner to get to Becky and Russ's house, we spotted a deer munching on some grass. It watched us but didn't budge. The poor thing was not as robust as the elk we saw last night; in fact, its ribs were showing and its coat had gashes in it. We took a little detour so we wouldn't scare it off as we wanted it to keep eating!!! Becky and Russ do some volunteer work with Music from Angel Fire and were meeting with some other volunteers this afternoon, so Jim and I drove to Taos for lunch and to walk around the shops. By the time we got back to the Seymour's house the rain started. We settled in with a beer and worked on our puzzle. The boys barbecued flank steak, and we enjoyed a very relaxing and enjoyable dinner. Afterward, Becky and Russ shared their pictures from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and London. Their travels have certainly taken them to some unbelievable sights - so different from the sights we have seen in our travels to Thailand. Jim, Becky, and I finished puzzle #2 in no time and then retreated to our electronics - Jim on his Kindle, and Becky and I on our laptops. Russ chose the old-fashioned book in bed.

Elk Patrol

Last night after dinner we went on elk patrol high into the woods. We hit the jackpot on our first outing. At first we saw about 5 or 6 elk grazing. Russ backed up the car so we could see a little better, and two juveniles that had been laying down got up. The next thing we knew we saw a total of twelve elk slowly moving around!! We watched them for a while and then moved on. As we turned a curve, we saw 8 more, some crossing the road! As we went towards a clearing, we saw a lone animal grazing in a field. At first we thought it was a deer. Russ took a different road so we could get closer, and we saw that it was a young male elk. The males do not stay with the females and babies but venture out by themselves. All the elk we saw looked very healthy with very pretty coats. Some times the coats on the elk that we see look a little scratched up, but these were all very fine specimens. As we ventured on, we came across several deer as well. When we returned home, Becky and I started our second jigsaw puzzle. Oh, by the way, we find the elk in Angel Fire to be extremely friendly as you can see from the second picture. :)

First Hike of the Trip

We did a 2.7 mile hike into the Lady Slipper Trail in Angel Fire this afternoon. It was in the 60's and overcast, so it was perfect hiking weather. We took pictures of the wildflowers to see if they are included in the puzzle that we just finished. :) The rain started once we were out of the woods, and fortunately, it was just a light drizzle until we got to the car. Once we were in the car, it was coming down pretty good. Good timing . . . for once.

One down . . . .

While Russ was working this morning, Jim, Becky, and I finished our 1000 piece Wildflower puzzle. Here we are, quite proud of our accomplishment, which, I might add, was done in record breaking time.

Puzzled

We started out the day with a long walk in the neighborhood. Walking in Angel Fire is a bit of a challenge for us Arizonans as we encounter hills here and an elevation of 8400. Needless to say, we huffed and puffed at times, but Becky was impressed that I could continue talking throughout, a feat that I know isn't a surprise to some of you. :) Other than meal prep, meals and potty breaks, the day was devoted to our 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle that looks like a chart of MANY types of wildflowers. It is certainly a challenge, but it is amazing how much we managed to do yesterday. By evening, we seemed to have a system in place that made finding pieces a bit easier. Our plan last night is to try to incorporate some hiking and renting paddle boats at the lake today.

We are in Angel Fire

We got into Angel Fire at 6:45 p.m. New Mexico time. Jim drove from Tempe to Santa Fe, and I took over in Santa Fe and got us into Becky and Russ's driveway. During our ten hour ride, we listened to the radio, started our Thai conversational tapes (now that is going to be a chore!!!), did a crossword puzzle, and started a Teaching Company course on Great Books in History. The temperature was 66 degrees when we arrived. After dinner we went out on the deck to gab and must have been a sight as we were huddled in blankets; it was 60 degrees!! Yes, we are wimps. This morning it is 41 degrees, according to Becky's computer. The boys are playing golf with Russ's friend Marvin today, and he and his wife Debbee will come over for dinner tonight. Becky and I plan to get a walk in this morning and then start in on our puzzle.