Thought I'd take you through a brief photo tour of Mescalero, NM, and a place I love visiting - The Inn of the Mountain Gods (adjacent to Ruidoso, NM). This place has been in Ruidoso (well, actually on the Mescalero Apache Reservation) for a LONG time. However, in recent years (maybe early- to mid-2000s), it was closed for renovation. It looks FANTASTIC now. It has a beautiful, chic restaurant, sleek bar, a casino . . .
Well, back in the day, my grandparents had taken my cousin and me there for a few days back in the late '70s. My cousin and I had
She and I had also gone horseback riding - a trail ride through the beautiful, cool New Mexico mountains. She rode a buckskin named Buttermilk, who, at one point, slipped on some mud and went down on his behind, in kinda the same position as a sitting dog. My cousin didn't fall off, but she sure did have a surprised look on her face! Big, round eyes. Big, round mouth.
Anyway, back to my story . . .
So, when Andrew, Livie, and I still lived in New Mexico, my mom would come to visit us about once a month. The closest major airport was in El Paso, TX. So naturally, she would visit my grandparents for a few days before heading up to Alamogordo to visit us. Then she'd head back to El Paso to spend another couple days with Oma and Sir Rafa before heading home (usually staying in the area for about a week, total).
Well, one of her visits brought her out over Easter weekend 2007. Andrew and I had a couple days off (Friday - Sunday) . . . or maybe we had just taken leave, so we could hang out and relax.
Anyway, my mom agreed to care for Livie while Andrew and I headed to the Ruidoso area (about 45 minutes away) for what we now call a "Mommy-Daddy Adventure" (or "Mommy-Daddy Venture" as Livie pronounces it). We would stay at the Inn of the Mountain Gods on Friday and Saturday nights, and my mom and Livie would stay in El Paso, at my grandparents. We would all return to my family's house in Alamogordo early Sunday afternoon. I think Andrew and I had agreed we'd be back by around 2 PM.
Andrew and I had the BEST time. We'd gone to their "Big Game Sports Bar" after we'd checked in, so we could have a late lunch. It has sort of a rugged feel to it, like you've just come in from the wilderness. The next day, we leisurely wandered around Ruidoso, checking out local art stores, coffee shops, and the like.
On our second and final night, we ate at their fancy restaurant, with the big, beautiful mountain views and the sunset against the gorgeous skies. The most memorable foodie part was dessert. We'd ordered Bananas Foster, which, of course, is "set on fire" tableside. The cool part was when the server set a long, curly-cue orange peel on fire. Everyone in the restaurant watched, oohs and aahs all around.
Here are some of the photos from that weekend.
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| We're on our room's private balcony. |
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| Here's our view from our room's balcony. |
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| Here's a very small portion of our room (there was a whole "living room" just out of view). |
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| These are a few of the horse sculptures at the Hubbard Museum of the American West, in Ruidoso Downs, NM. |
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| Yes, we were in the mountains, and it actually started snowing in April! |
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| Here are sculptures of Native Americans, outside the resort. |
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| This is the huge viewing area in the lower part of the lobby. It was BEAUTIFUL! |
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| And the same view from our balcony, once the weather cleared up. |
Memory Lane Friday is hosted by Lisa @ Two Bears Farm. Please click on the button below to read her post, as well as other contributors' posts.
3 comments:
That sounds like such a fun trip!
What a fun trip! love photos too..
Beautiful scenery, Sonya. Thanks for sharing this memory. :)
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