New Mexico Dream

Last night, I dreamed of New Mexico. I can't remember the exact details, other than I was driving somewhere sort of wooded - as though I were in the Ruidoso/Mescalero/Cloudcroft areas, up in the mountains where it's quite a bit cooler, getting a brief respite from the hot, arid desert near Alamogordo.

When I woke up, I was a bit surprised, almost unsure of where I was - just momentarily - as I found myself in my bedroom in eastern Iowa, instead of in Alamogordo. This dream left such a visceral impression of New Mexico upon me, that I guess I expected to wake up there, as though I still lived there.

Anyway, I've been kinda thinking of New Mexico all morning, which has probably been prompted by the overcast, rainy skies (as we rarely got overcast dreariness in New Mexico that lasted for any noticeable length of time), as well as the dream . Plus, while I was clearing the morning's dishes, I'd heard a song on my iPod that I actually first heard on the radio in my office (and numerous times afterward) while I was stationed in New Mexico.

So I thought I'd share a couple photos of New Mexico taken in and around Mescalero and Ruidoso. These represent the scenery I dreamed about last night.

They were both taken in 2007, when Andrew and I had spent the weekend at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, while Livie spent the weekend with her grandmother and great-grandparents in El Paso.

It had been threatening rain for a couple hours before the rain clouds had actually moved into our area; it had thunder-stormed just prior to my taking the photo of the lake.

From our room's balcony, Inn of the Mountain Gods, Mescalero, NM

On the road, somewhere between Mescalero and Ruidoso, NM

A Study Break and a New Mexico Daydream

I'm taking a study break, and thinking about New Mexico. Here are a couple photos from one of my favorite places:

The big lobby window overlooking the lake, Inn of the Mountain Gods, south central New Mexico, near Ruidoso.

Another view of the lake from our room window at Inn of the Mountain Gods.

Yes, these were taken on one of those rare, cloudy New Mexican days. Actually, a thunderstorm blew through and dissipated by the time we got back to our home in Alamogordo later that day.

Memory Lane Friday - No Theme

We've got another "No Theme" topic for Memory Lane Friday this week. I had a whole post written out, photos included, but decided it was much, MUCH longer than I'd wanted it to be. Plus, I'd suddenly had an idea for a different post, so I changed my mind, deleted the old one, and wrote this new one. Okay, this one is still kinda long (but not nearly as long as the post I ditched).

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 played attempted to play tennis. I'd had lessons at home, but she'd never picked up a racket. So it was basically a session of laughing and goofing off.

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.

We're on our room's private balcony.

Here's our view from our room's balcony.

Here's a very small portion of our room (there was a whole "living room" just out of view).

These are a few of the horse sculptures at the Hubbard Museum of the American West, in Ruidoso Downs, NM.

Yes, we were in the mountains, and it actually started snowing in April!

Here are sculptures of Native Americans, outside the resort.

 

This is the huge viewing area in the lower part of the lobby. It was BEAUTIFUL!

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.