Once upon a time, there was a girl looking for a job and a place to live. She applied for a job online and the kindly human resources lady invited her to come out to New Mexico for an interview. So on December 9th, the girl flew out to Albuquerque, New Mexico. The interview went very well. She really liked the people and the job. But she was also staying through the weekend to evaluate the city. Could it be a place where she could live on a permanent basis?
The girl had chosen to stay at a local bed and breakfast. She figured that would be a good way to really experience local flavor and talk to the owners about the city. However, the night before the interview, the owners called and said they were going out of town on vacation - but that they would have someone meet her for check in; and give her a voucher to a local place for breakfast. Undaunted, the girl went ahead. She drove to The Spy House . It was really, really cute, and only 5 minutes from the job. When she went in, the lady who met her to check in told her that she was the only guest for the weekend. So she had the entire house to herself all weekend. Not exactly what she had in mind, but at least she didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone (except for the rabbits and the goose out back!). This historic home was originally owned by David Greenglass - brother of Ethel Rosenberg, the soviet spy, who with her husband, was convicted of trying to steal atomic secrets for the Soviets in the 50's. It was also a film location in the Crash series. They have a photo of the owners with Dennis Hopper on the wall in the kitchen.
Albuquerque, like many places, is a veritable melting pot of ethnicities - the majority being Hispanic and Native American (Navajo and Pueblo). The Native Americans were the first inhabitants (see Petroglyph National Monument) followed by the Spanish around 1540. The city's name comes from the Duke of Alburquerque in Spain - although the first r was dropped at some point. Albuquerque is in Northern New Mexico and is sheltered on the east side by the Sandia Mountains. It's easy to navigate around the city as the Sandia Mtns are always east. The land is stark in varying shades of browns. The sky is an incredible blue and the light is so amazing that artists of all natures flock here. The city enjoys four distinct seasons - never too hot or too cold for very long.
Also running through Albuquerque is "the mother road", Route 66. So, of course, the girl had to eat one night at the Route 66 Diner!
Everywhere the girl went, the people were helpful and friendly. They all wished her well and good luck with the job. They all had wonderful suggestions for things to see and do. She even visited the Turquoise museum to see how the stone is mined and cut and graded. Very little Turquoise now comes from New Mexico. Most of the Turquoise on the market now comes from China or Chile. The ladies at the Visitors Center in historic old town provided a map and suggested that she take a scenic route around the edges of the entire city to give her an overview of what the various areas and neighborhoods looked like. Starting at Old Town, which is comprised of historic adobe buildings that remain very much what they looked like a century ago, the girl first headed up to Los Ranchos and Rio Rancho. She tried to get a glimpse of the Rio Grande River as she drove up Rio Grande Boulevard, but alas, there were too many buildings and fences in the way. She did manage to get this one blurry shot from the car....
From Rio Grande Blvd, she took the Tramwy Road along the Sandia Mountains, through the Sandia Indian Reservation, past the Sandia Casino, and down along the southeast side of the city, passing the University of New Mexico, and merging once again with Central Avenue - better known as Route 66.
On the final night of the visit, the girl couldn't decide what to do next. So she picked up a local paper and on the second page found the perfect ending to the trip. One hour by car later, she entered the Jemez Indian reservation in the Jemez mountains. It was 7 pm, already dark, but surprising light from the full moon shining overhead. The Jemez mountains were still covered in snow from the recent winter storm, but the winding roads were clear. She followed the signs to the Jemez State Monument, ruins of Indian pueblos and an old spanish mission. For the past 3-4 years, the Native people have been celebrating Christmas at the monument with Luminarias. Historically, instead of red and green electric christmas lights for Santa, the luminaries were used to light the path to the Christ child.
Fortune was smiling upon the girl to have discovered the celebration was that very night. The air was cold and biting. Cars lined the roads. But the path through the ruins was brightly lit and easy to follow. At the top of the hill, on top of the mountain, next to the Spanish mission, they had lighted 2 bonfires to get warm by while a group of Native Americans from the Jemez reservation, drummed, chanted and danced in full costume. This group plays all around the states and is mostly comprised of one family. The speaker and drummer talked about being honored to be able to celebrate Christmas here on top of the mountain on this night. He talked a little about their traditions, and of their hope to some day go overseas to dance in other lands. Standing in the cold, looking at the surrounding mountains, the luminarias flickering merrily, the bonfires burning fiercely, the warriors dancing and chanting to the drum... the girl looked up at the star filled sky to the full, bright moon and smiled. She had indeed found the Land of Enchantment!
The End
or, rather,
The Beginning
Stay tuned for more of the girls adventures, including the possibility of moving cross country and finding a place to live within 2 weeks!
The girl had chosen to stay at a local bed and breakfast. She figured that would be a good way to really experience local flavor and talk to the owners about the city. However, the night before the interview, the owners called and said they were going out of town on vacation - but that they would have someone meet her for check in; and give her a voucher to a local place for breakfast. Undaunted, the girl went ahead. She drove to The Spy House . It was really, really cute, and only 5 minutes from the job. When she went in, the lady who met her to check in told her that she was the only guest for the weekend. So she had the entire house to herself all weekend. Not exactly what she had in mind, but at least she didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone (except for the rabbits and the goose out back!). This historic home was originally owned by David Greenglass - brother of Ethel Rosenberg, the soviet spy, who with her husband, was convicted of trying to steal atomic secrets for the Soviets in the 50's. It was also a film location in the Crash series. They have a photo of the owners with Dennis Hopper on the wall in the kitchen.
On the final night of the visit, the girl couldn't decide what to do next. So she picked up a local paper and on the second page found the perfect ending to the trip. One hour by car later, she entered the Jemez Indian reservation in the Jemez mountains. It was 7 pm, already dark, but surprising light from the full moon shining overhead. The Jemez mountains were still covered in snow from the recent winter storm, but the winding roads were clear. She followed the signs to the Jemez State Monument, ruins of Indian pueblos and an old spanish mission. For the past 3-4 years, the Native people have been celebrating Christmas at the monument with Luminarias. Historically, instead of red and green electric christmas lights for Santa, the luminaries were used to light the path to the Christ child.
Fortune was smiling upon the girl to have discovered the celebration was that very night. The air was cold and biting. Cars lined the roads. But the path through the ruins was brightly lit and easy to follow. At the top of the hill, on top of the mountain, next to the Spanish mission, they had lighted 2 bonfires to get warm by while a group of Native Americans from the Jemez reservation, drummed, chanted and danced in full costume. This group plays all around the states and is mostly comprised of one family. The speaker and drummer talked about being honored to be able to celebrate Christmas here on top of the mountain on this night. He talked a little about their traditions, and of their hope to some day go overseas to dance in other lands. Standing in the cold, looking at the surrounding mountains, the luminarias flickering merrily, the bonfires burning fiercely, the warriors dancing and chanting to the drum... the girl looked up at the star filled sky to the full, bright moon and smiled. She had indeed found the Land of Enchantment!
or, rather,
The Beginning
Stay tuned for more of the girls adventures, including the possibility of moving cross country and finding a place to live within 2 weeks!
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