Christmas Vacation

Christmas Eve Gwen, Kent, Ellie, and Kristina (Kent's sister) came over to our house. Then on Christmas Day we went over to Gwen and Kent's. After Christmas Dianne and I took a trip to Santa Fe, NM.

Ellie got the idea that the paper was to play with. There was also something in side.


I made Dianne a folding shower chair. The wood was the ends of the decking from the remodel.

My parents sent me a Brazilian jangada (fishing boat) that went into my display of South American items.
On our way down to Santa Fe the wind was whipping out of the mountains, blowing the car, and creating interesting clouds. This is south of Pueblo, still in Colorado.
We intended to get gas in Pueblo, but forgot to stop. After noticing that we were very low, in Northern New Mexico, half way between Maxwell and Springer we stopped at a truck stop. It turned out that they had 50's cars and memorabilia.


I had told Dianne that this trip was not about cars, but more on that later.

The wind blew the whole way down. We learned that after we arrive in Santa Fe a tour bus got blown off the road.

We stayed at the El Rey Inn. El Rey Court opened in 1936 with 12 rooms. Over the years the inn has grown through a combination of purchases and construction.
This was the view from our window.
This is the fire place in the breakfast room. There was also a display cabinet with some of their many beautiful items, including a Pueblo Santa Clara pot made in 1936 for the original court.
On Sunday we took a drive South on the Turquoise Trail. We stopped at the Garden of the Gods and Goddesses.
If you expand this picture you will see what looks like sun hitting the back of the holes. On some the color is the color of the more distant rock. It is the more distant rock.
I got in trouble. I was driving, and we were going through Indian reservations. There were many old cars, and apparently I was doing a poor job of driving. (Sorry Dianne)

This was not in the reservations, and therefore pictures were allowed.
We stopped for lunch at a trail head. Someone had decorated the little tree.
We returned to Colorado through Taos. As we were approaching Taos we crested a pass. This was the view.
We looked around Taos for a bit, and ate lunch at the Apple Tree Restaurant. We had their Mango Chicken Enchilada. This is a picture from our table into another seating room.
Leaving Taos, looking back at the haze over the town.
Both of these next pictures were taken at the same point on the road to San Luis, Colorado.

Home again. We returned with a new shade for our back porch light.