While it was no Disco Inferno, burning an acre or so of weeds was more fun than one might imagine. We did put our friends Mark & Tara to work, but they insisted it was voluntary, so we let them continue with this delusion, which made the burn much more fun and speedy.
It was one of the many highlights of their visit last week. In addition to hiking nearly every day (first at
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks Natl Monument, then in the Sandia Foothills on Elena Gallegos and
Pino Trails), we ate wonderfully good food (homemade
Frito pie!), and played lots of cards and board games. A good, old-fashioned round of
Life anyone?
Mark and Tara brought their dog Kai and 17-year-old cat Chester with them, which was also a treat. It was so nice to have a dog in the house (particularly well-mannered, adorable Kai), and Chester kept us laughing with his territorial behavior, making it known that he was the oldest animal in the house--and all other beings, residents or otherwise, must submit. Poor Max and Alma cowered in the closet for most of Chester's reign-of-terror.
Kai, sensing an innate duty hearkening back to his unknown ancestors, was eager to herd our neighbor's sheep, but didn't quite know what to do with them once he had them. It was amusing to watch--for us, not the sheep--and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank our woolly friends for helping us mow down the weeds in preparation for the Big Burn. Th-a-a-a-a-a-nks guys!
On December 17th, we ascended the longest tramway in the world to Sandia Peak. It was a gorgeous day, cold and crisp, with lots of snow at the top of the peak--perfect weather for a hot totty in the High Finance bar at the top of the peak while inscribing holiday greetings to friends and family. Great idea Jon!
The photo to the left is looking down on our shadow in the canyon--our tram is the large dot just below and right of center.
