Day 456

Finally, miniature golf! Adventure Mini Golf. Jonnie's been working on this for weeks, and today we did it. We also will be making an effort to keep track of what locations we go to and what courses we do at each location. There are so many we've lost track. At horses today we got to see some new baby critters for the weekend program: the two goats pictured below, a pair of sheep, and a pair of calves. Lexi is really getting into the puzzles Aunt Vickie supplied. And lastly, Fina and her cohorts spent quite a bit of the day at the house behaving like it's summer or something...

Note the train in the background!

Best day ever...

New baby goats at the Ranch

Budding puzzle expert.

Fina's cohorts

Day 455

Nana and Papa started the day with some French press on the deck. It was an attempt to extend that vacation feel, and it did work to some degree. Note the cool TimberCreek Church mugs. Fina got a new role for Sound of Music - dressmaker! You know, the kids' outfits made from curtains. She's doing a great job! Yesterday's fish catch was smoked then grilled - yummy. And Lexi's tennis lessons are quite entertaining. Nana and Papa headed for the Boot Barn Hall concert and happy hour, but happy hour was over by the time we got there, and the concert was outside and very sunny and windy, so we just enjoyed a lovely meal inside at Bourbon Brothers.

A new favorite toy in the house.

Smoking...

She hit it back!

Finished on the grill.

Day 454

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... Lynn and Jamie's adventures with Rob and Vickie came to a close early this morning when Vickie and Rob headed home to Kansas City - while Lynn was at the eye doctor and just after Jamie got back from taking the three littles to summer school. Looks like we're back at it! I don't think any of the photos here are actually from today. Rather, they are "catch up" pics from what's been happening here "at the ranch" while the old people were in New Mexico. The two teens got vaccinated! Matt took the kids on a very successful fishing trip to Palmer Lake. One of the foster twins got a haircut. We got new neighbors, like right next-door neighbors. The Reguscis spent most of the past weekend at the Gaylord as Sam had a lengthy layover at DIA returning to Fort Riley from California. Jon and Heather had their twins today, Zach and Zeke!

One knife option for Matt at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
They were gone when we went back to get it.

Day 453

Vickie and Rob joined us for breakfast at Michael's Kitchen this morning before departing to home via the Philmont Boy Scout Camp near Cimarron, NM.  There we toured the Villa Philmonte, the BSA Museum, and the gift shops. Not far from there was the Chase Ranch which we also toured as it shares in the history of the area. Raton was our last stop before getting back into Colorado and home. We just happened to go to the Gate City Craft Bar which turned out to be right across the street from the Raton Amtrak Station where Jamie and Papa Bill visited years ago by train. All the day's photos start here in the trip's photo gallery. We picked up some ice cream at Josh and John's right before getting home only to find out that the Compound refrigerators were full of ice cream from earlier parties. We handled it.

Michael's Kitchen for breakfast before leaving Taos.

Villa Philmonte at Philmont BSA Camp

BSA Museum at Philmont

Chase Ranch

Amtrak Station at Raton

Gate City Craft Bar across from Raton Station

Approaching home...

Day 452

While Vickie and Rob headed out to the Rio Grande Gorge State Park for some hiking and a little Indian shopping, Jamie and Lynn headed for Bearclaw Bakery and Cafe which turned out to be closed till Friday. Fortunately, Michael's Kitchen was going strong and we got a cheese crepe and a cinnamon roll. Once we all got back together, we went to San Francisco de Asis Church (the early 1800s) which includes a mystery painting that "emits" an image in the dark. Then out to the Martinez Hacienda, a 22-room adobe home built in 1804. We finished up with a little shopping around the Taos Plaza and a very fine lunch at Azteca Mexican Grill. We finished up at "home" with a bottle of Laetitia bubbly and a wild game of Tri-ominoes. Today's pics start here.

 

 

One of the stores around the Plaza.

In the way-back yard.

Day 451

Vickie and Jamie headed out early morning to check out the oldest church in the U.S., the San Miguel Chapel, built in the 1600s, and the oldest home of similar vintage. We caught a few other sites along the way. We returned to Harry's Roadhouse for breakfast as it was near our destination, Museum Hill. After discovering the amazing acoustics in the "maze" at Milner Park, we visited the Museum of International Folk Art and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (no photos allowed). The folk art museum had the most amazing collection of figurines (over 10,000 pieces) in all kinds of vignettes (see all the pics at the gallery link). The Indian arts museum was featuring modern glass artists that were using Indian motifs, very interesting. We made it to Taos in time for a very good meal at ACEQ Restaurant just north of Taos in a little place called Arroyo Seco on the way to the Taos ski area. The restaurant struck us as a "rocket boys"-like enterprise and we saw all five of the restauranteurs. "ACEQ" is short for acequia which means "bears water" or "community-operated watercourse" (pictured in the gallery link). All of today's photos start here in the gallery.

Bataan Memorial

Harry's Roadhouse

Acoustic Maze at Museum Hill (Milner Park)

Home Sweet Home in Taos

ACEQ Restaurant in Arroyo Seco