Scariest pumpkin ever

That freaky one on the left is Sawyer's. Is that the evilest freakin pumpkin you've ever seen, or what?

Weekend in Santa Fe

Family getaway this weekend: Santa Fe, NM. Beauiful colors, stunning landscapes, hip, spiritual
city and oooohhhh delicious food


After our complimentary hotel breakfast, our first foray into the local food scene was an impulse-tamale in the Plaza. It did not disappoint.













One thing we really loved was how faithful the city has been to its architectural heritage; pretty much all of the buildings (and houses) old and new are respectful of the adobe standard.














Another thing we loved was the concentration of artists and their galleries. There is an official gallery row called Canyon Road, but every third shop in the rest of town is also a gallery, and even driving out in the middle of nowhere, every few miles you see a sign pointing into the bushes to "Carlos' Gallery"...














Exploring the old town and its shops

Sarah and Sawyer continuing the gallery hop...

The Miraculous Loretta Chapel

The plaza next to the Loretta Chapel hosts more jewelry and art vendors.













The Chapel itself was the subject of an episode of 'Unsolved Mysteries' a few years ago, as their sign eagerly advertises. Why? Because of the miraculous spiral staircase...




















...that has no center post and no side supports. It just ascends, miraculously. Chris thought it was miraculous that he'd actually seen that episode of Unsolved Mysteries...















The light in the chapel was really stunning, so Chris did a little photo shoot of bebe.























































More beautiful southwestern colors and architectural shapes

Santa Fe and beyond

This is the famous Plaza Cafe, one of the great southwestern gastronomic destinations, according to RoadFood gurus Jane and Michael Stern. The menu is a juxtaposition of mexican, greek and comfort food--I opted for the much-heralded open-faced turkey sandwich (smothered in gravy...).

Chris did another Sawyer photo shoot on the plaza while I went souvenir shopping at the two Christmas stores around the corner--really, what woman can resist a Christmas store while on vacation? Let alone TWO??

Chris calls this one: "Backstage Pass"




















thoughtful musings...
















And then we left SF to drive toward Taos. Here's what a lot of the scenery looks like.








Our first stop was in Chimayo, where a 19th century chapel has become a pilgrimage spot (the "Lourdes of the Southwest" according to our tourist magazine) because of some miraculous dirt in the corner of said chapel.









And here it is....there was a service going on so you weren't able to go inside; you could get a peak from the open doors (and the inside was beautiful, with colorful, carved woodwork) and no pictures were allowed. I also wasn't able to find out what made that dirt miraculous, but I'm noticing a New Mexico theme...










There were all sorts of shrines and standing crosses like these and the above.










Next we went to Taos...but the daylight was becoming fleeting and we really had to get back to I-25 for the long drive home, so we did not visit the ruins. Chris is pretty convinced we'll be back here before too long, so hopefully we'll get the chance to see them then. This is looking across the cemetary to the two thousand year-old adobe structures.

Zombie Song

A small taste of what Sawyer does most of the time: stomp around the house growling, looking for brains to eat.

baby-bidda's Sunday best

I've been waiting like six weeks for it to be cold enough for Sawyer to wear this awesome sweater vest--vive l'automne! And for other interested moms of little boys out there, Osh Kosh sells collared shirts that are also onesies! Sawyer is modeling one here...we maybe paid $6 for it. Very worth it to keep things tucked...

Fall Festival at Anderson Farms!

Not far from our house is this fabulous fall destination, with animals, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, hay rides and all manner of fun activities for kids. We headed over there this Saturday to officially inaugurate the passage from summer to fall...and also because I've been pestering Chris for five years or more to take me to a corn maze.

























Gettting suited up--it was COLD on Saturday!

At the entrance to the farm--steak on a stick, funnel cake and all manner of homemade jams await!
















First stop was the animals; this llama could really stand to visit Dr. Carrie Dougherty.













Sawyer was not immediately convinced that farm life was for him--the animals scared him, and it didn't help that he face-planted into a cowpie before we even got to the entrance...

Into the a-maize-ing corn maze!

Anderson farms has something like 7 or 8 miles of trails through the corn fields, with very elaborate maze patterns (see the maze map below). We read on the website that the owner decides upon the pattern every year, and then one of the workers cuts the whole thing in one day using GPS.










Only one rule: no throwing corn!


















































After wandering for hours, we finally were able to get to this vantage point to try to find our way out....kidding, Chris, being the expert navigator that he is, led us from point to point without a hitch.

Beware the children...of the corn

















I can't figure out why this pic is sideways, but you can see the maze patterns on this map...look for the miner and his cart.

All aboard for the pumpkin patch...

Farmer Roger drove us to the pumpkin patch in this makeshift hay wagon...minus the hay.














But on the way we stopped to feed the farm residents: buffalo, steer and cows. They give you little pellets to give them, and...











...boy are their tongues creepy and long. Here's the CU mascot Ralphie having his way with my pellet.

...humor on the hayride

Something was sooooo funny....I think I was trying to do impressions of how stone-faced Sawyer wasduring the hay ride...but kept cracking up.

...meanwhile at the pumpkin patch

We had a selection of the best orange, green, white, beige and red pumkins.


































And here's our loot!