In which the land is enchanted (Part II).

First of all, ridiculous creatures!

 

 

 

Okay, okay, back to serious matters. Serious like waking up pre-dawn, donning as many scarves as possible, equipping the travel mug with Pfefferminztee and driving straight out of town, parking in an abandoned desert place, and racing the sun to the top of a volcano. Oh, New Mexico, you make the wonder so easy sometimes.

 

And while we're on the wonder topic-- Look! Green!

Two things found at the Gma's nursing home:
1. Notice about Breaking Bad being filmed right outside.
2. A blast from the adorable and fluffy past.

 

Adobelicious ABQ Old Town in various shades of weather:

 

The colors! How I compliment their complementariness!

Shots from another Vater-Tochter canyon adventure, this one with a side of Chihuahua-sitting:

I opened my eyes to this place, this landscape, this architecture, opened my ears to the "Rs" -- both in American and Spanish -- and remembered that other planet of Europe far, far away and Hamburg and thought of all the other radically different places in the world where I have never been and was totally blown away, again, like a colorful hot air balloon in a blustery blue sky. Like this balloon (see below), I was also glad to have landed in/next to my parentals' home. It's fun and crazy to think of drastically different cultures and places as long as you make sure not to compare them. They are their own entities. I often get asked if I like Maine or New Mexico better, or Germany or America -- there's no one-or-the-other answer. (Though if you ask me the latter, I will most certainly croon about the number of paid vacation days I get over here.)

One last trip to the Mexican supermarket for pumpkin empanadas and pineapple tamales and fried pig skins and to stock up on all the cans of green chilis and chili powder I can fit into my suitcase without looking like a dealer.

In what seemed like time that had ticked by too quickly, I found myself at the Sunport again and then many thousands of feet closer to that fiery ball of gas. Goodbye, ABQ and watermelony mountains, goodbye, parched and scarred and mystical and so, so beautiful Southwest.

Off to New England for culture shock part two.