Spring Break in New Mexico

Pedernal, beloved of Georgia O'Keeffe.

We spent Spring break in New Mexico: Albuquerque and Santa Fe.  Lots of history: New Mexico has been the home of Puebloan people for ten thousand years, then was a dusty outpost of the Spanish empire from the late 16th to early 19th century, at which point it became part of independent Mexico. The Santa Fe trail saw great trains of wagons passing through Santa Fe on their journey across the plains to California.  Mexico ceded the territory to the US in 1848 following the Mexican-American war and the state of New Mexico wasn't formed until 1912. In many ways, New Mexico still feels like a different country with lots of Mexican food and Spanish place names.

Mud pies in the Rio Grande

'that river twisting through a dusty land'.

We enjoyed staying with friends in Albuquerque, the adobe houses of Santa Fe and a tough canyon walk down to the Rio Grande near Los Alamos, home of the bomb, as well as witnessing an extraordinary Good Friday procession in Spanish, complete with flint lock pistols and gunpowder.  Our favourite day was a hike around Georgia O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch, surrounded by the iconic skylines and canyons of her pictures.

On top of Chimney Rock, Ghost Ranch.

16th century Adobe church at Abuquiu

Fort Garland, Southern Colorado

Chimney Rock

Learning to use chopsticks

Cowgirl at the museum in Santa Fe

Album covers are still on our minds

I AM now a soccer mom!

Half time team talk with coach Eric.

Yes! Morwenna has got over her fears and has joined her friends in the Mesa 2nd grade girls' soccer team. I was even on orange-quarters-at-half-time duty today so I'm totally legit.  I was heard to shout "go girls" and "great job" as Morwenna the sweeper booted the ball upfield out of the path of the Amazonian 3rd graders who were today's opponents. Don't enquire after the score, just know that Morwenna is loving it, and, I must say, so am I.

Meanwhile Dan is trying his hand at flag football: toned down American football minus the pushing and shoving and shoulder pads - again very happily, as his best friends are involved.  To me it is a strange game, lots of standing around, the sparsest spurts of running with the ball (compared to rugby), and lots of 'plays' to learn, with coded numbers.  But the ball is the right shape for Dan, at least.

Morwenna with orange hair tie.