The Land of Enchantment

Now and then, my day job requires travel. Sometimes planned well in advance, and sometimes with just a moments notice. And always to exotic locales like Detroit in Februaury, or Kansas City in July, or similar such nonsense. Well last week, with three days notice, I had the wonderful pleasure of returning to New Mexico for the first time since my family left that state in 2001. 

Ok, so I wasn't thrilled. 

We lived in New Mexico for about 18 months back in 2000-2001 while my husband attended flight school. I like to joke about knowing the exact number of days and hours, but honestly, time has softened and blurred those memories. Let's just say I haven't had it on my list of places I'd like to go. But duty called and off I went. 

I tried from the onset to look at the bright side of it all. The first upside was the fact that there were no direct flights from DC to Santa Fe. That is saying a lot because making a connecting flight is never an upside, right?  And especially not a grueling, lengthy layover. But this one happened to be in Los Angeles, where my oldest daughter lives. She was off work so she picked me up for lunch! We enjoyed In-N-Out burgers, and we ran to a craft store (I forgot to pack size 6 dpns and needed them for the next flight). We wrapped up our quick visit with a stroll on the Manhattan Beach pier. 

That indeed was a lovely surprise for this trip I didn't want to take, but there was more in store. 

I arrived safe and sound and the next morning took a lovely run on a trail just a couple blocks from my hotel. My body quickly reminded me that altitude matters, but the sunrise and mountain scenery, along with the adorable scampering bunnies, made it such a pleasant way to start the day, I made sure to try again the next morning. 

After a busy morning on the phone for east coast meetings, but before my Santa Fe meetings started, I set out for a quick bite and a little exploring. When I travel, whether for work or fun, I always scout out local yarn shops. I found one not far from my hotel and the name alone sealed the deal, I wasn't missing this one. 

This little gem is nestled on the back side of a building and if you blink you might miss it. 

I popped in and enjoyed a cup of coffee, some shopping, a little knitting, and the wonderful company of Rissah, the very nice and helpful woman working that morning. They have a wonderful variety, including some beautiful local and regional yarns. 

I found just the yarn I needed for a knit along I had joined (must finish Ginny's Cardigan #2!). 

So far day 2 of this trip was off to a fabulous start! The meetings went off without a hitch, and I ended the day with some authentic Mexican food. The next day, after a better run, and another full day of meetings, someone mentioned a bakery I should try on my way out of town. Boy was I in for a surprise! 

Revolution Bakery is a 100% gluten free bakery and cafe. I went in expecting cookies and such but was thrilled to find REAL BREAD! While having a food allergy is no fun, avoiding gluten is fairly easy. But good bread is really hard to find. I ordered two loaves (and carried them carefully home on the plane), a pizza (which was like every other pizza I get, I wish I had ordered the grilled cheese), a cinnamon roll for breakfast before my 6 am flight, and a sugar cookie. I may just plan a regular trip to Santa Fe to stock up on bread and sugar cookies. And I will definitely have to try the pancakes next time. 

And since the two surprise locales on my trip are so close together, I will grab some Yarn and Coffee while I'm in town.  All in all, I am glad I had the opportunity to take this trip.  So many surprises and good memories.