Whoa! First there were maps, then satellite pictures, terrain, and traffic. Now street-level 360° panoramic views as if you were really there.
You can actually tour Manhattan and stand on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Here's where I go Monday through Friday
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I just finished preparing our taxes for 2007. I tend to put it off since we typically don't get a refund. I had to enter SIX W-2s since we both started the year employed in MN, and then our first jobs in ABQ didn't work out as planned. The bad news is that I had to add up all of our moving expenses. Yikes! That wasn't cheap! But the good news is that those costs helped tip the scales in our favor this year and we'll be getting a small amount back. It's so nice to end the 4 hours of frustration with a much happier ending. Life is good.
And tomorrow... the NM and MN forms.
After my 5-day 53-hour workweek, Von and I decided to get away for the weekend. First we "got away" mentally by going to a movie - at the cheap theater, of course. We saw No Country for Old Men. It was violent, but had enough storyline and suspense that I enjoyed it. Plus the acting was great. Love a good villain. I was intrigued and bothered that a few parts of the story were left unanswered. After going online and finding out the book is more detailed and doesn't leave the reader wondering what happened to the money, I went out and bought the book. Still reading, so no spoilers just yet!
Saturday we jumped in the Leper and headed east to Santa Rosa. The forecast was sunny, warm, and breezy. Purely by coincedence, we were in and around some of the same areas in New Mexico where No Country for Old Men was filmed. The eastern part of the state has a different feel to it, at least the parts we saw. I think it's because we were getting closer to Texas with each passing mile.
Hey look - there's Von!
We stopped at Cline's Corners. Reminded me a little of Wall Drug in South Dakota. Famous for merely being a place to stop in the middle of nowhere. While it was sunny in the morning, unfortunately, it didn't last. The 50mph winds made it wildly uncomfortable to be outside. You can see the Cline's Corners sign tumbled over the day before our visit. Also notice that premium gas is $3.99 per gallon. Is that an all-time record?
I'm an at-home transplant in NM with Minnetonka moccasins for sale in the midst of cowboy hats and Southwestern decor.
We ate lunch at Silver Moon in the very desolate Santa Rosa, NM. So windy. So very windy...
We camped in Santa Rosa State Park. Despite the wind, Von and I were able to relax, play cards, and read.
After hearing from our Denny's breakfast waitress that the Blue Hole is beautiful, we decided to check it out before we left town on Sunday morning. The Blue Hole is an 81-foot deep natural well of clear blue water that is 61° year-round. Scuba divers use it to train for deep sea diving.
I love that Spring starts so much earlier in Albuquerque than MN. This planter on our deck already has pansies blooming. The funny thing is, I don't remember these flowers being there last year...
Cricket (the cat) is already meowing to go outside when we're home during the day on weekends. She's ready for the sunshine and fresh air too.
It amazes me how we can see a snowstorm covering the mountains only a few miles away, yet we don't even get a flake. Santa Fe - only an hour away - got so much snow the other day that schools and some government offices closed. Nothing in ABQ. And no, I absolutely do not miss it!
The simple and meaningful design of the New Mexico flag features a Zia, an ancient symbol of the sun as found on a late 19th century water jar from Zia Pueblo.
Four is the sacred number of the Zia and can be found repeated in the four points radiating from the circle:
1. Directions of the of the compass
North
East
South
West
2. Seasons of the year
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
3. Parts of each day
Sunrise
Noon
Evening
Night
4. Seasons of life
Childhood
Youth
Adulthood
Old age
The Zia also believed that with life came four sacred obligations:
1. Development of a strong body
2. A clear mind
3. a pure spirit
4. devotion to the welfare of people/family
All of these things are bound together within the circle of life, symbolized by the circle in the center of the flag's Zia.
Von's elbow felt better from the soak, but only for about a day. The pain is lessening gradually, probably because he's consciously trying not to strain it.
I didn't make the connection between the nasty chancres and the public mineral bath. But now that you mention it, I bet there is a correlation.
P.S. Do not Google chancre. Especially do not do a Google image search. I'm just sayin'...
