I need an Altitude Adjustment....

So, I was all proud of myself for joining the Fort Marcy Community Recreation Center this week so I could swim and work out, but even the best of intentions need a little adjusting. I swam a mile yesterday, felt fine while doing it, and was actually a little psyched that 3 weeks out of the pool did not undo all the hard work I put in at the good old Plex this summer. And then....I went home, cooked myself some dinner (gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce), and went to stroll around the Plaza and got a horrible headache, the headache that just won't quit.

I, apparently, am having some difficulty with Santa Fe's altitude--a totally common affliction--but a huge annoyance. Apparently you eventually get used to it, but in the meantime, I must drink obscene quantities of water, take some aleve, and hope for the best. Some toned-down workouts are also in future plans. Santa Fe is roughly 7000 feet above sea level and, for east-coasters, a bit of an adjustment. All the people I've told about this episode have nodded knowingly, and told stories of what happened to them when they first moved here. Some people still have difficulty sleeping throught the night because their throat dries up. Thankfully I've no sleeping problems, but I am more fatigued, and guess I will just grin and bear it, as there's no real cure unless you get really sick and have to go to the hospital for a prescription.

The headache is starting to subside, but I seriously think I've had more than a gallon of water today. All else is well. I went over to the museum itself today to view the show that's about to come down "Circling Around Abstraction."
(http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/visit/current.html) The Museum itself is lovely and well-organized and the show was extremely interesting. I especially like O'Keeffe's early work from the teens and twenties, and it was well represented in the show. I've always liked her work, but reading her bio. in conjunction with being at the museum has been really fascinating, and I've begun to get some more ideas together about Stieglitz. I also had my research library introduction this afternoon, and Eumie, the librarian and co-director of the Research center, could not be nicer, or more helpful. It's going to be a productive fall!

I can't believe it is Labor Day weekend already, and it feels strange not to be home, or going to the beach. Ah well, we adjust. I am thinking of going to check out Taos on Sunday and maybe go to an Indian festival at one of the nearby Pueblos.
Now I'm off to find my local movie theatre. More Water!!

R.I.P. 2002 Silver Ford Taurus....

The adventures never end in this part of the world. While driving home from the Albuquerque airport on Tuesday afternoon after the San Francisco weekend the Taurus decided to behave really badly--engine light flashing, evil sputtering sounds, no acceleration, etc. So, I decided to try to make it to the nearest dealership, Capitol Ford in Santa Fe, and see what was wrong. I left the car and took a ($25!!) cab back to the casita (note to self: cabs in Santa Fe=bad idea) to await the fate of my vehicle.

I strolled around the Plaza, trying to get a better idea of where I am (and to forget that the car was broken), and had a nice dinner at Il Vicino, a local favorite pizza and salad place. I, of course, also located an amazing paper store-Papergami-which reminded me a lot of home and the Paper Source in Brookline on a much smaller scale. After watching a documentary I bought ages ago about Stieglitz (An Eloquent Eye), I fell asleep. I decided to walk to work on Wednesday morning, a lovely 10-minute stroll, and checked in at the Museum Research Center. Monica, the curatorial assistant, showed me around, and I am thrilled at the whole set-up, especially my amazing office (see below). As I was unpacking books, I got a call from Capitol Ford, letting me know that cylinder #1 in my engine was dead, equaling a $4000 new engine. Steve and I decided (seconded by Vincent the service guy) that there was no way we were putting a new engine in the p.o.s Taurus and so looked at other alternatives. Totally disheartened, I strolled around the Santa Fe car park, inquired about long term rentals at Enterprise ($700/month) and in the end, decided the solution was just to get another car.

So, me being me, I made my decision quickly (which is the antithesis of everything Steve believes in--car research would have taken him at least a month) and decided upon a 2007 Suburu Impreza Outback Sport (see below!). I knew I didn't want another Ford (sorry Dad!) and had been dreaming of Outbacks for awhile, so this little silver sporty version seemed the perfect choice for Maine. It was the last of it's kind on the lot, a standard, and drove really well. So, Robin, my hilarious salesman (Jarrett, if you are reading this, he reminded me SO much of you--same voice!), set me up, got me a reasonable deal, and I spent the better part of the afternoon (four hours) at the dealership purchasing, financing, registering and insuring my car! It's so strange to do this in another state. For instance, in NM, there are no state inspections, you just have to drive the car to the insurance agent and he looks at the odometer. Also, you need to purchase protection against uninsured drivers as more than 40% of drivers in NM are illegal and not-insured. Crazy! So, I will, in a few days, have New Mexico plates, which I think is hilarious. I am enjoying my new ride thus far. And, I would just like to reiterate to Steve that I DID NOT purposefully sabotage the Taurus engine despite earlier threats that I was going to just leave the car on the side of the road in NM before returning home. I guess the 4300 miles we put on the car coming out here was just too much for its delicate sensibilites. Ah well, RIP Taurus, and the impressive $100 trade-in value you brought to me. Honestly, I would have paid the dealership just to dispose of it.

So, back to work in my lovely office. Files are all unloaded, and so, no more excuses, it's time to start writing. Hope you all are well. Drop me an email and let me know what's going on in your parts of the world. Happy Labor Day Weekend and Good Luck to those getting ready to go back to school!


Pic 1: The New Suburu Outback "Sport"
Pic 2: The courtyard of the Research Center
Pic 3: My incredibly beautiful new office!

Settling In....

We arrived in Santa Fe late Wednesday afternoon and after a few wrong turns found our way to the 610 Paseo Corto casita, a very sweet little (and I mean little--there's a reason it's a 'casita') place that I will call home until Christmas-time. After unloading books and endless amounts of clothing from the car, we decided to consult the roadtrip book one last time for a dinner suggestion. Once again, it steered us in a very pleasant direction and we had a great southwestern dinner at the Shed. I've never seen garlic bread served with mexican food before, but it was a nice twist and we enjoyed our "last meal" together. Back at the casita, not wanting to unpack, we watched a little TV and fell asleep. On Thursday, I took Steve to the Albuquerque Sunport to fly back to Boston--truly the end of our cross-country trip and back to old and new realities for both of us! Steve's already back at work, and I check into the O'Keeffe Museum to get shown around and move into my office on Wednesday of this week.

After I dropped Steve off at the AP, I managed to miss the turn back onto Route 25 to take me back to Santa Fe (an hour's drive from ABQ) and drove around aimlessly for a bit trying to find my way. Eventually I did, hindered only by a crazy accident, and my extremely poor sense of direction. I always think that it will somehow improve or get better with age--it never does. I used to forget how to get from my house to high school back in the day. I decided to use Thursday as an unpacking and shopping day, so I found all of the local hotspots--Trader Joes, Target (on a street named Cerrillos, leading out of the city, reminding me a lot of Rt. 9 at home) and proceeded to set up my new digs. Not loving the comforter already on the bed, I found myself a more Libby choice, and stocked the pantry. I also had to get a small bookshelf at Target for all of my Maine reading materials in preparation for teaching in January, and I was lamenting the loss of Steve's presence, because I am terrible at following directions and putting things together. I managed to get it done, however, and the place is starting to look a little more homey. My neighbors, the owners of the guesthouse, are quite nice and have two very cute kids. It's just a short walk to the Plaza and to the museum--neither of which I've explored as of yet--having saved the "fun stuff" until the more practical things were done. I found a great local hangout near Trader Joes, "Cafe Santa Fe," where I will happily bring anyone who comes and visits. I found the laundrymat (I thought those days were done for me...alas)! And I found that my day passed rather quicky and I went back to the Casita and packed Kate's Bachelorette weekend in San Francisco.

The Bachelorette weekend was great fun, the highlight being a trip to Napa Valley on Saturday where we had lunch, a tasting and a tour at the Flora Springs winery. The winery, http://www.florasprings.com/, was lovely, quiet (we were the only people there) and I found that when served in such a setting, taken straight from the oak barrels, and with a good bit of explanation, that I quite like wine after all! It was so much fun to see all Kate's friends from Notre Dame, her family, get to know William's mother and sister, and to spend a weekend in San. Fran. is always a treat! I head back to Santa Fe tomorrow (Tuesday) and am excited to go exploring. From what little I've seen of the city thus far, I think I am going to love it and feel very at home there. Best of all, I'm going to get alot of work done. I am halfway through Roxana Robinson's biography of Georgia O'Keeffe (which I thought was only fitting) and will finish the rest this afternoon. It's a wonderful read and her early life was alot more complex than I imagined. It's also helping me understand a great deal more about Stieglitz and his approach to Gallery 291. It's such a treat to think only about my own work, and not about starting school, and so I'll take advantage of what I know will be a rare prospect these next few years. More later!

Pic 1: Slide Rock State Park, Sedona--so much fun!
Pic 2: Lunch at Flora Springs Winery, Napa Valley

Days 12 and 13: The East Rim, Bryce Canyon and Hiking with the Hoo-doos, and Sedona!

Right now it's day 14, the last day of the roadtrip and I am sitting on the balcony of the Matterhorn Inn in Sedona, Az, looking out to the red rocks the city is so famous for. We arrived here yesterday late afternoon after a 310 mile jaunt from Bryce Canyon in Utah. Bryce Canyon is a truly incredible place, and some of the most spectacular scenery I have yet to witness. It's really like you are on another planet when at the canyon. We arrived at Bryce Canyon on Monday afternoon, after leaving the Grand Canyon via the East Rim (worth seeing--some great views, and a few cool landmarks, like the watchtower below) and headed toward Utah. We were on Route 89 seemingly FOREVER, and it's no accident that parts of that road, through Arizona into Utah, were some of the last places to be mapped in the entire United States. Desolate is the only descriptive I can think of, and even that does not do it justice. Utah is weird; I've no other way to describe it, just plain weird, and Steve and I are still trying to get over our encounters with the local residents of Kanab. A few more marks of civilization begin to emerge as you approach Bryce Canyon, but upon entering the park you just forget about all the desolation of the previous miles. We set up camp at our North Campground site--the basics: a tent, picnic table, fire grate and nearby bathrooms (no shower) and decided to see a few viewpoints before an excellent dinner at the Bryce Canyon Lodge.

The park is known for the tall skinny rock formations known as hoodoos (see below) and the vistas are really amazing and very different in different lights. I honestly thought Bryce was way more interesting than the Grand Canyon, but maybe it's because the whole experience was less crowded and not as commercialized. After dinner we went to Sunset point to, yes, you guessed it, watch the sunset, and then headed back to camp after exploring our options for hiking the next day. The night sky at Bryce is stunning. Whereas because of light concentrations in more developed areas you can only see about 2500 stars, at Bryce you can see 7500. We hiked up to the rim of the canyon near our campsite and stargazed for a bit.
The next morning we woke up early (the timezones keep changing on us), packed up camp, and went on our hike. Steve, the old boyscout, was very gung-ho about this, so I went along with it. We walked the Queen's Garden Trail and the Pueblo loop before heading back to Sunrise Point. It was a 3-mile hike and I was extremely glad we went in the early morning before it got scorching hot. The way down was fine, but the way back up was incredibly challenging. Worth it for both the stunning views and the workout. We were both stunned as to the poor footwear choices of people clambering down (ie the lady in the gold sandals) as well as the lack of people carrying water, and figured they just didn't read the guidebook or realize what they were in for on the way back up. It was a very cool experience, and one I'd repeat despite the knowledge of the awful ascent! If you've not been to Bryce add it to your list!

We headed out after the hike and made our way to Sedona, another very strange and beautiful place. It's very artsy and new-agey here with LOTS of rich people. We went to some galleries yesterday where the minimum pricetags were in the 1000s. Nevertheless, we had a great dinner at a Mexican Cantina, and, since just about everything in Sedona closes at 6, we decided to go to the movies. We saw "Superbad," which was incredibly funny and well worth the price of admission. Go see it!!
Today, after a little more sightseeing in Sedona (surrounded by a plethora of national and state parks and forests) we head to Santa Fe. Steve flies back to Boston tomorrow morning--I can't believe two weeks have passed so quickly! Here's a list of the states we've driven through/visited:

Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah....16 in 13 days--pretty good!

Pic 1: My favorite of Grand Canyon signs
Pic 2: The Watchtower on the East Rim
Pic 3: Bryce Point at Bryce Canyon, Utah
Pic 4: Looking up from the Bottom of Bryce Canyon during our hike
Pic 5: Moon over the red rocks of Sedona

Day 11: The Grand Canyon

Sorry for the blogging delay, but no wi-fi in the 1950s wigwam (hey, the cable box channels were changed by hand) or in the Yavapai Lodge at the Grand Canyon. So now I am in some Days Inn parking lot somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Arizona and Utah!! We ventured into Winslow, Arizona after leaving our wigwam. We ventured all the way to Winslow, because there was no breakfast to be had anywhere in Holbrook! You wouldn’t think an entire town center could be based around one small lyric from an Eagle’s song, but apparently “Standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” is the thing to do there. And you stand on the corner with a life-size bronze cast of Don Henley. Steve was having none of it! We finally found the long-sought Falcon Café and enjoyed some delicious (if rather slowly delivered breakfast). Steve’s homemade chorizo in scrambled eggs was particularly good. Today was a relatively short journey, a bit under 200 miles, and we arrived at the Grand Canyon around noon. Upon entering the park (yay, the pass worked again) we realized just how many people visit the Grand Canyon in the summer—thousands!! At Mather Point, the first vista, there was nowhere to park, and rather than wait for a space, we decided to drive on further into the village inside the Canyon, have some lunch, and check into our Lodge. All went smoothly and we decided to follow the park’s suggestion and take the free shuttle buses from viewpoint to viewpoint. After hitting the Visitor’s center we followed the green line out to Yaki point and walked back along the rim trail a few miles to the village. The rim trail is paved and our walk was a quiet one; we hardly saw anyone. We then headed west on the shuttle to see Hopi and Mojave Points, where you could view the Colorado River. The Canyon itself was absolutely stunning and definitely something everyone should see at least once in his or her lifetime. It’s hard to really fathom the depths as you look down. I am not sure I would bring small kids here, as it is really easy to get close to some sheer edge drops. There are more (right now) non-Americans than Americans here, and it’s neat to hear all of the different languages being spoken and to see various cultures ideas of “hiking wear.”

If I came here again, I would either sign up for the white water rafting trip down the Colorado River, or prepare for a hike into the Canyon. It was really surprising to me how pleasant the weather was here today—in the mid-80s, but not humid—and really cool after sundown. I have to say (and this feels a little sacrilegious) that this was not my favorite of the National Parks we visited. I really loved the Painted Desert and the Great Smoky Mountains. Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing, and I am looking forward to the East Rim views tomorrow as we head to Bryce Canyon in Utah, where we will be camping. Off to bed; I can’t believe the trip is coming to a close so quickly. Driving cross-country has been great and I would totally do it again.

All Pics: Some of my favorite shots from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon!

Day 10: Wigwams and Petrified Wood

We left Amarillo relatively unscathed after a lovely stay at the Drury Inn, and began another long day of driving—500 miles to be exact! We were helped in our travels by driving through two time zone changes, gaining two hours for ourselves. Our destination today was the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. To get there, we drove ourselves out of Texas (no more speeding tickets), and through New Mexico, into Arizona. Driving through New Mexico was such a change from the plains of Texas and we saw stunning scenery essentially the whole way through. I can’t wait to see more of it during my four-month stay, and I am happy to have any fellow explorers who want to come visit and join in! Sunflowers line route-40 west, and we also traveled some historic Route-66, which is alternately charming, quaint, and extremely busted. We stopped for lunch in Old Town Albuquerque and ate some fine Southwestern cuisine at La Hacienda. Steve enjoyed his first sopapilla (which he described as a cross between a dinner roll and fried dough) and my mouth burned for hours after my encounter with some green-chili sauce, a New Mexican specialty. We then drove past miles of rest stops and “Indian Shops,” stopping at our fair share.

We arrived at the Petrified Forest National Park around 2:30 and checked into the visitor center. I was finally able to use the National Parks pass I bought for the trip and skipped through the $10 entrance fee. This is an absolutely amazing National Park, and one I would highly recommend to any traveler. It’s a 28-mile drive through the park with many stopping points and opportunities to walk around and explore. The vistas are really stunning, as you can see by some of the pictures, but what was most striking was the way the landscape kept changing. We went from the roses, pinks, orangey-browns and greens of the Painted Desert, to the black, blues, and purples of the “tepee” formations and then into the many-hued chunks of petrified wood. We spent about four hours in the park, ending at the Rainbow Museum where we watched a 15-minute film about the park. The best part of the movie was at the end when a man was shown being arrested for stealing some petrified wood, and where a little girl read her letter as follows: “Dear Park, I am so sorry for stealing your wood. You can have it back. Love, Me Me.” At the Rainbow Museum end I spent some time reading letters from people who stole petrified wood and sent it back. Either the theft wore too heavily on their consciences or they had extreme bad luck while possessing the wood. Apparently, around one ton of petrified wood gets stolen every month from the park, mostly in the form of pebble-size pieces. Rest assured, we did not take any!! We then made our way to Holbrook where we spent the night at the Wigwam Motel after having a late dinner at the famous “Joe and Aggie’s” Café. The Wigwams were surprisingly comfy and old school despite the small bed. Off to the Grand Canyon tomorrow.


Pic 1: The Painted Desert
Pic 2: Petrified Wood from the Painted Desert
Pic 3: Lib and Steve at, you guessed it, the Painted Desert
Pic 4: Ancient Petroglyphs—I think these are so cool!
Pic 5: Wigwams! We slept in Wigwam #1

Day 9: 600 miles, hay bales, rain, a speeding ticket...and 72 ounces of beefy goodness!

Howdy y'all (I must hear this word 50 times a day in the South). As I write this I am in Amarillo, TX, home of the "Big Texan Steakhouse," snuggled under covers in my large and clean room at the I-40 Drury Hotel and Suites. It was not an eventful day for the roadtrippers. We departed the Rosemont Bed and Breakfast (lovely, I would totally stay there again) after a breakfast of fruit salad, sausage omlette, and amazing biscuits in Little Rock around 9am and hit the road for our longest driving day of the trip. 600.1 miles: we spent many hours in Arkansas, many in Oklahoma, and a few in Texas. All of these hours, albeit a few brief food excursions, were spent on Interstate-40 West, a two lane highway populated with trucks, 70 mph speed limits, and lots of Jesus signs. When entering into Texas, we were treated with a sighting of the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. Awesome. Otherwise, really not that much to report, just sweeping plains, hay bales, a huge windfarm and cows. We ventured into Fort Smith, Arkansas for lunch (not a cool place!) and it bummed us out, but we followed our USA guide for a food recommendation and were not disappointed. We had a lovely $12 lunch at Tammy's Tamales and scooted back to the highway, stopping only for gas, a delicious Sonic diet coke, and when I was pulled over for speeding in Texas. Ah well, I'll take it slower. Fun fact: Texas speeding tickets do not tell you how much they are for, you need to call a judge for a "payment plan" which I will do on Monday. Again, Awesome, thanks Texas. We made our way into Amarillo in time for dinner at the world famous Big Texan Steak House. We were skeptical, but the atmosphere was inviting (and cheesy) and the steaks were excellent. They are famed for the "free" 72 ounce steak (if eaten in an hour) similar to the Old 96-er in the "Great Outdoors" for you John Candy fans out there. Then off to the hotel, where we will be until we head to the Painted Desert tomorrow and our Hobrook, AZ Route 66 Wigwam sleeping adventure. Good Night!

Pic 1: Tammy's Tamales, over 70,000 sold, and today was "free cookie" day
Pic 2: Being serenaded with "On the Road Again" at the Big Texan, how appropriate
Pic 3: Steve surrendering to his 21-oz steak....
Pic 4: Me in the big chair, at yes, the Big Texan
Pic 5: What awaits you in Amarillo....