Last weekend, we traveled through New Mexico. After seeing Albuquerque on Saturday, we moved up to Santa Fe on Sunday. We arrived in the early evening at La Posada de Santa Fe, the resort I had reserved on Priceline for only $110. “Nestled on six beautifully landscaped acres in the heart of Santa Fe, this AAA Four Diamond name in Santa Fe hotel resorts is a haven of Adobe-style architecture, colorful gardens, and cozy outdoor fireplaces.” The old structures have been completely renovated and easily exceeded our expectations.

After we found our room, we spent a little time relaxing at the heated outdoor pool. While there we started planning our remaining time in Santa Fe. Originally I wanted to go to The Shed for dinner that night, but we soon realized that they are closed on Sundays. Instead we decided to walk around the downtown plaza area and see what caught our eye. Eventually we ended up at the Cantina at the Coyote Cafe. We dined on more tacos and enchiladas, specifically the Al Pastor tacos (Special Spice Blended Pork, Sweet Grilled Pineapple, Vidalia Onions, Roasted Tomatillo & Salsa Fresca) and Chicken & Cheese enchiladas (Arroz Verde, Refried Beans, Red or Green Chile, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Guacamole & Mexican Crema).

We walked around Santa Fe after dinner and again were back to the hotel and in bed by eleven. The following day we snacked on leftovers and things we had brought along in the morning. We then toured the Loretto Chapel, San Miguel Mission, and the New Mexico State Capitol. Out of the three, I think the Loretto Chapel was the best, though San Miguel was also very interesting to see. After a few hours of walking we had worked up a good appetite and headed to The Shed for lunch. Kim had the Green Chile Stew and salad, while I continued on the trend and had the Enchilada and Taco Plate. This was one rolled, blue corn enchilada filled with cheddar cheese, onion and covered with red chile. One soft blue corn taco with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, baked chicken with green chile. Served with pinto beans & posole. Their red chile was my favorite!

After lunch we left Santa Fe and started on the drive back to Denver. Our only notable stop along the way was near the city of Taos, at Taos Pueblo. Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Native American tribe of Pueblo people. It is approximately 1000 years old and said to be the oldest continuously inhabited houses still occupied in the US. We almost backed out after seeing the $10 admission per person and $5 camera fee, but I’m glad we decided to go through. As we were walking in, a tour was starting, so we joined that and then spent some time on our own exploring the ancient pueblo buildings.

Santa Fe on Dwellable

Originally today was supposed to be a vacation day, but things are pretty crazy at work recently, with another deadline coming at the end of next week.   Kim has been out of town this whole week, and when she returned last night, she brought along her youngest brother, Nick.   He will be staying with us through the weekend and then flying back to Cincinnati on Sunday.   We have lots of exciting plans for the weekend, so I’m hoping to finish up a few things here at work today and then not think about it at all until Monday.   I already missed bowling today and a stop at Chipotle.

After exploring the Sand Dunes Saturday afternoon, we continued on our way to Albuquerque.   Along the way we stopped in Alamosa, Colorado for lunch at San Luis Valley Brewing Company.   Kim and I shared both the Chicken Hot Italian Sausage and the Chicken Skewer appetizer. I washed it all down with a Grande River IPA. I definitely enjoyed the beer more than the food, but it is still worth a stop if you are in the area. We eventually arrived in Albuquerque in the early evening and checked into our hotel for the night, the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque. I had won it on Priceline for $42 and it was well worth that price. We had a room on the fifteenth floor with a view of the city. I would have preferred a mountain view, but the room amenities were still great.

For dinner on Saturday, we decided to venture to Sadie’s, a local institution that serves up simple but spicy New Mexican food. We arrived close to eight in the evening and there was still a wait for a table. We found the self-service chips and salsa station and make a basket to hold us over. Immediately we were hit with spiciness from the salsa, and that was just the beginning. Once seated we feasted on a variety of enchiladas, tacos, and chile rellenos. The green vegetarian chile was very spicy as well, but oh so good. We don’t have much to compare it to in Albuquerque, but I would highly recommend Sadie’s.

After dinner we drove over to the area of town known as Old Town. By this time it was getting late, and most of Old Town was pretty deserted. This area of town is famous for its adobe building dating back to 1706. Though most of the shops were already closed, we took a leisurely stroll through the streets of Old Town and enjoyed the nice weather. We were back at the hotel and in bed by eleven.

To start off Sunday morning we drove over to the University of New Mexico and walked through the adobe filled campus. Once we had worked up a good appetite we crossed over the street to the Frontier Restaurant. This restaurant must be packed when school is in session, as it was very crowded on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning. The line wrapped halfway through the long rectangular restaurant. I decided to just sample one of their enormous cinnamon rolls and Kim had a breakfast burrito of some sort. It’s an interesting place, but was dirt cheap and pretty good. Breakfast for the both of us was under $10 total.

On our way out of Albuquerque we stopped at the Sandia Peak Tramway for a ride on the world’s longest passenger aerial tramway. It is a fifteen minute ride from the base to the top, covering 3,819 ft in elevation gain. The slope of the mountain is very steep and picturesque as viewed on the ride up. Once at the top, the Sandia Peak Ski Area offers both winter skiing and summer mountain-biking. There is also acres of forest with many trails to hike along. We hiked for around five miles or so, and then decided we had better get moving on to Santa Fe if we wanted to enjoy our time there.

Albuquerque on Dwellable

On our way down to New Mexico for the long weekend, we stopped at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in south central Colorado.   This has been on our list of things to see for a while, and since it was only about an hour and half out-of-the-way, we decided that this would be the trip.   We left bright and early on Saturday morning and arrived at the Sand Dunes in the early afternoon.   After a quick stop at the visitors center, we headed toward the main parking area near the dunes.   We were warned that this was traditionally the busiest day in the entire year, and though there were many cars overflowing the lots, there didn’t seem to be too many people out on the dunes.   The biggest draw of the park seems to be Medano Creek, which flows only from spring to early summer.   The majority of the people in the park appeared to be enjoying the shallow and wide creek.

After parking the car in a picnic area near Medano Creek, we waded across the creek and on to the sand sheet.   We quickly realized that the sand was quite hot in spots, and that our sandals would have to stay on most of the time.   Our initial goal was to hike to the top of High Dune, which is around 650 feet tall.   That didn’t sound like it would be too tough, but once we were out in the dunefield, we realized it was harder than expected.   First, everyone should be able to imagine what hiking in sand is like.   Every step forward is like three steps backward.   And on top of that, the winds that whip through the dunes carry sand and small rocks with them.   At times this was very painful and we were finding sand all over ourselves even days after the hike.

We considered bailing on our initial plans to hike to the top of High Dune, but eventually decided to go for it.   We decided a slow and steady approach would be best, and I think it took us around an hour or so to summit the dune.   Once at the top the winds were so bad that we could only stay for less than a minute before beginning the trek down.   Going down was a blast, as you could easily let yourself go knowing that you wouldn’t run into anything hard or sharp.   I think I ran down most of the way, especially when the winds were kicking up sand again.   I’m not sure if the winds are always this bad, but I would definitely keep that in mind on future visits to the dunes.   Despite the wind, I’m glad we finally had the chance to spend some time exploring these wonderful sand dunes.

Westcliffe on Dwellable

To kick off the Memorial Day weekend, Kim and I took a walk up to the newly opened Moe’s Original BBQ near the intersection of 6th and Broadway.   We’ve eaten at a couple of other Moe’s locations in the past and have always enjoyed the food.   This visit was no exception.   Another Moe’s location that has a small bowling alley inside is only three and half miles from our house, but this new location is a walkable mile and half for us.   We arrived just after seven in the evening and there was a steady flow of people ordering food, finding tables either inside or out on the large patio area, or just hanging at the bar for a few drinks.

As with Moe’s other locations, food is ordered at the counter, or in this case at the bar.   Kim went with the smoked chicken sandwich with beans and slaw and I ordered the smoked turkey sandwich with mac ‘n cheese and fried okra.   After placing the order we found a table out on the front patio that still had some shade.   Our food was delivered to us in under ten minutes and everything was smoked or cooked just right.   Both of these sandwiches are served “Alabama style” with both red and white sauce along with coleslaw all piled on a white bun.   Both were delicious, though we both opted to add a little more of the regular BBQ sauce to each.   The sides were also excellent, with the fried okra being the big surprise of the night.   I guess it is true when people say that anything fried is good.   This was more than enough food, and the price is just right!   I’m glad to have a BBQ restaurant so close to home.   We will absolutely be back soon.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about some improvements we had made to a built-in china cabinet. We finished the work last week, but I kept forgetting to get a picture of the completed project. Well I finally remembered, so here are the before and after photos of the china cabinet. I wish I had a better full size picture of before, but you can still tell how much our work really changed the look.

Before

We removed both of the big glass doors, sanded them, and repainted them. I also spent a good amount of time sanding and painting the inside shelves and trim pieces. We bought matching knobs for the doors, and installed some magnetic cabinet catches to keep the doors closed. I also removed a trim piece of wood from each shelf that must have acted as a plate holder in the past. This allowed us to fully use each shelf and now all the glasses fit much better than they did before.

After

After a bye week last week, Santoro’s was back in action last night.   Our opponents were the creatively named “Off in the Woods” and had a roster filled with college aged skaters.   Despite our team being older, we were able to take an early lead in the game.   From that point on we never looked back and pretty much always had a two goal lead.   This upset the younger team, who taunted us saying that we were too old and not very good.   We may be too old, but we are definitely better players than they are.   They didn’t take the loss in stride, in fact they decided to attempt to rough us up.   I’m typing this with an ice pack attached to my neck and back, after one player tried to drag me down to the ice by the back of my helmet.   I guess I should have just went down without a fight, as I likely wouldn’t be in as much pain as I’m in now, but there was no way I was going to let the youngster take me down.   I think the final score was 6-3.   I earned my first points of this season with an assist on one of the earlier goals.   Our team is now 2-0 for the first time in years, and it feels good.

After the early afternoon whiskey tour at Stranahan’s, we all took a nap during the middle of the afternoon.   Perhaps starting the day out with a few drinks wasn’t the best idea if we wanted to have a productive afternoon.   Eventually we all rebounded in time to head up to a going away party at the Highland Tavern.   Our friends Corinne and Ted are moving this weekend out to San Francisco.   Kim and Corinne grew up together and have remained good friends through the years.   Her boyfriend, Ted, accepted a new job promotion out in San Fransisco and Corinne has decided to go along as well.   I can relate to this very easily, as I decided around seven years ago to join Kim in her move to Kansas City.   Looking back it seemed like such a simple decision at the time, but it definitely changed my life for the better.   I hope the same is true for Corinne and Ted.   They are definitely going to be missed, and judging by the large turnout at the party, we aren’t the only ones with that feeling.   San Francisco has been on my cities to visit list for a while, so this is just another excuse to plan a trip there.

As far the Highland Tavern goes, this was our first time there.   We don’t make it up to the Highlands area of town too often, and I do believe that it’s a rather new restaurant and bar.   We arrived just past seven, and immediately a member of the staff asked if we were with the party.   We were escorted to a table with a reserved sign on it.   We hadn’t had dinner yet, so we quickly decided to try the mac and cheese appetizer (3 cheeses + creamy goodness + elbows + buttered breadcrumbs).   It arrived quickly, and after assuring the food runner that I wasn’t eating it all myself, we were given some bowls and extra spoons.   It was a delicious appetizer, and I especially enjoyed the breadcrumb topping.

For dinner I ordered the don’t be such a turkey sandwich (roasted turkey + bacon + cheddar + avocado + arugula + sweet onion relish) with fries. Kim ordered the special, which was a chicken pot pie, and Amy ordered the no, i ain’t from Philly sandwich (5oz grilled steak + melted provolone + american + grilled onions). My sandwich was excellent, especially the sweet onion relish. Kim also enjoyed her pot pie, which wasn’t a traditional dish, but rather a crock of soup topped with a puffy biscuit like bread. Amy also mentioned that she enjoyed the Philly sandwich, and both of us agreed that shoestring fries are awesome. I shouldn’t have eaten my whole meal, but it was too good to stop. I don’t know if we will venture back that way anytime soon, but I would definitely recommend the food at Highland Tavern.

While Amy was visiting over the weekend, we took a tour of the Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Distillery.   I made the reservation late on Friday night, and decided to do the 1pm tour.   We arrived about ten minutes early, and noticed that the attached restaurant, Rackhouse Pub, was hosting some sort of event for American Craft Brew Week.   Could this be any better?   Good whiskey and good beer all in the same location!   The tour started just a few minutes late, but the wait was well worth it.

Two Stranahan’s employees greeted us near the bar of the Rackhouse, asked for our IDs, and then quickly began the tour for the small group of just over a dozen people.   We were led into a large open warehouse that was filled with various tanks for mashing, fermenting, and distilling.   We were guided through the full process of creating whiskey, and I quickly realized how similar it was to brewing beer, at least in the early stages.   The distilling process was something that I wasn’t too familiar with, and the guide explained it in great detail.

After everyone in the group had a full understanding of the process so far, we were led into the cellars to see both empty and filled oak barrels.   The process of aging the whiskey is known as maturation, and though easy to understand, the sight of so many filled barrels is pretty cool to see.   Finally, at the end of the tour, each tour goer is rewarded with a free sample of this wonderful whiskey.   Before tasting, we were given a variety of glasses filled with a small amount of whiskey for smelling.   The idea was to show how much the smell can change in differently shaped glasses.   Finally, I tried smelling the whiskey in my provided tiny plastic cup, but after little results, I allowed my tongue to do the tasting for me.   Yum!

Our friend Amy was in-town visiting over the weekend. She was looking for a good weekend to fly out and when she saw that the Local Natives were playing on a Friday night in Denver, she decided that was the weekend. She had recently discovered this band at South by Southwest and admitted to being slightly addicted. Apparently she isn’t the only one, as Friday nights show at the Larimer Lounge was sold out at least a week before the event. We arrived at the venue just before the opening band was scheduled to start playing, grabbed a couple of drinks and headed out back to the patio area. The inside area by the stage was already hot, but the temperature at that time would soon pale in comparison to the heat during the bands’ performances.

The opening band, Suckers, got started a little later than expected, likely due to the largely tardy audience. Immediately our ears were met with deafening bass tones, while the band took the stage. Their lead singer arrived onstage with face painted in what appeared to be glittery puff-paint and draped with some sort of makeshift cape. It was a very odd start to an even odder performance. The volume inside was definitely too loud for the still arriving crowd. I will admit that the music wasn’t quite my style, and I began questioning what I had gotten into. I thought Amy knew my musical tastes nearly as well as I did, and most of our favorite artists overlap pretty well. I was quickly reassured, when we all agreed that we should move back outside and rest our ears over another drink.

Once the stage was changed over for the Local Natives, and the room was sufficiently packed to capacity, we moved back inside and found spots on the side of the stage. The five-piece band took the stage after a few minutes and jumped right into songs from their recent release, Gorilla Manor. I was quickly impressed by their vocal harmonies and musicianship. It’s hard to say that one of the musicians is the lead singer or frontman, as they are all well accomplished at their various instruments and possess great singing ability. However, I was most impressed by Kelcey Ayer, who seemed to sing lead vocals on most songs, as well as playing keyboards and percussion. He not only played both instruments, he played them at the same time, with one hand playing keys and the other beating on a drum or cymbal. It was very impressive, as was the rest of the band and their performance. This was a rare occurence where I knew very little about a band before seeing them and instantly became a fan.

Below you can take a listen to their latest and debut release. It is a bit different from their live show, and you may not be able to fully appreciate it until seeing them live, but give it a listen and let us know what you think.