SIGHTSEEING AROUND RUIDOSO

Our first stop was the Spencer Theatre for the Performing Arts in a scenic valley surrounded by mountains. The $22 million cost was totally paid for by Jackie Spencer. She wanted culture to be available in the rural areas of New Mexico and Texas.It is a beautiful place and it offers high quality productions and entertainment all year round. We went on a tour of the theatre.


This is a glass flame tree by the artist Dale Chihuly. Other works of his are around the theatre.


This glass creation is called "Persian Wall.". It is upstairs on a wall that faces towards windows that look toward the mountains.


The Spencer has beautiful art everywhere. This very large oil was given in memory of a couple by their children and grandchildren. John and I loved it.


We continued our tour to Fort Stanton which has an exciting history. It was established in 1855 to control Apaches. It was controlled by Kit Carson in 1862 and later Billy the Kid was incarcerated there. Fort Stanton was home to the Buffalo Soldiers, a black regiment that provided protection of Lincoln County.



We saw this structure from where many shots were fired, we visited the Billy the Kid Museum and an old General Store. All are in the old West town of Lincoln.





We had lunch at the Dolan House and then stopped at the Peter Hurd Art Gallery. I did not know that two famous American art families were related. Henriette Wyeth married Peter Hurd.




We saw a beautiful collection of horse sculptures on the way back to Ruidoso.



We ended a perfect day at the Cheever's Country Club for dinner. Nancy and I have the same(almost)jacket. Her's was bought in Ruidoso and mine was from the Outer Banks.

SAYING GOOD-BYE TO THE COURNOYERS and HELLO TO THE CHEEVERS

Thank you Fabby and Nelson for a wonderful visit! We love you all.



Here is Michael Cournoyer with his daughter, Audrey. Michael is a top scientist at the Los Alamos labs. His invention of a more ergonomically favorable glovebox glove has saved time and money. The Labs employ 11,000 people, the budget exceeds $2 billion a year and the facilities are spread across 38 square miles.





On the way out of Espanola Nelson showed us the Memorial he helped get built for all those who have served our country from the area.









We enjoyed a beautiful drive to Ruidoso in the mountains of southern New Mexico. The roads were good but lightly traveled. On one stretch we went for almost an hour without seeing another car.






We arrived at the lovely home of Nancy and Charlie Cheever and went into town for some delicious Mexican food. We met Nancy and Charlie on our Voyager cruise last year. We are glad to be together again.

ESPANOLA AND NEARBY SITES

We began the day attending Mass at Fabby and Nelson's church. They were married in this church 57 years ago. Fabby has nine brothers and sisters. They all live in the area with their children and grandchildren (and many more relatives) so they take up most of the church.



Fabby and Nelson are Kellymarie's godparents. We lived next door at Larson AFB, in Moses Lake, Washington, right after we were married. Fabiola taught me how to be a Mother. She was a great one so I will always be grateful.



We are in front of their beautiful church altar with newly restored Spanish paintings.
Dode is Fabby and Nelson's oldest. She is a grandmother now but I remember her holding baby Kelly when she was 10 years old.



After a family lunch at a local restaurant we toured the countryside. We love the vastness of the views in New Mexico.


We saw fires in the distance and could smell the smoke. The heat and high winds did not help the situation.


This is a look-out point with the Rio Grande below on the canyon floor.


We like these flat mesas which are seen among the mountains. We, also, saw cliff dweller homes where many of the Indians used to live.





This shrine is called "Lourdes of America" which is quite a stretch! People come to seek cures for their ailments. The tradition is that in 1810 a light led to a crucifix being discovered in the dirt. A priest brought the crucifix back to Santa Cruz--three times! Each time the crucifix found it's way back to Chimayo. This church was built on the site. People dig up "holy" dirt where the light shone. I got some!

Santa Fe to Los Alamos to Espanola

Patrick said we had to visit the Chocolate Maven for breakfast. The restaurant is behind the Toyota Body Shop in a strip mall. You could not find it on your own! As you eat you watch the bakers making all the delicacies.
























We bought large cinnamon rolls to bring to our friends, Fabby and Nelson, in










Espanola. Here are a few beautiful sites along the way. The rocks, the mountains, the sky, the terrain--AWESOME!



























Here we are in Los Alamos. The city has an amazing history. This is the place where the Atomic Bomb was developed. John is standing by a statue of J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Grove.. We went to the museum which told the history of Los Alamos. When the scientists and their families moved here in the forties it was very secretive. No one could say where they were. All felt they were part of a historic mission--and they were! Our friends' son, Michael, works at the Los Alamos labs now. He is a bio-chemist and has invented a method of determining leaks in the glovebox(They are working on HOT stuff).









We loved the art gallery here and the museum is so interesting. Living in Los Alamos reminded me and John of living on a missile base. We were all united in the mission and made friends that have been with us forever.

SANTA FE SITES

What a grand museum with Georgia O'Keeffe paintings and many others. We liked The Soda Jerk by Norman Rockwell.


The Loretta Chapel was completed in 1878 as part of a school campus run by the Sisters of Loretto. It is famous for it's spiral staircase.



When the Sisters realized the church was too small for a regular staircase, they appealed to St. Joseph. One day a carpenter stopped by.It took him 6-8 months to finish. Then he disappeared.



There are no nails, screws, glue nor center support used in the staircase construction.



This Gothic designed altar is hand carved from wood and painted to look like marble.






The Church is being restored with these mud bricks.







This beautiful sculpture outside the Cathedral is of Blessed Katerina Tekakwitha. She is the first Native American woman to be considered for cannonization.



Behind the altar are pictures of the Saints from North and South America. This beautiful Cathedral is perfectly maintained and well worth visiting.

ARRIVAL IN SANTA FE

After checking in to our hotel we walked across the street to, what else, a church! It turns out that this church is the first one in North America to be dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe.



The Historic Plaza of Santa Fe has a large park in the middle and is surrounded by fancy shops, restaurants and churches. There are flowers, sculptures and jewelry vendors everywhere. The streets are very colorful.



Patrick said he had the best burger of his life at the Anasazi Restaurant. We had to give it a try. It definitely is in our top five. It was called a buffalo bacon cheese burger with guacamole and crispy fried onions.
BASEBALL UPDATE: Virginia beats Cal!

Our Last Day in Omaha

We enjoyed the Old Market--brick streets, brick buildings, boutiques, art galleries and many restaurants.



We watched North Carolina lose to Vanderbilt on a clear night.


We said good bye to Omaha and the College World Series.