A late wintertime: Taos and Santa Fe Vacation

Janette had a work meeting in Taos, so after her work was done we made a vacation of it. I enjoyed meeting her boss and coworkers, and New Mexico was great. Everywhere we ate the food was fantastic.

The event, however, was the weather. We were excited the first morning when wet snow clung to the trees. It was beautiful. Then the second morning brought six inches with a light snowfall continuing through the day. It meant that we couldn't do the hikes we planned; we did a little more touring in the car and visiting shops and restaurants.

And more restaurants. Taos is loaded with great restaurants. Greatest plates?

• We had bacon ice cream—yes! bacon!—at Joseph's Table. (To be precise, I had bacon ice cream; Janette tasted it and let me have the rest. . . she's so generous with me.)
• We had a great green chile posole at Graham's Grill (and the most simple and wonderful tortillas, too).
• Everything was good at Damon's.

We went up the mountain to Taos Ski Valley (the photo above is at the river along the way), and out to the Rio Grande Gorge. When she took this photo at the gorge, Janette kept telling me "just one more step back and one more step to the left..."

The last night in Taos, Janette stubbed her toe bad enough to break it, but she refused to let it stop her from walking all over Sante Fe. Our tour of Santa Fe included the oldest church in the United States (c. 1610) the oldest house in the United States* (c. 1646) conveniently located across the street from the oldest church), a museum or two, at least three rug dealers, and two great restaurants: La Casa Sena, and the Coyote Cafe. Ice cream highlight at the Coyote Cafe, where we had the seven (small) scoops that made up their sampler? Janette might tell you otherwise, but the basil ice cream was the best. The photo here is Janette next to the very very old adobe bricks of the oldest house.

Best souvenirs:

• The handmade, wood-fired pottery tangine from Logan Wannamaker in Taos.
• The three antique prints from Rev. F.O. Morris's Nests and Eggs (1866) that we found in a great antique maps and prints shop in Taos.

We also had a nice half-day in Albuquerque, where Janette showed me the parts of town she's gotten familiar with on her trips for work. I liked it quite a lot, actually.

Nice to get home, though.

*Note: i.e., oldest house built by a European, and probably in third place in that category, too.