Hey everybody! Robert and I just got back from a trip to lovely Santa Fe, NM. We had a great time visiting Robert's relatives, eating good food and touring the city. Here's a quick rundown of what I ate during my trip.

Day 1:
First thing in the morning, we headed to Downtown Subscription for coffee and breakfast. Downtown Subscription is a neat coffee shop on Garcia Street (near the famous Canyon Road). The breakfast options were pretty slim but the coffee was good and we sat outside on the patio knitting (me) and reading (Robert) for about an hour soaking up the morning sunshine. It was very relaxing; I even thought to myself, "This must be what it's like to retire!" We did a little sightseeing and then it was off to Fox's for lunch. Fox's is a sports bar owned by several of Robert's aunts. I had cheese enchiladas with green chili. There is nothing quite like New Mexico 's green chili. I love it! Robert had his favorite tortilla burger which also comes with green chili. The salsa at Fox's is excellent too. Flavorful with just the right amount of heat for me. We ate chips and salsa there practically every day. For dinner, we had fajitas at home (Robert's old home, that is.) Meat fajitas for the guys and fish fajitas for the gals. The fresh corn tortillas that Robert's mom bought were fantastic!

Day 2:
On this day, we met up with a big group of relatives for lunch at Del Charro in downtown Santa Fe. This has got to be the cheapest place to eat in Santa Fe (or Seattle for that matter.) $5 to $6 per entree! I had a tostada with greens, tomatoes, olives, avocado and grilled salmon with a lemon-thyme dressing. It was pretty good but the margarita that Robert's aunt had looked even better. We did a little sightseeing downtown...toured the St. Francis Cathedral which was recently elevated to basilica and the Loretto Chapel with the mysterious spiral staircase (built without nails, dowels or any visible support.) For dinner that evening we had easy salmon burgers and salad at Uncle Ted's. You'd think I was in Seattle with all the salmon I was eating! Ted's house is beautiful. It has a studio above the garage that is separate from the main house. It is so full of light and has a great view of the mountains. We ate out on the deck and watched a huge moon rise into the sky.

Day 3:
We hopped around a lot this day visiting relatives and old friends that Robert went to high school with. Robert's friend's house was really neat. It has a solar room in the front of the house that soaks up the sun and heats the rest of the house. You can do that sort of thing in the desert; not here in Seattle. In the evening, we met up with a group of about 14 people and went to an Asian restaurant called Jinja. I had the "Ten Tigers" which is lemongrass-marinated grilled tiger prawns served over fried rice with pineapple salsa and cucumber salad. It was delicious! Everybody's dishes looked really good. Another interesting thing that happened this day was that I drove for the first time since I got my driver's license 6 years ago. Sure, it was on a long dirt road in the middle of nowhere but it still counts!

Day 4:
Robert's mom made fabulous waffles for breakfast. What a treat! I never make waffles because I don't have a waffle iron (and, even if I did, I probably wouldn't make them anyway because I'm lazy.) They were served with fresh fruit, maple syrup and bacon on the side. We ate outside on the deck and I got a little bit sunburned. Then we went to this huge world market called Jackalope. They have all kind of pots and trinkets for sale and they also have New Mexican food specialties (much cheaper than buying them downtown.) We bought salsa, green chili mustard and chili peanut brittle to take back home. For dinner, we went to the Steaksmith. Robert always talks about the Steaksmith but this was my first time going there. They had a big screen TV with the Phoenix-Clippers game on so that was pretty fun. I ordered the chipotle mashed potatoes with a side of pinon red chili and a salad. The red chili was very hot but I liked it. The house salad had the basics-lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion-but also had watercress, jicama, sunflower seeds and garbanzos. Plus, it is bottomless...as soon as your done, they'll fill the plate back up for you. It's the best house salad I've had in a long time. I also had a local beer, Second Street IPA, and fresh pinon ice cream for dessert. It was a very memorable meal.

Day 5:
For lunch, we took Robert's grandma to Fox's. This time I had the enchiladas with red chili and a fried egg on top. It was so good. I really want to learn how to make enchiladas like that but it may not be very practical for just the two of us. I can't decide if I like green or red chili best. For dinner that evening, a bunch of people came over and Robert's mom made eggplant parmesan and a caeser salad. This re-inspired me to learn to make eggplant. It always turns out too slippery when I do it. Robert liked it a lot too so I'll have to give it a try sometime. The other important thing we did that day is pick up our lot of frozen green chilies to take back home. We got a big bag full so that should last a while as long as we ration it out properly. We were warned that this batch was pretty hot. I thought the last batch we got was insanely hot so we'll see how this measures up. In wildlife news, I saw prairie dogs, coyotes, a jackrabbit and about a zillion hummingbirds during my trip!

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