We woke very early in the morning, planning to get up at 3 a.m. we slept to almost 4 a.m. Rushing down I-40 in the dark (thank goodness the wind had subsided), we set our sights on the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. We arrived about 45 minutes later than we would have liked. Driving to the balloon park, we kept looking around every corner and curve but saw no balloons. We didn’t think that in an hour’s time, they could have all taken off (850 balloons) and landed already. Passing through an intersection into a parking lot, we asked a worker for the latest – it turns out we didn’t miss the takeoff – it was cancelled because of high winds.
So we set out for the B&B, Casas de Suenos, where we had reserved the Taos room. Arriving 6 hours before check-in we had slim hopes that we would be able to get a room when we arrived. The staff did their best to bring back the check in time, and we headed out for breakfast in Old Town Albuquerque. The architecture everywhere is based on adobe style housing with a light shade of terra cotta. A square anchored by a convent and church had shops galore and Indian vendors offering crafts on sidewalks on one side of the square. We found a small restaurant, Julia’s, at the back of one of the small plazas. She wasn’t quite ready to open so we wandered and returned. We had a great New Mexico breakfast, with eggs, beans, potatoes and sausage covered with red chili sauce dish for breakfast.
Back to the B&B. Our room was not quite ready, so we started handing out putty in the lobby. The first recipient was a professor named Emilyn from the Bay area. Emilyn then introduced us to Frank Peterman and later his wife, Audrey. They were a most interesting and engaging couple. Frank and Audrey are both strong supporters of the national parks and naturalist organizations. After Jim bestowed some putty on Audrey, who was quite delighted by the randomness of it, they left in a rental car to continue their trip. Then, we went for another walk in Old Town with Emilyn, who had some time to kill before she headed to the airport. We ran up and down some alleyways and then went to the front of the Albuquerque Museum. A set of sculptures of the early explorers of the New Mexico area consumed the entire corner near the street.
Just after noon now, we checked into our room and had a well-deserved nap. Waking refreshed, Aaron was escorted around the property where a number of photos were taken. The desk clerk peered through the various windows in the lobby watching us. We’re not sure what she thought.
Later, Jim and Cris went out to dinner at the Church Street Café, while Aaron decided to take in C-Span in the room. He was glad to see us when we returned.
more to come ...
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Posted by: executive sales recruiters | December 02, 2011 at 02:42 PM