A last look at New Mexico

I love it when I visit family or friends and they show me places, not necessarily tourist spots, that are special to them.

Emilia took me to one of her favorite places, this stretch of road through a tunnel of trees. It is now one of my favorite places.

One of my favorite rides was on the Rail Runner into downtown Albuquerque. It was just a two block walk to Ryan's office from the station where I got to see their beautiful decorating done on a dime. We took a walk around downtown and then ate at Tucano's next to the transportation hub that is light rail, regular train service, and bus station before taking the train back home through the dark. Tucano's is a Brazilian style barbeque and it was delicious and fairly priced, much better than our Phoenix choices for Brazilian. Emilia ate chicken hearts to her own heart's content.

But Tucano's may not be her only favorite place to eat. On her birthday, she chose Outback. Something to do with a "blooming onion." She is wearing a birthday girl button chosen for her by her husband. My brother, Farrell, and his wife, Eveline, along with my sister, Jolene, joined us for dinner. There was lots of conversation (some of it silly Farrell/Ryan style.) Yes, my only brother and my 2nd son are a bit like two peas in a pod and only they understand some of their shared humor.

Things to Remember:
* Temple visit with Emilia and Jolene
* Checking out Eveline's new kitchen
* Making friends with the "grand dogs" Max and Lucy
* A drive to Belen where they were making a movie in the old downtown
* Roll making with Emilia on a rainy day (and Emilia's yummy chicken tortilla soup - perfect rainy day food!)
* A gigantic hug from Ryan as I left him at the airport