Busy Day in Albuquerque

This morning we went to the foothills of the Sandia Mountains to Elena Gallegos Open Space to hike. We didn't have a map, so we just set out on the Cottonwood Springs Trail. That turned out to be a very nice accessible nature trail leading to a wildlife blind and small pond.

We continued on to a trail marked #140, part of the Pino Trail, which leads to the crest. We didn't go that far, but turned off on #341 and circled back to our starting point. The views were marvelous. To the east the Sandia Mountains loomed above us. To the west the city of Albuquerque was laid out in a wide valley below.

We saw many varieties of wildflowers in bloom as well as junipers and pinons and cacti. We spotted some mountain bluebirds, but none willing to pose for the camera. We encountered folks out walking their dogs, jogging, and bicycling, but for much of the time we seemed to be alone in the vast open space.

After our hike we went to Costco to pick up some groceries before heading home for lunch and a shower. This afternoon we drove to Old Town, where we saw San Felipe de Neri Church, one of the oldest buildings in the city. The current church was built in 1793, but the parish was established in 1706 and has been continuously in operation since.

We walked around Old Town, taking note of all the shops. We had planned to eat at the Back Street Grill, but it is apparently closed for renovations, so we walked to Cocina Azul. We were eating early, so we'd be ready for dancing at 7:00 p.m. That meant we were among the few diners. We checked in on Yelp and got free chips and salsa.

After dinner we walked back to the truck and did some grocery shopping on the way to our dancing date. Caller Kris Jensen has a C-2 square at her house. The group is called the Half Crazies. It is not officially part of the Wilde Bunch, but all the dancers who participate on a regular basis are actually members of the Wilde Bunch club.

When we arrived, Kris introduced us to her wife, Turtle Bear. Soon other dancers arrived. Unfortunately, none of us wore name tag. Of course the rest of the group knew each other. I can recall some of the names, but not which faces they go with. Everyone was very gracious about welcoming us into their square, and very patient with our inexperience.

We studied our call definitions to prepare for this experience. It's been two months since we danced, and we have just barely learned C-2. We definitely had some blank moments here and there. Kris's choreography was quite novel to us, since our total experience of C-2 dancing has been with Darryl and Randy. It was also creative and interesting.

It was all wonderful fun, both the dancing and the socializing with the group, a really great bunch of folks.

Tomorrow we'll move on to Grants, NM.