Santa Fe holiday

Thanks to Gary & Beth's points, we stayed at the Residence Inn in Santa Fe Friday and Saturday night after Thanksgiving. It turned out perfectly. Bennie is still at the recovery center, but all the family was in town for the weekend and Cyndi got a chance at an opportune moment for a short holiday with me and the boys for the weekend. Ariel was going to the cabin but those plans changed, and last I talked with her she was going for an overnight with some friends.

We went up Friday afternoon. I can't remember why but it was about 3 by the time we made it to Santa Fe. We threw in a bunch of stuff. Lots of toys, casual clothes, a couple of bottles of wine, some Scotch in case Pete and Dori came up for a night for Pete's birthday. (They didn't come up. I suspect Thanksgiving Day was hard enough and they deserved a rest, too.) There was talk of some snow but that didn't happen, and the weekend was sunny though chilly. We got a nice room, with a little kitchen and a fireplace.

After checking in, we drove to the plaza for an obligatory stop at J. Crew and the toy store nearby. The boys wanted more transformers, but I dug my heels in. We got a paper airplane kit instead. The sales at J. Crew were great, so Cyndi got a couple of bargains. That made her very happy, and made for a perfect weekend.

We went to Tomasitas. It was packed. We actually went to Whole Foods during the wait time and picked up some snacks, a bundle of firewood, some ground coffee, pears, "rupidebeer", and milk. We had some wonderful whole beans, rice, Margaritas, sopapillas, and huevos rancheros once we got our table. All for under $40, a bargain in Santa Fe.

That night we lit a fire, started Mama Mia, and fell asleep after two or three songs.

The next day I found out I was only supposed to burn one of those sawdust-and-wax logs in the fireplace, and Cyndi told the front desk we actually did not watch the movie. They nicely took it off the bill. We had a wonderful hot breakfast.

We went to the plaza again, a visit to a winter version of the Indian Market at the convention center, and another toy store trip. Okay, my heels slipped and I gave way. Transformers were purchased. (They have spring-loaded buttons, so they automatically transform!) Checked out the railroad depot area. (Lots of activity there. About a mile or so from the plaza. It's the terminus for the RailRunner, which begins service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe in about two weeks, in time for the Polar Express adventure we're planning just before Christmas.) Then a relaxing afternoon. We went to Il Vincino for pizza and wine that night. That was under $40, too. We took a walk towards the plaza again for ice cream at the Plaza Bakery, a tradition from the time when Ariel was a child. The boys ordered their usual chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Back to the room, another fire. The boys loved playing with their transformers, when they weren't fighting over them. (Jackson tries to trade, but Rylee doesn't always agree.) Cyndi and Jack went to the jacuzzi and gazed at stars in the crisp night air while Ry and I cut up some pears.

Morning we burned the last stick of firewood, the boys and I grabbed a little breakfast while Cyndi ran a couple of miles on the treadmill, slowly got out of Santa Fe, and returned home. (Our bill was 0. Thanks, Gary and Beth.)

A wonderful weekend.