Long Week, Short Sweet Weekend

Sorry it's been so long! I had a few papers due last week, and I went home for a visit this weekend! It was lovely. Why, you might ask. And to that, I reply, why [the hell] not? I had a long weekend (as I always do, since I never have class on Friday), and I managed to find a cheap flight, and, as I recall, I vowed a few years ago never again to miss October in New Mexico--as I was there on the first, I have not gone back on my word.

I arrived in Albuquerque Friday night after a bizarrely easy flight. The terminals of both my incoming and outgoing flights were changed in Houston, and somehow they were both in the same one, which meant I didn't have to trek across that gargantuan airport, which was lovely; I got to have a cup of tea instead. We flew into Albuquerque over a thunderstorm, a surreal experience, the half-moon at our backs.

Saturday morning we went to the Farmers' Market, which was absolutely riotous with the bounty of the season. Everyone was selling apples, even if they weren't really apple growers. People kept whipping around when saw me, doing doiuble-takes: "What are you doing here?" They would demand. "Didn't you just leave?" Yes, but... autumn is autumn. How can you resist. The clouds moved quickly all morning, turning the air from cool to warm in an instant.


That afternoon it rained and I drove up to see my grandmothers. There was a strange and wonderful rainbow at three in the afternoon, very low to the ground, and one of at least three that day. In the backyard, the trees were dripping with apples, and the ground was carpeted with them. Grandma still had grapes, blue and green ones--those are incredible. On the way back into town to make dinner for Graham's family, I stopped outside Nana's gate. It must have been about 6:30, and the sunset was incredible, red to the east, golden to the west, then red there too. It was gorgeous.


Sunday dawned one of those days with unbelievably spectacular fall weather: literally cloudless, and cool enough only for something light, and only in the shade. We had planned to go to Taos to see the dancing for San Geronimo day, but decided that would be a bit too stressful, and drove up to the ski basin instead to see the aspens. Driving up there is one of my favorite things to do in the fall. That, and stealing--rescuing, that is, from neglect--apples. I got to do both. Got lovely pictures of the tress, and quite a few pounds of apples. Sunday night I made an apple pie, which was wonderful. It was wonderful to bake, that is, as I had been longing to do so for the past month. The pie turned out pretty well, too.


Sunday night was genuinely cold--I could see my breath outside. Lovely weather. Monday morning I had red chile for breakfast--who could ask for more? All you really need in life is red chile and apples, I'm convinced.

I got back last night, and it feels rather surreal. I'm already too busy to really give it much thought, though. It's much more fallish here now, though, which is nice. And my suitemates missed me. But it was wonderful being home--I'm very glad I went.