Petroglyphs, Pottery, Pueblos, Plants and Pasta: Day 2 in Albuquerque
The day dawned bright and sunny, and cold - 36, but with a promise of 76 by mid afternoon. We had a full day planned. We dressed in layers and were off.
First stop, Petroglyph National Monument.
There were lots of rock drawings within fairly easy reach,
but we did have to climb this lava rock pile.
By the time we got to the second trail, I had peeled off all of my extra layers, and was very glad I brought my walking stick.
From there we headed back to town to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Here we learned about the history and artistry of the 19 Rio Grande area Pueblos. We are especially interested in the pottery from the various pueblos, and saw lots of beautiful examples. They had a wonderful display of Hopi pottery too, which is Tom's favorite.
We had lunch in the cafe here before going on to the Botanical Garden.
Autumn color was in full glory at the garden, which shares its campus with the aquarium. But we didn't come to the desert to see fish.
This lush green space was in stark contrast to the area outside the walls.
We went a little camera crazy in the butterfly pavilion.
They had an amazing children's garden. I'll have to do a whole post just on that when we get back.
And we still had another hour to spend back in Old Town, checking out more of the shops and galleries. In fact we bought two small pots, Acoma for me and Hopi for Tom. They are signed pieces from well known artists, one at 50% off and the other at 30% off. The tourist season is over, so we got a bargain. The beautiful little Hopi pot was still pricey, but I really wanted Tom to have it.
The shops closed at 5:00 and we returned to our hotel to freshen up before traveling across town to meet my brother. Don is living and working in Albuquerque for a year. His job moved here so he had to come along. He'll be here for a year until he can retire and then go back to his home near Boston.
He suggested an Italian restaurant near his house. We shared a good meal and a great visit.
You look so thin and healthy Linda..I hope to get there too.. I would love to go visit as I have always been interested in that kind of thing...Love the butterflies...
ReplyDeleteThe butterflies are stunning! Good that you were able to photograph them. The petroglyphs are still well preserved. The ones in Hawaii are faded and less visible to the eye, probably due to erosion.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely an area of the country I want to see. The petroglyphs look fascinating, and I'd love to take in the beauty of the botanical gardens!
ReplyDeleteYou do look good, Linda. I'm glad to see it, and this morning I am sipping hot water in preparation to have my blood drawn (no food or tea until after). Hopefully my cholesterol numbers will be better than last time.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you would go a little crazy in the butterfly house, these are stunning!
Oooh, you have me longing for another trip out west.
ReplyDeleteinteresting, you've been to places I haven't in Albuquerque...guess next time we''ll have to stop by there...
ReplyDeleteI love visiting botanical gardens in areas other than where I live. I will have to go to Albuquerque's the next time I go down there.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to take advantage of the seasonal prices when buying some special pottery. They will be treasures that will bring back wonderful memories.
You are looking very fit and trim. Congratulations!
Gorgeous photos! The butterflies posed for you. We've been to Petroglyph National Monument. It's a fun place to climb, isn't it? I really loved their botanical garden too. What fun!
ReplyDeleteAnd the best part in all this is you got to be with your brother.
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