Yesterday we dug into the unpleasant task of gathering and packing after two months in Santa Fe. Thank goodness Marie is so good at this. I packed up all of the computer, phone, iPod, iPad and Kindle cables and chargers and got the car ready, while Marie waded into the rest. Late in the day we met with our rental real estate agent to look at a couple of other properties for next year - we hope - and then sat down to a carry-out dinner from Bobcat Bite.
I know, I know. But despite the strange name, this little place is in every tour book for the best hamburger ANYWHERE. Marie had a cheeseburger, and I had the green chile cheeseburger, and here's our review: these were the best hamburger's ANYWHERE, bar none. 10 ounces cooked how you like it, from rare to why bother. They were so tasty we didn't put a thing on them. A definite recommendation and a certain return for the Robinsons. Later, we strolled to the end of our plaza for another spectacular sunset, thanks to the Las Conchas fire.
The folks from Los Alamos were allowed to go back home yesterday morning, and the lab will be up and running in a few days. While Los Alamos was spared, the fire is still chewing up large chunks of the Santa Clara and Cochiti Pueblos to the north and south. The fire is now at around 125,000 acres, and will probably burn until the monsoon rains put it out. We had a nice shower with marble size hail yesterday, and the humidity is clearly on the rise, so the rains won't be long in coming.
One advantage of staying a few days longer was that we got to take part - with several thousand of our closest Santa Fe friends - in Pancakes on the Plaza, a tradition now in its 36th year. For $6.00, you get two big pancakes, a choice of ham or vegetarian sausage - very Santa Fe - and either coffee or orange juice. All of the proceeds go to charity, and it really was a lot of fun. (That's the pancake line on the left in the first picture.)
It was a beautiful morning for the 4th of July - 70's with a light breeze - and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. The sun was still bearing down, though, and everyone tries to shield themselves in their own way out here. There are hats of every shape and size, but this person had them all beat with real style.
The last couple of days, with smoke from the Pacheco and Las Conchas fires beaten down by humidity and occasional rain, have been the clearest in the last two weeks. The mountains are once again visible, and all seems well. To celebrate this respite from the fires, the city of Santa Fe decided to ... shoot off fireworks tonight. There's been a tremendous amount of controversy over fireworks sales and shows, with major retailers like Wal-Mart, Albertson's and Smith's pulling them off the shelves and many municipalities cancelling their shows. Santa Fe argued that by having their show it would keep folks from shooting off their own fireworks. Not sure if it worked, but the show was nice and I don't smell any smoke - yet.
Pancakes and vegetarian tofu sausages notwithstanding, one thing Santa Fe does very well is food. Bobcat Bite! (Never judge a burger joint by its cover, right?)
Drive carefully! Don't rush home. You gotta big continent to cover.
Posted by: Jan | 07/05/2011 at 08:13 AM