New Mexico Vacation 2003

We spent the last two weeks of June, 2003, in a house in the mountains in Angel Fire, New Mexico (see map). Katie's mother Kathy (aka "Mawmaw") and our Swiss friend Paul Leuzinger (aka "Opa") went with us.

We've been vacationing in Angel Fire off and on for many years, so we have lots of traditions and must-do activities. Mostly, we enjoy hanging out in the cool mountains--at the house or the nearby lake. When we get tired of that, however, we can always go down to Taos and Santa Fe and environs for shopping, cultural activities and fine dining. This year, we visited the Taos Pueblo on the day of their summer corn dance, which was very interesting. However, the Taos Indians do not allow any cameras on the Pueblo on festival days, so we didn't get any photos.

Click on any photo to see a larger version

In and around the house
We usually rent a 3-bedroom house that sits among the pines.
	The back of the house
	The view down the valley from behind the house
	Paul and Katie on the back deck
	Mawmaw and the kids in the forest behind the house
	Hannah and Samuel in a dead tree stump
	Hannah playing in the forest
	Mawmaw in the forest
	Stan and Samuel posing in a burned-out stump
	The kids in another tree stump
	Katie and Kathy in the kitchen
	Mawmaw feeding the birds and squirrels on the deck
	Mawmaw and Samuel feeding the birds and squirrels on the deck
	A squirrel munching out on the deck
	Paul at the dining room table
	The kids at the Lego table
	The kids eating breakfast
	The kids and Mawmaw making a birthday breakfast for Katie
	Paul making Swiss fondue
Relaxing at the lake near the house
Within walking distance of the house is a great little lake with a dock, geese and ducks and boats for rent.

Fishing at the lake
The lake is also stocked with rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout.
	This was our first day to fish, when we really didn't' know which bait and and tackle to use. Needless to say, we didn't catch any fish.
	Paul solved that problem by befriending a guy who was catching fish. Tim turned out to be very nice, giving us lots of good tips on how to catch trout. Paul repaid him for his kindness with his usual currency: Swiss chocolate.
	Paul's first fish.
	Samuel fishing. Turns out, he was a pretty prolific fisherman.
	The whole gang fishing.
	Hannah fishing.
	Our first big catch.
	Paul and Samuel cleaning the fish.
	Another catch.
	Paul really got into the fishing.
	Yet another catch.
	The first week we were there, we got quite a few fish, but as it got warmer, the fish quit biting. After two days of no fish, on the very last day of vacation, Paul caught a 3.5 pound rainbow trout (and two smaller ones)!
	Paul cleaning the trophy.
	Mawmaw cooking the trophy fish on the grill.
	The finished product.
Hacienda Martinez in Taos
Hacienda Martinez is now a museum in Taos, but it was a social and economic focal point in the 18th and 19th centuries. It's been restored to that time period.
	The front of the hacienda.
	The kids on the foot bridge leading to the hacienda.
	Kids in front of ristras.
	Hannah was amazed how low the doors were--she could even touch the tops of most of them.
	Family photo.
	The kitchen.
	Samuel in the kitchen.
	Paul trying to read the really badly translated German tour guide.
	Doorway.
	I think Hannah took this photo.
Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos
Our one big road trip was to Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos. It has Anasazi ruins and cliff dwellings.
	Paul going into the cliff dwellings.
	Paul and Samuel climbing the ladders.
	Paul had to carry Samuel back down on his back.
	Hi, Hannah!
	Hannah in front of the village ruins.
	The village ruins, as seen from the cliffs.
	Nice shot from the valley.
	Smile, Katie and Hannah.
	The cacti were in full bloom.
Red River
On one day, we traveled to the nearby ski resort of Red River in order to ride the ski lift to the top. But, the ski life was broken down, so we had to settle for lunch and playing in the river.

ELK!!!!!
One of our traditions is to watch for elk. The first week we were there it was pretty cold, so the elk didn't come down into the valleys at dusk. But, finally, when it got warmer, we began to see them. This group was about a block from the house.

Cowboy Evening at Bobcat Pass
On our final evening we attended a 'Cowboy Evening' at Bobcat Pass outside Red River: a steak dinner and 'cowboy' entertainment. I was really against the idea, as it was pretty expensive, and I was concerned it would be really tacky. Turns out, it was great! The dinner was excellent and the entertainment was a very good band. It was a great way to end our vacation.

Katie and the kids got some quality time with the horses and donkeys.
Samuel and Paul got to practice their roping skills
Group photo opportunity.
Miscellaneous Photos
	Hannah blowing seeds.
	Samuel blowing seeds.
	Samuel posing in front of some beautiful flowers in Taos.
	More beautiful flowers in Taos.
	Some tired tourists at the Kit Carson museum in Taos.
	Paul the Swiss tourist.
	Smile, Mawmaw.
	Close-up!
Family photo opportunity on a platform looking out over the ski runs and mountains in Angel Fire.