Well, our second "Fun Friday" was as successful and enjoyable as the inaugural "Fun Friday" last week. This time around, we drove north of Santa Fe with the goal of swimming at Abiquiu Lake, but we took a spontaneous detour to Nambe Falls (located within the tribal lands of the Nambe Pueblo), and spent the better part of the afternoon frolicking in the water, having a riverside picnic, reading the paper, and spending time in nature. A cold beer and peanuts in the shell went a long way towards satisfying our thirst and the need for a salty snack on a hot day.
The hike to the falls was beautiful, moderate, and relatively flat, but I had to carry Tina upriver several times when the trail basically dead-ended in the water. She was a compliant good sport, and rested in my arms or on my shoulder when she had to be carried. We were told to watch for coyotes, but none made themselves apparent, although they may have been waiting in the shadows for a moment when Tina might be left unattended.
The Nambe Pueblo is picturesque, small and shady, with neat adobe homes, an old kiva in the central plaza and a lovely mission church. (No photographs of the pueblo are allowed.) The people of Nambe speak the Tewa language, and Nambe is translated as "The People of the Round Earth".
Driving through the pueblo, we took a wrong turn and ended up on someone's driveway, and the perplexed owner and his two dogs came up the driveway to greet us as they returned from a walk. I opened the van door and the dogs practically jumped in and covered me with kisses while the kind gentleman gave us directions for getting back to the main road. We remarked how beautiful the pueblo is, and he said "Yes, our ancestors chose well." That about said it all.
On the way home, we stopped at a local winery for a wine-tasting and admired the tidy vineyard. The proprietor invited us to bring a picnic any time and supplement it with a glass of their fine New Mexican wine. We will certainly take her up on the offer sooner than later.
After a brief rest at home, we went to a potluck birthday party here at The Commons, where we got to know some fellow community members a little better and feasted on delicious food and homemade cake. And much to my chagrin, two little girls discovered how ticklish I am (thanks to Mary's prompting, of course), and we spent more than half an hour in an all-out tickle fest.
Fun Friday, indeed!
---Keith
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