New Mexico - Days 6 & 7 - at home with my friends

My friends' home near Sandia Park
Saturday, 6 and Sunday, 7 November 2021

I did almost nothing for these 2 days, which was really great.  We had a lot of sun, so were able to sit outside for hours, something I don't do in campgrounds.  I don't want to sit out when the dogs have to stay in the RV, and I can't let them out because Dexter especially tends to lunge at passing dogs.  He's broken 2 of those reinforced braided metal leashes (the weak link is the hook that attaches to his collar), so we're stuck inside.  This sunny hiatus was a real treat for all of us.

And my friend Bruce has, until recently, been in the wine business.  He and Paula have traveled extensively to wineries and vineyards in Europe (I think I have that right) and have amassed a really nice collection of wine.  Which we made inroads into this weekend.  I don't know enough about wine to know what I'll like when I'm confronted with the array in a liquor store, so it was relaxing in another way to have somebody else choose the perfect tasting wine.

We had lots of time to catch up - with their family and with my travels and with all the things that've happened in the last year and a half.  We've all known each other since the early 1970s, so that shared history is relaxing in yet another way.

They live at the top of a hill, so Gracie and I had plenty of chances to strengthen our leg muscles and our lungs when we went out for walks.  Dexter never seems to mind much, but he's substantially younger than we are.  On Sunday we drove down the hill to a paved hike-and-bike path.  Bruce and Dexter were the only ones that seemed unfazed by the hills, and I could tell even Dext was ready for a drink of water when we were done.

They gave me suggestions on great places to see in NM.  But because I'm afraid my continuing dizziness might be due to altitude sickness, I decided to head south to the Carlsbad area, instead of staying up here in northern NM to visit Santa Fe and other important places.  I want to give my body a chance to adjust to the altitude - assuming that's what the problem is - before tackling even more of it.  Santa Fe sits at 7,198' and Los Alamos is at 7,320', while Carlsbad's only at 3,225'.  So I'll hold off a bit on the altitude, just in case.