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Many years ago, Vicki, Saucy, Weeze and I took a weekend trip to Monhegan Island in Maine. Vicki, Saucy and I also vacationed in New Mexico together in 1988. Here are some pictures from Monhegan in 1987 and NM in 1988:

Since then, everyone has moved, but we always talked about a reunion. This spring we got serious and decided to visit Saucy in New Mexico. It took months for us to pick a date and then in the end, Weeze found her life too busy to join us. We also decided to invite Mary Counihan so the reunion was flawed but the trip was planned.

Vicki really couldn’t get herself to buy a plane ticket so at the last minute decided to take a train and meet us there. She left on Friday and met Mary and I on a fine Sunday in July in Albuquerque and the trip had begun. Of course, Mary and my flights were delayed for 5 hours and Vicki actually got there before us…maybe a train isn’t such a bad idea.

We headed for Santa Fe the next morning and met Saucy. We stayed at the very fancy St Francis hotel and shopped, ate, drank, giggled and visited galleries for two days. Notice the picture of Mary on her cell phone. By the end of the trip we wondered if it was attached to her ear.

On the first night we went to a restaurant with singing waiters and waitresses. They sang show tunes and, between songs, a piano player played medleys of more show tunes. With alcohol for lubricant, Saucy, Vicki and Mary knew all the words for the songs and sang along with the piano. Luckily the restaurant wasn’t full and we didn’t irritate too many other diners… maybe they liked it, we sure did!!!

On to Taos where we stayed in the same B&B and in the same ROOM with the same HOT TUB where we stayed in 1988. We were less modest in 1988.

After more shopping, visiting galleries, eating, drinking and more giggling................

.................we headed for Saucy and Wad’s house in Cuba, NM. They built their house primarily by themselves, by hand and it’s off the grid – they have solar and a generator as backup. It’s gorgeous, on 30 acres of wonderful land with a cliff behind the house and a view for miles to the next mountains. We hung out, visited Saucy’s studio to admire her paintings, walked the land and, of course, ate, drank and giggled.

A week was over too soon and we headed back to Albuquerque to drop Vicki at the train station. Mary and I had the afternoon so decided to take the tram to the top of Sandia peak, 3000 feet above the city. In 1988 when Saucy and I took the same tram, we arrived at the top in a hailstorm. They didn’t restart the tram all night and we finally were returned to Albuquerque by bus at about midnight. The picture of Saucy is at the top, all bundled up with some other stranded tourists. Mary and I had a much less eventful stay, although we did see a hang glider take off the cliff.

I left Mary in the morning and stayed in NM for 4 more days, enjoying the solitude of lone travel. I headed back to Santa Fe to an International Craft Fair complete with local and international entertainment.

After visiting a sculpture center and some open studios, I headed for Ghost Ranch. This is where Georgia O’Keefe did many of her paintings. It is now run by the Presbyterians and they have workshops but they also rent rooms as a B&B. I stayed one night and had three meals for about $65!!! Of course it was cafeteria dining and the bathroom was at the end of the bunk house. My room wasn’t ready, so they moved me to a deluxe room for the same price. The bunkhouse has green doors, the place I actually stayed had lots of flowers. Such a deal. The scenery was wonderful and I spent the evening and next morning hiking and drawing all by myself. Fun.

I moseyed around the area for another couple of days, stayed at a beautiful hot spring spa, found some dirt roads to explore, drove over a mountain in a thunderstorm and finally headed back to Albuquerque and home.

It was 20 years since those first two trips. We have decided that we can’t wait another 20 years for the next reunion, and maybe we’ll get Weeze to join us as well. We’ll be back with more adventures… at least more eating, drinking and giggling!!