A Sunday kind of love

We've had the best Sundays since we moved in January. We putter around, Antonio does some laundry, and eventually we get in the car or Bronco and go somewhere scenic. A few weeks ago Antonio drove us through Bear Trap Canyon, a surprising oasis in the mountains just south of us, and since we were in the Bronco, which doesn't offer much style or comfort but has rock-solid 4-wheel-drive, the mud and snow were no problem. We scoped out some camping sites along the way, Lazarus oooohhed at all the big trees, and Lucy the dog tried to leap out every time she saw cattle or, deep into the canyon, the two elk who just watched us go by.

Yesterday we managed to get ourselves and two babes ready, get in the car, and drive to Pie Town for a late lunch and, yes, pie. It was my first time out of the house since I'd gotten home Wednesday night, and it was also the first truly warm, spring-like day in a few weeks. As we drove west across the Plains of St. Augustine and past the Very Large Array, the snow left on the higher edges of the plains looked almost like whitecaps on a distant ocean. Heading into and past Datil, we were back in hilly territory, with strange rock formations shaped less by the rare water than by the raw wind that's so bountiful here. At Pie Town, we ate at the Daily Pie Cafe -- which, aside from a gallery/land sales office and perhaps one or two other businesses, is the only act in town. Lazarus looked around and exclaimed at all the wonders he saw -- the old hats hanging above a window, the tuba suspended in front of another window, the big pile of wood next to the wood stove -- and I felt the same, just to be in another place for a while. Maggie just stared, then went to sleep. We finished (the coconut cream pie was divine), drove home, and I nursed Maggie while Antonio made a great roast and Lazarus tried very hard to stay underfoot.

Our Sundays make the week wonderful, Antonio said last night.

Here are the road-trippin' babes, with Lazarus giving the "ready to go" signal:



and here's a closeup of Maggie, dressed for her first outing in a sleeper and sweater that Christine lent us (I love dressing my baby in heirloom knits!):



Both babes are actually asleep. I should be, too. Tired, stubborn me.