Green or Red?

Alright food fans, that is the question of the day:

No, this is not a question about which Christmas color you prefer. It is
actually the official state question of New Mexico, and refers to which type
of chile you prefer. Red chile is prepared from, well, red chiles, which are
typically dried and then reconstituted with water before being cooked. Green
chiles, on the other hand, are picked fresh and then roasted, peeled,
chopped, and used for the basis of the delicious dish known as chile verde.
As green chiles must either be used or frozen shortly after being picked,
they most often feature as a regional specialty, frequently used in the
cuisine of New Mexico (where many such peppers are grown), but not that of Mexico. ~Happy Living Magazine

If you can't decide you can just say you want "Christmas" and they'll give you both here in New Mexico. That was what I learned yesterday as we were having lunch with the Hornes at this awesome New Mexican restaurant in the town of K'uuyemugeh (the Indian name of the town) called Gabriel’s. I got a taco and an enchilada with green chile sauce which was awesome; it's nice hanging out with locals so you don't end up in a place whose food is just blah or ok. We were also served some great salsa and tortillas and sopapillas with honey.... mmm!!

Earlier in the day we spent a good chuck of the morning hiking through Bandelier National Monument home to the ancestral Pueblo Indians. As you walk through the park you see two different community set ups and historians aren't exactly sure why or if different tribes lived in the cave dwellings verses the clusters of stone built rooms about 50 yards away from the caves. The guide even gives you the historical freedom to kinda make your own educated guess and go with it. Regardless, the place is very well preserved and interesting to walk through to see the reminders of the Pueblo presence by climbing up into their cave dwellings, kivas, and keeping a keen eye to spot the petroglyphs.

After lunch we headed into Santa Fe and got to walk around and see a number of the different markets and eye shop through the different stores around the Zocalo or town center. One such store we walked into was a leather clothing shop and I remarked to Chip how much I like animals and I wasn't sure if I liked them more dead or alive, but I guess that depends on the animal and how tasty, warm, or comfortable they are. There was also a pre-fiesta concert happening in the Zocalo that started soon after we had arrived and were waiting for mass at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi (number 9 if you're still counting). It was fun standing there to regain our bearings and then hear a blast from a trumpet as a mariachi band starts marching towards us and a woman comes over the loud speaker explaining why there are mariachi and other people dressed in traditional costumes from the 16 and 1700s. Just then Eric leans over to me to explain how there's always something interesting happening in Santa Fe, but it's hard to know what to expect.

It was great getting to spend a good chuck of time with Eric, Logan and the two sets of twins; Helen / James and then Max / Isabelle. I really enjoyed spending time and getting to know them when they were living in Virginia and their presence is missed. I had met Eric through my first real experience of volunteering with the youth ministry program at All Saints and particularly through the middle school program called Prime Time. Logan I met though a couple visits to Mary Washington and even through the program at All Saints where she volunteered as well. The most important experience I came away / thing that I learned through seeing Eric interact with the kids was that you can't really control middle schoolers (their hormones are just going nuts!) and they'll resent you if you do try, but you can skillfully guide the mass chaos and every once in a while have a quick moment to tell them about God's love and encourage that budding relationship.