On Sunday I got the date wrong for Richard Rohr, so we went to El Rancho de las Golondrinas, which is a living museum. It’s a ranch from the 18th and 19th centuries, so there are people in costume teaching about the functions of the buildings and things on the ranch. The kids made leather bracelets, watched molasses being made, rolled and cooked tortillas, watched apples being pressed, grapes being stomped, rode a hayride, tasted fresh tamarind, watermelon, and cantaloupe juice, watched yarn being dyed (that was our favorite! –We learned so much.) and pet a very fuzzy alpaca or llama. I can’t tell the difference. It was a full morning.
After the ranch we drove to Albuquerque where I had some mommy-daughter time with Lydia. We looked in some shops and then everyone had ice cream. After ice cream I snuck into the church on the square and meditated a little before we headed to the balloon festival.
I have never in my life seen so many people as at the balloon festival! We watched the balloons being blown up and then we watched them twinkle before they deflated again. Clarissa was wild and went running through the millions of people many times with Abe and I chasing madly behind. Thankfully there was a police station where we could register our children in case they got lost. We did that first thing, just in case.
Ammon made a friend! They built a grass house together.
After there were two fireworks shows. The first was a show put on by sky divers who shot the fireworks off of their person at each other. I don’t know how they survived the show. It was insane. And then after there was a huge standard show that we all watched as a family in the parking lot. It was a sweet moment where we all just appreciated something beautiful together.
