whew !

photo by Elaine A. Russell

I left the house around 9am.. and got home around 9pm. Some days are like that.
Lots of errands today....but it was a good day overall.

I got my SmartCar checked, lubed, etc. That was pretty cool. Talked to one of the employees about the possibility of me writing an article on my trip cross country in the SmartCar... which would be awesome. Got the car cleaned.. mostly... from the dog hair on my trip :) http://www.smartcenteralbuquerque.com/

Had lunch with the hubby at El Patio (green chili and chicken stuffed sopapillas)... really, really good food. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60933-d386951-Reviews-El_Patio_De_Albuquerque-Albuquerque_New_Mexico.html

Talked with the folks at Masks Y Mas who are printing some photos for me... such great people. http://www.masksymas.net/
Awesome selection of stuff.. and you have got to see the new artwork by Brandon Maldonado in their gallery !!!

Went to a psychic !! and got a reading.... ewwwwwwwww... more on that some other time.

Got a small fresh squeezed orange juice to revive me, and some warm tortillas to take home ...from the Frontier Restaurant .....YUM. http://www.frontierrestaurant.com/

Visited this art place... fantastic... you gotta see ! http://www.vsartsnm.org/

Got postcards to pass around town of the next art show I am participating in .... the "9x9x9 Show" to be held at the Factory on 5th on September 9th. See postcard below ! I am very excited about the show. I got to see a sneak preview of some of my friend Leau Phillip's pieces.... She is awesome. See her link in my "blogs I like" section to the right. .. and this blog on the show itself.... http://number9number9number9.blogspot.com/




Visited a couple friends for a little bit.... and got puppy kisses from their baby :)

Got some awesome food from Yasmine's Cafe for my daughter who was dying for some hummus and gyros.... http://www.yelp.com/biz/yasmines-cafe-albuquerque ... and (of course) the Baklava is to die for.

Then home .. paid bills, etc... and now... well.... here we are.

More fun, exciting, breathtaking news... tomorrow .. he he.

winning... in more ways that one

photos by Elaine A. Russell, Viejitos Car Club

Had a great day today.
It started off by sleeping in (always a good start to my day)....

We stopped to get $$ at the nearby gas station.. and while there.. I managed to have a great conversation with some local car refurbishers and aficionados. They run the local chapter of the Viejitos Car Club --http://www.myspace.com/viejitos_new_mexico) ... and have some incredible looking vehicles. Talk about primo. They were on their way to a local car show... but go out frequently to LA and such for major car shows.

Then.... Kristin and I went to Newsland ...an extremely cool shop on Central Ave that has tons of magazines, books, newspapers from all over the globe... neat postcards... some funky jewelry... and more. We perused tons of periodicals before making our final selections.... some art magazines and a fab anthology of works called Natural Bridge. It is a "collection of stories, essays, poems, translations and such from the Department of English, University of Missouri."
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Newsland.Bookstore.505-242-0694

Next stop.... Winnings Coffee Co down near UNM http://www.winningcoffeeco.com/
It is a great place to sit back, have a good cup of coffee.. read the paper and people watch. Between us, we had coffee... chai, pomegranate juice and ice water... an almond scone, a very good muffin, soup of the day (green chili and Chicken Posole) with a side salad & vinaigrette dressing, and sourdough toast. Feckin awesome. They rotate their art fairly frequently in Winnings, and currently the artwork is by Nick Sedillos. Interesting stuff... very Juxtapose magazine.

We then went into the Pink Rhino boutique (also off of Yale http://albuquerque.about.com/od/neighborhoods/ss/UniversityArea_5.htm)... and I got a great old skirt for only $12. The owner was really nice... and is thinking about moving back to LA... her old stomping grounds. She has an awesome selection of used, vintage, hipster, funky clothing.. shoes, purses, etc.

Then we ran around the neighborhood taking photos.... we were about to hang out and wait for our turn to visit the psychic ( Mendy Lou -- you can see her ads in the Alibi )... when there was this torrential downpour. And I do mean... flooding the streets in spots. We got soaked. But it was fun.

Next stop was Buffalo Exchange (http://albuquerque.citysearch.com/profile/6931783/albuquerque_nm/buffalo_exchange.html). Kristin has been looking for fun affordable clothing for school.. and this was an excellent stop. I got a couple shirts, and she got some very cool shirts and shorts. The folks that work there are really really nice. I spent a bit of time waiting while Kristin tried on clothing... and was able to talk for a bit with some of the girls there. ... one of whom had some really sweet tattoos.

By then, I was a little hungry again.. and we stopped at La Provence... but it was really really busy. Instead... we opted to go to BlackBird Buvette (http://blackbirdbuvette.com/).. and it was a good choice. We split an appetizer of bruschetta, and an appetizer of fruit quesadillas. I had a glass of crisp white wine.. and Kristin had ice water. We listened to the DJ mix some oldies--made fresh.. and checked out some awesome art on the walls... sales of which go to the Duke City Derby. Check it out folks.... http://www.dukecityderby.com/

So -- great day in the Duke City... lots to see and do. These are the kind of days I love here in ABQ.