Restaurant

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This has been a very trying couple of weeks... but... these things make us stronger, right?
I will expand on that sometime... but right now it is still fresh and somewhat painful
... and so I don't want to muddle it all with my emotions.

Tonight... we (BAJ, the daughter, and I) went out for dinner... and then we stopped at the most fabulous book shop EVER! ... right here in downtown ABQ. It was amazing... and I am delighted to have found it open and waiting for me to browse amongst the glorious stacks of books.


These last 3 photos were taken at Saggio's Restaurant here on Central Ave. We had a fabulous dinner (as always... the food is awesome!)... and I got to take a couple photos of the food (there is a shot of the canoli above) and the cacti that are right out front of the restaurant. It always amazes me that people will "graffiti" the cacti... but then... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...



This one (above) became my photo for the day. I altered it slightly ...
changed some of the color a bit... added some flavor/grunge a little...

... and this one (below) was taken of those same cacti from inside the restaurant. It was getting quite dark outside, and the lights from inside the restaurant were being reflected in the window... making the cacti look like they were having their own little party going on right there...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Today my daughter and I had a late afternoon lunch. It followed a nice visit with an artist friend of mine... and I had a good time catching up on things and seeing her in-home studio space.
We ate lunch at the Bandido Hideout... a local favorite amongst college students; as it is right across the street from UNM.

I have seen the masked guy in the middle of the meridian oftentimes while cruising up Central Ave... advertising fresh roasted chicken or some such... and I have been curious as to the restaurant; but until today... had never stopped in.
It is a very colorful place... from it's brightly painted, mural walls; to hanging flags.... to mariachi music... it is a vibrant feast for the senses. The menu is extensive... and very reasonably priced. Total bill for entrees with drinks for 2 people was just over $20. (... including the BEST horchata ever...)

The food was fabulous... as you can see...







In other news... I have traded in my SmartCar. I know... shocking. It was a fabulous car... and I enjoyed every minute with it (well... except getting stuck in the mud in Amarillo). However, as part of my quest to go full throttle in life... I have decided that I really do enjoy going on back roads... traveling the road less traveled *literally*... fishing... camping... participating in craft shows... and such. And while the SmartCar gets incredible gas mileage... and is the perfect commuter car... it is not the best vehicle for me. Amazingly, I found a great deal on a used Jeep, and will be making essentially the same low payments I made for the SmartCar. Yes, I will end up buying more gas... as the Jeep (actually... no other SUV-ish vehicle) can match the gas mileage of the SmartCar... but it will give me additional freedoms the car could not.

I mention this only in the context of ...
What are the things that are holding you back from your dreams...
And what could you do to change that?


(My little SmartCar sitting next to a modified Hummer that was also on the lot)

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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...thank God it's Friday... and tomorrow I am getting a back massage... that's all I'm sayin'...


But... it was a gorgeous day today... and I got to listen to an interesting interview on art & money today that really got me thinking about the whole business of art. How we as artists tend to put ourselves in a lose:lose situation when it comes to money most of the time. We want to make money... but we are afraid to charge what we "are worth" (whatever that means) ... when it comes to our art. It was extremely thought provoking... and it is a subject all artists need to think about.

The hubby and I love to eat out on occasion, and tonight we all went to La Provence on Central Ave. The food was absolutely delicious... and we had a marvelous time.




We then went to Black Market Goods... where they were having a slam poetry night. Not usually "my thing".... but it was interesting, and, as always... there was lots of cool art to be seen on the walls.


-----------------------------------> all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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It's saturday. I am overwhelmed. I am behind on my blog posts; and hope to fill in the gaps here as I am able to get a reliable connection. Dad is doing a little bit better today... although he is not horribly happy about being in the hospital again... but that is the way it goes. Mom has been visiting him as much as she is able; and so are my daughter and I. We are trying to "hold the fort" ... and help with tasks around the house. I also have to sort thru alot of misc paperwork/ bills/ taxes etc and try to get them organized and caught up for my mother. Needless to say; I have a list.. that I may or may not be able to do everything on before I have to head back to Albuquerque. I had planned on leaving Coudersport on the 12th... and going to my niece's house in Lancaster for a day. Then.... I had hoped to take my daughter on a road-trip to New York City as a treat before we head back to NM. We'll see how it pans out... but for now; that is the plan.




Currently, I am sitting in Olga's Cafe and Gallery here in Coudersport, right on main street. It is a fabulous place... and I can log on to the internet while I am here. I have mentioned Olga's on my blog before. Olga is from the Ukraine, having moved to PA after getting married years ago. Once she came to Coudersport, she opened a shop, and has been a major source for the arts here. In December, she and her husband opened up a Cafe/Bar and Gallery in one of the restored buildings on main street. It is simply gorgeous inside. Olga's artwork covers a wide variety of techniques and materials.... original paintings, prints, handmade jewelry, knitted garments and accessories, glass painting on dishware and stemware, Pysanky egg art, felted toys and lovies... and so much more. It's hard to fathom it all.


The cafe features good home cooking... goat cheese pizza, panini bread sandwiches, home-made soups, and endless desserts. And the bar area features domestic and imported beer, wine and mixed drinks.

Upstairs is the gallery... featuring more of Olga's artwork, as well as providing space for classes and such. Plus... free internet... all in a warm and inviting space. You really couldn't ask for more.

Here are some photos from Olga's.....





(all photos by Elaine A. Russell)

Link to Olga's: Here

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The past couple of days that I featured architecture around the town.... I really didn't talk about anything else that has been going on. Partly because I don't want to bog everyone down with useless information... and partly because I am simply overwhelmed.

As I mentioned in a previous post.... my son got engaged to his girlfriend when I was down in Geisinger (where/when my dad had his surgery). I love my son... and I adore his fiance... but it was kinda sad that all this was going on while I wasn't there. Since then, they have been very busy with various preparations... sharing the news to family and friends... and trying to get things organized. They are both in school, and he is also working full time... so their lives are crazy busy at the moment. Add in relatives who aren't so happy about the wedding... trying to find an apartment, minister, church, reception hall.....school, work.... and then add that they plan on getting married on the 23rd. Yes... this month.
There has been alot of additional stress... as plans keep changing... almost daily... for alot of reasons that I really won't go in to... you'll have to trust me on that one... but as a mom, you always want to be their for your children, and this time... I can't.
Fortunately... I am married to a wonderful man... and an excellent father... who is more than handling and helping out with things at home.


Last night I was feeling very tired, and frustrated. This has been a "long haul"... for everyone involved.... and I was feeling a bit tapped out. I was in the kitchen while my parents were getting ready for the night.... when my mom quietly announced that she was having chest pain. It is probably comical in retrospect... but here I was trying to help my dad with his stuff... and running back to my mom who was having chest pain... giving her nitroglycerin... taking a pulse... watching the clock... trying to keep her calm (*no small feat).. and rushing back to check my dad....

Fortunately, my daughter is simply awesome and took over bedside calming and observation for my mom. When the nitro didn't help; and things were getting worse pretty quickly... I called 911. 8 hours later we got back home. Mom had had a pretty intense episode of angina... but fortunately (because of early administration of the nitro and the fact that I bullied her into stopping and laying down... O2... and fabulous care by the ambulance crew and the ER crew)... she was spared any damage.

My daughter stayed at home with my dad... and was excellent with him, and helped him with his care... and helped him keep calm as well. I couldn't be more proud of her.

We all finally got to sleep around 8am.


We got up late in the afternoon... and I went "foraging" for dinner. I decided to head out of town slightly, and took a detour through a quiet road near the woods. (yes... I went on paved roads... no more getting stuck in the mud).



I ended up stopping at the Sweden Valley Inn. This is a fabulous family owned bar & restaurant. I haven't been there in years... but I know the family who owns it.... and I have heard wonderful things....


I was not disappointed.


I sat at the bar area and ordered some food to go. While I waited, it was suggested that I try one of the specialty hot cocoas. They have several "international" selections... the Irish Cocoa includes Bailey's Irish cream; one features Kahlua and cream, etc. I chose the one that had Butterscotch Schnapps in it. WOW. It was freakin awesome (photo below).

Just as I was finishing.. my dinner arrived and I took it home. We had fresh baked haddock with lemon and garlic, home-made coleslaw, fresh applesauce, rolls, and a dinner salad as one entree. The other entree I got was southern fried chicken with french fries. Between those 2 entrees... we had more than enough food for the 4 of us. I also was gifted an entire peanut butter cream pie from the owner's mother... who is a friend of the family, and wanted to give my parent's a gift.
This pie was a thing of beauty.... and I couldn't adequately describe it if I wanted. Trust me. Get some. Total cost for the dinners and drink $26.
I am including a photo of the small pond beside the inn, where there is a family of mallards ...



We are all exhausted. Tired from being sick... tired from traveling to appointments, hospital visits... day to day activities made harder due to stress and illness.... it's been formidable.
And yet... out of this all... such wonderfulness. Well wishes and prayers from tons of people... some of whom we don't even know. Fresh flowers... spring blooming around us... birds chirping.... nice weather.....
A lady not only took time out of her schedule... but came to the house to cut my dad's hair... and then would not take payment; saying it was her gift...
Bags of books sent because my dad likes to read.....
Offers from people to help with transportation when my dad starts his daily radiation soon...
And like the pie that we were given... it's all be wonderful, gracious... and so very very sweet.


*all photos by Elaine A. Russell



See more on the Sweden Valley Inn: here

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Today as a treat... I took my mom and my daughter to Erway's Family Restaurant in Coudersport, PA. The Erway family has been in the area for several generations, and are in the farming business. I remember always getting Erway's Dairy milk... and going to the barns to see the cows. Now... there is a restaurant (*think a smaller Cracker Barrel)... a old time candy section... a farmer's market type fruits and vegetables area.... feed for birds, dogs, cats and such... and in the spring/summer/fall months... there is a huge plant section. It's always fun to wander about and see what's available.
So... today we ate an early supper in the restaurant (I had a Philly Cheese steak with all the goodies... homemade fries.. and a cold coke. Kristin had a crab cake sandwich with homemade applesauce and potato chips, and mom had a deluxe chicken salad with homemade rolls).
But-- most people go to Erway's for the fresh homemade pie. Their menu features 13 different kinds of fresh pie... served with local made Perry ice cream in any flavor they have.
The photos show our servings of Blackberry pie... with black raspberry ice cream for Kristin; and vanilla bean for me. (total bill was $35... 3 entrees, 3 drinks, 2 desserts)




Then we went out to the various other areas... and in what is usually the plants section.... were these huge bins of baby chicks (Rhode Island reds, a black variety, and a golden variety). I am against the selling of baby chicks, ducks, and bunnies at Easter. To me... it encourages people to buy these little babies for small children who are (for the most part) too rough on them... and lose interest after a week or so... leaving the poor creatures unattended... abandoned... set "free"... or doomed to perish in a small cage somewhere.
Now. I know that the farmers/ranchers need to earn a living... I just feel bad for the animals.
Having personally owned/ rescued several bunnies over the years... I know all too many bad stories of mistreated critters who were originally gotten as an "Easter pet."
So... getting off my soapbox.... Erway's was doing an awesome job with the animals. They were in large, safe bins with clean litter.... lots of fresh food and water... and warming lamps for the chicks. The bins were tall enough that most little kids couldn't randomly grab at the animals or tease them. The bunnies even had some cardboard on the walls so that they wouldn't chew at the plastic on the bins... and it would give them something safe to nibble and scratch at. I give them many many props.
(these 2 photos are by Kristin.. and show the cause and effect of my actions)

And I suppose that I am no better.... having seen their cute cuddliness... I was immediately drawn in. I took a few photos (no flash... and I did not disrupt the critters). And I only very briefly held the tiniest of the bunnies who had somehow gotten stuck mostly under the cardboard walls and seemed stuck.... so I helped him up and out.... gave him a little snuggle (while my daughter took a photo) ... and put him very gently back with his siblings. Mind you... I held him for maybe a minute or two at tops.... and as you can see from this photo.... I immediately got red eyes and much swelling/ itching and such.
I have always been allergic to most every animal... but after years of having rescue rabbits... I became increasingly allergic to them. But... I simply ADORE rabbits. ... and could not resist.
Was it worth it? You betcha :)


(photo of me holding the baby bunny ...by Kristin)

(all other photos by Elaine A. Russell)

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-----------------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell



Today we woke up and left the hotel around 9:30. We drove until lunchtime... and stopped at a Waffle House in Indiana. Those of you who know me... know I love diners. I know the food isn't the best for you... I know the music is generally awful.... I know they are usually all sorts of tacky.... but I just love 'em. There was a park nearby, and Sabrina was so happy to see actual grass... she ran around and ran around and rolled in it; smiling and panting the whole time.

We made several short stops today... but basically concentrated on driving and getting as far as we could. Surprisingly, there is very little snow about. I remember it usually having tons of snow still in March... so it really surprised me.

We saw tons of police en force on the highways.... really. Not sure why. ... but things were pretty uneventful. Kristin did have a relatively close encounter with a groundhog... she even got a photo of him... which was pretty cool.

Had my last Starbucks around dinnertime... figured it was the last one I was going to be near for awhile. It was good ♥

Made it to the backwoods of PA... about 2hrs from our destination when I got a call from a friend of my parents to call my mom "immediately." So I pulled off and called. Turns out my dad has had a turn for the worse. This am; they had told my mom that he was going to be transferred tomorrow to our local nursing home for rehab... and that he would be leaving by ambulance tomorrow.. and that I would need to come and get her in Geisinger. Well. Apparently he is not doing well...and that is all on hold for now. I am anticipating driving the 3hrs to the hospital tomorrow sometime to be there.... but my mom told me to just stay put for now.
So... At this moment I am at my parent's house in PA... doing laundry... and unpacking.


I have a "1 bar" connection here.... so ... internet is sometimes fleeting...but I will post when I can.

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My son as born on Fat Tuesday, 1991. At the time, we were living in Biloxi, MS.... and we had gone to Mardi Gras... and really enjoyed the festivities. I would love to go back.

Tonight, we went to the local restaurant "Pappadeaux" to celebrate Mardi Gras. The food was awesome, and I thoroughly enjoyed my Lobster Bisque soup, my Shrimp Etouffee, and some of the appetizer platter (*which was alligator, shrimp, and calimari, fresh warm bread and whipped butter).
They had a dixie-land band playing live in the bar area... and there were balloons and beads everywhere. A bit expensive ($160 --inlcuding tip, appetizers, drinks and entrees for 5 people)... but well worth it.

I love Mardi Gras... and we all had a great time talking about when we were there.






The photos for today were from 1991 ... New Orleans.
All photos by Elaine A. Russell

For more information on the restaurant "Pappadeau" ... look HERE

neat to eat ...part TWO

.. and in our continuing story ....here are some more places the hubby and I have gotten to eat at in the last few months....


Chili's on Ouray
http://www.chilis.com/EN/Pages/home.aspx

(I had the fajita trio and a margarita...awesome)


Sadie's on 4th Street


(Wow. Had the stuffed sopas. Tons of great food.. and such a cool place!)


Flying Star -- both the one on Central, and the one in Corrales


(Always good food. Favs are: Earl Grey tea, the Southwest Bennie, and the bread pudding)


Chow's ... in the Cottonwood Mall


(love the coffee chicken and the Santa Fe Wonton soup!)


Blue Cactus Grill on Coors


(I had the tequila-lime chicken, fall veggies, and these great sweet potatoes--yum)


Little Anita's in Old Towne
http://www.littleanitas.com/
(It was cold, and all the food was great! I had one of the platters with beans and rice)


**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

neat to eat ... part ONE

Because I will no doubt be busy with Nob Hill Nights, First Friday events.. and making the rounds of some cool places.... I have decided that today's and tomorrow's entries will be on a theme.
We started working in earnest on our house back towards the end of September.
And... the hubby and I LOVE to eat out... so we took this as an opportunity to visit some local places.
This post (and tomorrow's) will feature some of the places we have visited over the course of the past few months, and some of the great food that ABQ has to offer.
When possible, I have tried to include links to the places.

♥♥♥I hope you enjoy this ♥♥♥


Satellite Cafe on Central Ave
(I love the Cafe con Leche and 9 grain toast with hummus)



Kai's Chinese Restaurant
(I had the Jasmine tea and the Thai chicken with fresh veggies on rice)



El Patio
(it's all about the huervos and coffee)



BlackBird Buvette
(my fav is a glass of white wine, and a plate of Bruschetta)



Lindy's Diner
(like it all... you can't go wrong--I love diners)



Johhny Rockets @ CottonWood Mall
http://www.johnnyrockets.com/index2.php
(Cold coke and chili fries with everything... )



**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

crazy busy



photos by Elaine A. Russell

So -- more photos from when my daughter and I went to the Daily Grind on Central Ave. In case you haven't figured it out... I think this place is great. I think it is truly one of ABQ's hidden gems. http://albuquerque.citysearch.com/profile/6941921/albuquerque_nm/daily_grind.html


The past couple days/ week ... have been really busy. I ended up moving my portion of the art studio home, and have been trying to get it all organized in my home (garage) studio. I absolutely loved working at the Factory on 5th... mainly for the opportunity to work with other like-minded creative souls. Plus... it's an incredibly cool building.
However, I found that I was spending the majority of my time there socializing... instead of doing the work that I needed to be doing. So -- I am thinking that a more isolating environment; while not as much fun... will hopefully force me to concentrate and work more.


Yesterday, I had my annual physical exam. My doctor is fabulous... I just hate going to the doctor's. I think she has me convinced that I should go ahead and file paperwork for disability. I was told to file back in 97 when I had major cancer problems... and I just never have done it. And, coupled with the SLE and numerous other issues.... my medical file looks insane.
But.. it's getting to the point where I can't afford to see the doctors that I need too, or get the meds I need too, or get the tests I need too.... and so... she has me convinced.


And today --- we had an appraiser come out to the house to do a survey of the house and property. If things go well, we are hoping to get a home improvement loan so that we can do some very much needed repairs and remodeling around the house.
So-- as you can see.... busy busy... crazy crazy. But I think it's all good.