Having Carlisle's and James' wedding in New Mexico, gave all the Dorias a chance to escape the persistent snow of the Northeast and head to the sunny Southwest. Arriving a few days in advance of the others, gave Bucky and I time to acclimate to the temperature, dryness and altitude of James' hometown of White Rock, only miles from Los Alamos, home of the National Laboratory and minutes from Bandelier National Monument and the Jemez National Forest. A week in this varied landscape was not long enough to discover all there was to see. Carlisle quickly had us hiking into White Rock Canyon to the Rio Grande River, on one of the hottest days this Spring. What was a pleasant trip down, turned into a long haul back uphill. Six bottles of water later, meeting James on the trail with additional water was a welcomed sight.
Then there was rafting....... not nearly as strenuous and filled with waterfowl sightings. Shed hunting followed, near the Valles Caldera National Preserve, closed this particular day for the making of a movie, but home to a large elk population. Our thought was to hunt for sheds in the forest nearby.
Valles Caldera
Bucky was the only lucky one, finding a Mule deer antler which will be used for craft. But, nothing beat Levi's find of a 4 foot sword! Where it came from and why it was there is something we will never know! It conjured up some interesting possibilities.
On March 31, we met our family on their drive from Albuquerque in the small town of Los Ojos, tucked beneath the sun soaked mountains. It was a time to rejoice in the warmth of the sun and the cool of the beer. To say nothing of eating outback with Fisher under the table, tormented by chickens invading her space. Los Ojos, of the old days, where the dining room holds bullet holes in the ceiling. As Val put it,"we NEED to come back to this place!"
April 1st, the reason for it all !
At 3:00, overlooking the Rio Grande River, Carlisle and James took life changing vows. Our happiness was without limit. Having our family to support and rejoice with our youngest daughter, their younger sister was more than we had ever hoped for.
The marriage license was signed, at James' favorite breakfast restaurant, a central meeting place for everyone and near the court house in Los Alamos. It became a comical affair as everyone wiped red chili from their hands in an effort to keep the marriage license clean. BB's wipes came in handy. We all laughed about the chili Nazi taking orders inside. James gave everyone a crash course on how to order by abbreviating their order so as not to offend the Nazi, who accepted only quick abbreviated language when ordering......just say one bricx when ordering (burrito, red chili, cheese, bacon green on the side) Christmas for green and red chili . We worried what would happen to Burke, knowing she would linger over the counter, not shouting her order in the mandatory way, but rather using her signature phrase , "I just don't know.........(long pause), what do YOU think I should have?" Followed by a flip of her long, blond locks. But, as only Burke can do, she emerged with not only her burrito, but two small cakes, courtesy of the Nazi! Proving a pretty blond can turn even the toughest man's head by asking for his opinion on something, even something as simple as a burrito!
When the chili Nazi discovered that a marriage had occurred at his establishment, he rushed outside asking for a picture and permission to put it in the local paper, the first marriage ever at Chili Works. James and Carlisle were given free burritos for a week, a sweet wedding gift and raucous laughing could be heard coming from the Chili Works kitchen as we pulled away.
To be continued...