Middle L-R: An absolute unit of a Bighorn sheep. A view up the main drag of Madrid. A new dispensary!
Bottom L-R: A sculpture garden in Madrid. An old rail car.
Yesterday was another great day. The forecast looked amazing, and B has had her eye out for a nice turquoise ring, so we decided to take a little field trip to Madrid, New Mexico. Madrid began as an old mining town that has evolved into a cool little hippie artsy scene over the decades. It’s pronounced MAD-rid and is about an hour drive through some of the prettiest countryside I’ve seen along a route called The Tuquoise Trail.
We walked up the Main Street until we got to the Mine Shaft Tavern, which is the site of the longest freestanding bar in New Mexico and (supposedly) many spirits that continue to haunt the structure. We got a round of beer to go with our burgers and nachos and then meandered up and down the street to do some window shopping. We met woman from NYC who has seen “every horror movie from the 1930s to the 1950s” and saw a ton of bikers – both motorized and not – out enjoying the sunshine. We saw some gorgeous jewelry and gemstones and some very i n t e r e s t i n g souvenirs. We met a warm and welcoming trans guy (he shared his identity with us) who told us he doesn’t want everyone to move to New Mexico, but he would love it if we did and could recommend a realtor. It felt so nice to be seen in that way.
On the way home, we drove through some areas around Santa Fe to get a feel of the look and vibe. That was super helpful, because there was one area that looked kind of far when looking on Google Maps, but it doesn’t feel far at all and is a very short drive from town. We’ve looked at a few listings, but I have generally felt pretty peaceful with our approach to just get a sense of things.
After we got home, B and I sat up on the roof and checked in with where we both were mentally in the process. I’ll tell you, those conversations feel so much more pleasant with a nice breeze and a beautiful view. I can confidently say we both feel like the move is a yes for us individually and that we are manifesting it into reality. The opportunity to live somewhere I can see the stars and still get a good tortilla is too much to pass up, so … we are going for it!
I have to wrap this up by writing about COVID a little bit. It has felt odd to go out a little more here than we have back home, and I would say the mask requirements are about 50-50 here. I feel a way about that! I know we are still in the pandemic. I know we still need to be careful. However, I haven’t worn my mask as much here after being VERY vigilant about it everywhere in DC. For some reason, it just hasn’t felt as dicey as DC feels. Maybe it’s because there are fewer people here and more space, I’m not sure. I’m not declaring the pandemic over – just sharing that it feels somewhat different here, which has felt … nice? But you can bet I’ll have my mask on in the airport and airplane with all those other yahoos in such close quarters.
Ell Gee Writes 