Today was a road trip day with Lydia and Pete.  Our first stop was Magdalena, where we had lunch at the old Magdalena Cafe'.
According to Wikipedia, ""The Lady on the Mountain" is a rock formation on Magdalena Peak overlooking Magdalena. Spanish soldiers saw the profile of a woman on the west face of the peak.
Magdalena continues to be a ranching community while strengthening its art, astronomy and geology venues. The reopening of the Magdalena Hall Hotel (circa 1917) and the renovation of other historical buildings allow visitors to connect to the past. The Magdalena Public Library and Boxcar Museum are housed in the old railroad depot. Several rock and mineral shops have been around since the mining boom days. The ghost town of Kelly and two festivals, the "Open Studio and Gallery Tour" and the "Old Timers Reunion and Rodeo", bring tourists to the area. The "Enchanted Skies Star Party" in early fall brings astronomers and astro-photographers together under its very dark skies.
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The Very Large Array lies 24 miles due west of the community. The Magdalena Ridge Observatory lies 25 miles southeast at an elevation of 10,600 feet. Magdalena is located 26 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico."   As a side note, the VLA is where the movie "Contact" with Jodie Foster was filmed.

The drive to Magdalena was beautiful and awe inspiring.   As we climbed up, the terrain changed and reminded me of South Dakota, especially after we passed the Continental Divide and drove through the Alpine Meadows.

Nest stop, Pie Town.  Yes, there's a Pie Town in New Mexico and yes they make the most sinfully decadent pies I've ever tasted.  Its name comes from an early bakery for making dried-apple pies that was established by Clyde Norman in the early 1920s. Pie Town is the location of a "Pie Festival" on the second Saturday of each September. Pie Town is also located immediately north of the Gila National Forest and not very far west of the Plains of San Augustin, also located along U.S. 60.  It gained recognition again when Kathy and Stan started making and selling pies at the "Pie-o-neer.  

Guess who loves to play among the flowers?

Yesterday, we celebrated the birthdays (gotcha days) of Chacho and Max, Lydia and Pete's baby.   Lydia made a beautiful cake for them that everyone enjoyed.  Even Bella, who was consigned to the crumbs had a great time.

Lydia tried to put a birthday hat on Chacho and he soon let her know that wasn't happening.  But he did enjoy the two or three helpings of cake he had!  Who wouldn't love cake topped with bacon?

After their feast, it was naptime for everyone!

​Thank you, Aunt Lydia, for making that wonderful cake!

Hi, I'm Bella.  I was adopted by this family two days ago and it's been fun so far.  I have lots of yard to run around in, gates to try to sneak out of.  It was fun to watch my new Daddy try to find a way to keep me in the yard.  He calls me an escape artist.  It must be funny cause my new Mommy keeps laughing.

I have new siblings here, a brother and a sister.  My brother, Chacho is older and he just wants to be left alone.  He gave me some strange looks the first day, but now he just lets me know if I get too rambunctious for him.

My sister Luna is a different story.  On my first day she just kind of watched me to see who I was.  After my first night, she started to realize that I was staying around.  Yesterday, I was still a little unsure of my place here, but today, I feel at home.  Mommy calls me a mini-me of Luna.  She says I'm just as wild and crazy as my older sister.  Which is good, cause she has someone to play with.  Chacho said he's just glad he gets left alone, as long as we don't gang up on him.

I'm learning the routine here.  I'm already very good at doing my potty stuff outside.  I like to climb up the mountain to the roses to poop - my way of helping to fertilize the rose bushes.  Today, after my evening constitutional, I decided to stop and smell the roses.

After coming back in the house, it was time for a little roughhousing with my sister.  Chacho just watches us.  I think I'm going to like it here.  But Luna will have a surprise when I'm as big as her :)

We were sitting in the study when we heard Roofus call out.  Sure enough, we looked outside and there he was, on the sidewalk.  

​This time, he brought his girlfriend to visit.  He decided to remain anonymous behind the Desert Willow tree and had his girlfriend pose for us.

Hello from Bella, the newest addition to Casa Westerling!  Bella is three months old and she and her brothers and mom were picked up twice as strays.  Mama has a new home now, as does Bella and we hope that her two brothers find one soon as well.  As adorable as they are, I don't think it'll be a problem.

Bella's mom looks like a poodle/terrier mix, and we're not sure yet what her dad was.

One thing we do know is that Bella is a little angel!  She sleeps a  lot, potties outside, and when we went to bed last night, she curled right up and slept all night until I woke her up this morning for potty break.  Luna could learn a thing or two :)  She has the longest legs I've ever seen and is learning to climb.

​Here is Bella's mom:

And here is Bella on her first day with her new brother and sister:

There are some moon shots that just take my breath away.  Last night was one of those nights.  The Aquarius moon kept hiding behind wispy clouds, making for a great photo app.  At times, it looked like it was floating on a bed of clouds.

We had a visit this morning from Roofus, our resident roadrunner.  After first flying into our picture window to let us know that he was here, he decided to sit on the wall and pose for me.

Sorry for all the pictures, but I could hear him say, "no, get my good side!"  Just another day in the Land of Enchantment.

Monday was Lydia's Birthday, and we celebrated yesterday with lunch at the Range Cafe and coffee, cake and gifts at Monika's house.

Lydia loves flamingo. so her Birthday was a flamingo-themed party.  The flamingo cake was beautiful, but what was even more special was the watermelon tower cake that Monika made, encircled by strawberries.  It was creative, beautiful and so refreshingly tasty!

​I truly love how our group celebrates each and every Birthday!

One of the best rewards of moving to ABQ has been the friends we've made.  I never thought I'd move to NM to get my German on, but there it is.  Every week, I'm surrounded by laughter, and german phrases that I hadn't heard in years.  It's truly wonderful.

Lydia has fast become a close friend, sharing many common interests and a sense of adventure.  She gifted me a beautiful print last week that I love.  I'm truly blessed.