Exploring home

by Kris Neri, with the Femmes Fatales

One of the best parts of moving to a new locale is that everything is…well, new. You live with a constantly changing panorama of discoveries.

The most luscious of the new discoveries after any big move has to be finding new favorite restaurants. A decided percentage of them here in New Mexico, where we moved in late June, are Mexican, my favorite. One thing you can always count on in New Mexico is that Mexican or New Mexican cuisine will usually be hot. As in spicy, not that they just came out of the oven. It’s not for nothing that New Mexico is known as the chile capital of the world.

One of New Mexico’s three standard license plates features both red and green chiles, along with the words, “Chile Capital of the World,” All three plates also contain the words, “New Mexico USA.” Despite our country’s exalted educational system, a sizable number of Americans do not know that New Mexico is a US state. I’ve actually had people tell me it’s part of Mexico, or merely a US territory. No kidding. Hence, the USA on the license plate, so US citizens won’t worry about having left their passports at home when they happen to wander across the state line. 

But I digress…

To get back to chiles…I love, love, love hot food. I didn’t always. I used to be a total food wuss. The first time we visited Santa Fe, a friend predicted I would die from the heat of the food I would find there. But he underestimated my spirit of adventure. I dove into the hottest dish I could find, carne adovada. Carne Adovada isn’t hot because it’s swimming in some spicy sauce, but because the meat is baked in whole, pulverized chiles. One bite and the top of my head melted off. But the taste was wonderful. And hey, has anyone mentioned that eating spicy food stimulates the production of endorphins big-time. You really do feel wonderful afterwards.

I also snagged a Fine Cooking magazine credit for sharing the unexpected experience of my developing a love for hot food, in a piece called “Trial by Fire.” I was freelancing magazine articles at the time, and as credits go, there is nothing shabby about Fine Cooking, especially since I didn’t really cook well enough then to snag an actual cooking credit in a gourmet magazine. I don’t cook that well now, either, for that matter.

So, yes, we’ve been finding new favorite restaurants. 

And for people who love the outdoors, the southwestern part of New Mexico is amazing. There are a staggering number of hiking trails, including many that cover parts of the Continental Divide Trail. The CDT is a hiking trail that runs 3,100 miles, from Mexico to Canada, and through all the western states in between. I wish I could say we’d hiked all the trails here, but we have been busy remodeling a house. Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with leaving a few new discoveries for the coming months.

The most glorious new outdoor discovery we’ve made in our new home is the Gila Wilderness Cliff Dwellings. Having lived for years in Arizona, we’re not new to prehistoric Native ruins, since there are many throughout the Southwest, and most are remarkably well preserved. But the Gila Wilderness Cliff Dwellings are special. Not only are they better preserved than most prehistoric ruins I’ve seen, but visitors can actually climb into those ancient homes and stay for as long as they wish. Standing in those ancient dwellings, walking where early humans walked and cooked and rested, was like being transported back 800-1000 years. Amazing! I can’t wait to see the area in other seasons. 

And we have great wildlife here. On the way to the Cliff Dwellings, we saw a golden eagle in flight. A first for me. I once saw a bald eagle in Arizona, on a train trip through a bald eagle preserve, but never a golden. And those were the only two eagles I’ve ever seen outside of captivity. Magnificent birds. I know lots of people live were eagles are common, but I never have, so I treasure the sightings I’ve had.

And coming home from the Cliff Dwellings, just a short distance beyond the Silver City limits, a black bear ran right in front of my car, crossing the road, before scurrying up a hill on the other side. I was driving, while Joe dozed in the passenger seat. To make sure he didn’t miss it, I shouted frantically, “Bear! Bear! Bear.” Yes, I am a writer, so I really am that articulate. 

Supposedly, there were bears living not far from where we lived in both Southern California and Arizona, but we never caught sight of one. That’s a mixed blessing, actually. While I’m grateful to have seen a bear in nature, I’m also glad I was safely tucked into a moving vehicle, with my foot firmly pressed to the accelerator. 

So, those are just a few of the discoveries we’ve made about our new home. In a future post, I’ll share more about the artistic discoveries we’ve made here. For now, it’s good food, good hiking, good history…and, yes, a bear. There’s a lot to be said about moving to a new locale. 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Mark]

So glad you are enjoying it!

[Deb Romano]

Kris, I love the photos! I have long wanted to visit New Mexico. Your comment about the number of people who don’t know that it’s part of the US reminded me that many years ago I read an article with a similar observation. An MD who moved to NM was taken aback when he received a note from a medical journal he subscribed to, in response to his request for a change of address. He was informed that the cost of his subscription would increase because of the increased postage required for sending it out of the country!

[krisneri]

Thanks, Mark. It's terrific.

[krisneri]

Deb, that's so funny! It really is a beautiful place.