The day after Christmas Ben and I headed west with my mom and stepdad to our family cabin in the tall pines of Ruidoso, NM.
After unloading the suburban and getting the water and heat on and building a roaring fire in the fireplace,
we headed to Casa Blanca for some tasty Mexican food.....We never leave Ruidoso unless we have eaten there. Not only is the food great but the layout of the restaurant is rustic adobe adding to the atmosphere..
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The one thing I enjoy the most is shopping on Suddreth Drive...the heart of this cute, little village...
Ben and I ate at Cafe Rio when we were here in Jan. 2011 but b/c this trip was during the Christmas break, it was too crowded with the wait line being outside in the cold. It's just a small, unique pizza place...
...the Chili Pepper....if you want something mild or you want something extremely hot, this place has got it!
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Stopped at Grace O'Malley's Pub to take a break from shopping and warm up a bit...Had hot coffee and Apple Dumplin' Dessert. This is the newest restaurant in Ruidoso....very much like a tradtional Irish Pub with alot of dark wood and great atmosphere.
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My mom is always looking for something different to see or do....Well, on this trip she decided we were going to take a drive around the mountain to the historic Lincoln area and eat dinner at a place called the Laughing Sheep Farm...it is a working ranch...farm to table eating experience...
We had a western swing fiddler and guitarist for entertainment...one of the songs they played was 'Amarillo By Morning', which was one of my dad's favorite songs...
...picture with Sally, the owner...a granola hippie, for sure....
From the very beginning my mom kept saying...well, we may get there and turn around and not stay...Once we got there and saw that it was busy, she was ok with going in....lol! We all chose the variety plate of ribs...elk, bison and wild boar....For the most part, it was good. We liked the wild boar the best.
Ben's plate of bones....
We enjoyed our night....
My mom and I came back to the cabin and went to bed while my stepdad and Ben went to the Inn of the Mountain God's Casino....
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...breakfast at the Log Cabin...
...Perry and I...yes, Scout and Perry went with us...
...one of our stops with the dogs...(once we were there, they stayed in the cabin)...
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Late lunch at DreamCatchers on Saturday. This is another stop in Ruidoso not to be missed...A quaint, small bistro type pub with the owners on sight that keep the atmosphere upbeat. Played a new game called "Shut the Box"....keeping it on my list to purchase in the near future. Of course, my mom puts us together for a photo shot with a group of Texas A&M fans....! BOOMER SOONER!!
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Went to the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino.... enjoyed hanging by the fireplace and listening to the piano man in Wendell's Lounge before going to the casino...watched Ben and my stepdad play some games, then my mom and I went into their Club 49 to listen to a classic rock band.
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On Sunday, Ben and I stayed at the cabin until time for the Bears game. We bundled up and took a mile hike to Farley's Sports Bar...a place busy with locals and tourist....It was a cold, windy day but made the walk even more fun.
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Sunday evening we decided to go back to Grace O'Malley's for dinner....We got there at six o'clock and had an hour wait...the food was worth the wait.....While we were waiting, it began snowing....Let it snow, Let it snow....It had snowed in Ruidoso on Christmas Eve but when we arrived on Thursday, there was only patches of visible snow in the village area.....My mom and I were excited for our first snow of this season...We ran outside so my stepdad could get our picture.
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On the morning we left, we opened the door to many hungry deer. It was a good thing my stepdad had bought plenty of ground corn. It's not unusal to have deer at your doorstep but on this morning there was a gathering more than most days.
As always, I had an awesome time and am happy to share this special place with Ben and my family...(missing Lindsay and Brett and Lucia)....
love and joy, Ali
