10:28 PM

Aaron and Meredith called it a night about half and hour ago.

The baby had kept them up for a while early this morning.

I checked out Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque this morning. It was good stuff. Oddly, the pastor reminds me of Austin Powers... and he was teaching on the marriage bed today... that means shagging, baby, yeah.

Anyway...

Yesterday we made the trek from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, and took the exit for Old Pecos Trail off of I-25. We turned toward town, then quickly turned north onto Old Las Vegas Highway. After about 5 miles of scraggly pinon bushes, dirt, and rock... suddenly, there it was on our left.

Bobcat Bite.

It tasted like grilled nostalgia... with cheese and green chiles.

Here's the crazy deal. We got there at 1:45 or so. We didn't get a seat until almost 2:30 maybe.

We didn't get our food until almost 2:50.

And we loved it.

Between the way you show up and write your name and party size on a white board yourself, slowly watching yourself move higher and higher on the list as other parties are seated, and actually getting into the restaurant (which feels like it may be 15' x 40') to order and then waiting for your burger to come out...

Well, it's an amazing burger.

Here's another thing: Aaron and I used to come to Bobcat's back when we worked at a summer camp and ate the same weekly rotating meals in the cafeteria.

"What's for lunch today?"

"Chicken-fried beige something."

"Again? I thought that was yesterday."

"No. That was chicken-fried beige something-else."

Now, by that comparison, a kick in the face may taste better. (Although, there was a meal we called shoe-leather steak...). But Bobcat Bite is nationally recognized as being a damned good burger. But there was something more to it, and there still is.

Those days busting our tails, working for chump change at camp were a ton of fun, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Bobcat's was like the top of a loop on the wild ride that was those summers.

Later we made it up to the old camp ground. We saw the room we used to work in.

Bittersweet. Things change. You can't really go back. (Although I did try to help fix a display issue on the lighting console, to no avail).

We said hello and visited with some old friends, then made our way out and back toward Santa Fe.

Passing Bobcat's, we noticed that the line was much shorter for dinner. They may have already been closed, though, and just finishing serving those folks who had been the last in line.

We ended up at Harry's Roadhouse (also on Old Vegas) and got a seat in the orange room just off of the bar. I have yet to eat in every room at Harry's. I think it may become a goal in life. (It's good to have goals, right?).

The bread they serve while you are waiting on your dinner is crazy-good.

But that isn't the best part.

I had the strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode.

You can start envying me... now.

Seriously, this stuff can make you smile when you are in a bad bad mood.

Aaron snapped a picture of me eating some of this... ambrosia.

It's my profile picture on Facebook now.

Today after church we met up with my cousin who also lives in ABQ. We hung out for a while at his game shop, Ninja Monkey Gaming Center, then headed over to a local Dion's for an incredibly good pizza.

The night ended with Aaron, Meredith and I sitting on their porch... listening to a light rain falling, the sound of drops falling through leaves in the garden just off the porch, with voices like Harry Connick Jr, Frank, Michael Buble, Madeleine Peyroux, and others singing softly from the iPod. Aaron helped me figure out my way around my new Canon digital camera I got Thursday before coming out here.

He had left for church around 6:30 this morning, and was quite ready for bed by about 10 PM.

I sat, listening to the dark... raindrops lightly falling on the roof, the grass, the porch, the tomatoes, the basil...

The last few days have been great.

I'm sorry this little essay can't fully take you to the places I've been in the last few days, to show you the things I've seen, taste the things I've tasted (btw, Chama River has a Smokey flavored brew. It's really good stuff. It goes down perhaps... a little too easy), and feel the way I have with friends close to your heart, places that stir a thousand memories, and food that makes your taste buds and belly almost as happy as they make your heart.

I wish I could write that for you.

Anyway, it's 11:03 now, and the laptop's battery is in the red. Thanks all, I hope you get to feel the way I've felt the last couple of days sometime very soon.