Bread, the Adobe Deli and the Museum in Deming

Boy have we been busy!

Well, not really, but it seems like it.

I continue to bake bread almost every day. I'm now working on a sourdough starter, and will soon be making some additions to the bread, possibly fruit or maybe garlic. I'm also trying different methods of baking. The pie pan of water in the bottom of the oven is an absolute, as is a good thirty minute preheat of the oven. These two things aside, I've been working with different shapes and sizes.

Since this dough is pretty wet, the loafs seem to spread out a bit. I've gotten great results every time as to crust, taste and texture but I've been a bit unhappy with the shape, hoping for a more rounded loaf. To that end, I decided to try baking the bread in a pan.

Now you may remember that the original No Knead Bread recipes called for you to bake the bread in a preheated cast iron pot, with a tight fitting lid. Well, I wasn't about to go that route, but I thought I might try putting the dough in some kind of a container, to help the loaf keep its shape. So I looked in my pans and found the next to the smallest of the nesting pans I use in the rig looked to be about the right size. It is a scant seven inches across, and about the size of the dough ball I get from 3 cups of flour.

And that seems to be the perfect size, because this is my result!


And here's a shot of the inside texture.

Boy do I love baking bread!

We also decided that another trip to the Adobe Deli was in order. We had heard that they had a buffet every Sunday so six of us decided we'd better give it a try, and were we ever happy we did.

If you are EVER in this area, don't miss this buffet. For once, every dish was exceptional, from the scalloped potatoes to the Cole slaw, the baked beans to the vegetable casserole (so good I had to ask for the recipe). And they have the incredible spare ribs on Sunday, Wahoo! We all decided it was so good, we went back two days later.

Unfortunately, we went for lunch with visions of their hamburgers dancing in our heads, only to be informed that they only serve deli sandwiches at lunch (they are a deli after all). We all looked at each other and decided that we would leave and come back for dinner, and so we did. Twice in one day but for only one meal), but once again it was well worth it.

Is this starting to be a habit? Looks like we may need to go to Adobe Deli Anonymous!

Yesterday we took a trip into Deming to visit the Deming Museum, officially named the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum and Custom House. Have I written about the Deming Museum before? If I have, I apologize, but this place definitely deserves mention.

I took a lot of pictures, way too many for one blog entry so today I'll just show you a few of them and I'll try to do a couple more entries about this astounding little gem. If you care to visit, you only need to remember that it can be found in the old USO Armory building right across the street from the original Custom House.

Maintained and managed completely by volunteers, this amazing place consists of collections donated by residents of the area.

And what collections these are . . .

For starters, they have what seems to be the most extensive collection of Native American pottery we've seen since we've been in the southwest. All of it has been collected (at a time that such gathering was still legal) and the collection is truly something to see. I'd also like to note that the way they display their pieces is special. You are never too far from any display, so you can always get really close and study all the artifacts to your hearts content.

For now, I'll simply post some pictures, with the caveat that these pictures just aren't as sharp as I would like. Between the glass and the fluorescent lights, I just couldn't get really clear shots. That said, I'm posting pictures to whet your appetite for your own visit. Remember that you can always click on any photo for a larger version.

This is a lovely old piece of Mimbres pottery. This lovely quail design is still used in many modern pieces.

Isn't this a lovely pot? What you can't see in the picture is that this is probably fifteen inches high, an astounding piece.


Every time I visit the Museum, I'm always amazed at the wonderful restoration employed in these pieces.

Isn't the shape of this pot beautiful? The variety on display is impressive.

I LOVE this goat motif, reminds me of my two sweet goats at home in California.

Another large pot. Isn't this beautiful, even with so many pieces missing?


And this pot is another large beauty.


And now some photos of the beautiful beads they have on display. I really like the way they display these ancient artifacts.


I would wear this every day!


And here's a collection of assorted beads. Some of these are no larger than a grain of rice. Whoever created these beads was immensely talented and industrious.


Now for some of the arrowhead collections. Again, the way they display these pieces adds such a dimension to the collections, it's hard to explain.


More arrowheads and beads.

And even more beads and arrowheads.


I'm just including a few of my favorite baskets, but they have dozens on display.

Isn't this intricate design beautiful?


For my last picture for today, I had to include these beautiful beaded boots. Every time I see this kind of bead work, my heart sings. It takes me to places that speak to me of the kind of people who created such magnificent work.


What an amazing visit. I will try to post more pictures from the Museum, since these represent less than one tenth of the collections in this great Museum.

Life is very good here in Deming.

Busy, Busy, Busy

At least it seems like we've been busy, but I sure don't know what we've been doing!

Mainly, we've been socializing and making bread . . .

In a future blog I'll be sharing a great recipe for Chili Colorado, but that's not for today.

We're still here at Rockhound. The weather has been just lovely so we spend a lot of time outside, talking, reading and just beholding the grandeur that is southern New Mexico in the spring.

So that you might better understand my spring fever, here's the view out our back window (remember you can always click to enlarge).


The other day we took a hike up the hill (but not too far up) and I liked this view of Cholula Red.


A bit farther up the hill, we were able to get this shot, three Red Lazy Daze, all in one place!

Lately, we seem to be attracting Lazy Daze. So far there have been nine Lazy Daze, although the most at one time is five (people come and go while we stay in one place).

So now that I think about it, we've really been busy having a good time!

Remember me mentioning the Adobe Deli? It has shot to the top of the list of our favorite restaurants. As I told you before, the onion soup is just spectacular. It's so good, I took a picture!


If you aren't a meat eater, you might want to skip this next photo, but I just couldn't resist. I ordered spare ribs and this is what they brought to the table . . .


Pretty impressive, don't you think? What's so great is that you get your dinner and you're pretty much guaranteed at least one other meal for the same price! With so many Lazy Daze coming in, we feel it's our obligation to share this fine easting institution, so we're all going there again tomorrow!

As you can see, we really are busy having a great time.

Life is good.

More Bread and More Lazy Daze

It seems like we're having a mini convention here at Rockhound, we're now up to five Lazy Daze! We we're joined yesterday by Dave and Nola in yet another mid bath! What a great time we're having.

It has become my habit to make a batch of bread around 3:00 in the afternoon, then set it by the kitchen window to rise for the next mornings baking. I LOVE getting up early in the in the morning and watching the sun rise over the valley. This morning I looked out the window and saw this.


I quickly threw on my clothes and got the camera and went outside. The air was crisp and clean and the birds were just beginning to stir, it was magic. I took one more shot and caught this tiny bird sitting in the ocotillo in our campsite.

You might want to click it to enlarge, the bird is pretty small.


After the sun rose, I came back inside and baked today's loaf, which came out beautifully.

Every day it seems like I'm learning more about baking bread, especially how to do it in the motorhome oven. This whole bread thing is certainly an adventure I'm enjoying.

And I just have to mention this. You all know hat I love silly toys, as does my friend Andy. Yesterday in town I found a set of play gold teeth and knew that they would be perfect for him. He was a good enough sport to let me take this picture.


We are silly, but we do have a good time.

And I can't close this post without wishing our friend Norm a Happy Birthday. I'm SO sorry we can't come to the party, but know that we are with you in spirit.

Life is good.

Bird Rocks, More Bread and More Lazy Daze!

We have discovered some unusual rocks here at Rockhound that have us a bit puzzled. Our friend John Coxon found the first one and gave it to me. So what's so unusual about these rocks?

For one thing, when you put them in your hand and close your fist around them, they fit perfectly. I mean PERFECTLY, like they had been made when someone took wet clay and squeezed it in their fist and then fired it in a kiln. It doesn't seem to matter who puts them in their hand, they seem to fit everyone's fist.

The other thing that's kind of cool is that they look like birds! We have found quite a few of these and no one seems to know what they are. But we like them a lot.

We have a little family of three of them that we now have as part of the decorations in Cholula Red. Here's a photo.


Pretty cool, huh?

It's been delightful here in Deming. We now have four Lazy Daze here at Rockhound. In addition to us, there's Andy (in Skylark a 2003 Mid Bath), Debbie (In her brand new 2007 Rear Kitchen) and Ron and Jan in a 1996 Mid Bath. What fun to have all these rigs in one spot and be able to compare notes and see what everyone has done to personalize their rigs.

And what else are we up to? Well, my bread making is continuing, and to my surprise, every loaf is better than the last.

Regular readers will remember that I recently discovered No Knead Bread (you can read about it here), and every day I've been making a new loaf. I've been playing with several variations on the two basic recipes, adding different ingredients and varying the rising and cooking times.

So far, I have to say my very favorite addition is 1/4 to 1/2 cup of steel cut oats. Just this little bit of whole grain adds something so special, I now add it to all my breads. I'm thinking of playing around with other grains and will let you know the results (all suggestions welcome).

Another change is I've been adding a bit of yogurt to the liquid, looking for a somewhat more sour flavor. To that end, I'm also working on a sourdough starter so I can make sourdough bread.

I found a great site where you can get a starter that has been going since 1847 (no kidding!) and will play with that, but I have high hopes for my own starter. I'll let you know how that turns out. I did have a home made sourdough starter years ago, but haven't used it in so long I feel like a beginner.

I can tell you that I made French Toast this morning with homemade bread and it was sublime. Tonight we're trying pizza with homemade crust. I'm going to try it with a white sauce, garlic, chicken and smokey provolone. Yum!

Andy decided to try some of the No Knead Bread, but he's going to bake it in a closed container (like the instructions suggest). This way, we'll be able to see the difference between actually following the instructions and my work around method (water in a pie pan in the bottom of the oven, cooking the bread on an open pan).

Retirement is grand, giving all of us enough time to play with such foolishness.

Okay, enough food talk.

Yesterday I promised some bird pictures, so here they are. These were all taken, by Terry from inside the rig (through our darkly tinted windows) so I apologize if they're not as sharp and bright as I would hope (my Photoshop skills are somewhat limited).

Here's one of our House Finches. We have dozens of these little red birds. They are really colorful and active. Terry puts a bit of bird seed on the retaining wall outside our rig, so we have a perfect spot from which to observe them without scaring the little guys.

This guy is considering taking a bath. We had to put this rock in the dish so it doesn't blow away, but the birds seem to love it. It's like the community swimming hole.

This guy starts by just dipping the tiniest bit of his toe in the water,

then decides the temperature is just perfect for a bath.


This is one of a flock of Scaled Quail that liver here at Rockhound. We have never seen these birds here before, but they seem quite proud of the flock at the Visitors Center.

These guys are unlike any quails we've ever seen. I particularly like their little white top knots. Remember you can always click on any photo to see a larger version.

And here's a Pyrrhuloxia or Silver Cardinal. There are lots of these guys here at Rockhound, but we still get excited every time we see one.


Ah yes, Life is Good.

Hooray!

We're back at Rockhound, and we're in our favorite spot!

We have a wonderful view of the Little Floridas (pronounced flow-REED-ahs) and all our birds are back. I swear, we have hundreds of birds at our site, a testament to the power of black sunflower seeds.

In fact, we didn't plan properly and it looks like we'll have to go into town to get more bird food. I'll try to take pictures later today and post them here.

I do love my life.

Cows & Birds & Sunsets

Did you miss me?

Well, I guess I should apologize, but all I can say is that I don't post for a couple of days, and before I know it weeks have gone by!

We left the Bosque and went down to Oliver Lee State Park, where you may remember I got all excited about the Lunar Eclipse. Unfortunately, we had a huge cloud invasion the afternoon of the eclipse and we couldn't see a thing!

What we have been seeing is a LOT of cows, which for some reason, fascinate me. Maybe it's because in many spots here in New Mexico, they are allowed to roam around free (also known as a free range area). So one day, we were coming back to Oliver Lee and there were all these cows! I liked this one in particular.

As we got closer, she seemed to show some slight interest in us (or maybe it was the car?)


And when we stopped the car, she just looked at us, as if to say "Yeah What do you want?

I liked this photo so much I played around with it in Photoshop, sort of pretending it was an old time hand colored print. Here's the result. Remember you can click on any image to see a larger version.


After we moved down to Rockhound State Park, outside Deming, we went up to Truth or Consequences to visit some friends. On the way back, we decided to try a new road. It seems that whenever we do this, we find something wonderful, and this day was no exception.

Somewhere between T or C and Hatch, we took an exit and found a delightful town named Hillsboro. A tiny burg, like so many here, it's a lovely mixture of ghost town and artist's colony, nestled far away from the beaten path, but maintaining a unique charm. We have decided we will look into places to park Cholula in the area and try to return.

As we continued down the road, the landscape changed from rolling desert into pure cowboy country. I just love this state, the geology changes constantly, an ongoing surprise.

And as we were rolling up and down the gently rolling hills, we came upon this sight. Once again, cows, just hanging by the side of the road. I wish I could say why they interest me so, I just know I can't seem to pass one up without getting off a few shots with the camera.

As we came closer to the main road, we were treated to this . . .

Unfortunately, it was closed, or we would have stopped to visit. I guess there just isn't a whole lot of traffic out in the Middle of Nowhere.

A bit farther down the road, we came upon a real ghost town, named Lake Valley. Home a a large silver strike in the 1800s, it was the home of the Bridal Chamber, a cave of almost pure silver. The ore from this strike was so pure that they built a railroad spur right to the strike and shipped the ore directly to the mint, no smelting necessary. Pretty cool, huh?

Here's a shot of Lizard Rock, which sits right outside Lake Valley. It really does look like a lizard climbing up the mountain, don't you think?

And here's the remains of what was the towns only gas station.

We had a delightful day and decided we are going to try even more back roads to see what we can discover.

Meanwhile, back at Rockhound, we decided to set out the birdfeeders, just t see what we could attract. There are tons of house finches, most a beautiful rosy pink. All of these shots were taken right outside our bedroom window.

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I really love this park. Out of all the State Parks in New Mexico, it may be my favorite. It has all these wonderful birds (including a flock of scaled quail, adorable with their little white hats). And then there are the sweeping vistas taht are particular to this park.

But best of all are the sunsets . . .

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And last of all, one evening, we saw this, which I like to think of a a sunbow.

Life is good.

Spring Again

The weather has been so beautiful and the flowers so lovely, I'm afraid I've neglected the blog. I am enraptured with the beauty of this place. The colors seem so much richer against the browns of the desert. These purple beauties are everywhere we look.


These yellow and red flowers are low to the ground, but they just seem to jump out at you. Remember that these photos can be enlarged by clicking on them, they look much better at full size.

I also love this grass, we see it all throughout i the desert. It has an unusual grayish yellow color that I've never seen before.


The area we are in (Rock Hound State Park) is at the base of the Little Florida Mountains. The park is located in an area called the saddle, and it is our favorite place in Deming. Also located in the saddle are a number of smaller homes. We went to a yard sale in this area and found a lovely house (needs work, but it's solid) located on 1.5 acres. Previously it was owned by a couple who have passed away. The fellow was a true rock hound and had done a lot of lovely work in the yard. There was also an RV pad and a great workshop. With the previous owners passed on, the family was selling the place, and I loved it.

For the first time I seriously wished we had already sold our house, I would buy this land in a second. And did I mention it was $65,000? We're certainly not in California any longer!

Yesterday, we took another trip up to Spring Canyon, a companion park to Rock Hound. It sits at a higher elevation and we wanted to watch the sunset.

While this isn't a perfect picture, I liked the backlighting on the bushes and the sun shining through the tree. We went about an hour before sunset so we had lots of different angles.

This next shot was taken at the top of the mountain with the sun setting off to the west. I liked the contrast and the jet trail.

From the top of Spring Canyon, you have a magnificent view in three directions, it's hard to describe how it feels to experience this place. This shot shows the valley and off in the far distance is Las Cruces, about sixty miles away. As the sun sets, you can watch the shadows of the jagged peaks march across the valley. It's a humbling sight.

This shot shows the road going into Spring Canyon and off in the distance is Rock Hound State Park, and beyond that, Deming.

This shot was taken immediately after the sun had set in the vee if these mountains. I know I include a lot of these shots, but I love them so.

And finally, I took this tonight, our last night at Rock Hound. The sunsets here are so wonderful, I have to wonder if we will find any to rival them at other locations, however it is time to travel on.

Tomorrow, we will leave and go back to Oliver Lee State Park for a couple of days, then on to the Valley of Fire, so we can visit the Trinity Site this Saturday.

Life is indeed very good.