But on to yesterday. I cleaned the studio and the bedroom, which took all morning, specially since we did a breakfast run to Whole Foods. I ordered a coffee even though I am not crazy about coffee. It tasted strong, borderline burned, and it was a decaf. Fruit and oatmeal were unremarkable, so was the place, but at least Mike got to buy some snacks for the trip. On the way back I showed him the Railyard district, an area in town I like and that he did not experience. Back to the institute, where I did my best to put everything in a better shape than I found it. Which I did, and it wasn't that difficult, since the place was filthy to begin with and I had already cleaned when I moved in, and then a few days ago. Unfortunately the mop was missing.
Said my goodbyes to Cobi and Rita, it was so sad seeing them for the last time, Cobi looked like a lonely puppy in the studio, and he is gonna be even more lonely because there is only one artist joining him there in a week, and the studio will have about 6 open spots. One could've been mine... oh well!
Chris, Carmie and Aimee decided to come to Ojo for the day, and they left before us, because they wanted to stop at the Tesuque Market first. They actually arrived at Ojo before us as well, it took us over two hours to get there because we stopped for gas and a quick lunch, which was a horrible affair at Lotaburger in Espanola. It was a terrible-looking place, we should've walked out the minute we walked in, but we stayed. The store looked terrible, the staff young and overwhelmed, the place packed with people, waiting. I got my iced tea and waited, and waited, and waited. Sat alone at the table while Mike stood by the counter, not sure why. At one point (about 15 minutes in) I suggested we should just walk out, and he did not want to because we had paid already (less than $6, not a major loss). We waited, and when my food arrived, the burger bun was actually cold, to the touch. Mike seemed to like his food, the fries were okay. I left the restaurant pissed off.
We arrived at Ojo and our room was not ready yet, but we were given towels and passes, so we searched for the group. Chris and Carmie were working under the covered area, with their laptops (by then it was almost 3 pm), while Aimee was elsewhere. They saved us lounge chairs. After running into Aimee we returned to the lobby and our room was ready, so we walked to the car and drove it to the cottage. It was a duplex business, with doors on opposite ends. Our room number is 24. It is a small space, but very cute, with a mini kitchen, a mini flatscreen TV, and a nice bathroom. The beds are high and there is a window unit AC. We changed into our bathing suits and robes and walked to the spa area. Mike went to take a shower and I went to the mud area. By the time he arrived I was almost dry, and I explained to him the process. In fact I explained to many people how to go about, because they did not seem to know how to read the freaking sign. Aimee eventually showed up, she did not seem to be having a good time, I do not think that these day-long activities are her thing. We talked a bit and then she went elsewhere. After the mud Mike and I tried all the baths until we rejoined the group.
Later we all went to the steam room, with Aimee always a few steps ahead of us all. The steam room was not steaming, so Chris asked an employee, who turned it on for us. Duh! After the dry sauna, we went back to the chairs for a while, where I almost fell asleep a couple times. It was relaxing. Aimee was already fully showered and dressed, she had figs we shared, and I was eaten by mosquitoes. As we neared 7 pm, the time we said we'd have dinner, Carmie and I decided to go for another run in the baths, first to the Iron one with the pebble bottom, and then to the covered Soda bath, where Chris joined us. We eventually went to the Arsenic bath, the hottest of them all (the 107, as Chris called it), which put us close to our seats (at one point mine collapsed and dirtied my pretty robe, made of microfiber that feels like suede - I washed it in the bathroom).
Mike and I went to the room to change while they showered. I grabbed my iPad and we all met outside the restaurant. We ate at the main restaurant, in a huge table. We all shared a bottle of some yummy Sonoma red wine, and I ordered a Chili Sea Scallop dish that came with a tamale and fried spinach and a sweet corn sauce, which was beautiful. Aimee reminded me I was not eating a salad, but the one they had, with a protein, was not to my liking (an arugula salad with tomato, just like the countless ones I had at the institute.
Eventually it was time to say good bye, after incredible desserts and the naming of Louise, the corn bread 6th. I was sad inside, but tired on the outside. Wish my hugs with the three of them never ended. We walked back in the dark towards the cottage, and I thought I would sleep for 10 hours straight. If only...
- posted via iPad
Location:Ojo Caliente, NM
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