Costume Crunch Time

Tomorrow is October 1. Do you know what you'll be wearing for halloween? The pressure can be a bit daunting. You sit at your desk, staring at your computer in your teeny-tiny cubicle five days a week, 52 weeks a year (well, almost), and let's face it... you've forgotten how to be creative.

Don't cave in and buy those plastic costumes at the grocery store! Start planning now. Here are some inspirational ideas to get you started:

1. Funny hats

If you can't think of a real person, a character, a theme, an animal, etc., just wear a funny hat. Sure, it's a bit of a cop out, but it's better than nothing. Maybe you can come up with a story as weak as your costume to go with it.

2. Scary hair cuts

Hey, you can always shave your head into a mohawk. "I'm a punk rocker, man!"

3. Psychiatric patients

Okay, I'm back to the theme of hats again. For this one, just tell everyone that you are a schizophrenic for Halloween, and you're wearing a tinfoil hat to protect your brain, so that the aliens can't read your brainwaves.

You still have a month left. There is plenty of time to sculpt your papier mache favorite-political-figure mask, or knit that furry animal suit. Good luck and may the force be with you!

Smurfy in Seattle

Boy, did I pick the right time to come to Seattle. Fall is in full swing here, and many of the trees are alight with translucent jewel-toned leaves. After the sun sets, the air is crisp and cool, though days are still warm and sunny. Not a raindrop to be found! I cannot complain, especially since I forgot to bring my raincoat.

Last night we ate dinner at Ivar's, on the water just between Lake Washington and Lake Union. My colleagues report that the salmon was excellent. I ordered the scallops instead. They were a little bit overcooked for my taste, but decent. Ivar's has solid food, but is really just a tourist boondoggle. There must have been 40 blue hairs, fresh off the cruise ship, sitting at a multitude of tables adjacent to our not-so-petite group of 20. Needless to say, there are not a plethora of dining options when you are a group of 20.

There was also an Oktoberfest in Fremont yesterday. Aside from beer-a-plenty, there were kiddie rides, booths pedalling various wares and great live music. I was on a jog, and thus was ill-equipped to partake of the offerings, but boy was I wishing I had brought my wallet and my beer stein (and perhaps a few of my closest beer-loving buddies.)

Seattle doesn't seem to have changed too much since I lived here seven years ago. The (infrequently) beautiful weather, eclectic shops, trendy restaurants, and abundant activities make me very envious that I don't live here anymore. Those are the things that are making me want to go to monster.com and see what kinds of jobs are available here right now. But then I remember the traffic, the ridiculous housing costs, the way that everything feels so crowded and packed together, and the infiltration of a more snobby, competitive mentality among the locals (and by that I mean those who were transplants not so long ago). Seattle is beautiful, but for those of us who have grown to love the wide open spaces of the wild west, it may not be the perfect fit.

Solarama!

On Saturday, we hit the Solar Fiesta at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. There were a few dozen booths set up outside, as well as numerous workshops on topics related to solar power and sustainable living.

While the masses weren't exactly clamboring at the gates to get in, it was great to see a fair amount of support for these small businesses and grass roots organizations.

We spent some time studying the adobe wall builders, as our own adobe wall behind the house is in a state of disrepair. Who knew that mud and water could be so durable? I can tell you that my mud pies and mud castles of childhood certainly did not hold up to the torrential downpours of a Nebraska springtime. But there are ways to get this stuff to last for decades. Certain additives in the mortar can add durability in inclement weather, including lots of rain.

Now that gas prices are sky high (and will probably continue to climb toward celestial bodies), hybrid cars have gotten very popular. We had to check out this cute bug-green Honda.

Additional oddities included the giant solar oven, complete with free chocolate chip cookies samples. You could buy your own smaller version (about a foot and a half in width) as well, perfect for camping trips, or just fun in the backyard! There were battery-powered bicycles, a car that guzzled leftover french fry oil, solar powered fountains and organic apple cider to quench your thirst when all of that solar heat just got to be too much.

Ambrozia is Divine

If you ever find yourself making a left in Albuquerque, take a break first to stop at one of our favorites: Ambrozia Cafe & Wine Bar. This eclectic little restaurant, tucked into the west end of Old Town, has the most creative menu in the city.

The must-try item is the lobster corndogs: lobster tails on sticks, dipped in the most delicate, fluffy, melt-in-your mouth corn batter. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. State fair meets Martha Stewart.

The menu changes frequently, always playfully pairing new and interesting flavor combinations. Last night my husband ordered the "Elk filet mignon wrapped with bacon served with a truffled potato and tomato stack, asparagus, frizzled fennel, Ambrozia steak sauce and horseradish hollandaise". We both puzzled over what "frizzled" meant, and decided it was the favorite word of the day. The elk was tender, lean and cooked to perfection. The Ambrozia steak sauce unfortunately tasted like barbecue sauce and overpowered the flavorful, rich elk meat. The "frizzled fennel" ended up being something like fennel tempura, somewhat akin to onion rings, and was a fun treat.

I ordered the special, some kind of fish I had never heard of before. I think it was copia. It was a firm flaky white fish with a nice buttery garlicky finish, with some extra large couscous. Nothing so exotic as my husband's fare, but quite delicious. Oh, and there was rapini, broccoli's cousin, on the side.

The best part, after the lobster corndogs, was desert. We had the "Piñon caramel tart served with candied apple ice cream and hot buttered rum sauce". Oh my stars. Can I just buy the whole tart and take it home? If you like pecan pie, you simply must try the pinon version. Fabulous!

While the table next to us was woefully disatisfied with their meal (cranky, crotchety old east-coasters, need I say more?) we found the atmosphere warm and intimate, the service friendly, attentive and prompt, and the food whimsical and solidly good. This remains one of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque.

Where can I get pizza, pizza pie?

Let's leave the world of travel for a minute to discuss more important matters: pizza. Although some people consider this an Italian invention, there is no doubt in my mind that pizza as we know it is a uniquely American food. And as such, I am giving out my Smurfy Murphey Award for Best Pizza in totally random cities across the United States.

Lincoln, Nebraska (my hometown): Valentino's Pizza

This is an easy one. No contest, hands down, everyone in Nebraska knows that Valentino's simply cannot be beat. Most of us were weaned on the stuff. Soft thick crust, plenty of secret recipe sauce and loads of mozarella cheese, plus all of your favorite toppings. I have been told by those from elsewhere that this is a weird Nebraskan obsession, but I challenge you to try this delectable treat and judge for yourself.

Idaho Springs, Colorado: Beau Jo's Pizza

Ah, Beau Jo's. Another classic. This is the place to stop when you are headed down I-70 after a long day of skiing. You may have to wait to get in, but it is worth it. And I guarantee, you will leave stuffed. My favorite thing about Beau Jo's are the bottles of honey on every table. You'll have lots of big, poofy crusts left that you can smother in honey and eat for dessert (if you can make room in your tummy).

Seattle, Washington: Atlantic Street Pizza

This one is hotly contested. While my buddy Sam insists that this is the place, I personally have a second favorite, My Brother's Pizza, which serves cute little individual pizzas that they bake in bowls and then flip upside down. Atlantic Street does make a mean crust, but if you are not into spicy sauce, this may not be the pizza for you.

St. Louis, Missourri: Racanelli's Pizza

If you like greasy, drippy, floppy New York-style pizza, this place is not to be missed. While Racanelli's may not win my vote for the country's best pizza, it is heads above what I easily consider to be the worst pizza in the whole country: Imo's. Now I know that many St. Louisans (or whatever they're called) will heartily object to my poo-pooing of Imo's, but no one should be subjected to rubbery cheese atop saltines and ketchup.

Runner up: Pointer's Pizza, home of the Pointersaurus. This place is open late, and they have huge pizzas. They don't taste bad, either. As an aside, I also really like the turkey club sandwich.

Bozeman, Montana: Mackenzie River Pizza Co.

This place has great pizza AND great beer. A combination not to be overlooked. Try the lodgepoles, too. They're dee-licious.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Saggio's

This was a tough choice. While I think that Il Vicino has fabulous wood oven pizza, and a killer IPA (Wet Mountain IPA), I defer to maximum amounts of cheese, in which case Saggio's wins by a few pounds. It should be noted, however, that pizza in general is substandard in the southwest, where enchiladas rule the universe! (Stay tuned for a later edition discussing the merits of enchiladas and chile).

Vacay Numero Uno

As you will soon find out, the adventures on this blog are not limited to the local hotdog stand, nor to the exotic and far-reaching edges of the globe (although, technically, globes don't have edges). We begin with a hidden treasure of New Mexico, nestled in the Carson National Forest. We spend the Labor Day weekend in the Cruces Basin Wilderness. But stay tuned next month for none other than... Bora Bora!!!

The Cruces Basin Wilderness is more or less in the middle of nowhere. From Albuquerque, we drove up to Taos, hit the fly fishing store, and then headed west to the Cruces Basin. There aren't too many places where you can still find a campsite late Friday afternoon of Labor Day weekend, but this is one of them. Only one message of caution: BEWARE OF BOW HUNTERS! Not that I am normally an advocate of hunter's orange, a fashion faux pas if ever there was one, but I would hate to have one of those pointy things in my derriere.

But first, on the way to Cruces Basin, we stopped at the Rio Grande gorge. Note slightly suicidal doggie in photo.

That night, we camped "boonie style." (This, I am told, means not on a designated tent pad in a designated campground.) "Dispersed camping" is another less fun term for it. We were right next to Los Pinos river. We had read about potentially good fishing here, but no such luck tonight. We settled instead for a quick bike ride, a grilled chicken dinner and a hot game of "DaVinci's Challenge."

When you're married to an engineer, you often get the best of both worlds when camping. Check out the lights! They're hooked up to a transpondster which runs through the discombobulator and finally you can plug them into the gigamatrix. Very cool. You can't see it, but the lights are actually little chef pigs with their grills and margarita glasses. I tell you, it just doesn't get any better than this.

The next day, we hit the trail. The hubster caught some fish in a creek branching off Los Pinos. Beautiful brook trout. We decided to "bushwhack" our way back to the trailhead, testing out the GPS. Lucky for us, we found the main trail just as the batteries were sputtering and the screen went blank. Shortly thereafter, we witnessed a small cow stampede. This is definitely one of the downsides of this portion of the Carson National Forest: cows everywhere. You know what they say: "Land of many uses." Don't get me started on that one.

On our last day, we went for a mountain bike ride on forest road 87. The highpoint, our lunch spot, was over 10,000 feet, and believe me, I could feel it. Lungs on fire! There were beautiful views of the valley below and San Antonio mountain. It was the perfect way to cap the weekend. If you love biking forest roads, this is a great ride. The dog, now feeling much less suicidal, gleefully galloped along for nearly 15 miles. Not bad!

Interesting camping food worth trying:
1. Mandarin chicken foil packets
2. Ham and sweet potato foil packets
3. Pita pizzas

Check out this link: www.camprecipes.com