Hot Springs, Dinosaurs and Butterflies

Hello friends.

In today's post I have the last days of our trip to New Mexico (USA), the cover of my newest art journal and a few cards. 

One of the things on Allie's New Mexico Bucket List was to visit a hot spring.  New Mexico is full of hot springs and they are really beautiful.  She found the Hot Springs Day Spa at Jemez Springs.  They have 4 mineral pools containing 17 healing minerals.  She said it was an unbelievable experience soaking in each pool (they were all different temperatures).  She bought the rose at a convience store in Albuquerque before we left on the trip (she is a great picture planner). 

We ate lunch at a great cafe across the street.  It had a vine covered patio overlooking the street and the mountains.  Many of the locals were there playing cards and talking. Everyone was talking and they talked to us as well.  I haven't had many experiences where people were that friendly at a cafe.  I want to go back!  It was a relaxing and fun experience and the food was awesome (burritos with red and green chili, of course).  There were two men writing a story, and it was very interesting to listen to them build the story.  After lunch, we drove up the road to the public hot springs at Soda Dam and swam for another hour.  Allie had shoulder pain for weeks before our trip, and the pain completely disappeared after these two hot springs.

On our way back down the mountain, we visited the old Jemez Pueblo.  It was an interesting site and a very sad story.  Patton found a lizard on the old church ruins and had to get a picture.  

My grandson has always hated pictures, but this trip he started liking the a bit more.  Maybe because my daughter let him take some pictures with her polariod camera.  

After we returned to Albuquerque, we went to the New Mexico Musuem of Natural History.  They have wonderful dinosaur exhibits and some great sculptures outside the museum. Here is my grandson posing as a raptor next to one of them.  LOL. 

We ended the day with a visit to Casa Rondena Winery.  It is an oasis in the valley and they allow children on the tour.  It is patterned after Spanish Wineries and is beautiful. 

Here is a picture of the back where you can sit and have cheese, snacks and drinks. The beauty and sounds of the water melt stress away and make you forget you are in the desert.

Here is my ticket to Elizabeth's T is for Tuesday Linky Party.  Allie tried a small glass of their Rose and I tried a wine tester of 4 of their drier reds. The wine was good but the atmosphere was really special. 

As June is coming to an end, I have one last butterfly journal page for **ART*JOURNAL*JOURNEY where tMia's June theme is butterflies.  This is the inside cover of my new Dylusions Art Journal.  My grandson who loves art is doing it with me.  We are going to focus on songs (at least that was our decision that day - we may change our minds - lol).  

We were inspired by THESE cards done by Angie at Natures Inkspirations.  Angie is was the Featured Stamper at Splitcoaststampers.com this week.  You can see we stamped the side of the journal cover with one of the stamps from SU! Forever Fern.  I also made two cards inspired by Angie as well.  This one was done monotone with Crumb Cake.

This one was done using two colors and adding some Stickles and a few butterflies (for Mia). 

Thanks for sticking through all my trip pictures.  My next adventure will have to be much closer to home, but I have to say it was good to get out after the last year!

Hugz,

Nancy