Steph and Ken and I visited the Albuquerque Botanical garden which was blooming all over!  One of the first plants we walked by was the heavenly scented  wisteria arbor.

We wandered through gardens with lilac and tulips and beautiful flowering cherry trees; into a cacti conservatory and on to a peaceful Japanese oasis with pond and waterfall.

The Rio Grande keeps this valley so fertile and an amazing array of plants can grow here.  We come home to catch the Sandia mountains in their brief glow of watermelon pink, which is how they got their name: sandia means watermelon in Spanish.

Today I went out for a walk through the neighborhood.  The fresh air felt good, a breeze was blowing and the sun was filtered by clouds; I played piano, wrote and drank tea.  My body has let itself relax now that I’m off the road and with that came a sore throat and congestion.

Steph and Ken and I drove into downtown Albuquerque to pick up Elliot and went out for dinner at a beautiful New Mexican restaurant called El Pinto.  I always love connecting with Elliot because he is a passionate musician and music education major at the University of New Mexico, and we share a lot in common with our education experience.  It was fun to hear about Elliot’s opportunity to act as musician in the filming of the upcoming Indiana Jones movie with Johnny Depp! Sounds like an amazing adventure.

Easter morning- in the Best Western, in Coleman, TX, got some cereal and coffee and packed my car for the long trek to Albuquerque New Mexico.  For the first few hours of my drive the sky was overcast, and as I neared the border of New Mexico the sun began to break and it was a warm, blustery day.  

The scenery started to change the closer I got to New Mexico…I could see the mesa mountains in the distance.

I love the colors in the New Mexico desert.  Brilliant blue sky, dusty golden sand, shrubs in shades of sage and forest green; stretching mountains of rusty red and brown; limitless, serene, sun-soaked.

I felt in a daze once I reached the Sandia mountains that stand guard over the city of Albuquerque.  The little green Honda and I climbed up Tramway Road  to Steph and Ken’s house, where they had a lovely Easter dinner prepared in their beautiful home.  Here I was back in New Mexico, where a year ago I had lived and worked and played. What a treat to completely relax, and enjoy the company of my family.

Woke up to the hot day feeling tired; anxious to press on, yet wanting to just lounge around.  Repacked the car, and said goodbye to Cade, and I was on the road by 2:30pm.  I wanted to make it halfway to Albuquerque today.  Lubbock, TX was my destination tonight: about 7 hours away.  The drive out of Austin was quite pretty, passing one ranch after another, wide open gentle rolling plains.  All of a sudden I notice the sky growing dark up ahead.  I had just passed through the small town of Coleman TX and was headed northwest up to Abilene.  Then I started to see lightening in the distance.  The clouds were swirling and blackening.  Then the wind picked up.  My car was being buffeted on the little two lane road out in the heart of “big country” Texas.  My heart started pumping louder and I turned on the radio.  Sure enough, a few seconds later the beeping alarm of the emergency alert system came on.  We were under a tornado warning!  I had slowed my speed now and had both hands tight on the wheel.  The lightening was coming more frequently and the sky was turning a eerie kind of greenish black, and a hard scattered rain was started to fall.  All this was happening so fast; I was on the edge of the storm driving right into it!  I panicked and slowed way down.  I decided to turn the car around.  Once I had made the u-turn, I was facing blue sky, soft and serene.    In my rear-view mirror was blackness, and flashes of lightening.

I made my way back the 10 miles to Coleman, TX and checked into a Best Western Inn.  The cute little old lady behind the desk invited me to come visit her if I got scared; she’d be up all night.  I got a pang of homesickness and longing for the comforting arms of my mother.  The storm didn’t amount to much in Coleman, TX but it did bring a significant amount of rain to Abilene TX.  I was thankful to be safe and sound that night, and not battling a potential tornado out on the road.

I walked across the Congress Street bridge and got a great view of the skyline.   

Back at Cade’s we hung out in the courtyard then went to this great Vegetarian place called Bouldin Creek where I had the most amazing veggie tacos! Yum!

We walked over to Cade’s friend’s apartment and drove down to 6^th street to check out a band at the Flamingo Cantina.  6^th street is infamous for getting loud and rowdy at night.  The bars and clubs cater to UT-Austin students, tourists and all kinds of characters come out for late night fun.

The band we saw was called Horticulture, latin/reggae/cumbia dance band.  Next place on the tour was Whip-In.  They serve every kind of beer and wine imaginable there, even a few gluten free beers.  You can order Indian food and sit outside on the patio or inside and listen to live music.  There was a little bluegrass band playing when we were there.  Cade and I met some other friends there and we headed over to Crow Bar which is right around the corner from where Cade lives.  The place was packed.  They have a big patio facing the street and a pool room and a bar room with booths.  They are famous for their unique mixed drinks served in Ball jars.  The nightlife in Austin seems to have something for everyone, and I loved hearing live music and experiencing the vibe of each new place.

Down through Waco and late I roll into Austin.  I am lucky to be staying with my friend Cade in South Austin.  The night air is warm and we chatted until the wee hours of the morning, listening to records and sipping Texas red wine

We went to visit Earl Scruggs’ grave, which was in a beautiful cemetery outside of town. 

This city lives and breathes music and has such a rich history especially for bluegrass, folk and country music.  It is amazing how many musicians have come through this city and left their influence.

That evening we went to the Station Inn, a very historic music venue/bar. The  country western group Time Jumpers was playing.

The place was packed and the music was smooth.  Very traditional country western tunes with great soloists and and a lovely female vocalist. 

My first full day in Nashville was packed with downtown sites: music row, Ryman Auditorium, Hatch Show Print, Jack’s BBQ, Katy K’s Ranch Dressing (where I got some killer boots) and 12^th south Taproom.

It was a hot, muggy day and I was loving Nashville; the music coming out of bars and honky tonks, the wealth of history and the laid-back vibe of the city.

Making a trip like this is a balance between having an itinerary and making plans, yet also being spontaneous and allowing the plans to change.

I come into Cincinnati around suppertime and meet Karen’s mom, Judy Brandenburg, and Karen’s sister Debbie.  I can see the similarities right away and it feels like we’ve known each other for years.  Judy had made some delicious chicken salad and fruit salad and the three of us shared a meal.  Judy’s house is a beautiful contemporary style perched up on a hill in the leafy green forest of suburban Cincinnati.  Judy designed the house and her husband was the builder master mind.

The gardens that Judy has designed, installed and maintained are breathtaking.  The backyard is like a fairy land with a little pool and waterfall, brilliant azaleas, rhododendron, Japanese maple, ferns and tall oaks.  The plants are almost a month ahead this year because of the warm winter we’ve had.  I am amazed by all the work and energy Judy puts into her gardens.  She has lived in this area for her whole life and knows so much about the history and how things have changed.

I took a few hours to drive downtown and walk along the Ohio river in the sunshine. Cincinnati was a beautiful place to visit and I am very grateful to Judy for opening her home to me.

The sun was shining as I said my goodbyes to Grandma, Grandpa and Stephanie.  As I filled my car with fuel I called Judy, who I was going to stay with in Cincinnati.  She thought it was a good idea to drive half way today.  So I’m headed off to see Ithaca!  The drive was beautiful, through quiet, country farmland.

As I entered the town of Ithaca I saw a sign for Buttermilk Falls State Park.  This picture is of Buttermilk Falls at the entrance of the park.

I came through town and could see Cayuga Lake.  Up the hill I went and found myself on the campus of Cornell, nestled into the hillside.  The view was fantastic, and the narrow roads curvy and steep.  I was curious about Ithaca college campus so across the hill I went.

The campus had a much more open feeling, and there was a lovely wide view of the lake.  I parked and went into the music building.  I peeked into one of the recital halls, and heard a couple songs from a young woman who I assumed was a vocal student here at Ithaca.  The facilities in the music school were beautiful and the building had a good feel to it.  I pulled myself back out into the sunshine and got into my car to hit the road again.

As I neared Eerie Pennsylvania, the sky was pulsing with lightening.  The rain followed as I entered Ohio and was very intense for short periods of time.  It takes so much concentration to focus in the dusky rain, and I was happy to be nearing Cleveland around 9pm where I checked into a Red Roof Inn for the night.