Saturday FunDay in the Big City and on the Back Patio

It was in the mid-to-high 60s, so it felt like a good day to get out and explore. 

I got donuts are Krispy Kreme, mostly because I wanted to try the new cheesecake donut. It was good, not great. 

The Bosque is the cottonwood forest that borders the Rio Grande from Santa Fe south to El Paso. It is beautiful pretty much everywhere, but the area near Albuquerque is the best. Because the trees have access to so much water from the river's water table, they hang on to their leaves much longer. 

All of the aspens have shed their leaves already, but these cottonwoods are still gorgeous in late November. 

I got my usual favorites at No Bull - brisket burgers, turkey sausage, wagyu bacon, etc. - and you will be seeing them all in the near future. 

I wanted to try Del Taco's new "Del Dorado" chicken taco. 

It was good - but not nearly as good as my beloved Grilled Chicken Tacos. 

The truly cold weather will be here very soon - it's in the 40s as I'm typing these words on Sunday morning - and I will be making Indian food. I picked up these snacks, as well as some frozen Indian goods that you will see soon. 

I picked up these snacks, as well as some Asian frozen goods that you will see soon.

The selection at this place isn't anything mind-blowing, but it's all locally made and it's adorable and I feel a responsibility to support it. I bought some sausage and one other item as a gift for one of you reading this. 

I went to another place I love - the dentist on the left. 

Just kidding. 

I hate all dentists. 

I went to the market on the right. 

I didn't buy anything at the market, BUT...

I did buy some cookies from this lady who had set up a stand outside. 

I drove back home on the backside of the mountains, as I always do unless I am pressed for time. (Which is almost never - why would I go to Albuquerque if I was pressed for time?)

I wrote last weekend that it was the final day of the patio until March. And I believed that, but yesterday was about 60º - and as I have written many times over the years, it feels so much warmer in the sun at 7000 feet -  so I squeezed in one last game: USC vs. Oregon. 

And smoked some chicken thighs. 

What a great Saturday.