Santa Fe is a city in which, to all outward appearances, time froze on November 1, 2004

Welcome back and We know you are not kidding....after being there in October and fighting for parking places with all the Kerry/Edwards adorned Mercedes.

Did you bring us a ristra? I forgot to ask before you left but am hoping that you may have done so anyway.

Wallace, we were so used to 8,000 calorie days that we ate all the ristras on the plane ride home. Sorry.

But, man, did we find a great restaurant in Taos!

Eric sigh! I see you made good use of my 'be careful this time' advice LOL. You're a worry!

Rachel, I actually did better this time, as I was half-crippled last year with a knee injury.

What can I say? I'm a klutz! ;-)

I'm disappointed that your first post back isn't about new Apple tchotchkes ;-)

Name of restaurant, please.

While in Santa Fe in October, I carried my "W. The President" handbag. Wore my "Dubya 2004" t-shirt. I attracted a lot of (unwanted) attention. Feared for my life.

Are all the Kerry/Edwards signs still up?

Julie, I didn't notice any signs in front of houses but the K/E and anti-Bush bumper stickers were prevalent and conspicuous.

I guess New Mexico is sort of like Texas in a way. Bush carried the state, but the state capitol went the other way.

We're thinking about ditching Santa Fe and heading to Tahoe next year. After 25 years, SF's "eccentricities" are growing less amusing and more annoying.

Oh, and I forgot to answer your first question: The Stakeout Grill and Bar. Simply amazing...food and view.

Scott, did Apple come out with some new stuff? ;-)

We listened to iPod playlists while driving between ABQ and Santa Fe, and between Santa Fe and Taos, and it further cemented my belief that it's the only way to carry music while traveling.

Hey welcome back, Eric!!

Thanks for the heads up on another "blue" city.

If I had your web savvy (and drive), I'd love to create a site serving as a political "Berlitz" for this country, because it's no longer the "blue and the gray", it's the "blue and the red". I've heard a lot of bad incidents like the kind Julie mentioned.

Btw. If you ever decide to tour the Northeast, all of CT, RI, and VT are bad too. ME, mainly (pun intented) in the big cities and there aren't too many of them. NH isn't too bad, either. MA isn't even worth discussing.

Did I mention I missed your posts?

Mr. Freen, I'm glad to hear you missed seeing updates on the Gazette. I hope to get into a more frequent posting mode pretty soon.

I really hate to see the continuing polarization of our country along political lines. OTOH, to the extent that those politics simply reflect some significant differences in morality, such division is inevitable and has been predicted since the beginning of time. In a way, I think we're simply seeing the last great Unwinding of Things, when we humans will eventually see Who is really in control.

Welcome back, Eric! Certainly sounds like a great vacation you had!

And yes! Apple did come out with some new stuff while you were away -- new iPods & new prices. The 4Gig mini is now $199 and there's a 6Gig mini for $249. A smaller-capacity iPod Photo and the one they already had is like $150 cheaper.
(At least, I *think* that was while you were away...)

Someone pointed out to me that you can now get an iPod at any $50 increment between $100 and $350.

Welcome back! I'm glad you're here - but also glad you got away for a while.

Ah, Brian, you seem to be coming in from the cold, so to speak!

You're right...all the iPod announcements came while we were gone. Apple's certainly building a formidable lineup, aren't they? I'm still not convinced of the value of the iPod photo, but, then, I wasn't crazy about the music iPod until I got one.

And thanks for the "welcome back"!