...5.31...Back Home...

......Mom sent us home with an assortment of fresh fruit...yummy watermelon and grapes...

...and the Man's Mom sent us a bag of fresh corn...

...and we got home in time for me to do a quick Instacart order...and pick it up at 5 PM...mostly fresh stuff to replenish the fridge...and we had already gotten soy milk at Mom's too...

...then I cut the corn off the cob...it's a little bit fuller than we like it for on the cob eating...

...and got that cooking...

...we're happy to be home...and we had such a nice visit with Our Airman...

~Have a lovely day!

...5.30...the flight home...and a quick trip to Mom's...

...we had a full day of flying starting before 3:00 AM with the rental car drop off...

...on the tarmac at 4:25...

...leaving New Mexico 5:05...

...flying into the dawn...

...no breakfast on this leg of the journey...that will come a little bit later...so they gave us some snacks...and I chose these little berry puffs...they were good...

...just watching the sunrise out my window...I actually do like flying...

...landing in the fog in Dallas...

...they were already boarding when we got there...our connections were kind of tight this time...

...leaving Dallas...

...and breakfast was served...I got the fruit plate just without the yogurt...and I'd brought one of my little three ounce shampoo bottles full of soy milk for my coffee...it was a yummy breakfast...and I was sort of awake enough to enjoy it...haha...

...arriving in Charlotte...

...and then because we needed to pick up our 'critters'...we immediately headed up to Mom's...our Babysitter...and into the pouring rain...

...she said Kitten had done fine...and that she and Twighlight had tolerated each other pretty well...

...we had a quick supper just spaghetti and a salad...still sideways...I need to figure out what is up with these pictures...it was yummy and fun...

~Have a lovely day!

...5.29...New Mexico Day 7...Godspeed to Our Airman...

...I think this is the only photo I took all day...and actually the Man took it...haha...it's not yet 6 AM...and yes...I am at the GATE!!! with our Airman...who even knew you could do that...

...the very helpful TSA agent was checking Our Airman in for his flight back to Okinawa...and she asked if we were his parents...and then she said she could check us through to wait with him at his gate...it was so nice...you know how you have to get through TSA and then you always have like an hour and a half to wait before you can board your flight...well...she must have known that we'd want to soak up every last minute that we could with Our Airman...so she took our IDs and gave us what looks like a boarding pass (just with no gate or flight numbers) to get through security...I didn't know you could do that...I'm assuming that spouses and children can get this special pass as well...it was really really sweet...

...in the afternoon...we took a really long walk through the neighborhood...my watch says 4.75 miles...and then we packed...and cleaned up the AirBnb...because we have to be at the airport at 3 AM for a 5 AM flight...crazy...

~Have a lovely day!

...5.28...New Mexico Day 6...and a Birthday...

...Our Airman's birthday is in June...and of course...we won't be seeing him again before then...so we decided to make our last day together his Birthday...

...and we started the day with pancakes...

...sorry I didn't take any other photos and only remembered to take one after most of the pancakes were eaten...haha...but it was exactly like making pancakes at home...except these came from a storebought mix...mixed up with only plant based milk...they still turned out light and fluffy and delicious...

...and we bought way too much food for the week...but we'll be leaving it with the AirBnb...we've often used leftover items like pancake mix and coffee and tea and sugar when we've visited AirBnbs before...and most of what we over-bought are shelf stable items...

...so...after 'brunch'...I got started making the birthday dinner...Our Airman said he'd rather have apple pie than cake...and he prefers the Dutch kind of apple pie with the crumble on top...so I'm actually making a sort of Apple Crisp...and I'm adding in the dried apricots that I brought for a plane snack...

...so...with the apple crisp in the oven...I cut up some bread to make croutons...

...and I just seasoned them with things that were in the cupboard...olive oil...salt and pepper and an herb mix...

...this AirBnb has a gas cooker...so the heating is a little different...some of the croutons are a little too brown...but there will be plenty of 'good' ones for our salads...

...and the Apple Crisp was nicely done too...

...we'd had a late breakfast...so we just all sort of snacked around in the afternoon...we had over-bought on chips...so I think the boys just ate some of those...and I had tea and toast...someone had left Earl Grey in the cupboard...it was so nice...

...and then Our Airman opened his present...

...I think he's pretty pleased with it...

...and then it was time to make the Birthday Dinner...

...I sliced and pre-baked the tofu...the Man is going to further cook it on the grill...but it's a little bit too soft to go directly onto the grill...I do this at home too...

...we set the table for a nice al fresco meal...

...and everything was just so nice and delicious...

...and then we called it an early night...Our Airman has to be at the airport before 5 AM for his flight back to Japan...

~Have a lovely day!

...5.27...New Mexico...Day 5...

...we had Our Airman for one entire day...so we had a quick breakfast at 'home'...and headed out...

...to the beautiful Sandia Mountain Crest...we've been there before too...we planned to ride the tram up to the mountain top...but sadly...they've closed all of the national parks because of the wildfires...it's a huge problem...so we turned right at the forest entrance instead of left...and drove into the hills that way...

...we stopped and got sub sammies...I really don't know why all of my photos are sideways here...maybe it's a New Mexico thing...it seems to be only affecting food pics...

...and then we drove over the Musical Highway again...where the rumble strips on the paved road are grooved so that they play the tune America the Beautiful...I've posted about it before...also on day 5 of a New Mexico visit...haha...

...and then for dinner Our Airman wanted his favorite Chinese place...and he suggested the orange tofu for me...which is what I ordered...but when I said it was really hot (spicy) he tasted it and said that what I actually got was General Tso's Tofu...haha...it was still really good...just made my nose runny...so the mixup was not an issue...I was perfectly happy with General Tso's...

~Have a lovely day!

...5.26...New Mexico Day 4...

...super early in the morning...Our Airman went to class...I look like I'm still asleep...haha...\

...just sitting around in the morning after Our Airman left for class...drinking tea...and we got one of the movies that were there for our use...it's Rabbit Proof Fence...but apparently there was something wrong with the disk and it failed part way through...but never fear...I quickly found it on the internet and we finished watching it...Kenneth Branagh is kind of a bad guy in this one...it was really good...

...later we walked up to a little coffee shop...there's a sweet little fountain in the courtyard...

...where we sat to drink our java...when we ordered the Man ordered his black...of course...and the server gave him a thumbs up and smiled...he also smiled when I ordered and asked him to leave a LOT of room for cream and sugar...haha...may have been more of a smirk...

...roses blooming beside the building...roses everywhere here...

...also roadrunners everywhere...love this one with the moon still in the background...

...Our Airman had a burrito place on his list of restaurants...so we met him there for a quick lunch between his classes...I got bean and papitas...which was odd...I'd not had that combination before...it was like refried beans with french fries...and the red sauce...even though he said it was mild...was pretty hot...

...when our Airman got back from class...we headed up to the Cold Stone Creamery...they've got a new Almond Milk chocolate ice cream to try...there's a sign in the window to the right...

...advertising the new ice cream...so glad there's a vegan option...

...there it is...it looks yummy...

...so I got a cup and found a table...it wasn't crowded...city bus outside...

...my yummy cup of delicious vegan ice cream...

...my boys walking back to the casita...

...then next on the list of restaurants was Our Airman's favorite Thai place...we got spring rolls for an appetizer...only slightly disappointed that they weren't the fried variety...but I'm getting plenty of other fried foods...haha...

...and my tofu and veggies...ordered at the recommendation of Our Airman was delicious...

~Have a lovely day!