riding around

This morning I found myself in a dangerous part of town... the Exotic Cactus Ranch. Not a place you want to be carelessly stumbling around, but an impressive sight to behold-- a greenhouse full of beautiful cacti and succulents, most of which I'd never seen the likes of. I was tempted to buy myself a whole gardenful but remembered I have to get on a plane at the end of the month. I couldn't resist one small cactus, easily packable, a squat chubby thing called a Turkish Temple. I may return to draw but in the meantime took some pictures as I wandered through, and petted a large and friendly dog.
Not so much to report when I spend the majority of each day painting in the studio, but I get restless after a while and go for little rides. I have a limited threshold for HOT foods, but being here and all, I want to increase this tolerance, so for a treat I sped over to Big-A Burger( a nearby joint wallpapered with old album covers) to put away a green chile cheeseburger, washed down with a vanilla milkshake. Green chiles are considered the milder ones, and I may be gently mocked, but for me it's just about right, and I'm beginning to appreciate that flushed, eyes-watering sensation. Nearby is the agricultural village of Hatch, where the majority of chiles for the area are grown.
To work that off, yesterday before sunset I took a long bike ride along dusty dirt roads by the Rio Grande. If I were in Beacon now I'd be riding along the Hudson in the evenings on the river trail and circling Denning's Point, breathing in the green scent of spring. But after four years of regularly savoring that experience, it's nice to be pedaling through a completely different terrain.