Nomad Life - Day 65

I didn't set an alarm last night and it was great to sleep a bit late (0630).  With the 53rd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta going on nearby, I immediately got dressed and went up to the rooftop (with my binoculars) to see if if the planned "Morning Glow" was visible.  Unfortunately, the distance from Trish and Terry's home to the Balloon Fiesta grounds was just over four miles as the crow flies and, I discovered, was below the level of buildings in between.  Still, I used some other landmarks and the distinctive rooftop of the Balloon Museum and was almost certain that I knew where to look.  Nothing was visible, initially, though.  The morning air was crisp and pleasant (high 50s) and there were very few clouds.  As the sun rose over the Sandia Mountains behind me, I started to see other cues in the river basin and then tuned into the Facebook Live presentation of the opening ceremonies (0700), hoping to see the "Mass Ascension" that was planned around that time.  Sadly, the wind velocities at 500 feet and 1000 feet were determined to be too great for the event and all I ended up seeing from my perch was a flyby of several aircraft trailing smoke (which quickly dissipated).  Returning to the ground floor, I spent several hours getting organized for my upcoming International travel, catching up on financial items, ordered a few things I hoped to pick up later in the day and ran through my normal morning routine.  Before I knew it, my watch said it was past 1030!  From that point, I got ready to leave the house.  After making an order for a meal pickup at Panera (lunch for two days), I drove a short distance to get my food (1130).  Next, I backtracked towards the east in an attempt to ride the Tram to Sandia Peak.  Unfortunately, I learned that it was "sold out" for the entire weekend.  The man working there did tell me that there was an open period (0800 to 0930) every day for "walk-ons" and he suggested I tried that approach the next day.  Since I had already used most of the day, I decided that it would be a good day to focus only on errands.  I'd already made an online order at Best Buy for a new printer cartridge so headed in that direction.  The streets were busy and the drivers were (as they had been on the Interstate the night before) unpredictable.  Somehow, I made it to the store (southeast side of town) by 1215 and was able to pick up my purchase.  Next, I drove about five miles west so I could recycle an old computer and used printer cartridge at Staples.  I was done with that activity by 1230 and was going leave - suddenly, though, I noticed a Navy Federal Credit Union in the same parking lot! Thinking it might be a while before I'd see another one, I did some banking there (1240).  As I was finishing up, I got a call from Mollie and we talked briefly.  After hanging up with her, I headed to a nearby Xfinity Store (the first I'd seen since Little Rock, AR) to try to resolve a billing problem.  Sadly, they weren't able to help me - they were very nice, though.  On the way back to Trish and Terry's home, I made another call to the Xfinity Customer Service desk and, after almost an hour on the phone, finally got help in fixing the issue (whew!).  Back at the house (1415), I did some more paper work and took a walk in the neighborhood.  Along the way during my latter activity, I met Pat (one of Trish and Terry's neighbors).  Have I mentioned how friendly everyone is in New Mexico?  We ended up talking for almost 15 minutes about the area and the Balloon Fiesta!  Once my walk was completed (1615), I went back inside the house and changed into nicer clothing.  Next (1630), I visited Kelly Liquor store (Trish's recommendation) on Eubank Boulevard and picked up some Bulleit Bourbon, which I'd been told was a favorite of my Notre Dame friend (whose home I was about to visit).  Using surface streets to make my way to I-40, I drove east across the Sandia Range to the town of Tijeras.  Once off the Interstate, I found myself driving on Old Route 66 again - it seems to be everywhere!  I arrived at Merritt's home at about 1700 and greeted her in person for the first time since 1991.  I also met her husband, Darrell and dachshund, Ursula (who wouldn't stop barking for about 10 minutes).  We then settled into a cocktail hour and caught up on nearly 35 years of life history.  Their home was nestled into ancient (300+ years old) trees and they had some amazing views of the high plains in several directions.  Everything inside was beautiful and well decorated.  Throughout the evening, there was lots of good talking and, by the end, Ursula came around and ended up sitting on my lap - we were friends!  We had a great dinner ("New Mexico cuisine") that Merritt had prepared and, afterwards, I watched football with them until almost 2100.  Saying goodbye, and promising we wouldn't wait another 35 years to meet up again, I drove west on I-40 and back into Albuquerque (listened to audio books on the way).  I arrived at Trish and Terry's by about 2130 and then did a little more walking in the house (to finish out my 10K steps) before heading to bed.  Before sleep, though, I did some reading, Duolingo, etc. - official bed time wasn't until 2230.  Very productive and nostalgic day!