Merry Go Round

Regards from Santa Fe. We're here again for a family rendez-vous. Since my brother-in-law and his family moved here about two years ago we've managed to come out several times to visit, both in the late summer and the winter. There was a time when I would scoff at the idea of going to the same place again and again for vacation, though plenty of people do just that. I just always want to go somewhere new. And I still do. I go straight to the travel section of the Times on Sunday. But these days somewhere new also means more planning, more money, and more whining. If our trips to Israel are any indication, my kids mostly want to go to parks and pools. And while a tour of "pools around the globe" does sounds fascinating, I think we'll wait until they're a little older so they can roll their eyes instead of whine. So we come here and we enjoy being with family and we let the kids explore the arroyos around the house and the rest of the world will wait.

The day after we arrived I took my daughter to my favorite store on earth which I wrote about here. That's where I snapped this picture of the creepy, rusty, old carousel with the ringmaster/genie on the top. I don't know what it is about paint-chipped clowns and creaky carnival relics that is so intriguing. My daughter and niece set up shop on the mermaid with her boobs chipped off and the sad giraffe and had themselves a tea party while I had a talk with the genie about a few wishes I need granting...