August 1,2015 Lunch – Greenhouse Bistro. Dinner – Wildlife West Adventure Park Chuckwagon Dinner

August 1,2015 Lunch – Greenhouse Bistro. Dinner – Wildlife West Adventure Park Chuckwagon Dinner

We had a fun day of music and food.  We drove to Los Luna's around 10:00 and after I rested for a few minutes.  I was hungry so at 11:00 I walked to the Greenhouse Bistro and ate a lovely lunch.  I started the meal with a bowl of Minestrone soup.  The soup was a clear broth wit fresh carrots, tomatoes, chard and oregano from the Center’s gardens plus red beans and penne pasta, a very delicious, refreshing soup.  

Then I ordered a chicken salad salad.  The bistro jades a wonderful chicken salad from the fresh roasted chicken it cooks in the German Kombi unit using fresh  dill from the Center’s own organic garden.  The salad was vey attractive, served with carrot, red onion and green bell pepper spears on a mound of organic greens with three small piles of chicken salad.  I really enjoyed the salad with a raspberry vinaigrette, a plate of fresh toasted focaccia slices and a glass of lemonade.

As I was finishing lunch I heard the band begin to play, so I took my glass of lemonade outside and sat near the stage and listened to the reggae band from Belen that Suzette had hired to play a luncheon concert.  The kitchen staff made hamburgers on grill set up near the stage with potato salad inside the big tent in front of the stage.  Suzette has planned Saturday musical concerts at lunch during the month of August and a number of other events that are free to the public. 

After a few minutes Suzette came over to me and asked if I wanted to see the orchard, so we walked back to the orchard and I saw the trees laden with fruit.  The quince was particularly impressive..  As we walked out of the orchard we were on the other side of the lawn but in front of the stage and the music had a much more. Balanced sound so I sat in one of the three Adirondack chairs on the south side of the lawn.  Soon Tony Williams came over and we talked water law until 12:50 when I excused myself to go to the Garden Gate Day Spa for a facial treatment by Rosemary, who is about my age and gave me a wonderful facial and mini massage on my shoulders and back and even put cream on my feet and hands to soften the skin on those areas. 

At 2:30 when Rosemary finished the facial, Suzette was waiting and we drove home and had a nap.  The at 5:15 we drove to the Wildlife West Adventure Park for the bird show at 6:00 and to return a bag of corporate documents that I accumulated in 1992 and 1993 , when Roger Alink and I and a group of others started the New Mexico Wildlife Association and formed a partnership to buy and finance the construction of the park. 

Since it was raining I left the documents with Terry, Roger’s wife at the park entrance, where she gave us a wristband for dinner.  We then walked to the covered shed where the bird show was presented.  When we arrived it was full of over 100 people, so we found seats in the back.  There were lots of families with three generations.  Soon Mr. Smiley, a master raptor.  Gave his presentation.  He spoke about birds of prey, vultures, Hawks, Falcons and Eagles and flew a hawk, a falcon and finally a peregrine falcon, the fastest animal in the world.  Unfortunately We missed the peregrine falcon demonstration, much to Suzette’s chagrin because Roger took us on a tour of the constructed improvements to the park.  Roger and the Youth Conservation Corps participants have added lots of improvements over the last few year. At around 7:00 we finished out tour and went to the Chuckwagon area, which is a covered dining stage and serving area that appears to seat over 200 people.  Roger told me they had over 300 people show up for the Chuckwagon dinner a few years ago.  We sat beside a lovely retired couple who were volunteering at a Christian camp up the road who I can only describe as Chuckwagon dinner aficionados.  They had traveled all over the Southwest to Chuckwagon dinners.  Their favorite was in Durango, Colo. And when I told her I had gone to a Chuckwagon dinner in Ruidoso that I liked many years ago the wife told me they were going to drive to Ruidoso the next weekend to go to that one.  I was impressed. The wife told me how Chuckwagon dinners were set up, their evolution and the menus.  She said that beans and potatoes cooked over an open fire are prerequisites.  Usually you get a choice of one meat, although tonight’s meal included a choice of BBQ beef or pulled pork and chicken.  Soon Roger announced organization of the meal and the over 100 people lined up in front of the stage for food.  The method service is as important as the menu.  The wife said that at many Chuckwagon dinners you were served on an aluminum tray like those used on ranches, but tonight’s meal was served on a five compartment styrofoam plastic tray.  When we arrived where the food was being served it reminded me of military dining halls. There  were a series of large stem table serving trays. As one progressed down the food service line a person at each tray would spoon Apple sauce, then cooked beans, then your choice of meats, then a fire roasted baked potato and finally a baked roll and a cookie. There was another booth with a counter filled with some pretty awful and sweet cups of a pink punch.  The Chuckwagon aficionado wife told me that at the more traditional dinners they served stewed apples and beans out of a bean pot beside the fire where they are cooked.

I was impressed with her knowledge and enjoyed the meal more because of her engaging commentary.

After everyone was served the band, Mystic Lizard, took the stage and I thought I recognized the band leader.  When Roger came over I asked who the leader was and Roger said ”Bobbie Goldstein.”  I had met Bobbie Goldstein when I was helping Dave Dewitt and Robert Spiegel start the Chile Pepper Magazine years ago.  We left around 8:00 and since the band was still playing I asked Roger to say hello for me to Bob Goldstein.

We went home and sat under the patio awning and drank wine with Mike and Kathryn and watched the intermittent rain instead of  going to the African music concert.

After a full day of food, treatment, and music, we slept well.

Bon Appetit