But wait!
With two (TWO) hurricanes hitting Houston, a virus that won't leave, and more delays to school starting, we decided maybe we could squeeze a couple more weeks out of a summer that robbed us of our usual holiday back to England.
"I found us the perfect place!" declared Hannah. "It's in the desert, but the temperature's the same as here."
While I will admit that it's still cooler than Texas, a move away from the shady pines to the arid sandstone of Santa Fe has certainly warmed us up a little. We're in a beautiful adobe house that's as off-the-grid as you can get while still having reasonable Internet access. There are solar panels out the front and the water comes from a well. We also have 500 acres to roam, as long as we watch for rattlesnakes and coyotes.
Pete is in his element! Every rocky outcrop is a new kind of vehicle/spaceship/hideout that demands to be climbed, explored, and played on, while two nervous parents try to stop saying "be careful!" every twelve seconds. I'm less in my element, evidenced by the crispiness of my skin even under SPF 50, but the landscape is stunning, the night skies breathtakingly clear, and I've learned that coyotes howl quite melodiously.
New Mexico remains one of the states that has handled this virus the best, mainly because they have a great governor and everyone is wearing masks, even out on the trails. We will head back to Houston soon - happily so, because I'll be reunited with my espresso machine - but until then we're certainly at home in the Land Of Enchantment.
Not the most packed tourist destination.
Conquering a first peak.
Young, old, geological.
St John's College, Santa Fe, where I thought I was applying for uni.
The first stepping stones I believe I've ever come across in the USA.
Up a tree up a mountain.
Getting a bit arty.
More climbing.
No beach, but sandstone.
Found this in the middle of nowhere!?
A garter snake! It's venomous, but due to its large gums has to chew on you for some time to inject its mild toxin, so...
The landscape is covered in these crazy, fossilised trees!
Yet more climbing.
We went to a nature reserve for a hike, which looked like...most other parts of the New Mexico desert.
Back at the cabin.
Mountain goat.
Big skies.
