Computer repair resource in Taos, New Mexico

This will be a fragmented post. I've got lots to catch up on.

__

If you ever need computer repair help in Taos, New Mexico, I had an excellent experience with Taos Mountain Electronics. It's located off the beaten path but worth seeking out.

Clear explanations, thorough testing, fair pricing. They talk PC, Mac, and Linux.

By the way, you're somewhat more likely to need computer diagnostics and/or repair in Taos than in many other locations because the whole city's electrical system is old and inconsistent, prone to brown-outs. We weren't able to recharge our computers' batteries while the computers were turned on, and my battery drained down so far . . . while the system was plugged into the wall on AC and without triggering the usual automatic shut-off . . . that the machine couldn't even boot.

__

Because of the power inconsistencies, I didn't have much opportunity to keep up with e-mails or blog-reading while I was in Taos. However, just before we left to come home, I used some of my battery power to check a few posts, including one by Donna Druchunas on her trip to the area a week earlier for the Taos Wool Festival.

When I saw the final photo in Donna's post, I laughed because I knew exactly where she'd taken her picture. And I couldn't resist walking out the door and down the block to shoot my own view of the same location.

__

More on the trip to Taos in another post, but I need to remark here on the drive back to Denver. Within Colorado, and over the course of about four hours, we passed through temperature zones that ranged from 38 degrees F (3 degrees C) to 79 degrees F (26 degrees C). And the cold weather wasn't in the high country, nor was the hot in the low country (which are where we'd expect to find the extremes). Colorado teaches the wisdom (and necessity) of dressing in layers.

Here's La Veta Pass, one of the high points on the route we took. The bright yellow is aspen, Populus tremuloides. Aspens grow in colonies, many trunks rising from a common rootstock.

Here's another, also taken from inside the car through the glass:

Although the photos don't capture the brilliance of the colors, I think this was an exceptionally fine year for fall drama in the high country.

__

My project from Socks That Rock Rook-y got finished before I left, but wasn't completely dry so it didn't go on the trip. I wanted to get someone to take a picture of me wearing it, but that hasn't happened yet. Here are some flat views that I took at the coffeeshop tonight:

 

 

It's a U-neckline camisole-type vest. I'm very pleased. The inspiration was a pattern by Elsebeth Lavold, although I radically changed the gauge, used different locations and types of lace patterning, and worked a different kind of crocheted picot edging.

This was a pretty lazy knit: I didn't have time or patience to plot out the details the way I usually would. So when I got to the neck shaping, its width was dictated by where my lace panels lay.

The finished item is lightweight, soft, and sturdy, and will provide one extra layer of warmth for the coming cold months. I had approximately 8 yards (7 m) of yarn left over.