Simon in his natural environment

The very first thing I saw was green shoelaces.

Seeing Simon in Albuquerque was a really great time.  He was wearing all dark clothes including a dark hat, and hadn't shaved in weeks if not longer.  Very dark.  Except his shoelaces.  Wow.  You could see those suckers coming a mile away.  Apparently there was a long story and these weren't the originals that came with the shoes, but it was really colorful in any event.

The first order of business was seeing Simon in his natural environment.  His loft apartment overlooked downtown Albuquerque and was really amazing.  He made use of his large glass windows to brainstorm ideas and shopping lists for his projects.

We asked Simon to take us to some of his familiar haunts - so we ate breakfast at a Flying Star both days.  This was hands-down one of the best breakfast places I've ever eaten at.  Their desserts were fabulous - I had carrot cake and a raspberry chocolate cake that was amazing and had to share it with both Simon and Sarah.

That afternoon, we walked up the street to the UNM ARTS lab Simon occasionally worked at, and met some of his colleagues.  They made some really good use of a CNC machine to cut wooden parts out and make a projector dome for visual exhibits.  I also got to see some of their past creations - some work with Wii sensors and balance boards to build video games using the domes.  It was really amazing.

For dinner, I suggested we cook Simon a traditional RV supper.  It was a hit - we had chicken and Spanish rice, with a nice salad and some frozen vegetables, along with some mashed potatoes.  After dinner, Sarah collapsed to the rear of the RV to go to sleep while Simon and I stayed up until 4AM playing Ticket To Ride with the 1910 Expansion.  (I personally don't think you can really play the game without the expansion - after a few games it becomes pretty obvious where your opponent is going and the game loses its fun factor)

Breakfast the next morning was more of a "breakfast food for late lunch" since Simon had decided to shave his beard.  I think he was motivated by our visit to get out and do some things he'd been putting off for a while, including shaving.

We were a little sad to leave Albuquerque.