The First Road Trip of Spring . . .

The Roadster Awakens

. . . and astronomical spring is still officially over two weeks away (although meteorological spring occurred a couple of days ago).  But all of February we’ve been below normal temperatures, and this past Sunday we smashed through the magical 68° (20° Celsius) mark, climbed all through the 70s, and topped out somewhere around 80° (27° Celsius).  As the roadster has been in hibernation since early December, it was time to wake her up and put her to use.

Galeria Azul

Courtyard at Peppers Café/Double Eagle

So off we set for one of our favorite driving destinations — Mesilla, New Mexico, and the magnificent Old Mesilla town square, San Albino Basilica (yep, a real Basilica right there at the north end of the town square), quaint shops, and delightful restaurants.

Basilica San Albino

Billy the Kid Gift Shop

We have several dining “favorites” in this area, but today in particular Ursula was hungry for La Posta de Mesilla (which I’ll share with you on Friday).  After lunch we strolled around central Mesilla for a little picture-taking expedition.

Rustic Furniture

Mesilla Town Square

Let’s face it — if you can’t find worthwhile photo opportunities in this small town, you need to turn in your memory card and give up photography.  From the macro views encompassing the town square to honing in on just one architectural feature, Mesilla abounds in subjects.

Typical Territorial-style Architecture

The Back of La Posta de Mesilla

And if the vibrant New Mexico colors are not your thing, there are many scenes just begging for a little monochromatic post-processing magic.

Josefina’s Winery and Café

We’ll continue looking around Mesilla for more photographic subjects on Wednesday, and on Friday we’ll sit down for a massive luncheon at La Posta.