Daily Pie Cafe

Wednesday May 19, 2010

Camp 18: yet another pasture, signed No Trespassing, Private Property

We walk into the Daily Pie Cafe and the bell on the door jingles.  Heads turn and nod to greet us as we take a seat by the window.  Old glass bottles line the sill along with a postage stamp keepsake giving an overview of the Sante Fe Trail, an old blue speckled cup and a tiny glass bottle with a wooden arrow inside, just the point of it sticking out the top, impossible to remove.  The server brings us coffee and returns to her chair to finish breakfast. The cook finishes writing the specials on the chalkboard and recommends the apple fritters with eggs and bacon.  I accept!  Eric orders and we sit in silence sipping our hot fresh coffee.   The morning is cool and windy; we are at 8,000 feet and the actual divide is just up the hill.  The sky is deep blue and cloudless and it is difficult to tell what day of the week it is as locals sit around laughing and talking at 9:30am.  Conversation revolves around the summer solstice plans and I pipe up saying, “for hikers, that's hike naked day!”  Odd glances result in laughter from the four men sitting at the table beside us and it will prove to be an ongoing joke for the remainder of the discussion.  An old man in overalls sits quietly by the window, in the same spot as yesterday.  He listens but does not join conversation and scratches off his lottery tickets.  I smile as it reminds me in some ways of a scene from Dad's feed store when I was a little girl.  Our food arrives, delicious home cooking.  Eric offers a bite of sausage in exchange for an apple fritter.  What an excellent way to start the day here in Pie Town, New Mexico.