Thanks for the well wishes, all.
At this point I'm staying away from the temptation to set up a mini shop out there, just because I don't want to have to rent a U-Haul truck to move it all back to LA when I get done. Also, space at the condo is pretty limited, and I don't have a lot of desire to turn mini lathe-sized pieces right now. I'll still be able to get my woodworking fix when I come back home on weekends, and I won't have to compromise on the tools I use.
Time will tell...maybe I'll do some Neander work out there. Have planes, will travel.
Also, Michael James and Bruce Page have shops out there, so I suspect if I needed to barter for a little tool time, it could be worked out.
Larry, I'm planning to take a dog out there with me. Sasha has been my dog for over ten years, and it'd crush her for me to leave on a long term endeavor.
Based on the feedback I'm seeing on Facebook, a lot of my musician friends in ABQ are eager for me to get out there and start playing some more. Back in the day, I had a pretty respectable reputation as a player. Maybe I'll actually get myself back into presentable shape on a guitar.