Friday, June 10, 2016

The Summer Starts

The summer has started off with lots of busy.  After our busy Memorial Weekend, Jesse and I loaded up and went to the mountains.  We stayed several days in Red River with my cousin and then went over to Taos to stay with my brother and his wife. Jesse spent some time hiking and biking in the mountains, while I sat around and painted or visited with old friends.

One day we played tourist in Taos going to the Pueblo. Jesse had not been to the Pueblo since she was about 13 years old when I took the kids to St. Jerome Day (San Geronimo Day, which takes place the end of Sept). It was a day to remember for sure with Indian vendors set up selling their wares and people crowded into the plaza.  The Koshari (clowns sort of) came climbing over the Pueblo and down into the plaza to play and reek havoc.Then one Koshari climbed a huge pole with all sorts of goodies at the top of the pole - including a dead sheep. It is all about celebrating the harvest and the coming of winter - quiet time. Of course it is a mixture of Spanish, Catholic, and Indian cultures. Very interesting! I still don't get the Geronimo/Jerome name. The church at the Pueblo is called St. Jerome, the patron saint of the Pueblo. Geronimo seems to be a Spanish pronunciation of Jerome.

This time our visit to the Pueblo was much more subdued. Very few people were there. Jesse and I were free to take lots of photos and visit with the local shop owners.  I told one shop owner about our previous visit to St. Jerome Day  and how impressed we were. He told me that in 2001, after Sept. 11th attacks, when the Koshari climbed the pole, he unveiled and waved an American flag.  Wow, that just gives me goose bumps. That would have been something to see. We also visited with the nephew of Mabel Dodge Luhan. He had been an police for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Very interesting.

After our visit to the Pueblo, we had a great lunch at Orlando's - Yum! Then we made our way to the Plaza in Taos and did some shopping and gallery hopping. From there we drove down to San Francisco de Asis Mission in Ranchos de Taos. Jesse had never been inside. And she still has not been inside. It seems it was the weekend for the locals to re-mud the adobe church, which was quite fascinating itself.
 
Jesse and I took lots of photos all day long. It's the artist in us. She takes photos for the photo. I take them for reference - future paintings. Of course we had a great time at the Taos House Retreat and then breakfast before we left at Michael's Kitchen.
 It was a great way to start the summer.

3 comments:

Jo Castillo said...

This sounds like a perfect time to me. I/we are very jealous of the eating at Orlando’s and Michael’s Kitchen. I like that Orlando’s has posole instead of Spanish Rice. More New Mexican.

The mountains renew us somehow.

Bag Blog said...

Jo, the mountains are refreshing. Sometimes I miss them in my soul. But we can't all live in the mountains. sigh.

Orlando's has become my favorite. Although, Michael's had breakfast enchiladas - to die for!

Anonymous said...

Your daughter looks like she disapproves of what he is doing, ha.