It's Really Almost Winter Now...

Get Your Fix!

I sign up and become a member of a large number of websites on a weekly basis. Often I get through the sign-up process and then never return. Don't ask me why, the explanation would take far more space than you want me to fill with such pointless rambling.

However, I recently joined a local community site called Duke City Fix, and I can't say enough about the site.

Well put together, full of some great personalities, information, groups, and more, it is a fantastic resource not only for those living in the Burque, but for those who have had past roots, or intend to make the area their home.

Words won't do enough to explain, go see it yourself. You'll love it :)

Golden Days

It's Autumn here in the Land of Enchantment.

While that may not herald the riot of colors you might see in Vermont, it is still possible to see beautiful landscapes and scenery as 2008 ushers in a new season.

I wish I had more time to get out and photograph some of this, but I am swamped. When I do get time, it'll be too late, of course.

So... here's what I have. With it I'll throw in some advice I won't listen to myself.

Get off the internet and enjoy some nature while you can :)

Back to the Blog

I haven't been posting here much, because it has been a busy year, and finding time to do everything I'd like to do in even a single day often becomes overwhelming. I have considered giving up this blog, I know I don't have a following here anymore, and that this is in part because of my sporadic postings, but the truth is, I love this state I live in, and when I want to say something about it, it is here I want to leave the history of it.

It is now October, and we are smack-dab in the middle of the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Just in the past couple of months we've had the State Fair, Zazobra, the Wine Festival, the Go-arts Festival, and more. Coming up there is so much to do in the coming months in makes my head spin trying to figure out how to fit it all in.

So, I'll go, I'll take pictures, and I'll share it with you, along with all those lovely new cafes I've been eating at (did I mention I love food?) and the pretty little out if the way places I have found to just hang out.

So, come along, I'll be around more, I promise. :) If you notice a post you like, let me know so I know I am going in the right direction.

And always, always, be enchanted. ;)

The Quarai Ruins

The sky was corn blue, and fluffy white clouds dotted the pretty sky and horizon. An occasional breeze swept past, cooling the back of my neck where sweat was beginning to run down in rivulets because of the heat. Yet it was cooler here, in this part of New Mexico, where my mother and I had decided to visit this hot June day.

We stepped from the car, walking the dirt and stone trail that led to the ruins, which we could see over the surprisingly green vegetation. The red adobe brick stood out brightly, and drew us
in, I could feel myself brimming with excitement. After all, this is part of why I am so proud to be a New Mexican, this wonderful history which surrounds me at every turn.



We had decided to come here to the Quarai Ruins (pronounced Kwai- Rye) partially because is was an easy drive from Albuquerque, and partly because the road home would lead us through the Manzano Mountains, which we wanted to photograph. Located in Punta del Agua, Quarai is part of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.

In 1628 Quarai was a thriving community of American Indian trade when the Spaniard Franciscans arrived in an effort to convert the natives and establish a self-sufficient community. Artifacts from todays ruins suggest the original inhabitants had been living there almost 400 years before the arrival of the Spanish. A large stone Mission, or church, was built and much of it still remains today to be viewed by lucky tourists like myself.



There were few people visiting the ruins when we came by. It was peaceful and lovely, bringing images to mind of what it must have been like as a bustling community so many years ago.




What remains of the ruins are low walls (high enough to stand over your head, but no longer with roofs on them as they once may have had) and trails, an occasional window and the high walls of the mission.



This made me want to go home and do something like this in my garden, bustling with wildflowers and sage it would be lovely.


Natural vegetation creates a feeling of paradise at Quarai.





Can't you image what this place once looked like with the locals living here hundreds of years ago?





If I were to to this again, I would bring a sack or picnic lunch, and more cool drinks, as there were no cafes or snack stands. We became rather hungry all of the sudden and had to leave to find refreshments, though we would have enjoyed a longer stay. However, it was a wonderful afternoon, full of sights and history, good memories and more. Well worth repeating.

You Know You're From New Mexico If...

If you're from New Mexico you've probably seen this list floating around for years. If not you may find some of these items on the list enlightening. :) I find some of them very true for myself, and know many people who would agree with them all.


1. You can correctly pronounce words like Tesuque, Cerrillos, and Pojoaque.

2. You have been told by at least one out-of-state vendor that they are going to charge you extra for international shipping.

3. You know what "T or C" stands for, and where it got that name.

4. You can order your Big Mac with green chile.

5. You buy salsa by the half-gallon.

6. You know what it means when they say it's from Hatch.

7. Your Christmas decorations include "red Chiles, a half-ton of sand and 200 paper bags."

8. Most restaurants you go to begin with "El" or "Los."

9. You price shop for tortillas.

10. You have an extra freezer just for green Chile.

11. You can't control your car on wet pavement.

12. You've had the skull of some kind of animal in your yard or garden as a decoration.

13. You think the biggest perk to running for state legislature is that you could speed legally.

14. You iron your jeans to "dress up".

15. You see boots and a cowboy hat as something totally appropriate to wear to a formal occasion.

16. Your swamp cooler got knocked off your roof by a Dust Devil.

17. Someone from out of state is surprised that you speak English so well.

18. You can actually hear the Taos hum.

19. All your out-of-state friends and relatives ask if they can drink the water when they come to visit.

20. When someone says "Las Vegas" you think of a small New Mexico town in the northeastern part of the state.

21. You iron your jeans to "dress up."

22. Tumbleweeds and various cacti in your yard are not weeds. They are your lawn.

23. Your other vehicle is also a pick-up truck.

24. Your city cousins from out of state come and visit you and don't get it when "going to do something" to you means to go hunting, fishing, hiking and theirs is hanging out at the mall.

25. You spent your 4 years of High School saying you were leaving this hell hole and never coming back; and when you left, you realized that there's no place like New Mexico, and will probably decide to retire back home.

26. You're relieved when the pavement ends because the dirt road has fewer potholes.

27. You see nothing odd when, in the conversations of the people in line around you at the grocery store, every other word of each sentence alternates between Spanish and English.

28. You've seen the bat flight at Carlsbad Caverns and have a t-shirt that says "Bats need friends, too!"

29. You could totally win on Survivor, because you've been doing all that hunting, fishing, hiking survival technique stuff since you were 5 out in your own back yard.

30. You've had Forts out in the desert or forest, which is also your back yard, so to speak.

31. You know what the night sky looks like full of stars and not pollution.

32. You've swam in an arroyo or an acequia..as a child or an ADULT!! LOL!

33. You love the smell of rain in the desert.

34. You know what a horny toad is.

35. You can identify a quail, peacock, coyote, roadrunner, cricket, etc...by the sound they make.

36. You've been to Mexico just to party.

37. Your Walmart sells snow sleds in the summer for the White Sands...but you can hardly find them in the winter.

38. You know that Christmas and weddings would not be the same without biscochitos.

39. You know what bartering is, and how to do it in at least 2 different languages.

40. You've had enchiladas for breakfast.

41. You know they don't skate at the Ice House and the Newsstand doesn't sell newspapers.

42. You expect to pay more if your house is made of mud.

43. A rattlesnake is an occasional hiking hazard. No need to freak out.

44. You think six tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful front lawn.

45. You own or have owned at least one piece of jewelry with turquoise in it.

From the Old to the New

My history means a lot to me. Unlike many people who have a background related to their race or country of origin, and therefore a plethora of cultural traditions and definable ancestors they can trace back and celebrate, my family has so many disappearing ties and broken legacies that what I have is dear to me.

I know some of my family is German, from my mothers maiden name, Snyder, as well as some Irish from the the family member, surname Reid, whom we've traced from County Clair Ireland on her side , and the bit of Mexican we have which is Martinez. On my father's side we have the surnames Couch and Allen, and photos of a great great grandmother who was undoubtedly full Native American.

When I lived in Sicily I was asked what nationality my family was. (American doesn't count to them, they know we are mostly immigrants unless we are Native American.) When I told them I didn't have a definite background, just "a little of this, and little of that" they were all horrified.

I do have stories from both sides of my family, my great grandmother came to the southwest in a covered wagon, and taught in a one room school house when she was young. My father has stories of our family during the civil war. It's all bits and pieces, but I collect them like tiny souvenirs to keep close. Proof of who I am and where I came from.

When I was a young girl in Albuquerque I was friends with a boy named Donny, the son of Lois Duncan who later wrote "I Know What You Did Last Summer". I thought she was the most amazing person I had ever met, and I still find myself sometimes looking back at her in the throes of hero-worship. The one major thing that stuck out for me was that she told me once that every year she had her children make a recording on a cassette talking about who they were and what they wanted to be when they grew up. (This is paraphrasing, it's been a long time since she told me this story.) She planned on giving them the tapes when they grew up so they could see who they'd been as kids, and how they'd changed. I thought that was the most amazing idea ever. A voice- time capsule. Brilliant. I wish I had something like that for myself. I wish I'd made something like that for my children.

Who you are has a great deal of where you came from, and who you've been.

The same can be said for any place. If New Mexico was a person, like me she would have a vast family tree with a ton of family names, cultural influences, great stories and dusty skeletons in the closet. Who we are as a state today is much of who we've been in the past. We are a large, unconventional family with a fantastic history to celebrate. This New Year is more than just a new beginning, it's our 96th birthday in just a few more days. We're growing up and growing older.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the older I get, the more I want to celebrate my past. Whether it is my personal past or the past around me in the place I live. Might be a good time to do some research. ;)

Time for a break

Just a note that I will be gone for the next week. I am expecting a friend from overseas to visit for the holidays, plus I am entertaining my whole family at my house for Christmas dinner. It will be a busy two weeks. So I am going to take that bit of extra pressure off my own shoulders and allow myself to take a break from the blog thing here so I have time to enjoy myself.

I hope you give yourself a similar gift. ;)

I don't have any images to post on my blog right now, but I will leave you with this link for Luminarias Photos by Deanna Nichols, a talented photographer I know through Flickr. :)

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, best wishes to you whatever holiday you may be celebrating at this time. :)

God Bless.

Preparing for the Big One

Christmas is almost here! I will not deny this is one of my favorite holidays of all time. The Christmas Holiday season in New Mexico is the most festive and celebrated event of the year.

A wonderful mix of Anglo, Hispanic, native American and other cultural traditions, Christmas holidays in the Southwest can be very different from the rest of the world.

Soft warm light is cast from little brown bags with sand and candles are lit and line sidewalks, walls, and building tops, called Luminarias (Loo-MIN-ah-ree-ahs) or Farolitos (fah-RO-lee-tos) depending on the part of New Mexico you are in.

Chili peppers are one of the things that the state is most famous for. "Red or Green" is the state question, referring to weather you want red or green chili on your meal (not to be confused with Texas chili or any other). Even McDonald's offer green chili on their sandwiches. If you want both, you just ask for "Christmas".
(Image courtesty of Heather Buna, CapriShine.com)

And while the chili is certain tasty on your food, it goes far beyond the dinner table. Used to make decorations such as Ristras (dried red chilies strung on long pieces of twine or in a wreath to hang outside the home) hung on Christmas trees and more.

Bizchochitos (Bees-ko-chee-toes)the delightful cookies which I covered in October here, are traditional both as something to make for your own home and to give away a seasonal gifts. Amazing with Tea or Coffee, I can't say enough how wonderful these are.

Tamales are simply amazing. Wrapped in a cornmeal breading (Masa) and filled with meat and spices, the wrapped and steamed in a corn husk before steaming. Fragrant and full of flavor, these are traditional to eat on Christmas and/or New Year day.

Las Posadas is a traditional Spanish outdoor play, a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for a room on Christmas Eve. It is a process that leads door to door, that any and all are invited to participate in. Las Posadas represents the troubles that Joseph and Mary faced in Bethlehem while trying to find a room. The procession is made of groups of adults and children who go door to door singing and requesting lodging (posada). Each door they go to represents an inn, and the owner represents the innkeeper who then refuses the request.(As in the story of Joesph and Mary.) Eventually the procession ends at a preordained place, where the owner recognizes Joesph and Mary and Allows them to come in.


Posole is a stew made withcorn (hominy), pork and spices, and sometimes potatoes which is sevred steaming hot year around, but particularly on Christmas Eve and New Years Day. For some it is the good luck equivalent of eating Cabbage, Black- eyed peas or rice on New years day.

All this and more. Native American dances, celebrations all over the state, good food, great decor, and all wrapped up in the tradition of joy. :) If I missed any, email me and let me know!

Albuquerque at Night

I lived in Albuquerque as a child, I had the best room with the best view of the city in the entire house, perhaps the entire neighborhood. I was particularly proud of my view. My parents often brought guests upstairs to look out my window so they could ooohh and awww.

I've never had a view quite like it since then, though I guess the view from my terrace in Sicily came close. (You could see both the Mediterranean Ocean and the volcano, Mt. Etna from there.) Albuquerque has grown a ton since then as well.

But the lights still draw me, reminding me of a poster my cousin once had, an illustration of Albuquerque depicted at night with it's lights in a swirl, much like the milky way, a universe of gorgeous stars. I'd kill to have a copy of that poster now. ;)

These aren't as good, but I though I'd share anyway. :)

The Bosque of Albuquerque

It's easy to take for granted what you see every day.

I know, because I live around people who no longer, if they ever did, notice the lovely blue of the Sandia Mountains which rise above the city, the tranquil meandering of the Rio Grande or the gorgeous wildlife which we are so fortunate to find all around us, especially in the bosque down at the river.

These are some photos of the Sandhill Cranes I photographed last year right about this time. I still find it stunning (the bosque, not my photos). There is so much to see here. Take a moment to enjoy your surroundings. They are beautiful.

A Culture of Bones

My friend and photography assistant, Crystal, recently abandoned me to move to Idaho with her boyfriend, Joey. ::sniffle::

Joey is originally from Virginia, a place where I have also lived. Though we both are from the same country, it is hard to appreciate the differences in cultures of the south and the west when you first examine the little things like clothing styles and culinary dishes.

It wasn't until Joey came for a visit last summer and remarked (in a purely horrified fashion) about my bleached cow skull I had in my garden that I truly began to see how far removed we are from a great many places. I tried to explain to Joey that skulls and bones were not unusual here. As a matter of fact you see decorated skulls everywhere, painted, adorned with gems and rocks and material, in gardens on fences, and as a part of jewelery (Native Americans have used bones in jewelry forever. It's not garish to us. It's... using what we have I guess.

Quaint and cute to me, a possible sign that we are mass murders to him.

Just another example of how diverse we all are in the huge country we call home :)

Remember When?

There is an old gas station on the corner near my home, no longer operational, just a part of someones front yard.



He hasn't torn down the fuel pumps or removed the cars, so it makes for great pictures. Also is a grim reminder of fuel prices these days.

Day of the Dead

Otherwise known as "Dia De Los Muertos" in Spanish, a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated also in some parts of the U.S. is a three-day Mexican holiday to honor occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saint's Day and All Souls' Day which take place on those days. Day of the Dead celebrates loved ones who have passed away, and is not a morbid but a joyful holiday.

Colorful and celebratory, it is a fun holiday filled with flowers, food, images of skeletons and family get together.

I didn't make it to any festivities this year due to my surgery, however, my friend Crystal humored me and let me paint her up and do photographs.

Enjoy.

A Halloween Treat :)

Next Wednesday is Halloween, and I will be too busy to post. I had thought to do something with the holiday in mind, but I can't think of much. Instead, with the thought of the sweets to be exchanged, I thought I'd post this recipe for Biscochitos, (bees-ko-CHEE-tohs) a popular and traditional cookie, also our state cookie. They are fantastic, and easy to make. Traditionally you use lard in the recipe, but shortening is easier to find on some places and these are very good. If you want to try a more traditional recipe, try this one: Biscochitos

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons anise seed
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
2. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Cream shortening with sugar and anise seeds until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in flour and brandy until well blended.
3. Turn dough out on a floured board and pat or roll to 1/4 or 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into shapes (the fleur-de-lys is traditional). Dust with a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Camel Rock Trading Post

When I was a kid growing up in the Land of Enchantment, I didn't know how lucky I was.

I watched the old westerns and played afterward in the desert surrounding my house or near my grandmothers house pretending to be the characters in Gunsmoke or Big Valley with no idea other kids in other parts of the U.S. might not have some of the same experiences. I had the double fortune of my father usually living in Texas or Mississippi or somewhere like that, so I spent many a summer playing in the deep green woods, so I had the best of both worlds.

Where my Grandmother and Grandfather, James and Rainey Snyder, lived at the time was a particular treat. (This was probably around 1973) Just north of Santa Fe and South of Pojoaque Pueblo there is a camel shaped rock formation just off to the side of the road. For many years my grandparents lived across the highway where they owned and operated both a mobile home sales and a trading post. As kids we sometimes walked across the road to climb on the camel rock, (this was before they built the low adobe wall surrounding it and a fence to protect it from erosion, something no one considered back then,) and scout the surrounding areas. Rattlesnakes and other dangers abounded so we were always old to be careful. Though at that age I was still invincible in my own mind, so I am amazed I am alive after some of the stupid stuff we did.

My twin uncles had dirt bikes and would fly all over the place with their BB guns and I was so envious I could have made myself sick from it. Surprisingly, my favorite memory was be able to get a cold rootbeer from the refrigerator my grandmother kept in the trading post and sip the suds from the top of the can. Often by watching this bobbing roadrunner toy thing she had, which bobbed because it had mercury it is body and it's beak dipped in cool water. long story, believe me when I say to a kid it was as cool as hell.

The Pojoaque Pueblo down the road both fascinated and scared me at the time, I had not seen many Navajos much back then, or recognized them for being Native American. My one memory was when a group of children from the reservation came to visit our school in their traditional clothes made of colorful velvet that I instantly fell in love with. I was so proud to be from a state that had such an interesting culture in it. I knew even then that not every place had such wonderful things in it.

The trading post itself was magical to me, with glass cases full of handmade jewelry made from silver, coral, turquoise and so much more. I will try and find more photos down the road of this great time of my life, I have Googled everywhere and there is no record of the trading post anywhere. It's kinda sad. But it's all still here - in my head- and I'd like to share it with all of you :)

The New Mexico State fair

I mentioned the State Fair in my last post, and I had forgotten to post any images, here are a few, I can't find them all, but I enjoyed these :)

Autumn Musings

You have to love Autumn. Brilliant colors, crisp cool air, a total change of attitude with the changing of seasons as people ready themselves for the coming winter and holidays just around the corner.



Fall in new Mexico is all this and more. Green chili roasting on every corner, Native American celebrations. The state fair with the smell of Indian Fry Bread, tamales and roasting corn.

If yu love tyhe outdoors, this is the time to be here. It's gorgeous. Come see.

It's a Bird...It's a Plane....

It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!



Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon
Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon
We could float among the stars together, you and I
For we can fly we can fly



Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon



The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
For we can fly we can fly



Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon



Suspended under a twilight canopy
We'll search the clouds for a star to guide us
If by some chance you find yourself loving me
We'll find a cloud to hide us



We'll keep the moon beside us
Love is waiting there in my beautiful balloon
Way up in the air in my beautiful balloon
If you'll hold my hand we'll chase your dream across the sky



For we can fly we can fly
Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
Balloon...
Up, up, and away.....



(Lyrcs : Up Up And Away

by 5th dimension)

Why I Blog Here

My original intent when I began this post was to share images and stories from my many trips around the state. But since then my trips have dwindled, (much because of my work and often because my kids are in school) so I haven't had as much to share. My new goal is to post something at least once a week and discuss or share something about New Mexico worth looking at, be you from the area or someone from far away who might be interested in our fantastic little piece of Heaven here. :)

I grew up here, playing amongst the tumbleweeds and cacti, exploring the mesas and the arroyos, traipsing the mountains and dry river beds. I moved far away more than once, but I always came back, either in person or in my aching heart which has always loved this area no matter where else I might be living at the time.

That may sound as if I just haven't traveled enough, and let me tell you that's not true. I've been to thirty two of the United States, and lived in eleven of them. I've been to four countries not including the U.S., and lived in Sicily for three years. I've found much to love about the world wherever I have been, and called many places home that i miss even now. But none of them were New Mexico. With her gorgeous landscapes, amazing food, and her unusual mix of cultures I have never found a place like the Land of Enchantment.