I Know What I Did Last Summer, Final Chapter

If you look up Taos, New Mexico on the internet, it’s nearly impossible to find a picture of the town. Before we went there I imagined that it didn’t have much of a downtown or it was ugly. It was neither. It has a lovely plaza area but, aside from the adobe, there is not a standout building or landmark. Kit Carson’s house is still there just off of the plaza. He was the famed Indian murderer and apparently quite good at it. So if you want to celebrate Indian murders, you can go there. There are however lots of nice shops, many with original art and gifts etc.
The city rests on a high plateau, almost 7000 ft. I found myself running out of breath at times. I thought I must really be getting old until I remembered that I didn’t have that problem in Seattle. The surrounding high desert is quite beautiful. You feel like you have never seen as clear before.
We stayed, for change, in a sort of hippie B & B. You know a hippie B & B by the shrine to Jerry Garcia. It had three foot thick adobe walls, timber-beam ceilings, a hot tub and a greenhouse affair. It also had a great selection of music and movies. The proprietress gave healings on the side. I didn't have anything that needed healing, so I passed.
Along those lines, we went out a few miles out of town to get a tour of some earth ships. You heard right. These are houses built in such a way that they are completely off the grid. They generate their own power by way of solar and wind. They process their saved water so that the water gets used four times. First for drinking, then for washing, then for the plants then for the toilet and then to a special septic tank. Something like that.
There is a community of about 40 of these houses, eventually to be 130. They are an interesting combination of hippie pragmatic idealism and modern technology. We were impressed. Search earthship if you’re interested.
Back in town we found the best chili relleno I’ve had in years. The chili filled the plate with the stem hanging over the edge. It was great. I asked the proprietor how he did it. He said that one difference was that he used local chilis. Then, he cooked them from scratch. He said most restaurants, even some of the better ones, purchase the dish frozen and there is no way to get the freashness and the crunch when it’s been frozen. Our first clue when we went in was the name of the place: “Relleno’s”.
We left for the Albuquerque (see if you can spell that without looking) airport. Had some time to kill. Went to the old town and found the greatest selection of geegaws, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac, trifles, trinkets and what-have-yous in the world. I now own 47 dreamcatchers, 12 sad-indians-on-horesbacks and 7 purple mesas on black velvet. I am one lucky man. (And I’ve already caught some dreams)
When we got home to Seattle, it was raining.

I Know What I Did Last Summer, Pt. 3

Onward to Santa Fe.
Got a nice room this time. Right away we went to the plaza where we fell right into a parade celebrating some virgin whose name I don’t remember; a strange thing to do. However, it was lovely. People were beautifully dressed as either Mexican peasants, Mexican soldiers replete with sabers, etc., and priests with various hats and finally men carrying a platform with a model of some saint. Mariachi bands played the procession along until they reached the very old (17th century) church.

At some point we found some good carne adovada. If you ever go there you must have some. It’s cubed pork coated with a chili sauce and it’s fabulous unless you’re really wimpy and can’t handle the heat. If so, you’re a big baby and you should order the oatmeal and quit crying. Surprisingly, New Mexican chili powders are hotter than Mexican chili powders.
We spent the whole next day looking at the numerous galleries. I’ve heard there is more art per square yard in Santa Fe than in either New York or Paris. If you like art, it’s terrific. On Old Canyon Road, every building that was formerly a house or business or whatever has been transformed into a gallery. There must be 30 or 40 on the one street. Many show Southwestern art of high quality but I’m not interested in that very much. However, there is a surprising amount of fairly cutting edge abstract and experimental paintings and sculpture. You will find something you like unless you are dead from the neck up. There are NO Kincaid paintings.
Halfway through the third day we had seen so much good art that I began to throw up in impressionistic colors. It was time to move on.

Let's All Celebrate Columbus Day

Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island's beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. He later wrote of this in his log:

"They . . . brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawk’s bells. They willingly traded everything they owned . . . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features . . . . They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane . . . They would make fine servants . . . With fifty men we could sub them all and make them do whatever we want."

These Arawaks of the Bahama Islands were much like Indians on the mainland, who were remarkable (European observers were to say again and again) for their hospitality, their belief in sharing. These traits did not stand out in the Europe of the Renaissance, dominated as it was by the religion of the popes, the government of kings, the frenzy for money that marked Western civilization and its first messenger to the Americas, Christopher Columbus.

From Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States, 1492 – Present”.

Within a few years, Columbus and his men, in an effort of to find gold. killed or worked to death the entire population of Arawak Indians.

I Know What I Did Last Summer, Pt. 2

We left the little canyon city of Bisbee and headed east/northeast into the high desert of southeast Arizona (Geronimo Country) and southwestern New Mexico. We have learned what may be obvious to others and that is that the higher the elevation a desert is, the less extreme. The mean temp. here might be 85 but in Phoenix it’s 105.
We thought we’d check out Silver City, NM, a town we knew nothing about but of which we had received interesting reports. The old town turned out to be very charming; a bit like Ashland before the explosion.
It felt like it was just starting to enter the gentrification arc. This, of course is when a city or area is very funky and interesting because a bunch of artist types live there. Then others who are not bohemians but find them interesting will begin to go there for the experience. As it gains popularity it begins to grow and services improve. Then, at the top of the arc, it begins to gentrify. Starbucks comes in, the Gap, etc. Rents and prices go up so the artists move out to the next funky locale where they can afford to live and it starts all over again. Monterey, California used to be a true fishing village with artists and writers. Likewise Ashland, Oregon and Fremont, Seattle. It’s inevitable and there’s not much to be done about it.
Silver City has the feel of just entering the arc. New galleries and groovy coffee shops filled with people excited and happy about just being there. Outside of the old town it appeared to be just another high desert town with WallMarts and Costcos. But the old town was good.
Traveled up to fabulous Socurro, N.M. situated near the Rio Grande River. It was a mid point for us on the way to Santa Fe but it also was a jumping off point. Fifty miles west on a high, flat plateau is the Very Large Array; a series of large (very large), movable radio telescope dishes on railroad tracks. They work together in that the information they receive is processed together with the other dishes hundreds of yards away to from, in effect, one very large telescope. The dishes can be moved on the tracks to affect resolution and focus. The movie, “Contact” with Jodie Foster featured the V.L.A. They are awesome if you happened to be a science geek like myself. Otherwise, don’t bother.
More later.