We'll take the high road

Holy Dirt!

On the way to Taos yesterday, we made a quick pilgrimage at Chimayo, sometimes called Lourdes of America.

I expected a humble country church, but the El Santario de Chimayo is a large complex with multiple shrines scattered over several acres. And gift shops, always gift shops.

Pilgrims travel here from all over, leaving behind photographs, mementos and small religious relics.  The ceiling of the Santo Nino Chapel is rather poignantly covered with hundreds of small shoes.

 El Santuario de Chimayo

The main church is famous for its side chapel, where the dirt floor is reputed to have healing powers. A mass was in progress, so we just peeked in the front door.

During Easter week, tens of thousands of pilgrims come to this pretty spot in the countryside, about 30 miles north of Santa Fe.

The area is also known for its heirloom chili, called the Chimayo Chili. I bought several packages of ground chili at this trading post on the sanctuary grounds.  The nice man inside also gave me some recipes and tips for cooking real fresh chili sauce.  

According to the chili expert, this powder is nothing like the abomination we buy in "taco seasoning" packets. Guess I'll have to up my Mexican cooking game when I get home.

Our next stop on the high road to Taos was the small mountain town of Las Trampas. So many things have changed since we were last in New Mexico, but this spot was just as quiet and peaceful as I remembered.

The historic 18th-century village of Las Trampas is now a National Historic District, featuring at its center, the Spanish colonial San José de Gracia Church.

The lovely old church is over 250 years old and the walls are 6 feet thick.

Fresh tortilla soup, chili rellanos and sopapillas for lunch at a very nice restaurant in Chimayo. A word about the food in Northern New Mexico:  Good.

El Pueblo Inn, Taos

John relaxing in front of his "casita," our humble home for the next two days.  This is a true retro motel leftover from the old tourist days of Taos, long before the highway was lined with Hampton Inns and Motel 6.  We're close to the center of town, which is nice.

Our little room has both charms and annoyances, mainly the roaring window air conditioner. But they serve a fabulous complimentary southwest breakfast here, the wireless is snappy, and the grounds are lovely and peaceful.  So it all averages out in the end.

We were pretty beat from the drive and our big night at the opera, so dinner was take-out chicken from Smith's (Kroger.)  Today we plan to visit the Taos Pueblo.

Full day in Santa Fe

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Santa Fe Plaza

No shortage of art, pottery, silver and turquoise to buy. Everywhere.

Before long, sensory overload sets in.

 Our quiet patio at Los Palomas.

Our hotel burro.

John has his first Margarita. Really!

(He loved it.)

My first French 75.  (Ditto.)

Food on The Plaza before the opera.

The Santa Fe Opera open air venue.  You have to see it to believe it. We had good seats on the main floor and the performance started after a blinding sunset, lighting up the pink and gold clouds as a backdrop for the first act of La Boheme. Forget the old opera, I couldn't take my eyes off the spectacular high desert sky.

Soon it was dark, VERY dark, much darker than it EVER gets in Seattle. We were so happy we took the shuttle bus, and didn't have to navigate the DARK parking lot and DARK highway back to town at 11 pm.

It was a long, tiring but memorable day.  The birds woke us up early this morning, and soon we'll hit the high road to Taos.

Onward to Santa Fe

A stop along the Turquoise Trail at Madrid, a historic coal mining town. And now, surprise, full of gift shops and ice cream parlors! But fun and we enjoyed the back road drive to Santa Fe yesterday morning.

We had time to see the fine Georgia O'Keeffe art museum before checking into our condo.

We found out the lovely Los Posada Inn is owned by opera star Neil Rosenstein, a frequent performer here at the Santa Fe Opera and elsewhere around the world.  Opera is the big buzz in town right now, and this is a popular hotel for opera goers. 

The rooms are tucked away on side streets near the Plaza, and the courtyards are beautiful and peaceful...

Relaxing on our front porch. Planning an easy day in Santa Fe because tonight is the big night out for La Boheme.  The opera shuttle picks us up at 7:20 pm.

Old Town Albuquerque

 San Felipe de Neri Church

1793

 Dazzling turquoise jewellery

 So many trinkets, so little time. We arrived fine in Albuquerque yesterday afternoon, after just the normal fuss and fatigue of air travel and car rental.

We spent last night at a Best Western near Old Town and ate Mexican food on the Plaza, followed by the best peach ice cream ever.  A band was playing on the Plaza, and it felt very southwestern and laid back. To add to the atmosphere, a lovely girl was posing in front of the church.

The weather is warm and stormy, with beautiful, violent-looking clouds randomly dumping monsoon rain. The forecast looks a little calmer today.

Today we drive to Santa Fe, about 60 miles north of Albuquerque. The plan is to take the scenic Turquoise Trail route that winds through the hills past historic mining towns.  And probably no lack of tourist traps. Off we go...

 

Hair color with a touch of pepper spray

 Good old days at the mall

I was at Southcenter Mall yesterday to have my hair highlighted at Gene Juarez Salon. John might argue this, but I'm actually quite frugal, and get my hair cut at Budget Cuts in West Seattle for $20. But every few months, I look forward a fancy salon indulgence, not to mention, the excuse to do a bit of mall shopping.

Malls are closing or transforming across the country, we know this, but suddenly you look around your own and think, "what happened?" So many vacant stores, and Macy's a shadow of its former self with a deserted TJ Maxx style bargain basement.

On the other hand, there's brand new big chain restaurants, bubble tea stands and a whole section of Southcenter transformed into a Filipino food emporium, with a Seafood City grocery store, Jollibe Chicken and other unfamiliar fast food outlets.  There's a wildly popular Asian bakery called 85c. There's also movie theaters, game arcades and bowling alley. Along with all this, more crime and a totally different vibe, especially at night, when the few old lady shoppers go home. 

I was walking around killing time before my appointment, and suddenly my throat and nose started burning. People around me were hacking and coughing. Something horrible released in the air, but what?  I ran outside and soon heard sirens.  Apparently a thief, confronted by the Victoria Secrets manager, set off pepper spray in the store. Clever way to steal a bra, huh? Gene Juarez locked their doors for about a half hour, but I finally got in for my appointment.  And that's my big excitement yesterday. All I have to say is, pepper spray really "works."

Well, today I'm going to water the heck out of the garden, pack up our suitcases and get ready for New Mexico. My laptop is going along, so hopefully, some pretty desert pictures for you next week.
Ciao!

Baby's Breath

Baby's Breath

"Gypsophila" 

This lovely bush comes back like magic every summer.  On a sunny day, it looks like a bee-covered cloud.  It grows right through a tight space between the bricks. Native to Eastern Europe, Gypsophila often grows in dry rocky cracks, so that explains that. It somehow found the perfect home here and I can't even remember planting it.

We have the best weather in the country right now-- that's not an exaggeration. For that matter, you'd be hard-pressed to find more pleasant weather anywhere in the world. Great Britain has the highest temperature every recorded, over 100 degrees today. I follow several English blogs and folks are not happy. The Brits are heat wimps, like us. It's so hot in Europe there's a concern poor battered Notre Dam could actually collapse.

Anyway, it almost seems a shame to leave Seattle during the nicest time of year, but we haven't had a whole week of vacation since last September.   It's monsoon season in New Mexico, so that means sunny mornings with a chance of thunderstorms each afternoon.  We're flying non-stop to Albuquerque this weekend.  

Wordless Wednesday

"A July Morning"

Daniel Knight

Maria Callas

Maria Callas

After the Opera

The curtain parts one last time
and the ones who killed
and were killed,
who loved inordinately,
who went berserk, were flayed alive,
descended to Hades,
raged, wept, schemed—
victims and victimizers alike—
smile and nod and graciously bow.
So glad it’s finally over,
they stride off
suddenly a bit ridiculous
in their overwrought costumes.
And the crowd—still dark,
like God beyond the footlights of the world—
rises to its feet
and roars like the sea.

by Richard Sciffman

We just watched the DVD "Maria by Callas."  The movie documents the famous Greek opera singer's life through her own words, taken from TV interviews, letters and memoirs.

I liked the clips of old opera houses, with elaborate sets, period costumes and the dramatic, over-the-top gestures. Guess I'm a traditionalist. So often operas are modernized by genius directors trying to make them more "relevant."  Most of the time it's just a distraction.

Maria Callas was the ultimate temperamental diva.  A dumpy, overweight young girl when her career started, Callas transformed herself into a fashion icon.  The famous rumor goes her stage mother took her to a doctor, who gave her a tape worm to lose weight.

She was adored by audiences, but basically a lonely person who never found a lasting love. In 1959, the world’s two most famous Greeks, Callas and Aristotle Onassis, began an affair on his yacht, in the company of both their spouses.  Of course this fell apart when Onassis married Jackie-O.  Losing her looks and aging was difficult, and she died a semi-recluse at only 53.

Speaking of opera, we're getting close to our trip to New Mexico next week. One of the highlights is a performance of "La Boheme" at the Santa Fe Opera House open desert venue.  I bought the tickets almost a year ago, so we've been looking forward to this trip for a long time. 

Santa Fe Opera house on a dramatic night.

Nice weekend

Oh, all sorts of good things happened this weekend.  We watched the parade on California Avenue and it was a brilliant morning, after days of grey skies.

Some things never change, like the Seafair Pirates.  Just new children to scare.

And surprise! Our Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin, leadin' the parade, workin' the crowd. For such a big city, Seattle sure feels small town sometimes.

In other news, Marji, Dad and Doodles arrived safely in Cripple Creek Sunday after a 2-day road trip from Las Vegas.  They spent Saturday night at a motel in Green River, Utah (below.)

If all goes well, they plan to stay at our family house in Cripple Creek for 3 weeks.  Doodles saw his first (semi-wild) donkey yesterday.  Pretty exciting times ahead for a pampered little desert house dog.  Good luck, Marji!

And speaking of adventures, Amanda and Nova went back-packing in the North Cascades this weekend.  Three girls, three moms, and two dogs hiked a total of 12 miles with 3,000 foot elevation gain on the way in to the campsite.  Now that's what I call ambitious. Not to mention, a real friend bonding experience.

Finally, here at home, we spent a lovely afternoon yesterday with our good friends Julie and her daughter Mary. I made grilled shrimp with pineapple for lunch and Julie brought a delicious orzo salad.  Summer Sunday afternoons don't get any better than that.

Diary

50 years ago today, men landed on the moon.  If you're old enough, you will remember exactly where you were at that moment, like the day Kennedy was assassinated.  The 60's decade was filled with momentous events; this was one of the few good ones.

I remember watching TV that evening at Uncle Mark and Aunt Ruth's ranch near Colorado Springs. At one point we went outside to look at the moon above the prairie, and marveled there was a man "up there." I can't remember any other details about that night.  Who else was there?  How did I get there? At that point, I had already been on my own for about 2 years.

Enter the old diary...

Long before blogs, I wrote an entry, every day, religiously, from about 1969-1975. Many people kept diaries back then. There seems to be a basic human need to put things down.  For better or worse, now we have social media.

I opened the dusty box of books, and found out that in July we were on the road, driving from Memphis to California in a VW bug, with all our worldly possessions inside. Poor as church mice, were just passing through Colorado. But that's a story for another post...

Aunt Ruth, always so generous, had us over for dinner to watch the landing.  Other family members were there, like Grandma, who had just returned from a trip to Germany and gave me a Hummel.  A precious gift at the time, and I still have it. I would never have remembered all this without that diary. 

The fancier name "journal" came along later. Anyway, a diary was just a place to record the day's happenings. Looking back 50 years, there's nothing especially profound about what I wrote-- in fact, most of reads like a self-centered snooze. But I was still a teenager, so I'll cut myself some slack. At least I had the self-discipline to write every single day. And I wish my handwriting was still that good!

And here is it, July 20, 1969.  The moon landing mentioned almost as an afterthought in the days other events:

Man on Moon! Don't know how I neglected to write about it first. Watched it all on TV.  Fabulous--but hard to conceive. The pictures were so clear.

Weather whiplash

While most of the nation is sweltering, we're wet, grey and chilly this week.  So often, Pacific Northwest weather is the exact opposite of the rest of the country.  It rained again last night, a good thing, but people are wondering when we'll get some summer sunshine. Weather whiplash is on the way, with the high 80's by Sunday.  Something different to complain about.

The "West Seattle Grand Parade" is Saturday morning, which is a grand name for kind of a hokey local parade.  But then, all parades are hokey, and that's why we like them. Have a good weekend.