Dancing In The Streets

This past weekend was the 10th Anniversary of the Taos Solar Festival. Three days of music powered by solar energy in Kit Carson Park, right in the middle of town. Thousands attend this event annually and the music is always exceptional. Spoiled as I am after years of working with and around some of the best musicians in the world, I am no longer compelled to battle crowds and be there, so to speak - 'specially 'cos I can hear it all quite well from my deck! Listening to Steve Earle and his wife Alison Moorer on Sunday evening, glass of wine in hand, I was struck by his new songs and came in to Google info on his new cd. Lo and behold I discovered that Washington Square Serenade was produced by none other than John King, the father of my late friend, Eloise's son. It's a small world. These pics were taken in town on Saturday afternoon of people coming and going from the festival

Saturday

A few more random shots of stylish Taoseno's taken in town this week. The young woman looking (beautifully) fed up in the doorway is my daughter, Angelica and that's Genevieve posing with the seasonal peonies at the World Cup Cafe where she works - a little nepotism never hurts! That's Stacy Huddleston (Human Line Studio's talented owner) whom I snapped in her car last week, in a gorgeous vintage lace top. Click on pics to enlarge. Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone!

Life

Life is for the living and I have so much to live for! So after a few days of grieving I'm back to doing what I do and loving it! When we lose those near and dear, we are made acutely aware of the fragility of Life and also how much time we waste on trivia - worry, what if's, coulda shoulda...none of it makes sense. Gratitude is a much better attitude that always brings one closer to understanding, compassion and grace.We need to embrace every moment and say YES to Life while we are still among the living! The pic above was taken yesterday. Two shining lights in my life! Natalya and Tatyana, my grandaughters.

Loss

I heard yesterday that an old and dear friend had passed away earlier this year, after a struggle with lymphoma. I found a picture of her taken during the early 80's when we met, and placed it in my kitchen, because Eloise was most definitely a kitchen witch - lit a beeswax candle, opened a bottle of bubbly and said my belated goodbyes. She was a big part of my life in NYC, where she worked in the Music Industry for many years. Her story was truly an American Dream - she arrived in NY, from Minneapolis where she had worked with the Prince contingent, knowing very few people (myself one of them) and moved from the odd, survival jobs taken out of necessity all the way up to V.P. at a major record label. She was bright, fierce, loyal, tenacious and too young to die! Teary eyed, I fell into bed counting my blessings and filled with gratitude for having known her and all the dear friends I've been gifted with on this road called Life - so fragile, so tenuous and so very unpredictable. Eloise died on my late mother's birthday, which makes her passing even more profound for me. She leaves behind a teenage son and many lives touched by her feisty spirit. I'll miss her

Around And About

Took a few shots in town over the weekend. We've had a lot of rain and everything is very green right now. The Historical district dates back to Spanish Colonial times - some of the buildings are very old, others destroyed in various Pueblo Uprisings, fires and other disasters, have been rebuilt and renovated over time. The architectural styles range from Territorial style buildings with pitched roofs to typical Pueblo style, flat roofed adobes. These shots were taken on and around Bent Street, ending at Moby Dickens - the very best book shop in town!

Saturday Style

Just for fun, and for the fashionable among you, I'll post a few pics of stylish Taosenos! This will be a regular feature on the blog every Saturday. In their cars, on their scooters, coming and going or lounging at the counter of the World Cup Cafe, the hipsters here could be anywhere! Click to enlarge.

Stormy Weather

Well I didn't get my rainbow but a major electric storm, complete with massive hail, rolled in this afternoon! Thunder over the mountain, lightning flashing and then it was over, leaving plants (yes, mine too) battered, streets flooded and the mountain, shimmering in the late afternoon light. The pics were taken just before, during and after. The photo of Taos Mountain was taken on the Rez, where I buy my American Spirits tax free!

Under The Gun

Several weeks ago I did a series of posts about Kristin Bortles, an artist here in Taos. A few of you wanted to know why Kristin painted guns. Here in her words, is the answer!

Why the Guns?

" The images of guns cropped up quite organically in the work. The shape of the gun is an elemental phallus, an abstract visual building block amongst many. The phalluses in my work have evolved from stovepipes to chimneystacks to exhaust pipes to guns, a logical progression I believe. Vaginal abstractions have become ponds, bowls, cups, tubes (which are also gunshafts) holes, etc. When I realized that some of my phallus building blocks were becoming gun-like, I embraced the idea and went overt with it. I googled machine guns and handguns mostly, because they are designed to kill people and are therefore most controversial. I glanced at politics in making paintings of these types of guns, and I was curious about what sort of life these images would take on of their own, being a rich subject about which seemingly everyone has an opinion. I have an opinion about them myself, but I try to suspend my interpretation so as not to preclude the possibilities of meaning here. There are the obvious references to empirical power and the guilt we as Americans bear, and the reference to fear and violence, all of which saturate our media and our daily psyche. That is where I stop, because I believe most political art is too preachy and condescending. I leave the question now to you."

Kristin Bortles

Pastoral Pleasures

These were taken a few minutes ago, as the sun sunk slowly in the West. This time of year I am filled with gratitude for where I live. Although the temperatures are high during the day, because of the zero humidity, a shade tree is all the air conditioning we need and my passive solar house, warm in Winter, is cooled in Summer, with blinds adjusted and doors and windows closed after 11.00 am. I just opened it all up and the evening breeze carries promise of rain. Our Monsoon Season begins shortly, with terrific electrical storms that move in during the late afternoon, are over in a flash, leaving exquisite, often double rainbows in their wake. I mentioned in an earlier post, I was returning the front of the property to meadowland and adding trees. As the wild flowers bloom amongst the grasses, I'll take more pics. The views outside my doors and windows are pastoral pleasures indeed, with or without a rainbow!

Living Alone And Loving It

I was married twice in my twenties - the first lasted only four years, the second, eleven. Aside from one serious five year relationship in my forties, I have lived alone (with my kids when they were young) since my thirties. I have to say that I love my own space and would never give up having a home of my own again. In fact I'll go a step further than Virginia's claim that a woman needs a room of one's own. I believe women need a home of their own in order to maintain autonomy and perspective, especially if the woman in question is an artist. The only time (I believe) a woman needs to share space with a partner, is during the childbearing/raising years. It sure helps to have a little help at that time, though every woman knows that she's the one picking up the pieces of daily life! The best relationship I ever had was with a man who traveled a lot, and lived in another state. For several years this love affair had a sense of romance and excitement about it that was unfettered by domesticity. At the time I thought I wanted more - commitment, shared living etc. - but in retrospect, I see I really had it all. I am never lonely - my life is full with friends and family and in fact, there never seems to be enough time to do all I want to do! Who knows what the future has in store? I do know that if by some miracle, I meet and fall in love with a wonderful man, I'll keep my own home, no matter how much time I end up spending with him.

Making Room

My youngest daughter, Genevieve, has been staying with me this Spring, while her boyfriend has been rafting in Arizona. They have a gypsyfied school bus they live and travel in during the Summer,and usually spend Winter working at Ski Resorts. Last year, Gen let go of her apartment and put all her stuff in storage, but because she's involved in the film we're making, she needed her computer. My spare room is tiny, but we removed the closet doors and replaced them with two cotton table cloths from India, I had stashed in my linen closet, moved the bed up against a wall, backed with another indigo dyed textile, and set up her computer on a pretty, painted gate leg table from her storage. Filled with her things and the kid's toys, the room functions (for the moment) as her sanctuary/office and today, Tatyana's playroom! Here are a few pics.

Loving And Dreaming

I'm a dreamer. Long ago I discovered that our dreams lead us to where we belong and if we love our way there, all will be well, despite the detours and hurdles Life places in our path. Creating a home to Love and Dream in, requires a bit more than decoration and styling. It means we surround ourselves with things that trigger the creative process and help us to go to that place where our dreams and our art is born. Small and simple things do it for me - a ray of light falling on my dressing table, illuminating gilded angels - texture and pattern, textiles collected on travels to meaningful places, and the sound of children playing, laughing and of course, crying -that's my grandaughter, Natalya, dreaming of being a dancing princess - these are the things that keep my home (and Loving and Dreaming) alive for me!

Summer Inside Out

I love the way the light changes with the Seasons. The different angle of the sun as it moves from Equinox to Solstice. The way simple objects sing when touched by a rainbow ray and the shades of green as the trees array themselves in their Summer foilage. I'm happiest in Summer, perhaps because I'm a Summer baby, born in December in the Southern Hemisphere. It's a little upside down for me now, or inside out...Here are a few shots taken this morning, on a blissful New Mexico, early Summer day, that remind me that simple things are best of all!

June Bug

Hard to believe it's already June! I've got the June bug bad, which means every spare minute is spent outdoors, weeding, watering and attending to the needs of my garden. After a very long Winter, it feels like Heaven to be warmed by the hot sun and watching the garden beginning to bloom is a most wondrous thing. This morning a hummingbird flew right up to me as I drank my coffee on the deck, reminding me of the sweet connection with Nature. The poppies are exploding now as are the vinca and daisies that grow in the beds along the front of my home.

Secret Gardens

Actually these gardens are not so secret, they are scattered throughout the historical district of Taos, providing shade and respite for weary shoppers - tourists and locals alike. When friends visit for the first time, in Summer, expecting a desert scenario, they are always amazed at how lush and green this valley is. Green in many ways - this litle town is one of six (yes, only six!) Fair Trade cities in the US and sustainable, eco living has been a fact of life here long before Green was the new Black! These gardens all follow the same principle of using native plants that do not require excess water. The Iris' grow like weeds up here and the roses have flourished for over 400 years, since they were brought here by the Spanish Conquistadors, intent on reproducing the Moorish courtyards they had left behind in Iberia. One of the gifts of the conquest are the asequias - the ditches dug off the Rio Pueblo that carry water to the valley and irrigate gardens and crops alike. Water is precious here, and is treated as such. Have a lovely weekend everyone, see you in June!

Long Days, Balmy Nights

I've been very bad - or very busy! So so sorry for my absence here, but there seem to be no time for anything at all once I'm done with gardening and other work related stuff! I've not even had time to pop over and visit any of you lately, which I feel awful about, but promise to remedy that, this weekend! Meanwhile our evenings have been glorious enough to eat dinner outside and revel in the beautiful sunsets, while enjoying the company of friends. Hope your Summer is looking and feeling as good!