Story Winter in Astoria
- Thread starter Chapulin
- Start date
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
Made many trips to NM through the years visiting most of the pueblos. Bought a lot of jewelry and items to make jewelry which our oldest son found to be challenging and fun to do. The DW still wears the jewelry that the son made.
One winter trip to NM with just the DW, we headed out of Santa Fe due to lack of rooms. We made it to Pecos, NM, to a U-shaped motel which we checked into. The wood stove was loaded and the wood was burning making the large room cozy.
The motel had a screened in hot tub which we used and the couple that was in the tub exited. We sat in the hot water with a little wine and watched the snow fall. One of our better vacation nights.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Texican....
One winter trip to NM with just the DW, we headed out of Santa Fe due to lack of rooms. We made it to Pecos, NM, to a U-shaped motel which we checked into. The wood stove was loaded and the wood was burning making the large room cozy.
The motel had a screened in hot tub which we used and the couple that was in the tub exited. We sat in the hot water with a little wine and watched the snow fall. One of our better vacation nights.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Texican....
Eagles
August 12 we get an update from Ann and Frank that they are our future neighbors. We contact our bank and ask for our agreed upon sharing of the sales price to be transferred to cover the cost of the tunnel portion of the upper lot while we have an early lunch at Tia Sophia’s near the plaza. Today, we drive to Santa Clara for their Feast Day. We are close to the end of our first joint trip to the Southwest and we park on the entrance road to the pueblo and walk in to the Santa Clara plaza. There is a familiar Feast Day vibe with kids and dogs running, around along with residents wrapped in their favorite Pendleton blankets. We catch a round in progress and we see the figures of a Buffalo Dance. Two dancers have a buffalo hide running from their foreheads down their backs. Traditionally this pair carries a bow and arrow in one hand and a rattle in the other. The buffalo head piece may have horns. There should be a single or pair of buffalo maiden in the dance line, normally led by the figure of a hunter. There are multiple drums and a full chorus along the side. The smaller groups of dancers tend to be better individual dancers of than the herd of the corn dances. We decide to visit a few booths as the day progresses.
We are greeted by an older man in the doorway and we stop to look at the pottery he has on a blanket. He said, "Many years ago a young boy was orphaned when his parents were killed in a car crash coming back from Santa Fe after a day of selling under the Portal roof." "He was adopted by a neighbor to keep near his friends in the pueblo." "As he grew up he handled his religious studies diligently and exceled in his school work." "He was a star athlete as a cross country runner and was given the honor of dancing buffalo one year." "Like we are dancing today." "He was such a natural that he became a leading candidate for an eagle dancer the following summer." "He was prepared by his moiety and learned the song over the winter meetings." "His costume was gathered from the village and custom pieces were crafted where necessary." "Even in practices the precision and flow of his movements were noted." "The week before the dance involved meetings during the evening and running during the morning." "The morning of the ceremony the dancer had a simple breakfast and went to his kiva for the final preparations." "Then he walked from the Kiva to the dance plaza."
"The dancer considered his upbringing and the meaning of the dance he was participating in." I said, "I was raised by my pueblo and I have dedicated my life to its service." "I humbly ask my God to grant me the strength to dance well today in the appearance of an eagle." "Bless our ceremony with an eagle overhead to watch my portrayal." "I walk into the plaza and take my place in front of the Chorus." "The drummer begins the beat and the singing begins." "My dance explains the birth and early years of a young eagle being fed by its parents." "The song has progressed to my first flight from the nest and my first hunt." "The drummer changes ends of his drum and the ceremony was entering the later phase as I look for my lifelong mate in the area." "My concentration is on the wings attached to my arms which are growing lighter as the ceremony progresses." "I notice my foot steps are suddenly coming off the ground simulating climbing a path that isn't actually there." "I noticed my mind is understanding the language of the eagle more than the words of the Chorus." "My footwork with each beat of the drum took me higher slowly becoming the beating of my wings as I circled about the plaza." "My human form had become an eagle and I have no way to get back into my dance below." "In my new role I needed to find housing and food to be successful."
Grandfather continued, "When the dancer had ascended the chorus, drummer and crowd could barely understand what had happened." "Pickups with armed men headed for the highway to close the entrance and the head religious cacique of the pueblo called a quick end of the festivities completing the eagle dance for the remaining dancer." "He called for the leadership of the pueblo to join him for consultation." "The dancer's adopted family stood and watched until dark for the return of their eagle." "The Pueblo prospered for several years after this spectacle and started grooming other candidates to repeat what their dancer had accomplished but the event was not repeated."
Paul said, "Thank you for telling us such a story." "How much longer will they be dancing today?"
Grandfather said, "There should be another dance following this one."
We go back to the plaza and enjoy another buffalo dance, thinking about the differences between eagles and buffalo. At the same time we consider this dance and that eventful day. We start heading to the car as the residents start picking up their blankets and chairs. We drive back to Santa Fe and have dinner on the plaza. We pick a pizza place on the top floor of the new building that replaced Woolworth's on the Plaza. We have the new design and cost breakdown from Ned for the Otis tunnel stairs and send back our approval.
August 12 we get an update from Ann and Frank that they are our future neighbors. We contact our bank and ask for our agreed upon sharing of the sales price to be transferred to cover the cost of the tunnel portion of the upper lot while we have an early lunch at Tia Sophia’s near the plaza. Today, we drive to Santa Clara for their Feast Day. We are close to the end of our first joint trip to the Southwest and we park on the entrance road to the pueblo and walk in to the Santa Clara plaza. There is a familiar Feast Day vibe with kids and dogs running, around along with residents wrapped in their favorite Pendleton blankets. We catch a round in progress and we see the figures of a Buffalo Dance. Two dancers have a buffalo hide running from their foreheads down their backs. Traditionally this pair carries a bow and arrow in one hand and a rattle in the other. The buffalo head piece may have horns. There should be a single or pair of buffalo maiden in the dance line, normally led by the figure of a hunter. There are multiple drums and a full chorus along the side. The smaller groups of dancers tend to be better individual dancers of than the herd of the corn dances. We decide to visit a few booths as the day progresses.
We are greeted by an older man in the doorway and we stop to look at the pottery he has on a blanket. He said, "Many years ago a young boy was orphaned when his parents were killed in a car crash coming back from Santa Fe after a day of selling under the Portal roof." "He was adopted by a neighbor to keep near his friends in the pueblo." "As he grew up he handled his religious studies diligently and exceled in his school work." "He was a star athlete as a cross country runner and was given the honor of dancing buffalo one year." "Like we are dancing today." "He was such a natural that he became a leading candidate for an eagle dancer the following summer." "He was prepared by his moiety and learned the song over the winter meetings." "His costume was gathered from the village and custom pieces were crafted where necessary." "Even in practices the precision and flow of his movements were noted." "The week before the dance involved meetings during the evening and running during the morning." "The morning of the ceremony the dancer had a simple breakfast and went to his kiva for the final preparations." "Then he walked from the Kiva to the dance plaza."
"The dancer considered his upbringing and the meaning of the dance he was participating in." I said, "I was raised by my pueblo and I have dedicated my life to its service." "I humbly ask my God to grant me the strength to dance well today in the appearance of an eagle." "Bless our ceremony with an eagle overhead to watch my portrayal." "I walk into the plaza and take my place in front of the Chorus." "The drummer begins the beat and the singing begins." "My dance explains the birth and early years of a young eagle being fed by its parents." "The song has progressed to my first flight from the nest and my first hunt." "The drummer changes ends of his drum and the ceremony was entering the later phase as I look for my lifelong mate in the area." "My concentration is on the wings attached to my arms which are growing lighter as the ceremony progresses." "I notice my foot steps are suddenly coming off the ground simulating climbing a path that isn't actually there." "I noticed my mind is understanding the language of the eagle more than the words of the Chorus." "My footwork with each beat of the drum took me higher slowly becoming the beating of my wings as I circled about the plaza." "My human form had become an eagle and I have no way to get back into my dance below." "In my new role I needed to find housing and food to be successful."
Grandfather continued, "When the dancer had ascended the chorus, drummer and crowd could barely understand what had happened." "Pickups with armed men headed for the highway to close the entrance and the head religious cacique of the pueblo called a quick end of the festivities completing the eagle dance for the remaining dancer." "He called for the leadership of the pueblo to join him for consultation." "The dancer's adopted family stood and watched until dark for the return of their eagle." "The Pueblo prospered for several years after this spectacle and started grooming other candidates to repeat what their dancer had accomplished but the event was not repeated."
Paul said, "Thank you for telling us such a story." "How much longer will they be dancing today?"
Grandfather said, "There should be another dance following this one."
We go back to the plaza and enjoy another buffalo dance, thinking about the differences between eagles and buffalo. At the same time we consider this dance and that eventful day. We start heading to the car as the residents start picking up their blankets and chairs. We drive back to Santa Fe and have dinner on the plaza. We pick a pizza place on the top floor of the new building that replaced Woolworth's on the Plaza. We have the new design and cost breakdown from Ned for the Otis tunnel stairs and send back our approval.
Return
We fly back to Portland the next morning and our friends Ann and Frank pick us up after we get our luggage. We take a slight detour and have dinner at McMenamins Edgefield before heading out to the coast. We discuss a design concept for Ann and Frank using ICF with an additional bedroom/bath and a smaller kitchen in a more traditional ranch house.
We spend the night in Nancy's apartment and drive back to Otis in the morning with a couple of boxes from the apartment. Nancy will be vacating her apartment at the end of the month and she will be leaving her bed with Ann and Frank. The sitting chair and dining table will be added to the over garage apartment in Otis. As Nancy's final month in the Coast Guard progressed her packing in the apartment increased. Trips back to Otis ferried boxes that helped empty the apartment. Would her remaining Coast Guard days include a trigger of the Cascade Fault or days of routine tours and practice?
The couple of days after we get back are garden time doing an initial watering, weeding and harvesting of the garden. We need to plant more beans and fewer peas next year. Our output of squash and corn are about right. Having been gone for a week it looks like a higher fence to keep our critters will be necessary. The garden is still a small enough area I want to add concrete block buried at ground level under the fence line. Next season we are adding drip water lines in the rows and using a central distribution point at the edge which will allow us to more easily add nutrients to the garden. Paul starts some seeds in the greenhouse and makes a call for an order of aged manure. We put netting over the fruit trees to keep more of the fruit for ourselves.
The surveyor contacts us and runs to the property lines for our lot and the upper lot. She files the necessary forms with the county to subdivide Ann and Frank's lot. Then another form to merge the vertical shaft and a 20 foot buffer with our property. Luckily this ends the discussion of the lower cave and the cliff edge in terms of the edge of our property. The surveyor checks her work showing the new upper lot and lower lot add up to the same total as the old lots. After filing the paperwork she returns to add stakes in the corners for both lots. Paul asks her to indicate the tunnel on our plot and she gives us an unofficial layout of our property including the cave and the shaft.
At dinner with Nancy that night, Paul discusses a special interest in the authorities around Pueblo dances that he has researched. The pueblo clowns are known as Koshari in the summer and Kwirena in the winter performing as side dancers or creating skits on the edge of the dance. During the Turtle dance in San Juan/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo on December 26th they watch the crowd for residents that are skipping their duties and have been known to pull them out of the audience and add them to the dance line. Masked whipper Katchinas accompany the large ceremonial birds in Zuni during the Shalako ceremony providing assistance to the dancers and providing protection for the ceremony. River Men are an event in May at Cochiti Pueblo where masked adults enter the homes with children beating on their walls and doors for effect and demanding better discipline and participation in the culture. In the Rio Grande and Northern Pueblos masked ceremonies are performed when the Pueblo is closed to outsiders. Hopi and Zuni along the Arizona and New Mexico borders allow outsiders to watch their masked ceremonies. Traditionally masked dances don't have a separate chorus. The masked dancers provide their own songs to accompany a single drum.
We fly back to Portland the next morning and our friends Ann and Frank pick us up after we get our luggage. We take a slight detour and have dinner at McMenamins Edgefield before heading out to the coast. We discuss a design concept for Ann and Frank using ICF with an additional bedroom/bath and a smaller kitchen in a more traditional ranch house.
We spend the night in Nancy's apartment and drive back to Otis in the morning with a couple of boxes from the apartment. Nancy will be vacating her apartment at the end of the month and she will be leaving her bed with Ann and Frank. The sitting chair and dining table will be added to the over garage apartment in Otis. As Nancy's final month in the Coast Guard progressed her packing in the apartment increased. Trips back to Otis ferried boxes that helped empty the apartment. Would her remaining Coast Guard days include a trigger of the Cascade Fault or days of routine tours and practice?
The couple of days after we get back are garden time doing an initial watering, weeding and harvesting of the garden. We need to plant more beans and fewer peas next year. Our output of squash and corn are about right. Having been gone for a week it looks like a higher fence to keep our critters will be necessary. The garden is still a small enough area I want to add concrete block buried at ground level under the fence line. Next season we are adding drip water lines in the rows and using a central distribution point at the edge which will allow us to more easily add nutrients to the garden. Paul starts some seeds in the greenhouse and makes a call for an order of aged manure. We put netting over the fruit trees to keep more of the fruit for ourselves.
The surveyor contacts us and runs to the property lines for our lot and the upper lot. She files the necessary forms with the county to subdivide Ann and Frank's lot. Then another form to merge the vertical shaft and a 20 foot buffer with our property. Luckily this ends the discussion of the lower cave and the cliff edge in terms of the edge of our property. The surveyor checks her work showing the new upper lot and lower lot add up to the same total as the old lots. After filing the paperwork she returns to add stakes in the corners for both lots. Paul asks her to indicate the tunnel on our plot and she gives us an unofficial layout of our property including the cave and the shaft.
At dinner with Nancy that night, Paul discusses a special interest in the authorities around Pueblo dances that he has researched. The pueblo clowns are known as Koshari in the summer and Kwirena in the winter performing as side dancers or creating skits on the edge of the dance. During the Turtle dance in San Juan/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo on December 26th they watch the crowd for residents that are skipping their duties and have been known to pull them out of the audience and add them to the dance line. Masked whipper Katchinas accompany the large ceremonial birds in Zuni during the Shalako ceremony providing assistance to the dancers and providing protection for the ceremony. River Men are an event in May at Cochiti Pueblo where masked adults enter the homes with children beating on their walls and doors for effect and demanding better discipline and participation in the culture. In the Rio Grande and Northern Pueblos masked ceremonies are performed when the Pueblo is closed to outsiders. Hopi and Zuni along the Arizona and New Mexico borders allow outsiders to watch their masked ceremonies. Traditionally masked dances don't have a separate chorus. The masked dancers provide their own songs to accompany a single drum.
Harvest
Having cared for the garden all spring and summer it is harvest time in Otis. We gather the fruit and vegetables and feast on vegetarian meals and snacks while starting to freeze for short term and can for longer term storage. We collect spices and dry them or can them. Tomato sauces, Salsas, Pesto, Apple Sauce and Jams have become our biggest productions.
The plants are pulled and run through the shredder adding to the compost pile unless diseased. We pick up and store the walkways and water distribution lines.
Next we turn the garden, spreading composted manure on the current season garden while spreading leafy compost on the future garden. We plant winter cover crops including Winter Rye, Crimson Clover and Hairy Vetch over both garden areas.
Since Ann and Frank are down to help with the harvest and cooking frenzy, Paul shows them a design for a ranch house and an attached garage with an apartment. He show how dimensions will change depending on their wall material of wood or ICF as well as window and door placement.
Paul introduces the plans, saying "This is a basic 2 bedroom/2bathroom ranch house on a single floor with a garage and a separate apartment for guests or longer term renters." "I have kept the living space on the main floor but included storage overhead in the garage and apartment."
Frank says, "We feel we are short window views in our current home in Astoria." "You have a nice feel for the kitchen and dining room."
I say, "I like to have structure to support the roof trusses and put more of the glass area on the ends of the house." "You have a set of French doors and large windows on the western side with an outside porch area to handle the afternoon sun." "I try to keep my window areas on the south under 6 feet wide and spaced at least 4 feet between." "Given the size of this house I had to put bedroom egress windows on the north side."
Ann asks, "What have you done in the apartment?"
I reply, "You have a 1 bedroom suite with a shower and a half bath powder room in the main space." "I have kept the storage areas on the small side and used full size appliances." "I only included a single garage for this house, but I could add a separate garage for the apartment over here." "Have you decided on your exterior walls materials?"
Ann says, "We like what you have done with the hardie board siding over ICF and reconfiguring the apartment area for a internal entrance separate garage would be useful." "We want the freedom of giving our guests a private space or deciding to get a long term renter." "I like your balance of enough storage, versus not enough storage in that space." "We can always use storage on our side." "We would like to add a water wall near the front door with a sitting area."
I say, "I will make a couple of changes and send you the next revision."
Over dinner I talked about my research on the Santa Fe Trail which started in 1821/1822. Santa Fe was the end of the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri. The trail was replaced by the Railroad when it reached Santa Fe in 1880. Santa Fe also became the end of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro from Mexico City which ran from 1598 to 1880. The Comanche raided down into the area of modern Mexico enabling their horse trade business, and in the process cut off the territories of New Mexico from Mexican trade. French trade from Kaskaskia, Illinois started in 1719 and the French based in St Louis had established fur trade dominance over the Spanish in Santa Fe by the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Santa Fe Trail went through land claimed by the Comanche who represented a new market for the traders until too many settlers were crossing into the area. The bison were overhunted and by the 1840s, the trail carried enough traders to cut off bison access to important seasonal grazing lands causing the collapse of the species.
Having cared for the garden all spring and summer it is harvest time in Otis. We gather the fruit and vegetables and feast on vegetarian meals and snacks while starting to freeze for short term and can for longer term storage. We collect spices and dry them or can them. Tomato sauces, Salsas, Pesto, Apple Sauce and Jams have become our biggest productions.
The plants are pulled and run through the shredder adding to the compost pile unless diseased. We pick up and store the walkways and water distribution lines.
Next we turn the garden, spreading composted manure on the current season garden while spreading leafy compost on the future garden. We plant winter cover crops including Winter Rye, Crimson Clover and Hairy Vetch over both garden areas.
Since Ann and Frank are down to help with the harvest and cooking frenzy, Paul shows them a design for a ranch house and an attached garage with an apartment. He show how dimensions will change depending on their wall material of wood or ICF as well as window and door placement.
Paul introduces the plans, saying "This is a basic 2 bedroom/2bathroom ranch house on a single floor with a garage and a separate apartment for guests or longer term renters." "I have kept the living space on the main floor but included storage overhead in the garage and apartment."
Frank says, "We feel we are short window views in our current home in Astoria." "You have a nice feel for the kitchen and dining room."
I say, "I like to have structure to support the roof trusses and put more of the glass area on the ends of the house." "You have a set of French doors and large windows on the western side with an outside porch area to handle the afternoon sun." "I try to keep my window areas on the south under 6 feet wide and spaced at least 4 feet between." "Given the size of this house I had to put bedroom egress windows on the north side."
Ann asks, "What have you done in the apartment?"
I reply, "You have a 1 bedroom suite with a shower and a half bath powder room in the main space." "I have kept the storage areas on the small side and used full size appliances." "I only included a single garage for this house, but I could add a separate garage for the apartment over here." "Have you decided on your exterior walls materials?"
Ann says, "We like what you have done with the hardie board siding over ICF and reconfiguring the apartment area for a internal entrance separate garage would be useful." "We want the freedom of giving our guests a private space or deciding to get a long term renter." "I like your balance of enough storage, versus not enough storage in that space." "We can always use storage on our side." "We would like to add a water wall near the front door with a sitting area."
I say, "I will make a couple of changes and send you the next revision."
Over dinner I talked about my research on the Santa Fe Trail which started in 1821/1822. Santa Fe was the end of the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri. The trail was replaced by the Railroad when it reached Santa Fe in 1880. Santa Fe also became the end of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro from Mexico City which ran from 1598 to 1880. The Comanche raided down into the area of modern Mexico enabling their horse trade business, and in the process cut off the territories of New Mexico from Mexican trade. French trade from Kaskaskia, Illinois started in 1719 and the French based in St Louis had established fur trade dominance over the Spanish in Santa Fe by the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Santa Fe Trail went through land claimed by the Comanche who represented a new market for the traders until too many settlers were crossing into the area. The bison were overhunted and by the 1840s, the trail carried enough traders to cut off bison access to important seasonal grazing lands causing the collapse of the species.
Christmas
We plan our second joint trip to New Mexico for the end of year holidays. Without Nancy's apartment we decide to stay at McMenamins Kennedy School and drive to the airport in the morning. The plane is full of skis and snowboards and we have packed our cold weather clothes. We decide to have a late lunch at the Pueblo Culture Center in Albuquerque and check-in to El Rey for the next week. Dinner is at Harry's Road House and we snuggle into a warm bed for the night.
The plan for this trip is to spend Christmas Eve in the pueblos along I25 and the next 4 days visiting many of the area pueblos with another trip up the High Road to Taos and swing through Bandelier National Monument.
We start Christmas Eve in Santa Fe looking at the lights along Artist Road. To spend a moment, in local politics have changed the common definitions for luminarias and firelitos. Firelitos are the paper bags with a candle. Luminarias are the 2 x 2 pieces of wood stacked about 2 feet tall for a bonfire. It is easier to ask than have an opinion.
About 10pm we drive to San Felipe our southernmost Pueblo for tonight. Catholic Christmas Eve mass is ending as we enter the old church. The Catholic delegation will head north and perform mass at Kewa/Santo Domingo and Cochiti as the night progresses. The pews are shifted against the side walls of the church and a crowd forms within the sanctuary. It feels tight and then the native dance officials create an aisle down the middle compressing the standing audience against the walls of the church. What starts as a 1 person wide aisle becomes 4 dancers wide as they enter the church. The anticipation of the crowd is growing. Remember that pictures and recordings are not permitted and applause isn’t appropriate.
As the chorus reaches the doors from the courtyard the drummer starts his rhythm and the bells of the dancers are ringing. The women are carrying the small woven baskets for a basket dance which lasts 20 minutes to a half hour. As this group ends and exits the next group is coming in with a mixed animal dance. This features the buffalo, buffalo maidens and hunter from a traditional buffalo dance but add the deer, mountain sheep including the young boys in their dyed long underwear. Each group returns for another round of each of their dances. In order for the dancers to make it out of view as we leave, the doors of the church are closed for a number of minutes before we can leave. We are back to the car about 2-2:30am and drive up to Santo Domingo/Kewa Pueblo.
In their church, the Catholic mass has ended and a few local families and the couple of cars of visitors showing up from San Felipe are a small crowd. As much fun as one can make about Indian Time there is a schedule for this event. The dances will start at 3:40am like they have since the 1800s. Depending on the friendliness of the people setting up the event, you may be invited to the backroom where a potluck for the dancers has been set up and given an opportunity to sample the local stews and cookies. As the time approaches the sanctuary fills with the audience tightly packed and once more the sea of humanity is separated for the dancers to come up the middle. During the wait time local kids are in the balcony with water bird whistles. The dance groups are dancing buffalo and mixed animal this year and each side gets two turns. It pays to hurry from this ceremony because Cochiti will start before this one ends.
Cochiti is the final Catholic mass of the night for the local diocese and dignitaries of the Pueblo and the Priest are sitting at the head of the church. Traditionally each side of the Pueblo gets the same number of turns in a Ceremony. Cochiti violates that practice by dancing until sunrise. Regardless of which side is leaving when the sunlight comes through the church door during changeover the night is done. It can be almost mystical with a light snow in the sunrise. When we get back to Santa Fe we find the IHOP open for breakfast Christmas morning and we start with a warm beverage. Back in the room, we hang the Do Not Disturb tag on our door and take a 3-5 hour nap.
The 4 days following Christmas Eve are known for their dances in most of the area pueblos. We go back to San Felipe, Kewa/Santo Domingo and Cochiti on Christmas Day expecting dances in the plaza following their previous night in the church. Santo Domingo/Kewa is running on Indian time, but everyone is expecting the dancers. We plan to catch it later in the week so we go up to Cochiti. We head back to Santa Fe and catch an early dinner and get to sleep early to get back on schedule. The next day is the Turtle Dance at San Juan/Ohkay Owngeh pueblo on December 26th. The Turtle Dance has a simple dance step where dancers stay in one place and lift their right knee with a turtle shell behind it with rattles and lower it back down again with a little shift of the left foot. Some call this a unmasked Katchina Dance because the dancers provide their own song. We learn this isn't confirmed knowledge of locals or academics.
We drive up to Bandelier National Monument in the middle of the afternoon. We catch the introductory movie and walk the ruin trail including the trail up through the cliff dwellings but pass on the trail out to Alcove House. The trail crosses the river past the old Orchard and picks up the road through the picnic area.
We pass the sign for the old 10 Elders Ranch that homesteaded the canyon. It is named for the Box Elders along the creek. The original ranch house borrowed volcanic Tuff blocks from the nearby ruins which were returned when the house was torn down in the 1930s as the park built their own buildings. There is a nice story of the Frey family that took over the ranch house and stayed in the Canyon to run the cabin concession for the Park Service. It is too bad it took us this long to visit this place, we could have returned for many more visits over the future years.
As we tour the Pueblos over the remaining days we tally Buffalo, Mixed Animal, Basket and even the Spanish feeling Matachines with violin instead of drum and their white dress shirts at the various Pueblos we visit. The audience numbers fall on the work days of the week and larger crowds for the weekends. After Dec 29th we take side trips to the South including a visit to Hatch to learn about Chilis and Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge for nature trails. We drive through T or C as it is known. Back in the 1950s New Mexico had to organize the town names in the state. It had too many Hot Springs and one of them took the novel approach of contacting a TV contest that the town willing to rename itself Truth or Consequences would be known for its TV trivia and one show per year would be filmed in that location.
We also take advantage of the good weather and drive out to visit Gallup and Chaco Canyon up to Farmington and then Cortez for a chance to tour Mesa Verde on an overnight trip.
We go to the Northern Pueblos for January 6th, Three Kings Day which hold ceremonies honoring the transition of leadership and the holder of the Presidential Canes. The canes are rarely on public display. The Governor of each Pueblo is an elected position in some Pueblos and an appointed position in others.
We have checked off the list of things to see and do for this trip and we return to Albuquerque for our flight home with our Hispanic rug from the high road and a winter pueblo painting from the Albuquerque plaza. It is a late night, but we drive back to Otis to sleep in our own bed.
The company of Bent and St Vrain's was formed by the brothers Charles and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain and built Bent's Fort near La Junta, Colorado a prominent trading post during the time of the Santa Fe Trail. William Bent stayed to manage the trading post and Charles Bent and Ceran St. Vrain went to the Taos, NM area. Charles was appointed governor of the New Mexico territory until he was assassinated in 1847 while visiting his Taos residence during an uprising of Mexicans and Pueblo Indians in the area. He had married Maria Ignacia Jaramillo, a Taos resident, in 1835. Her sister Josefa Jaramillo would later marry Kit Carson. The family escaped through a hole they had dug in the adobe wall after Charles was killed.
We plan our second joint trip to New Mexico for the end of year holidays. Without Nancy's apartment we decide to stay at McMenamins Kennedy School and drive to the airport in the morning. The plane is full of skis and snowboards and we have packed our cold weather clothes. We decide to have a late lunch at the Pueblo Culture Center in Albuquerque and check-in to El Rey for the next week. Dinner is at Harry's Road House and we snuggle into a warm bed for the night.
The plan for this trip is to spend Christmas Eve in the pueblos along I25 and the next 4 days visiting many of the area pueblos with another trip up the High Road to Taos and swing through Bandelier National Monument.
We start Christmas Eve in Santa Fe looking at the lights along Artist Road. To spend a moment, in local politics have changed the common definitions for luminarias and firelitos. Firelitos are the paper bags with a candle. Luminarias are the 2 x 2 pieces of wood stacked about 2 feet tall for a bonfire. It is easier to ask than have an opinion.
About 10pm we drive to San Felipe our southernmost Pueblo for tonight. Catholic Christmas Eve mass is ending as we enter the old church. The Catholic delegation will head north and perform mass at Kewa/Santo Domingo and Cochiti as the night progresses. The pews are shifted against the side walls of the church and a crowd forms within the sanctuary. It feels tight and then the native dance officials create an aisle down the middle compressing the standing audience against the walls of the church. What starts as a 1 person wide aisle becomes 4 dancers wide as they enter the church. The anticipation of the crowd is growing. Remember that pictures and recordings are not permitted and applause isn’t appropriate.
As the chorus reaches the doors from the courtyard the drummer starts his rhythm and the bells of the dancers are ringing. The women are carrying the small woven baskets for a basket dance which lasts 20 minutes to a half hour. As this group ends and exits the next group is coming in with a mixed animal dance. This features the buffalo, buffalo maidens and hunter from a traditional buffalo dance but add the deer, mountain sheep including the young boys in their dyed long underwear. Each group returns for another round of each of their dances. In order for the dancers to make it out of view as we leave, the doors of the church are closed for a number of minutes before we can leave. We are back to the car about 2-2:30am and drive up to Santo Domingo/Kewa Pueblo.
In their church, the Catholic mass has ended and a few local families and the couple of cars of visitors showing up from San Felipe are a small crowd. As much fun as one can make about Indian Time there is a schedule for this event. The dances will start at 3:40am like they have since the 1800s. Depending on the friendliness of the people setting up the event, you may be invited to the backroom where a potluck for the dancers has been set up and given an opportunity to sample the local stews and cookies. As the time approaches the sanctuary fills with the audience tightly packed and once more the sea of humanity is separated for the dancers to come up the middle. During the wait time local kids are in the balcony with water bird whistles. The dance groups are dancing buffalo and mixed animal this year and each side gets two turns. It pays to hurry from this ceremony because Cochiti will start before this one ends.
Cochiti is the final Catholic mass of the night for the local diocese and dignitaries of the Pueblo and the Priest are sitting at the head of the church. Traditionally each side of the Pueblo gets the same number of turns in a Ceremony. Cochiti violates that practice by dancing until sunrise. Regardless of which side is leaving when the sunlight comes through the church door during changeover the night is done. It can be almost mystical with a light snow in the sunrise. When we get back to Santa Fe we find the IHOP open for breakfast Christmas morning and we start with a warm beverage. Back in the room, we hang the Do Not Disturb tag on our door and take a 3-5 hour nap.
The 4 days following Christmas Eve are known for their dances in most of the area pueblos. We go back to San Felipe, Kewa/Santo Domingo and Cochiti on Christmas Day expecting dances in the plaza following their previous night in the church. Santo Domingo/Kewa is running on Indian time, but everyone is expecting the dancers. We plan to catch it later in the week so we go up to Cochiti. We head back to Santa Fe and catch an early dinner and get to sleep early to get back on schedule. The next day is the Turtle Dance at San Juan/Ohkay Owngeh pueblo on December 26th. The Turtle Dance has a simple dance step where dancers stay in one place and lift their right knee with a turtle shell behind it with rattles and lower it back down again with a little shift of the left foot. Some call this a unmasked Katchina Dance because the dancers provide their own song. We learn this isn't confirmed knowledge of locals or academics.
We drive up to Bandelier National Monument in the middle of the afternoon. We catch the introductory movie and walk the ruin trail including the trail up through the cliff dwellings but pass on the trail out to Alcove House. The trail crosses the river past the old Orchard and picks up the road through the picnic area.
We pass the sign for the old 10 Elders Ranch that homesteaded the canyon. It is named for the Box Elders along the creek. The original ranch house borrowed volcanic Tuff blocks from the nearby ruins which were returned when the house was torn down in the 1930s as the park built their own buildings. There is a nice story of the Frey family that took over the ranch house and stayed in the Canyon to run the cabin concession for the Park Service. It is too bad it took us this long to visit this place, we could have returned for many more visits over the future years.
As we tour the Pueblos over the remaining days we tally Buffalo, Mixed Animal, Basket and even the Spanish feeling Matachines with violin instead of drum and their white dress shirts at the various Pueblos we visit. The audience numbers fall on the work days of the week and larger crowds for the weekends. After Dec 29th we take side trips to the South including a visit to Hatch to learn about Chilis and Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge for nature trails. We drive through T or C as it is known. Back in the 1950s New Mexico had to organize the town names in the state. It had too many Hot Springs and one of them took the novel approach of contacting a TV contest that the town willing to rename itself Truth or Consequences would be known for its TV trivia and one show per year would be filmed in that location.
We also take advantage of the good weather and drive out to visit Gallup and Chaco Canyon up to Farmington and then Cortez for a chance to tour Mesa Verde on an overnight trip.
We go to the Northern Pueblos for January 6th, Three Kings Day which hold ceremonies honoring the transition of leadership and the holder of the Presidential Canes. The canes are rarely on public display. The Governor of each Pueblo is an elected position in some Pueblos and an appointed position in others.
We have checked off the list of things to see and do for this trip and we return to Albuquerque for our flight home with our Hispanic rug from the high road and a winter pueblo painting from the Albuquerque plaza. It is a late night, but we drive back to Otis to sleep in our own bed.
The company of Bent and St Vrain's was formed by the brothers Charles and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain and built Bent's Fort near La Junta, Colorado a prominent trading post during the time of the Santa Fe Trail. William Bent stayed to manage the trading post and Charles Bent and Ceran St. Vrain went to the Taos, NM area. Charles was appointed governor of the New Mexico territory until he was assassinated in 1847 while visiting his Taos residence during an uprising of Mexicans and Pueblo Indians in the area. He had married Maria Ignacia Jaramillo, a Taos resident, in 1835. Her sister Josefa Jaramillo would later marry Kit Carson. The family escaped through a hole they had dug in the adobe wall after Charles was killed.
Springtime
In February we harvest the greenhouse winter crops and dump the greenhouse soil in the compost heap. We dig into the garden we will use this year and refill the greenhouse containers. After the soil has warmed to greenhouse temperatures it is time to mix in some soil amendments and prep the seeds for garden starts.
We run a little house automation and Paul will monitor the motor and temperature switch for the pool cover inside the greenhouse class when he starts the watering schedule for the new starts.
Ned opens a corner of the barn in early March and braced it and cut the concrete for Nerd and his excavator to dig a trench. The second day they hang plastic over the tunnel entrance to keep dust inside the space while they penetrate the wall into the room below the barn. More bracing keeps everything in its place while they dress up their cuts and widen the trench. For the next week they are adding bracing for wall concrete and forming the stairway and ramp and adding rebar for walls and floors.
It turns out Ann and Frank are also using Ned and Nerd for their house which starts in April. As concrete is placed in our stairway the crew shifts to foundation work next door. Paul's water feature for Ann and Frank's entryway was a pump distributing water over the vertical face of a rock wall and a small collection pool/waterfall at the bottom where he could provide a little insulation and a stock tank heater to keep it from freezing in this coastal zone.
Paul has a dream for a new structure at the top of the cliff shaft. Over breakfast the next morning I tell Nancy what I remember from the dream. I start," It would use the elevator we had discussed earlier." "The elevator would actually serve two floors in a repurposed silo above the ground on top of the cliff and go below the cave to the tunnel entrance." "The silo main floor has a stairway wrapped around the inside wall of the silo and the landing at the top of the stairs is the second floor." "It has a small kitchen with a breakfast bar and a living room on the main floor with a half bath and a 1 bedroom suite above." "Most of the windows ae on the second floor looking out for the view."
Nancy replied, "That has possibilities and it is a good thing we included a shared access road for the shaft top with Ann and Frank."
Spring planting includes mowing the winter crop, adding a layer of compost and turning the garden area. Then we prune our fruit trees before they bud. We also add the walkways between rows and replant starts from the greenhouse with seeds for the rest. Once we finish planting we add mulch in the rows and the place the water distribution hoses. We add higher fences around both garden areas. It feels good to shift to the alternate garden area and make use of the improved soil.
We celebrate with dinner at the diner and the son gives us a window seat. Between serving other guests he tries to visit with us. The son says, "Thanks for finding the buyers for my Dad's lot." "That was an easy deal and gets me farther along with my plans."
Paul replied, "Remember we went in on the purchase with Nancy's friends from Astoria." "We subdivided the cliff area and have made it part of our lot."
The son says, “Okay” "What have you been up to over the fall?"
Nancy says, "We just got back from our second trip to New Mexico." "We experienced some amazing cultural events and toured some early ruins, including a neat little canyon in Bandelier National Monument."
The son replied, "That is the park outside of Los Alamos?"
Paul says, "Yes"
The son replies, "Well my Grandfather was in the CCC during the 1930's there."
Nancy says, "Did he ever mention the Frey family who was farming back then?"
The son says, "That rings a bell, but it has been years since I looked at his diary from the experience."
Paul says, "I have done a little reading about them." "They started in the Canyon before the road was added." "They carried about 75 additional fruit trees from the Canyon Rim." "They apparently ran cattle and chickens at their farm." "The CCC built the new Monument buildings including the lodge and cabins concession." "During the Los Alamos project the area was closed and used by their staff for R&R." "The original farm house was torn down and the rock blocks returned to the ruins."
The son replies, "I made a copy of what Dad wrote up from Grandfather's notes." "Why don't you borrow a copy for a while?"
Nancy says, "That would be fun."
In February we harvest the greenhouse winter crops and dump the greenhouse soil in the compost heap. We dig into the garden we will use this year and refill the greenhouse containers. After the soil has warmed to greenhouse temperatures it is time to mix in some soil amendments and prep the seeds for garden starts.
We run a little house automation and Paul will monitor the motor and temperature switch for the pool cover inside the greenhouse class when he starts the watering schedule for the new starts.
Ned opens a corner of the barn in early March and braced it and cut the concrete for Nerd and his excavator to dig a trench. The second day they hang plastic over the tunnel entrance to keep dust inside the space while they penetrate the wall into the room below the barn. More bracing keeps everything in its place while they dress up their cuts and widen the trench. For the next week they are adding bracing for wall concrete and forming the stairway and ramp and adding rebar for walls and floors.
It turns out Ann and Frank are also using Ned and Nerd for their house which starts in April. As concrete is placed in our stairway the crew shifts to foundation work next door. Paul's water feature for Ann and Frank's entryway was a pump distributing water over the vertical face of a rock wall and a small collection pool/waterfall at the bottom where he could provide a little insulation and a stock tank heater to keep it from freezing in this coastal zone.
Paul has a dream for a new structure at the top of the cliff shaft. Over breakfast the next morning I tell Nancy what I remember from the dream. I start," It would use the elevator we had discussed earlier." "The elevator would actually serve two floors in a repurposed silo above the ground on top of the cliff and go below the cave to the tunnel entrance." "The silo main floor has a stairway wrapped around the inside wall of the silo and the landing at the top of the stairs is the second floor." "It has a small kitchen with a breakfast bar and a living room on the main floor with a half bath and a 1 bedroom suite above." "Most of the windows ae on the second floor looking out for the view."
Nancy replied, "That has possibilities and it is a good thing we included a shared access road for the shaft top with Ann and Frank."
Spring planting includes mowing the winter crop, adding a layer of compost and turning the garden area. Then we prune our fruit trees before they bud. We also add the walkways between rows and replant starts from the greenhouse with seeds for the rest. Once we finish planting we add mulch in the rows and the place the water distribution hoses. We add higher fences around both garden areas. It feels good to shift to the alternate garden area and make use of the improved soil.
We celebrate with dinner at the diner and the son gives us a window seat. Between serving other guests he tries to visit with us. The son says, "Thanks for finding the buyers for my Dad's lot." "That was an easy deal and gets me farther along with my plans."
Paul replied, "Remember we went in on the purchase with Nancy's friends from Astoria." "We subdivided the cliff area and have made it part of our lot."
The son says, “Okay” "What have you been up to over the fall?"
Nancy says, "We just got back from our second trip to New Mexico." "We experienced some amazing cultural events and toured some early ruins, including a neat little canyon in Bandelier National Monument."
The son replied, "That is the park outside of Los Alamos?"
Paul says, "Yes"
The son replies, "Well my Grandfather was in the CCC during the 1930's there."
Nancy says, "Did he ever mention the Frey family who was farming back then?"
The son says, "That rings a bell, but it has been years since I looked at his diary from the experience."
Paul says, "I have done a little reading about them." "They started in the Canyon before the road was added." "They carried about 75 additional fruit trees from the Canyon Rim." "They apparently ran cattle and chickens at their farm." "The CCC built the new Monument buildings including the lodge and cabins concession." "During the Los Alamos project the area was closed and used by their staff for R&R." "The original farm house was torn down and the rock blocks returned to the ruins."
The son replies, "I made a copy of what Dad wrote up from Grandfather's notes." "Why don't you borrow a copy for a while?"
Nancy says, "That would be fun."
feralferret
Veteran Member
I enjoyed both stories. I would love to see this story line continue. Thanks.