July 6 – heading East

This morning we left Taos, and tonight we are in Elk City, OK. It has been a long day on the road. The Texas Panhandle is not the most scenic part of the state. That being said, several suprrises were in store.

Windmills, and lots of them. Apparently oil is not the only energy being produced in Texas.

 

Here is a good sign

and just beyond

The largest cross in the Western hemisphere. I just love how Texans think big! (even when it is wacky)

I have been feeling sad about leaving sagebrush county. Although I have always enjoyed the East, I know we are headed into heat and humidity, and it won’t cool down at night. I have really enjoyed the open, dry country we have been in since we left. I discovered that I need it more than I realized. I think central and eastern Oregon will become more of my life when we return home. 

Here are a few random observations from traveling for the past few weeks:

- Driving the secondary roads is the way to go. You get good roads, light traffic, great scenery, and small towns to visit. Time and perspective change on those roads. It was hard to go back to a big interstate today.

-Traffic is light everywhere. There do not appear to be as many travelers – either on the roads or in the hotels and parks. Even this past holiday weekend the traffic was light. We have seen almost no RV’s except very large ones (maybe the owners of those Rvs have more money for gas?). Even those are small in number.

-There are lots of older men on Harleys who travel in groups together. I mean lots! It looks like that is a new retiree sport.

-Rainex on your windshield not only helps when it rains, but bugs wash off easier too.

-People ask me if that is my grandson I am traveling with. I smile and say, no that is my son, I got a late start. The ensuing conversations take a lot of different turns…. (Guess that is what I get for no longer dying my hair – and adding in a touch of gold…)

Theo says he will post again soon. Tomorrow will be drive-through-Oklahoma-day. We are headed for Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreeboro, Arkansas. Happy trails!

July 5 – Northern NM

Today we said goodbye to Santa Fe and headed north to Taos, with a couple of stops along the way. We stopped at Chimayo, at the sanctuary,

had some tamales at Leona’s, and headed on to Ojo Caliente for a dip in the hot springs there. They have really fixed it up since I was there last – 13 years ago. It is nice and luckily not too done up or pretentious. When we left Ojo Caliente we took a shortcut that ended up being a county road (567) that at some point becomes a gravel road that goes through an incredible canyon (this is part of the Carson National Forest). It was not a shortcut, but was a wonderful treasure to stumble upon. 

So now we are in Taos and I have to say I really like it here. There are more trees here and the extra green is soothing to me. Yet you still get all of the fantastic vistas, adobe structures which fit the earth so well, and sagebrush, too. Taos is pretty and small and I like that. I really feel a pull to this part of the world and will certainly return to the Taos/Santa Fe area. It is a great counterbalance for Portland.

4th of July

We spent the fourth of July in Santa Fe – but didn’t do much of the traditional holiday celebrating. We joined Rick and Alex

and headed to Madrid, NM for lunch. We watched the little, local parade there.

Theo was happy (as usual) to catch some candy caught by the parade participants. Then we went back to Rick and Alex’s earth berm house and we went swimming for several hours in a neighbor’s pool. Swimming in the middle of the desert has a delicious, oasis quality to it. It was really nice to spend some time with our friends. They have a nice life in a beautiful piece of the world.

Rick has always used materials in a very egalitarian way. He doesn’t judge any material – he just uses them. He turns the most mundane things into something else. For instance, he forms his compost trash heap into a large spiral (probably 8 feet by 10 feet).

Here he has made some steps out of old tires.

Here is a fountain he made from garden hoses.

Here is a wonderful installation he made for Pasqual’s restaurant. (look closely at the flowers)

I see the world in fresh ways – and with much delight – when I step into his world. The thing is he has been doing work like this since he was a teen. I suppose one could say he is a “green” artist (a la Portland lingo), but that is way too narrow and confining a niche. I think he has a particular gift of seeing the potential in all materials. I also think he has huge respect for both the earth and for manmade items. His work reminds me that literally everything is material that can be transformed into something more beautiful if it is just handled a certain way, or looked at a certain way. With the increased understanding we are developing on how our consumption trickles down, more people are making art from “recycled” items. I think the rest of the world is finally just starting to catch up with Rick. Thanks for the visit, we love you!