las otras fiestas de taos

little girl on the merry-go-round horse

I didn't take these.
Russell Lee did, of the Taos Fiestas, in July, 1940.
The collection are in the Library of Congress.

visitors to the fiesta

crowd of people watching the dance at fiesta

visitor to taos fiesta

las fiestas

this weekend is the annual las fiestas de taos. honoring the patron saints, santa ana y santiago.

music, mass & a carnival on the plaza. including an old carousel called "tio vivo".
watched a mariachi band play, but missed the azteca dancers. and the parades.

lots of little girls in ruffled skirts & flowers in their hair.

seemed like a lot of junk/carnvial stuff than stuff that would actually represent the point of the festival. like bedazzled t-shirts of pop stars & virgin de guadalupe instead of anything that might represent the patron saints.

I drank a lemonade one day. & a watermelon juice the next.

I also watched an old man use tiny metal saw to cut into a silver bracelet the words, "ad astra". which I'm enjoying having on my wrist. but that also I can't figure out how to unclasp.

& my niece will be getting a pink dress with embroidery of flowers & bugs.

july friday

a little bit blurry picture of where I live sometimes.
taken on a walk home after happy hour.

it just sprinkled.
wish it would in ks too.

today begins the town's las fiestas. am looking forward to all the colors.

sleepless & late. but a quiet ride. with traveling boy scouts.

house sitting a quiet house on the mesa. perfect for siestas.

last night clouds rolled over. and barely sprinkled.

wishing for rain. rain enough for the open plains, the wide pastures, the milo & wheat fields, the wide mesa, the pine forests & gardens of tomatoes. 

red

hot. dry. so hot. so dry. but still humid.
grass is crunchy underfoot.
drought-resistant wildflowers wilt.

these are the days that test a love of kansas.

but, my tomatoes are getting ready.
so, that's fun.

this weekend's freedom

wore hats. drank cocktails. chatted.
fun with friends.

played croquet.
watched a storm roll in.
enjoyed the little rain.

lounged in the pool.
to escape the heat. hot. heat. hot.
burgers from the grill with tomatoes from the garden.
got sorta sunburnt.

the smell of sulfur in the air.
constant explosions outside.

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness.

summer-y

watering the gardens early in the morning. preparing for that big heat of the day.

the tomatoes, basil & geraniums love the hot,  as long as they have water.

and I've let the grass dry up. because really I can't justify watering the grass. is that what water is really for?

and if I were fancy-free, I'd be heading to the lake by lunchtime. with a raft. so I could just float. and drop myself into the water whenever.