summer time

last week on my walk home from the library I was admiring the storm clouds gathering above, and the way that there were stacking up in sky, reminded me of this painting.

am just now realizing that writing down the names & artists of my photographed paintings would have been a good idea.

saturday we were invited to dinner. we enjoyed a spread of summer-inspired foods. and then managed two rounds of croquet as we drank gin with limes & lemons, lemonade & tonic. as it grew dark the clouds over the mountains began to rain. we laughed a lot as we played. 

 we have a hummingbird that seems to like the pink, peppermint ivy geranium that hangs outside our living room window. hummingbirds can't be photographed. but geraniums can.

last night we threw a homemade pizza on the grill. it turned the crust magically crisp & bubbled the cheese. we had a friend visiting from los angeles. and we chatted as the summer day grew dark & cool.

we are finally having the kind of hot days which I associate with summer. they are not the kansas-kind, but enough to make me sweat.

a green walk, las fiestas and dinner with friends

last sunday we took a walk where it is cool & green.
this time it was at Columbine Canyon, though all the columbine have bloomed. there were plenty of pink raspberries not quite yet ripe, purple bee balm, elegantly tall white aspens and orange butterflies.

back in Taos the town was having its last day of Fiestas. I'd visited the day before to get my fix of cheap goods from Mexico being sold not-cheaply, the smell of funnel cakes, burritos, and sweet & sour lemonade, and plenty of sightings of little girls in brightly colored dresses & flowers in their hair. watched a group of kids do a spanish-style dance. listened to some mariachi music. almost bought a bright orange t-shirt that said, "que vivan las fiestas de taos". but when am I going to wear bright orange?

some of the cherry tomatoes from the backyard. I hope the heat of the day will be enough to ripen these, as the nights get so cool.

last night we visited friends in Sunshine Valley. they have a valley view of mountains all around. the view was so unexpected and impressive, that when we drove into the valley, a "wow" left my lips.

and they've recently had a rattlesnake in the yard. so we wore our boots. ate homemade veggie burgers & played a game of horseshoes. put on my flannel shirt to keep warm, & reminded myself that I'm lucky to feel chilly in late July. a storm of lightning lit up the northern sky. bats flew up in the trees. they are growing tomatoes too, but have little hope the tomatoes will ripen up, as the nights get even colder up there.

tonight I'm making pesto.
and tomorrow I get to see what is being harvested at the farmer's market. lately have been enjoying crisp, crunchy cucumbers and sweet peaches. 

summer sweets

sweet little yellow tomatoes from the farmer's market.

thank you summer.

visitors at sacred shrine.

willard clark.

july weekend

friday evening we visited the Taos Pueblo for the annual Powwow.

photography on the Pueblo isn't encouraged, and I am never comfortable taking pictures of religious, personal ceremony. so I have no pictures.

our visit was just in time for the Grand Entry, the opening procession of all the dancers from all the tribes. in outfits beautifully detailed in feathers, beadwork and embroidery, they entered the dance circle to the mournful sound of the slowly beaten drums and danced or simply walked stoically tall around. the amount of historical reverence & cultural pride was an emotional thing to see & feel overall, it was one of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed both spiritually & visually.



















visited the Harwood Museum yesterday. and took pictures of the pictures. of how the different artists of Taos saw their northern new mexico home around them.

it got me thinking about how I'm seeing what is around me. and though I'm not a painter, how will I begin to portray this home around me?

I left some of my confidence in Kansas. I only just realized this over the weekend. And I feel better, because now I know I need to get it back...and that's just a matter of embracing something I'd forgotten to unpack.

thy woods and templed hills

it took some driving to find the spot. but we found this gentle open meadow. a quiet spot next to the rio chiquito. our holiday plan was to enjoy a picnic & have a little walk.

these rusty orange butterflies were everywhere in the brush.

and it was near here, d. told me, that he last saw a bear. which of course, made me nervous. but of course my experience with wildlife in the actual wild, is limited to the occasional possum in my kansas backyard.

but where there is wildness, there is beauty. and we had a nice walk.

here now the clouds have darkened and the wind cooled off, as if it may rain. a woman just walked by wearing a bright pink scarf thrown over her shoulders. the neighbors down the street are having a party in the courtyard & I can hear them playing one of the spanish-language radio stations. and I've been thinking about all the writing I used to do. and all the writing I used to plan on always doing.