Taos and Back

I am a big fan of Jill Badonsky who's an author of books about creativity and the muses who can help you along the way.

I get her e-newsletter and earlier this year she said she was going to have a creativity retreat at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house in Taos, NM.  I thought to myself - I'm just a couple of hours away from there and I've got vacation time - why not?  So I signed up.

I headed to Taos on Tuesday (7/9) afternoon.  There I met up with an amazing group of women.  There were 12 of us in total and it was just the right size.  Enough people to get a variety of viewpoints but not too many that somebody ends up (accidentally) being ignored.

Over the next several days we had a combination of amazing exercises in assorted sessions plus some down time so we could explore in and around Taos.  I had fun in the town plaza looking through and buying from various stores.

The Mabel Dodge Luhan facility is a fun venue.  It's her original house plus an annex a few dozen yards away.  They've done some minor updating (plumbing & that sorts of things), but otherwise it looks pretty much as it did when she was living there.  It's in the Pueblo style with some very low doors and squeaky wood floors.

I stayed in the Nicholai Fechin room in the annex.  Fechin immigrated to the US following the Bolshevik Revolution.  He was a portrait artist.  The room was a good size, but the closet was a bit small.  It did have a nice shower that I enjoyed.

None of the rooms had televisions or phones.  At first there were a few withdrawal symptoms, but I had planned ahead and had brought along some reading material.  I also brought along my laptop since there is a limited Wifi area in the main house.  I got on long enough to check e-mail and otherwise was computer-free as well.

Another nice part of the visit was the rain.  New Mexico has been smack in the middle of a drought for a couple of years now.  This year, it looks like we may actually have rain during the rainy season.
There was enough rain on Tuesday that there was a lovely double rainbow as I headed into town.  Later in the week we had a rain shower that lasted 30 minutes or more.  It started just before we started to do some energy/breathing cleansing exercises.  It lasted through our activities and ended with the sun out as we finished.  Very cool!

All in all, a good time was had.

Papillon

Autumn in NM

Most of the trees that are native to New Mexico turn yellow in the fall.  It's been fun and certainly makes for a very cheerful display.

It's especially fun at sunset with the sunlight coming through the trees.

Enjoying the loveliness while it's still here.

Papillon

State Fair

Today I went to the NM State Fair.  I almost didn't go because it's still slightly hot outside.  But I saw a notice in the paper that they were discounting the entrance fee by $2.  So what the heck, I was on my way.  When I arrived, it turns out the entrance fee was $2, not $2 off the regular amount of $7.  Yippee!

As usual when I go to the State Fair, I never go to the midway.  I have a very low threshold for nausea and so I try to avoid things like midway rides.

Instead I headed for the contest venues.  Among other things I entered two photos I took a number of months ago at the fountain in front of the Albuquerque Museum.  They didn't win anything, but I really like the way they turned out.

I also entered a couple pieces of my needlepoint.  I designed the patterns for both - they're based on photos I've taken.  The first one won a second place ribbon.

Finally, I entered a pillow with pansies.  It won a third place.

 

Granted first place on everything would have been nice, but I'm always glad to win something!  It's better than a poke in the eye with a stick.  Plus, I took a good look at the winning photos and will now know how to do things next year.  Practice, practice, practice!

Papillon

Another Book Recommendation

I just got done reading another book.  It's called Just a Couple of Chickens (Raising Poultry and a Family in Hard Times) by Corinne Tippett.

The book covers a 5 year time span where the family moves to a 2-acre parcel of land east of Santa Fe - the author's husband is an entrepeneur in construction and she stays at home and takes care of the house, the 2 children and well over 100 assorted fowl, including chickens, geese, ducks, pheasant, and quail.

The book is both humorous and straightforward about the 'hazards' of dealing with Mother Nature on an up-close and personal basis.  Plus the hazards of being an entrepeneur during the economic crash of 2008 and 2009.

I recommend this book as an interesting read. 

Papillon