Our Taos Journey Continues

Our adventures continued the next day as we drove the High Road Art Tour. This tour took us south of Taos.

The view was fabulous. The mountains were rolling and filled with evergreens and they were very pretty.

Ahh the evergreens! They smelled so fresh and natural.

The bark on these guys was so lovely. The variation in color and the deep ridges, mmmmm.

And those shadows:

After our drive to the south and lots of beautiful local art (that's the place to be if you're an artist, or an art lover!), and a nap (that's what a vacation is for, right?) we went down to the plaza.

These were actually taken by the parking lot that we parked in to get to the plaza.

After shopping all afternoon, we enjoyed some amazing Mexican food and margaritas at a restaurant very near here after our plaza adventures. The food was spicy and delicious and the margaritas were mighty nice! ; )

That is one thing I now wish I had taken more pictures of...As much as food is over-photographed these days, all the food we ate was sooooo goooood! And it was such a fabulous part of our trip that I wish I had pictures of it all!

Instead, you get flowers.

And here is our hotel. It had so much character!

We walked up to our room just to the right of this wheel thing.

I love the teal accents on the rail below.

The breakfast this hotel served was bountiful and delicious. It was a full breakfast each day. What a delightful way to start off every new adventure in Taos.

It was late September and in Kansas, the temperature was in the 90s, not cooling off much at night. But in Taos, it was cool in the mornings - in the 30s. The air was crisp and the sun was warm. Boy was it nice!

Anyway, I said all that to say, having our hot breakfast and coffee in the mornings on the below patio was a welcome change!

Bocce Ball Court!

Inside the hotel room, everything was painted and quaint. The bathroom door:

The tile over the fireplace:

By the way, we were really looking forward to the fire place, but it was so warm during the days and into the evenings that we didn't even use it once. And there were only two or three small pieces of wood. Seemed like that was a sign. Which we probably wouldn't have listened to if it had been cooler.

And we had wine to keep us warm in the evenings. : )

Fun light.

Leather and wood. (Kinda like Leather and Lace, which there was also some of on our trip.) (And it was nice since I don't get a lot of Stevie Nicks in my house, like none.)

The details on the dresser and the chairs were even in theme:

One more blog to come.

As I'm reviewing all these pictures a couple of months removed, it's making me miss our trip! I feel so lucky and thankful that I was invited and able to join my mom on this trip. I will cherish our time together forever!

Travels to Taos with My Mama

Toward the end of September, my mom took me to Taos on a little vacation. It was a wonderful girl's trip!

We drove and the trip down was long, driving all across the prairie. Eventually, though, we saw a hill! (Through a reflection on the car window.)

We went through our fair share of windshield washer fluid. : )

On the first day we were there, we visited the Taos Pueblo. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced.

They put a lot of work into keeping their homes and village up. The manual labor it takes is never-ending.

The gentleman who gave us a tour, Flying Golden Hawk, was studying communication at university. He spoke to us about a lot of different pieces of his tribe's history.

So sad, how these tribes have been treated throughout history (and still today, as we see in North Dakota). Hearing him tell these stories touched me in a way I was not expecting.

The space in which they have inhabited for hundreds of years is really beautiful. I love the one below. The amazing hand built pueblo with drying racks out front and the gorgeous mountains and low clouds back behind.

Below is Red Willow, which is the plant after which their tribe was named.

It grows really well along this creek, which is mountain water that their community survives off of, and has for hundreds of years.

It's the bright green in the middle of the picture below.

The life along the river is in deep contrast to much of the land the pueblo is built on. It is so stark, filled with browns, turquoise and white.

Fences made from posts that still have the shaggy bark, I like the deep texture!

This range is north of Taos. We stopped on the side of the road to take a few pictures on the way to Arroyo Seco from the pueblo.

I didn't end up taking any pictures in Arroyo Seco because it was mostly art and shops, but it was really cute and there was a lovely little shop, Sol Food, where we ate lunch. The food was FABULOUS.

Then we enjoyed ice cream at a top 25 ice cream shop in the world - the Taos Cow. It was de-licious!

We also spent some time in a pottery studio, photographer's gallery and a dyeing and weaving co-op that were all very cool! I could live there forever if I didn't need to actually earn a living. : )

More to come soon!

Fresh Air Life Returns

Just Maebelle. Being silly with her 20th pancake of the day. 

I sure do love washers with the family.

Ooohhh, Cedar wanted them so badly!

One of the best things about summer winding down is we get to breathe in fresh air again. The windows and doors are opened, games and outside adventures in the evenings are refreshing.

And we get to enjoy the beautiful evening light that filters through the trees of our back yard. It makes my heart happy.

I love this man.

And I love that he loves her. So thankful I caught this one. They parted ways right after this kiss, so I was very thankful I reached for my camera when I first spotted them together out back as I was doing dishes.

There's just something about the one of Maebelle above. It may be the coolness of the light. The light reflecting off the water. Her funky outfit with her red hair. The fact that her glasses, shirt and water all kind of have the same tint to them. May just be that it's Maebelle and I think she's beautiful!

He waited so patiently this evening. There weren't many fish to be caught at Lake Henry that night. But he kept at it. 

And he did it with a smile on his face. : )

And Maebelle tried a few casts before we left. I don't think she caught anything either. 

Maybe next time.

Cheers!