After teaching a retreat in Taos a few weeks ago I was able to go home to Gallup for Gratitude Day. I love returning home to the brilliant sunshine and the mesas and red rocks of my western New Mexico home town. I did some walking on the desert, a little weaving on a project I can’t show you yet, and had fun relaxing with my family. Below are a few snapshots of my southwestern wander.
Mabel Dodge Luhan House and Taos
Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos, NM
I taught a retreat at Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos in late November. I had not been back to this beautiful house since January of 2020 when I taught my last retreat before Covid shut everything down. It was an almost identical group of people that attended the retreat last month and it felt like coming home.
Though I didn’t see snow in the forecast, we had a few inches fall the night before the retreat started. It was wonderful to wake up to a fresh blanket of snow over the adobe house though I did spend a lot of the day worrying about the arriving participants (everyone made it just fine!).
Mabel Dodge Luhan’s grave in Kit Carson park, Taos, NM
I love to read the books Mabel wrote as well as other books about the area. In my blog post a couple weeks ago I mentioned a few books by Lesley Poling-Kempes that I recommend. I enjoyed reading Mabel’s Edge of Taos Desert and I’m currently reading her Winter in Taos. On the coffee table in the lounge at the house there are a stack of books and one of the large picture books has a photo of her grave. I didn’t realize she was buried in the cemetery of the nearby Kit Carson park. One day at lunch I headed off to find the grave and there it was, a particularly understated marker considering her influence in the area, but perhaps that is as it should be.
The shrimp enchiladas at La Cueva are fantastic.
I have a couple favorite restaurants in Taos and we tried a couple new ones this year. October and November are sleepy times in this town as the main summer tourist season is over and they’re bracing for Taos Ski Valley to open Thanksgiving weekend. Nevertheless, my favorite restaurant was packed every time we went by. It is worth waiting, and you have to do that outside no matter how cold it is because this place is quite small. If you’re in Taos, eat at La Cueva even if you have to wait. We managed it three times in the ten days we were in Taos and I had the same thing every time: Enchiladas de Camaron Enchipotladas. Shrimp enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce. Other Taos favorites of mine are The Love Apple, Plant Base Cafe, and Sol Food Cafe in Arroyo Seco. And many of my students would tell you to eat at Ortegas.
The Tapestry Retreat
Getting ready for some tapestry talk at the beginning of the retreat
We had such an amazing time at this year’s retreat. I extended the days to 7 days, 6 nights and it was marvelous to have so much time to weave, chat, learn about tapestry, and enjoy Taos. I’m not posting photos of what people were weaving here because they were all working on their own private things and I didn’t ask permission to post them. But you can be sure some wonderful weaving happened. How could it not in such a lovely place?
The food is one of the best things about staying in the house. Chef Sophia is a master and there is never a meal where I’m not thrilled by what she and her staff prepare. On the last night’s dinner I giggled when I saw this sign by the dining room. The photo also gives you a good look at the original dining room of the house which is still used as such today.
A visit home to Gallup
Mom and I hiking in a canyon near home.
I grew up in Gallup, New Mexico. When I tell people that, the most frequent response I get is, “Oh, we stayed there one night on our way to California or Arizona or Texas or wherever…” Gallup was a railroad town and is right on I-40, a main east-west artery for trucks and other travelers. If you do come through, take some time to go hiking or mountain biking or visit downtown where there are jewelry and rug shops, a weaving shop/yarn store, and the always-fun City Electric.
Bingo Birders
On the way home to Fort Collins we stopped at Bingo Burger in Pueblo, CO (highly recommended! They have a gluten free fryer so you can get your french fry fix). We sat on the patio in the sunshine to eat and a flock of sparrows haunted us. They were brazen, flying to perch on the empty chair next to me and clearly asking for some french fries. Emily says we’re Bingo Birders now.
Happy 100th Birthday to this door and much of Mabel Dodge Luhan House. Until next time Mabel!