Art and Snakes

As I write this, the wind is howling outside (gusts up to 26 mph), making it feel below freezing.  Even the dogs try to go potty as fast as possible and go right back inside.  Apparently, spring is the windy season in ABQ.  Winds gust almost every day - starting around noon  - from late February to May.  Then of course there are the random ones like tonight.  For the most part though, it's almost always sunny here.  310 days of sunshine a year.  It might rain in the morning, but will be sunny by noon.  It started out a little grey this morning - the mountain tops were shrouded with grey clouds.  But the sun came out pretty quickly.

So I decided to wander around Old Town for a while today.  I talked with several shop owners.  The down economy is really hitting them hard.  Especially this time of year - their slow period.  Several shops have gone out of business, including at least one restaurant.  The consensus seems to be to just hunker down and ride it out as best they can.  There's been a lot of that going around for the past 5 years.  At any rate, today there was a lot of heavy discounting.  So..... I allowed myself to be tempted.

My first stop was at Gowen Arts.  I had been there in December when I came for the interview, and really loved their stuff.  I found some prints I really liked by an artist named Doreman Burns.  He's originally from Texas, but lives in Corrales - just outside Albuquerque, near the Sandia Mountains.  He has a series of works called "Dancing with Cowgirls".  So I bought 2 of the prints to grace the walls of the apartment.

After browsing several other stores (I'm searching for just the right ristra - a string of chli peppers - for my godmother), I stopped into Four Corners Pottery & Jewelry.  The kind store keeper there was offering really good deals since it was such a slow day.  There was only 2 other people in the shop.  In most of the stores, I was alone.  Basically I was just looking around for fun, but my eye was immediately drawn to a set of clay figurines.  Dogs, of course.  They were white clay with black spots - and the spots were miniature paw prints.  I asked to see one.  It felt heavy in my hand.  It was made by Derrick Tsosie from the Jemez Pueblo, a StoryTellers pottery piece.  His family also makes figurines.  Storyteller pottery figurines all have open mouths - as they are Storytellers.  The clay comes from the grounds of the Jemez Pueblo.  Once again, something that was meant to be has fallen in my path.  The Jemez Reservation was where I went in December to see the Luminarias on a snow covered mountain top.  I looked at the price and blanched.  $400.  But the store keeper offered it to me for $125.  And who can resist that kind of discount??!!

And, the last stop of the day..... a purely hokey, just had to do it stop at The Rattlesnake Museum.  Now I don't really care for snakes.  I'm not terrified of them.  But I have a healthy respect.  Many, many long years ago, one of my jobs at Pet Village was to pull the black snakes out of the exotic bird nests or cages and get rid of them.  Yuk!  But, here I am in New Mexico  -  desert country where rattlesnakes live.  And the sign promised that I might learn some educational insight about rattlesnakes.  So before I thought too hard about it, I went right in and paid the $5 museum tour fee.

I can't say that I learned a whole lot.  The snakes did give me the shivers a bit.  But I found myself feeling sorry for them.  They were stuck in smallish glass acquariums.  If snakes had expressions, I would swear they were bored and sad.  I did learn that deaths by snakebite account for only 1 out of every 1000 deaths - not very many.   Also, most snakes try to avoid human interaction as much as possible.  If you encounter one in the wild, (and I'm guessing they are supposing that you actually see it before you step on it!) the best thing to do is to walk away.  Most of the time, the snake will not attack unless cornered.  A few of the snakes had signs on them that stated if the snake started to rattle to please back away from the glass.  It meant that the snake was scared.  These particular snakes were wild caught and startled easily.  A couple of them were rescued from a "Rattlesnake Roundup".  I'd heard of such things, but the explanation provided in the museum sounded terrible.  Gasoline was poured into the holes, killing off other wildlife and vegetation.  Then the frightened, sick and dying snakes were "rounded up" as they left the hole and decapitated to become hatbands, etc.

The museum was a maze of small rooms with videos, live snakes in acquariums, gift shop paraphenalia, and examples of snakes in art, fashion, etc.  Besides rattlesnakes, there were ball pythons, a few other snakes, reptiles (a gila monster, snapping turtles) and several small tanks (a scorpion, a black widow spider, a brown recluse spider, a screeching roach).... Ugh.  Okay.  Had enough. Time to go.  At least I got a Certificate of Bravery.

A new addition

I've added a new addition to my little clan.  Jane has been seriously lonely.  Whenever she sees another dog, she just cries.  So I've been thinking for a while about getting her a companion.  I've been checking rescue groups online in Albuquerque; and found a picture of one that I knew I had to go see.  He was in the Animal Shelter (i.e.Animal control) on the westside of Albuquerque.  I haven't been to that side of town much yet.  It's more open and flat.  There were some good views of the city with the Sandia Mountains in the background framing it.  Sometimes I wish I had a better camera.  Sometimes I know that the views just won't translate in photos.

At the entrance to the shelter, there is a beautiful sculpture.  Everything was neat and clean - even the kennels.  The dogs all have indoor/outdoor kennels with beds.  The staff seemed really caring and attentive.  I asked for the dog I wanted to see by ID# and then headed back to the kennels to meet a handler.  They escorted me with the dog to an outside fenced cubicle where I could get to know him.  He's approximately one year old, a border collie mix with a longish stubby tail.  He seemed really friendly and sweet.  They picked him up as a stray and the name on his card said "Sea Dog".  He let me look at his teeth and pick up his paws.  He even rolled over so I could scratch his belly.

I was a goner as soon as I saw his picture online really.  So I adopted him for $50.  I couldn't take him home because he still needs to be neutered.  He's a little on the thin side and a little matted.  I went back on Sunday to spend an hour with him again.  He seemed really happy to see me when I came up to his run.  I sat and brushed him for a while. And tried to think of names....

It was a sunny day today again, but the wind is quite strong - which made it cold.  Jane and I managed a mile walk along the trails opposite the apartment.  Then she wanted to spend some time baking in the sun on the balcony - one of her favorite places - while I rearranged crates in preparation for the new dog.  It will be interesting to find out if he's housebroken.  I've already alerted my dogwalkers.  One interesting factoid about this area...they don't routinely test for heartworms.  It's not very prevalent here.  They still recommend preventative, just in case.  But usually the only dogs that get heartworms are from over the mountains, or those who travel to other areas of the US.  Still, I think I'll have him tested.

Okay, so this was probably a really boring post for some of you.  Although for me, it is all part of the new adventure. Now that the little guy is coming home, I can get back to exploring the area a little more.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Gorgeous, sunny day in Albuquerque.... made it just about impossible to stay inside and do the filing things I needed to get done.  Time enough for that when the sun goes down.  So I headed out to a place I've been meaning to check out -- The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.  Here's me in front of the Center - for those of you who like to challenge whether I've really been to these places, since there's no pics of me at them.... or something like that.

The Center contains a museum, a cafe and gift shop and a research center.  The museum spirals around through circular hallways, with alternate halls for administrative and research purposes radiating out.  It is meant to be symbolic of the sun.  In the center courtyard of the facility, there are gorgeous murals painted on the outside walls, and a flat, sandy area where native dancers can be found at scheduled times.

The museum contains an amazing exhibit about the history and culture of the pueblo indians.  Breathtaking pottery and paintings abound.  I was privileged to see a special exhibit, which will soon be gone, called "Gathering the Clouds".  According to the brochure it is "an exhibition of Pueblo textiles and pottery that expresses the deep interconnection between Pueblo spirituality, art and nature.  'Gathering of the Clouds' - the calling upon the elements of the earth, air, fire and water to bring all that is essential for life in the Pueblo world."  Photos are not allowed in the exhibit - so I'm unable to include any samples.  The textiles were gorgeous - ceremonial robes, sashes, wedding robes, blankets, etc.  The Pueblo Indians were among the only or first peoples in the world to use the upright or standing loom for weaving.  This was not adopted from Mexico, but was unique to the Pueblos.

The Pueblos, like most native cultures, suffered from the abuses of many outside cultures - the Spanish and whites.  The spaniards brought catholicism, but also destruction.  Many Pueblos (villages) were destroyed.  Today only 19 remain in New Mexico.

After visiting the museum, I was able to catch the noon dancing exhibition in the courtyard.  Three children - 2 girls and a boy, were dancing while two of their elders drummed and chanted.  The two girls held in one hand an ear of corn and in the other two long feathers.  The boy had a mask/headdress on which had antlers on the front, tail feathers at the back and ribbons on the sides.  He carried two walking sticks with feathers at the bottom - so that he appeared to have four legs.  I enjoyed the beauty and simplicity of the dance.  Several times the older girl caught my gaze and I noticed that she had to work at not smiling.  So I tried not to meet her gaze again.  But the urge to smile and laugh with her was strong.  I should have stayed to hear the elders speak - maybe I would have learned about the cultural significance of the dance... but I was hungry.

The Pueblo Harvest Cafe has traditional New Mexican and Pueblo cuisine.  I decided to try the Tewa Taco on frybread.  This picture is not of the one I had - which was much bigger and more gorgeous.  But it will give you an idea of what it looks like.

I had to take half of mine home because it was so big, and I opted for red chiles this time.  Red chiles are more smokey and suttle than green chiles, but still have a bit of a bite.  I was sniffling while the waitress refilled my tea - and she asked if it was too hot for me. Nope, I replied happily.  It didn't sting, just opened up my sinuses!  I am quickly becoming immersed in the culture here.  Pretty soon, I'll be ordering Christmas like the natives - red and green chiles!  And of course I had to try the oven bread pudding with caramel sauce.  It was okay, but a little too bready/doughy in the center for me.  I'm not a huge fan of bread puddings, but felt I should at least try it.

So stuffed with good food and filled with the gorgeous images of Pueblo pottery (each Pueblo has its own unique style), I browsed through the gift shop, picked up a couple of cds and headed home.  If anyone is interested in Native American flute music, I can highly recommend R. Carlos Nakai.  Here's a you tube link to hear his music:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8UGp-s7Auo I'll leave you with that.  Walk in beauty, harmony and peace.

Beginning the adventure

Okay, folks.  For better or worse, I signed a 12 month lease on a 2BR/2BA apartment east of the city.  I love the apartment.  Probably should have looked longer or not gotten something so big for one person, but... water under the bridge now.  And I found out today from the Cable guy (that's a whole 'nother post) that I am living on the edge of a bad area!  Great!  Not what I wanted to hear.  Oh well.  At least I have Jane to protect me.... um.... right.

On the great side, I have great views from my balcony of the Sandia Mountains.  The walking/biking paved trails are right across the road from my complex.  I like the apartment itself - and it seems fairly quiet for an apartment.  Haven't encountered any loud parties or horrid neighbors yet.  And I'm finding my way around pretty easily - despite only just now getting my GPS back - as it died when I hit the New Mexico state line.  If you look at the picture below, to the left of my car - my windows are the top 2 left ones.

I just got internet service today.  So I'm sorry for the long lag between posts.  Should be better now - although I've not much money for doing anything yet.  It's been really busy between the move, house hunting, the move, unpacking, trying to get internet service, trying to buy trash cans and other miscellaneous household items, setting up utilities, setting up Jane with a dog walker and dog camp for socialization.  This week continues the craziness - internet today, my first day of work on Wednesday, Jane gets spayed on Thursday...... No wonder I'm tired! LOL  Here's a picture of Jane on the walking trail.

It did take me a few days to acclimate to the higher elevations here.  Albuquerque is roughly 5600 ft above sea level.  So I did get tired out a lot easier than normal and even had a little nausea and light headedness the first few days.  I did some research and upped my electrolyte intake, water intake and carbohydrate intake - along with extra rest - and that seemed to do the trick.  Haven't had any problems for a few days.  Now I guess I'm going to have to figure out baking in higher elevations!  The adventure begins....

Jane is doing fantastic - as usual.  She had a crazy first night, and still thinks cardboard boxes are the bomb to tear up!  She's having to learn that even though she has the run of the apartment when I'm home, she's still not supposed to drag my clothes and shoes, etc out and chew them.  I'm currently living without much furniture - a bed, a kitchen table, a TV/stand, a floor lamp and 2 rocking chairs.  I sit on the step stool I bought at Target to eat at the table!  LOL.  I've discovered that you can't really get cheap furniture unless you have a truck and the muscle to get it home.  And I have neither - especially up one flight of stairs!  So I'll do without until I can meet some suckers... I mean, new friends, to possibly help out - or until I can afford the good stuff and have it delivered.  Jane quite likes that I lie on the floor with her to watch movies.

So, I'm mostly unpacked.  I didn't have that much stuff.  What's left in boxes is books, cds, and office stuff.  No pictures of the interior yet.  I'll try to manage that soon since my new internet service is incredibly fast compared to the hotels I've been living in - holy cow!!  I'll just go ahead and add a couple more just for fun!  I went to Old Town Albuquerque again at the request of my niece, Anna.  Her husband and his family are related to Major Trevanion Teel - who buried cannons in the civil war to keep them from the yankees.  This plaque commemorates the deed; and their names are on it as well - the Vordermark family.

Road trip to Albuquerque

Happy New year!  Thought I'd take a moment to update you on my new focus for 2012.  I have accepted a permanent job in Albuquerque, New Mexico - working for a private practice.  So on December 30th, with the help of my niece and nephew-in-law, I packed a Uhaul truck with my belongings, hitched the soul to a tow dolly and headed out.

Here are a few brief highlights from the trip:

Apparently, Memphis, TN has a pyramid.  I saw it driving by... WTF? Wikipedia reports that it is the Pyramid Arena, by some measures the 6th largest pyramid.  Apparently they built it because there is a Memphis, Egypt where some pyramids exist.  Who knew?  Also: Tennessee's slogan for New Year's Eve was "Booze it & Lose it".

My impressions of Arkansas during the drive through on I-40:  Arkansas smells bad.  Just over the Tennessee line, it smells like fertilizer/manure.  Further in, it smells swampy.  They have "Suck Toad Park"!  Cool name!  And they have some of the worst paved roads I have ever driven over.  Gravel roads would have been smoother!  Seriously.  Arkansas' slogan for NYE was "Drive Sober or It's Over."

Oklahoma was mostly flat.  Really bad roads for the first part.  And lots and lots of casinos - like one every 20 miles it seemed like.  Didn't see any NYE slogans there - so apparently they aren't concerned about drunk driving.  Maybe they're afraid it would limit traffic to the casinos?!

Texas:  Flat.  Interesting scenery.  Cadillac ranch - almost missed it.  Back ends of cadillacs sticking out of the dirt.  Couldn't get a picture - it went by too fast.  No signs for it - but I knew it was in Amarillo - which, by the way, was not a very big place either.  Didn't notice any slogans here either.

New Mexico:  When I hit the NM border, I started grinning.  Feels like home already!  Their slogan was, "You Drink. You Drive. You lose." Not very catchy.  But self explanatory.  Did see a lot of snow by the road in some areas, but none once I hit ABQ.

The worst part of the trip were the problems that I had with the tow dolly and the safety chains on it.  Had to get very creative in solving those problems.  Carabiner clips from Arkansas keychains (from the truck stop tourist shop) held for a bit, until I hit more horrible road conditions that bounced the trailer all over.  I finally managed to fix it using steel shank key locks.

At any rate, I'm here now.  Very happy to be in my new home town, and I'm off to start house hunting.  More later!

The Land of Enchantment

Once upon a time, there was a girl looking for a job and a place to live.  She applied for a job online and the kindly human resources lady invited her to come out to New Mexico for an interview.  So on December 9th, the girl flew out to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The interview went very well.  She really liked the people and the job.  But she was also staying through the weekend to evaluate the city.  Could it be a place where she could live on a permanent basis?

The girl had chosen to stay at a local bed and breakfast.  She figured that would be a good way to really experience local flavor and talk to the owners about the city.  However, the night before the interview, the owners called and said they were going out of town on vacation - but that they would have someone meet her for check in; and give her a voucher to a local place for breakfast.  Undaunted, the girl went ahead.  She drove to The Spy House  .  It was really, really cute, and only 5 minutes from the job.  When she went in, the lady who met her to check in told her that she was the only guest for the weekend.  So she had the entire house to herself all weekend.  Not exactly what she had in mind, but at least she didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone (except for the rabbits and the goose out back!).  This historic home was originally owned by David Greenglass - brother of Ethel Rosenberg, the soviet spy, who  with her husband, was convicted of trying to steal atomic secrets for the Soviets in the 50's.  It was also a film location in the Crash series.  They have a photo of the owners with Dennis Hopper on the wall in the kitchen.

Albuquerque, like many places, is a veritable melting pot of ethnicities - the majority being Hispanic and Native American (Navajo and Pueblo).  The Native Americans were the first inhabitants (see Petroglyph National Monument) followed by the Spanish around 1540.  The city's name comes from the Duke of Alburquerque in Spain - although the first r was dropped at some point.  Albuquerque is in Northern New Mexico and is sheltered on the east side by the Sandia Mountains.  It's easy to navigate around the city as the Sandia Mtns are always east.  The land is stark in varying shades of browns.  The sky is an incredible blue and the light is so amazing that artists of all natures flock here.  The city enjoys four distinct seasons - never too hot or too cold for very long.

 Also running through Albuquerque is "the mother road", Route 66.  So, of course, the girl had to eat one night at the Route 66 Diner!

Everywhere the girl went, the people were helpful and friendly.  They all wished her well and good luck with the job.  They all had wonderful suggestions for things to see and do.  She even visited the Turquoise museum to see how the stone is mined and cut and graded.  Very little Turquoise now comes from New Mexico.  Most of the Turquoise on the market now comes from China or Chile.  The ladies at the Visitors Center in historic old town provided a map and suggested that she take a scenic route around the edges of the entire city to give her an overview of what the various areas and neighborhoods looked like.  Starting at Old Town, which is comprised of historic adobe buildings that remain very much what they looked like a century ago,  the girl first headed up to Los Ranchos and Rio Rancho.  She tried to get a glimpse of the Rio Grande River as she drove up Rio Grande Boulevard, but alas, there were too many buildings and fences in the way.  She did manage to get this one blurry shot from the car....

From Rio Grande Blvd, she took the Tramwy Road along the Sandia Mountains, through the Sandia Indian Reservation, past the Sandia Casino, and down along the southeast side of the city, passing the University of New Mexico, and merging once again with Central Avenue - better known as Route 66.

On the final night of the visit, the girl couldn't decide what to do next.  So she picked up a local paper and on the second page found the perfect ending to the trip.  One hour by car later, she entered the Jemez  Indian reservation in the Jemez mountains.  It was 7 pm, already dark, but surprising light from the full moon shining overhead.  The Jemez mountains were still covered in snow from the recent winter storm, but the winding roads were clear.  She followed the signs to the Jemez State Monument, ruins of Indian pueblos and an old spanish mission. For the past 3-4 years, the Native people have been celebrating Christmas at the monument with Luminarias.  Historically, instead of red and green electric christmas lights for Santa, the luminaries were used to light the path to the Christ child.

Fortune was smiling upon the girl to have discovered the celebration was that very night.  The air was cold and biting.  Cars lined the roads.  But the path through the ruins was brightly lit and easy to follow.  At the top of the hill, on top of the mountain, next to the Spanish mission, they had lighted 2 bonfires to get warm by while a group of Native Americans from the Jemez reservation, drummed, chanted and danced in full costume.  This group plays all around the states and is mostly comprised of one family.  The speaker and drummer talked about being honored to be able to celebrate Christmas here on top of the mountain on this night.  He talked a little about their traditions, and of their hope to some day go overseas to dance in other lands.  Standing in the cold, looking at the surrounding mountains, the luminarias flickering merrily, the bonfires burning fiercely, the warriors dancing and chanting to the drum... the girl looked up at the star filled sky to the full, bright moon and smiled.  She had indeed found the Land of Enchantment!

The End
or, rather,
The Beginning

Stay tuned for more of the girls adventures, including the possibility of moving cross country and finding a place to live within 2 weeks!