Red River here we come!!!!

Just about since DAY ONE of TaosEdge, we’ve been talking about having a booth at the Red River Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally.  When you have upwards of 20,000 bikers descend on a little mountain town about 30 minutes from our home, I figured – “Hey, why not join them???”  The TaosEdge product line seems like a natural fit.  Skulls, wings, tank tops, belt buckles, poster designed exclusively for the Rally…..  it’s BOUND to be a good time!!

SO, we bought two pop up tents for a 10 x 20 foot booth, rallied all our friends and will set up for 3 days of FUN and who knows what?  I promise we’ll take LOTS of pictures!  And I’m sure there will be stories to tell.  If you’re in the area, why not stop by?  We’re in the park, just outside the front door of the Conference Center.  You can’t miss us!!!

Photo courtesy: Red River Chamber of Commerce

The Dance……….

Another great evening in Taos.  This year the esteemed Millicent Rogers Museum hosted the 10th annual “Miniatures” Show and Sale and once again, the show was a resounding success!  It felt like EVERYONE in Taos was in attendance to see all the works, which could not be greater in size that 100 square inches or 10 x 10, excluding the frame.

It was super cool that TaosEdge’s own Dan Enger’s original work, Baile de Traicionera was featured on the MRM website as well as in the Taos News TEMPO section.  SWEET!  Prints of Baile are available at the TaosEdge online store.

Dan Enger - Copyright 2012

And of course we needed to celebrate with Dan and another possible TaosEdge artist, Nathanial Lowe at our local favorite Pizza spot, Pizano’s, after the show.  Looked like we weren’t the only ones with the same idea!!

What a wonderful Christmas………

Christmas in Taos is still one of my favorite times of the year.  For me, all the excitement builds up to the first event – the procession at the Pueblo!  We arrive around 4:00 pm to greet friends, hope we dressed in enough layers, and to wait for the bonfires to be lit and for the procession to begin!  Once the doors to the church open and the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe emerges, you know it’s happening!!!  Beginning with rifle shots as the group begins their walk, you see the smoke billowing from the huge bonfires that are lit, you dodge embers from the fires and you marvel at the hundreds of years this tradition has endured.  It truly is a magical experience!

Then we were off to friends for an open house. It’s great to visit with dear friends and meet new ones. And to enjoy some of Kim’s AMAZING posole and the feast that awaited us. Now THAT’S how posole should be! A beautiful tree, lots of laughs and finally we had to head home from sheer exhaustion!

Christmas morning was quiet and lovely. Enjoyed a few presents, knitting by the fire, and just the peace that comes from joy and not excess.

Christmas dinner was gloriously unconventional and truly one to remember!!! Good friends gathered for amazing Chicken Curry, traditional condiments, five LUSCIOUS desserts. And a new “tradition” for us….. dancing wildly to the Soundtrack from Pulp Fiction while tidying up the kitchen!!! WONDERFUL FUN! And if that wasn’t enough…. fireworks, friends and a lot of love…… Now THAT’S what Christmas is all about!

Happy, Happy, Ho, Ho

After years of being in retailing and having Christmas as an event that we planned for for MONTHS, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it’s not quite such an “event” for me now. Dear hubby says he had a nickel’s worth of Christmas Spirit and even that’s gone this year. Can you say “BAH HUMBUG”???? We’ve officially slipped to sending out two Christmas cards (and those were in the two remaining Christmas packages I still mail out.)
Now don’t get me wrong! I LIKE Christmas and am looking forward to almost non-stop festivities this weekend. Lots of good food and good friends and doing little things for people who don’t expect it…… that’s what I enjoy these days.
Oh, and my Christmas tree – that my dear hubby brought to the marriage 21 years ago. I still love that tree……

Tis the season

I love these few weeks leading up to Christmas.  I didn’t ALWAYS love them.  After 27 years in retailing…. let’s just say I was ready for it all to be done!!!  But NOW I love the parties, the festivities, the food and the general HAPPY aura that seems to permeate everything.

Last weekend was Taos’ version of a big block party – the lighting of Ledoux – and the un-official start of the holiday season.  EVERYONE dresses up nice and warm and strolls up and down gallery lined Ledoux street here in Taos, and there are cookies, caroling, bonfires and of course, farolitos.  They are synonymous with the Southwest and seeing them can’t fail to make you joyous!!!  You take some paper bags, roll down the tops, throw in a couple of handfuls of sand, drop in a tea light and light oh, maybe 500 of them up and down the street!

It’s always great to see all your friends, gather at the new tradition – an outdoor fashion show put on by the Runway Vigilantes, a ridiculously TALENTED group of women who stage a themed event several times a year, and then make your way over to the Adobe Bar at the Taos Inn for a nightcap and to see the HUGE tree in the lobby.

Ah…… Christmas in Taos!!!!

Another trip through the canyon…..

Living in Taos is a remote activity.  I mean REMOTE.  Three hours from the airport in Albuquerque and two hours to Santa Fe from where I am on the north side of town.  I still marvel at this after coming here from LA and living at one of the busiest intersections in the city, Franklin and La Brea.  Now I’m a good two hours from the closest FREEWAY and a day trip to Santa Fe for “shopping and appointments” is a big deal.

There’s kind of a transition from my rural abode to the “big city” of Santa Fe.  We have to drive through the “canyon” which snakes along the Rio Grande.  I really love the drive, except in bad weather of course.  Every time of the year is different.  Sometimes you get the gold and amber leaved cottonwoods along the river, sometimes it’s the beautiful green of new life in the spring.  But one thing is a constant.  About mid-way through the canyon is a sweet little hamburger spot, Sugar’s BBQ right along the river.  I’m always meaning to stop, but haven’t quite yet.  Right near Sugar’s is the Car museum.  Yep, right there in the middle of nowhere.  I LOVE seeing the Frontier sign with Rarin’ to Go…..  It never fails to make me happy…….

Did I Really Eat the Whole Thing?

I’ve been holding off to blog when I had a relatively big event or weekend come up, but found that I wasn’t doing what I set out to do….  which is to share the BIG and small tidbits of life here in Taos.  So, I’m going to try to write smaller little bits, but more often.  Please leave a comment so 1) I know you’re out there and 2) I know what you all like to hear about!!!

Sooooo, one of the challenges of living in Taos is that occasionally you need to visit a specialty doctor in Espanola or Santa Fe.  We try to make it a little road trip and include something fun along the way.  Not that the drive isn’t a treat enough!!  As we head south out of Taos, we go through “the canyon”, the beautiful 16 mile stretch that winds along the Rio Grande.  While it’s not for the faint of heart or a trip you want to take at night or in inclement weather, it is positively beautiful to see the river and mountains.  Especially when the trees look like this!

Today’s trip took us to Espanola and to one of the best New Mexican restaurants in the area, Angelina’s.  I had chicken enchiladas “Christmas” which is what the locals order when they can’t possibly be expected to decide between the red and green chile that is served on most local dishes.  (I’ll get you a recipe in a later post if you want to try it.)
And if that wasn’t terrific enough, they serve not one but TWO sopapillas on the side.  So I thought I just HAD to tell you about them in case you’re unaware!
Here they are…..

They’re a fried yeast bread served with honey and are often served instead of chips and salsa.  And of course I finished them off.  And with Thanksgiving right around the corner, even!  SHEESH!

Tarantulas, Trucks, Dancing and Sangria – another perfect fall weekend in Taos!

Just wrapped up what I call a perfect Taos weekend.  It actually started on Thursday with a morning trip to Ojo Caliente Hot Springs, less than an hour from our house and wrapped up Sunday with an outdoor blues jam and potluck!

     On the way to the Ojo, we watched the tarantulas crossing  the West Rim Road, just past the Gorge.  Taos LOVES their tarantulas, and take great pains in not hitting them as they migrate across the road.  I insisted we stop so I could take a picture, and I do wish I had a picture of me laying on my stomach on the road to catch this shot!!!

After a glorious soak in the pools and a great lunch in the restaurant at the spa, we heading home in time for me to go to a “sustainable Taos” meeting where we discussed workshops we’d like to organize on things like building a greenhouse, drying your own food, emergency preparedness, first aid, etc.  There was a crowd of 50+ people and everyone was jazzed up to make emergency plans and to network to help each other in the event of an crisis.  I guess everyone remembers the 5 day natural gas outage from last winter a little too vividly!!!

Friday brought Taosenos out in force for our own “Occupy Taos” rally on the Plaza.  It was good to see everyone peacefully speaking their minds, and seeing this little guy was very special for me.   It really was a community effort with young and old, anglo/hispanic/native americans all affected by this current crisis.  We truly ARE the 99% in this town!!

After the Friday rally, it was off to see local favorite, Bone Orchard play at a local gallery (sometimes music venue) TurnStyle.  It truly is one of the best intimate places in town to see music close up and personal.  We sit on chairs, cushions and even some even manage to get a spot on the Antique Four Poster bed in the gallery.  I’ve seen Bone Orchard numerous times, but they truly were “ON” Friday night.  Featuring Carol Morgan Eagle on vocals, Daniel Pretends Eagle on guitar and banjo, Chipper Thompson on mandolin, Mark Dudrow on cello and Colin Jenkinson on stand up bass, they really have a unique sound.

Saturday was a fund-raiser at TurnStyle for DreamTree, a local youth and young adult shelter.  Friends Kim Trieber Thompson and Amy Cordova conceived the idea to do a 2012 calendar featuring the famous and infamous “notables” of Taos and their classic trucks!!!  What a success!  Some of the “local truckers” on hand to autograph calendars were author John Nichols, songwriter Mentor Williams, artists Dan Enger, Ed Sandoval, Chipper Thompson and local “dirt diva”, Melissa Serfling to name a few!  It was the perfect Saturday afternoon with temperatures in the low 70′s.

Finishing up the weekend was a “Libra” birthday party celebrating our friends  at the Taos Inn with Big Swing Theory supplying some hopping sounds that had people dancing in places I didn’t know they could dance!!!  The place was PACKED and everyone had a ball!!

One last party on Sunday afternoon (yes, this was all in one weekend!) featured a pot luck and live blues music supplied by some very talented locals!!!  The musicians switched in and out and with the homemade sangria, great tunes, great food and great friends, it was the end to a perfect Taos weekend!

Please add a comment!!  What sounds fabulous to you???

San Geronimo, tee shirts and wooly things……

This is a big weekend in Taos! (Aren’t they all???)

First we’re starting with the annual Feast of San Geronimo at our local treasure, the Taos Pueblo.  The feast starts with a Catholic mass today, September 29 and continues with a traditional footrace at dawn on September 30.  Then around 4:00 pm, pueblo clowns and on-lookers gather around a very tall pole topped with harvest foods and goods that has been erected in the Pueblo Plaza.  At some point, as ritual dictates, the clowns begin to climb the pole.  The first to the top lowers the goods to his fellow clowns at the bottom of the pole, all to much cheering.  As this feast day is part of Native religious tradition, we are very fortunate as their neighbors in Taos to be able to join them for the event.  As there is no photography, cell phones or recording devices allowed at the feast you’ll just have to imagine!

NEXT, the big Kick Off Party for my new company, TaosEdge.  I’m terribly excited as you might imagine, as this is an idea that’s been percolating for a few years now.  I love all my artist friends and have been kicking around ideas on how I can share their passion in an affordable way with the world outside Taos.  The concept is for three of my favorite artists (at this point!) to do original, edgy artwork to feature on “Artware”; quality tees, caps, messenger bags, glassware, etc. with new designs released periodically.  We’re starting here in Taos by offering the product at Red Cat Melissiana on Dona Luz (one of my all time favorite stores!), and will be hopefully expanding to boutique type stores in major cities around the country.  If you have some ideas for stores in your town, let me know if you’d like to see TaosEdge near you!  I’m also working on developing a one-stop website with a shopping cart in the near future.  I’ll also be able to offer my Art Jewelry on the website.

Observant Eye….. Image by Amy Cordova

And Saturday is the start of one of my favorite annual events.  The Taos Wool Festival kicks off on Saturday in Kit Carson Park.  Everything from Sheep, bunnies, and alpaca to yarn and finished goods such as hats, sweaters and bags are offered during what is generally one of the most spectacular weekends in Taos.

Better rest up for all the fun!!!!

Please feel free to leave a comment below!  And become a friend of my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TaosEdge

Sweaters In Training

Music, music, everywhere…..

Wow, my kind of week in Taos!!!  Music, music everywhere!

Clay McClinton at the Adobe Bar

First, Sunday night’s stop was at one of my favorite local venues, the Adobe Bar at the Taos Inn.  We were lucky enough to see Clay McClinton, son of Delbert McClinton, American Blues Rock legend.  When you get to see no-cover music of this caliber at a place called “the “IT” place in Taos” by the NY Times, you know you’re living right!!!

Got to celebrate a friend’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Greg!) with a small group of friends while listening to some rockin’ music!!!  Oh, and dancing, dancing, dancing on whatever postage stamp size spot we were able to claim!

NEXT, one of my all time favorite events of the season, Michael Hearne’s Big Barndance Music Festival!!  I’ve been coming to this event for 8 years, even before we lived here(!) and it’s still one of my all time faves! Taos favorite son, Mike Hearne, who’s now living in Nashville, invites his world-class singer/songwriter friends in for three days of non-stop music and dancing!!  It starts Thursday night and culminates with the BIG Barndance on Saturday night. (complete with hay bales for resting between two-steppin’!)

I discovered some of my favorite artists at the Barn Dance!  Susan Gibson who wrote “Wide Open Spaces” recorded by the Dixie Chicks, Chuck Cannon, Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines to name a few!  And did you know Mentor Williams, writer of uber-hit “Drift Away”, lives here in Taos with his long-time partner country music legend Lynn Anderson?

One of my fondest memories was several years ago, AFTER hours and hours of amazing music, the remaining fans gathered under the stars sitting by a bonfire to listen to some of the artists jam into the wee hours.  If you ever want a weekend in one of the best places on earth listening to some of the best music on the planet, this is your spot!