Taos…..

susartandfood

Sep 29

Packing up our gear in Albuquerque after a very nice visit there, we turned our sights on Taos. I was particularly interested in seeing the Taos Pueblo, which has stood the test of time for 1,000 years. Taos, or so I'd heard, was all about art, which I knew I would enjoy. The weather continued to show up in our favor, with temperatures predicted to be in the low 80's, with possibly of a thunderstorm here or there. This is monsoon season, as I believe I mentioned in an early post, so it is not unlikely for clouds to begin piling up mid to late afternoon and dump some rain across the region before moving on.

Somehow, the lady in the GPS made an arbitrary decision to take us to our destination via the scenic route. Sometimes that girl living in my phone can be so pushy. Around and around mountain roads we went, up one steep grade, then back down another. When you are dragging along 10,000 pounds and 28 feet of trailer, this makes for a more interesting ride. There was an old, a very old, movie called "The Long, Long Trailer" starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The plot centered around the two stars, newlyweds, and their adventures as first time RVer's towing this impossibly long trailer. At one point they are on a downhill grade and the trailer disconnects and passes them on the road. I thought of that scene on one of the more precipitous turns. Getting a bit stiff in the nether regions, I mentioned to Richard it might be a good time to stop and stretch our legs He pulled over at a scenic outlook where several tarps with pop-up shops had been set up where vendors were selling native artwork. Perfect. As I walked down the line of goods, mostly jewelry and hats, one of the merchants excitedly drew my attention to the ground in front of me. What!!! Snake??? I did enough of a dance to induce rain from the clouds lingering off in the distance. No snake, thankfully, but moving along the ground at a pace showing guarded caution, was a big, brown tarantula. Now, I have seen these beasties in terrariums and in pictures science books, but this one was untethered and holding up one leg at me as if signalling I needed to get my big feet out of his way. I gladly complied. From what I've read, their bite is not dangerous, and nobody has ever died from being bitten by one so for me it was more curiosity that kept me still standing in that spot, rather then simply being rooted there in terror. They are definitely meaty, hairy little creatures, but nothing I felt to be afraid of.

Legs stretched a bit, we returned to the truck. I have to admit I had Richard give me a quick once over to assure myself nothing hairy and creepy had hitched a ride. We drove for another hour or so before finally passing a Taos City Limit sign, yay, entering the busy downtown area. Traffic was fairly backed up, I have to say. Between tourists, locals, and the roadwork being down on the main drag, it took us a while to reach the other side of town where our RV park was located. Downtown Taos, again all brown stucco Pueblo style buildings, which makes sense here, is basically a labyrinth of stores, restaurants and art galleries. I couldn't wait to see what they had to offer. That day was pretty much already laid out, so my curiosity would have to wait until the following day as coming up, we had made plans to visit the Taos Pueblo once we had dropped the trailer.

By the time we entered the gates of the Taos Pueblo, afternoon was well on it's way. Though the sun was still dominating the sky, dark clouds had begun to gather over the mountains in the distance, and it was surprisingly very humid, for an area known for it's arid climate. The Pueblo really was fascinating. Each dwelling on the ground floor housed a different artist. All, we were to learn, came from local tribes with each artisan having stories of their ancestors to share while we looked over the merchandise they had for sale. The dwellings had doors these days, but originally there were only holes in the roofs where the residents could drop ladders down to enter, protecting themselves and their families from their enemies.

At several of the buildings craftsmen could be seen slathering a mixture of earth and straw onto the outside with what looked liked a large, flat, putty knife. I asked one of them about this. He said the outside was in need of repair, and they try to keep everything authentic. This method, he told me, was as it had been done from the beginning. If you looked closely, you could clearly see bits of straw entwined in the walls.

In the middle of the courtyard there were two women seated next to beehive shaped mud adobe ovens, called hornos. The bread they were selling had been baked that morning in the ovens just as it had been made when their people originally settled this land. I bought the last loaf one of the women had for sale. She thanked me. It was hot under the tarp, she explained, and now she could go home. We had her bread with dinner that night with spaghetti. I'm sure not how it was originally used, but it was quite good.

Pueblo Oven Bread

Approximately 9 cups of white flour

1 Package of Dry Yeast

2 Tablespoons of Salt

2 Tablespoons of Lard (you can substitute with butter)

2 Cups of Water

Soften and dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix lard, flour, salt and dissolved yeast in a large bowl. Add warm water a little at a time kneading and rolling to even out all ingredients. Let dough rise in bowl, covered with cloth. Set near warm place of approximately 5-6 hours. After dough has risen knead the dough and let rise once more for approximately 20-30 minutes. After the dough has risen a second time knead the dough for 2-3 more minutes. Shape into balls and other shapes and put in greased baking pans. Cover with a cloth and let rise one more time in a warm place. Bake in 400 degree oven 50-60 minutes or until tops are browned and loaves sound hallow when tapped.

There was a feel to the place as you walked through it. I find places holding tight to a lot of history almost allow you to hear the voices of those long ago inhabiting them. They seem to carry within their walls so many long passed events, the details of now only read in books or passed on in stories told by generations coming after them.

It was a most interesting afternoon, I have to say.

The next day we got up early and went to the downtown area. The shops were open and welcoming. What an amazing compilation of art in all different forms. I was particularly drawn to the beautiful pottery. Unfortunately, it was a little pricey for my pocketbook, but I loved looking at all the different artists work in each little shop. At lunch, we ate outside under a thatched roof at a little Mexican restaurant. I had the most delicious fish tacos, and Richard threw everything in the pot and ate a burrito the size of twin mattress.

On the way back to the trailer we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge. On the hill across the highway two bighorn sheep were grazing. I tried to get a good picture for the pair, but couldn't get close enough to do them justice, so sat satisfied myself by sitting on a rock watching them for a while, and that was good enough.

When I get home I wonder how I will settle in to life as usual again with all these sights and sounds buzzing in my little blond head. Next we begin our loop home. All things, no matter how splendid have a beginning and and, I'm afraid. It will be good to see Boo's little furry face. I'm sure the cat has given me up for lost, though I do FaceTime her every week to keep my hat in the ring. lol

Happy Friday!!!!