We got up at the crack of dawn today and headed for the Taos Pueblo. October 30th has been a day of celebrating the harvest for the Indian tribes of this region for many centuries. The Pueblo is a reservation now and the Indians guard their privacy and customs carefully. The Indians live communally in multistory mud and adobe dwellings. This day is the only day of the year that non-Indians are allowed into the Pueblo. No cameras are allowed, so we have no pictures of the day but it was quite an event. Foot races started at 7:30 AM just as the sun peaked over the mountains. Later in the day there was a pole climb that scared us to death. Young men climbed a 60 ft. tree trunk that had been cut down by tribe members, never touching the ground until it was erected in the square. A slaughtered lamb and huge bags of produce were hung from the top. The first indian that reached the top got the goodies. There were lots of vendors from all over the Southwest selling all kinds of indian crafts. It was a long day which we broke up with a 6 mile hike to the top of Divisidero Peak.
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The 2010 Taos Design Outside the Lines Retreat is starting its third day. I'm having a great time getting inspired by the instruction as well as the other participants. Sewing as art - that's the thing - and Diane Ericson and Marcy Tilton are artists, first and foremost. For me, it's just fun to slow down, quiet the mind, chat with new friends and old (Diane Lea and her husband came, too), enjoy the beauty of Mabel's house and the delicious meals the staff prepares, awake to the Taos landscape from our Solarium room, etc. Ron is happily exploring Taos and scouts out the best place for dinner. It will be hard to leave on Tuesday with so many ideas yet to be realized in the work room.
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Arriving in Taos this afternoon was a real treat. The city of Santa Fe, despite its quaint, historic center, has grown to a busy, 75,000+. We haven't really gotten a chance to explore here in Taos as yet but we're told that this little town of 5,500 has grown a lot, too, in recent years. Nonetheless, Taos seems lovely and accessible in its smallness. We drove straight to the Mabel Dodge Luhan House http://www.mabeldodgeluhan.com/ and checked into our room. This place is steeped in history and you can see why Georgia O'Keefe, good friend of Mabel Dodge, loved staying here. Our room is at the top of the structure and we have to walk up several narrow flights of stairs to get here. It's almost all glass and looks out over the mountains. Beautiful views . . . no curtains ...we'll be waking up with the sun tomorrow.
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