The Road Goes on Forever…

…and the party never ends.

And this old porch is like a steaming, greasy plate of enchiladas
With lots of cheese and onions
And a guacamole salad
And you can get ’em down at the LaSalle Hotel
In old downtown
With iced tea and a waitress
And she will smile every time.           – Robert Earl Keen, Americana songwriter

Walking down the trail at Aspen Vista (el. 10,200 feet) with dazzling lightening and thunderous echoes stoking our mounting fear, we approach two elderly Native American men, tiny black dog in tow.

“Which way is that storm headed?” I question meekly, without introduction.

Weathered face deadpans, not missing a beat: “Always toward us!” The other smiles…

The incantation of an ironic Don Juan medicine man, or just a wise crack to contrast my nervous inquiry?

They continue to climb, facing mountain fury; we scatter toward the shelter of our Nissan Rogue.

We’ve returned to wondrous New Mexico for our annual August residencia in the Tesuque Valley guest house of local pre-Colombian art authority, Bill Siegal.

Towering clouds, music, vast high-desert landscapes, art, earthy food, and Nature’s overwhelming illumination curate our other-worldly experiences.

Our return to the seemingly familiar yields deeper discoveries each year not readily apparent on cursory visits:

• Endless hiking trails etched through the forests and desert arroyos.
• New restaurants flourishing under the line-of-sight of traditional favorites:

– Maize— Exciting, innovative SW fare

– Joseph’s Culinary Pub— Traditional and contemporary/farm-to- fork

– Paloma — Brilliant ceviche and margaritas

– Sky Coffee— Superb coffee and Bubbe’s cinnamon coffee cake.

– Taco Fundación— Simply the best Tacos, Mexican sodas, helpful smiling staff.

• Exquisite chamber music equaling Vienna; and a private Mozart recital by David Ward arranged at a friend’s home. (Gracias Zev and Heidi)
• Dr. Atomic at the Santa Fe Opera — incorporating backdrops, native dancers, and actual “down-winders” to tell the local story.

Artists, healers, unrepentant hippies, foodies, Texans escaping summer heat, cowboys, helmetless motorcycle outlaws, refugees from diverse realities — harmonize in an enchanting “corn dance” to the beat of unseen drummers.

We are fortunate to provide witness – respectfully humming our very own tribal chant.

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All images captured on iPhoneX. Click any photo to ride the carousel.