Day 84 & 85

Tardy posts for September 6 & 7! No internet access in Northern NM!

September 6
I am so grateful to have arrived safely at my grandmother's house in northern NM. As we pulled out of Colorado Springs this morning, the "check engine" light went on in my Subaru so we had to detour to the mechanic. Luckily, it was just an altitude problem, easily fixed by adding some "heat" to my gas. Who knew you could add heat to gas? But now I know you can buy it in any gas station. Seems no one was dealing with the altitude gracefully - Bitty had an episode of kitty heatstroke, the car didn't like it either, and lord knows the rest of us felt a little light-headed. Or maybe that was just being cooped up in the car together for days on end?

This is the view looking toward Santa Fe, off my grandmother's deck for which I am so grateful. I love my grandmother's house, it is an anchor and a sanctuary. I love this place. And I am, as always, profoundly grateful for my sister. There is nothing quite so comfortable and delightful as being able to share a look that's worth 1000 words with someone who knows you so intimately. Some things never change, and my bond with my sister is one of the most important and meaningful bonds of my life.




September 7
Today we trekked out to Ghost Ranch, Georgia O'Keeffe's ranch north of Abiquiu, NM. It was an incredibly inspirational day. I am thankful to have hiked in the gorgeous desert, to have visited the place O'Keeffe called home, and to be walking away inspired by that courageous and revolutionary woman and by the extraordinary desert landscape. I find this part of the world so beautiful. There is something so honest about it. Life and death are stark here; the landscape is simple and uncluttered, stretching on in clear lines as far as the eye can see. It is a place of extremes, where you have to make a choice; the differences are clearly delineated. I find that simplicity and clarity refreshing and beautiful. As we drove south out of Colorado, I felt a force in my chest, pulling me towards this desert. The drive stopped being boring, because I found the view so striking and so beautiful. It is familiar and beloved to my eyes, and I find the desert exotic and unique but also calming. I appreciate any time I have here, because it calms me and gives me peace. I am so grateful for mesas, pinon, green chile, juniper, mountains, and for the sky here that is bigger than the sky anywhere else I've ever been.






And chile ristras, green chiles, there had better be chiles on my dinner, whatever it is. The smell of green chiles roasting was a strangely familiar smell, mixing with the juniper & the pinon...like a half-haunting memory of a life I used to live and can vaguely remember.