I was not a good example of grace under pressure. – With six people in my waterlogged raft, which was pinned against a giant rock, it was more like driving a tank without steering. The roar of water was real. It was not a bad dream, where later you realize: It was not real and it Read More
Tiwa… Keeping Language Alive –
Tiwa is not a written language – and out of respect, many speakers don’t wish to provide written translations. Other traditions may differ from that of Taos Pueblo, which speaks northern Tiwa, as does Picuris The white stuff falling softly from the sky is the world’s most beautiful sight, no matter what you call it. “Nieve” I recall, in Read More
Oh, When The Saints –
Carving a place in history – Whether celebrating the beneficence of San Francisco (St. Francis), petitioning San Ysidro for rain during a drought (St. Isidore), or honoring the virtues of Guadalupe, saints have been and remain an essential part of the spiritual and cultural fabric of Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. When Spanish settlers Read More
Disney shoots Lone Ranger –
Our fascination with movies begins when we are young, and for most never completely disappears. They transport us, they awe us, they inspire us and they linger somewhere in our subconscious, much after the final credits have faded. With the dramatic landscapes and seemingly unending abundance of light and sky, filmmakers have flocked to New Read More
Hot Springs & Cold Spots: Taking the Waters
Who doesn’t long for water? – Especially the essential luxury of hot water on a cold winter’s day, with snowflakes falling on your face while you soak in an outdoor 103.5-degree pool (my personal favorite temperature). But since I’m a Methodist/hedonist, I prefer to earn my comforts first. Here is my perfect fantasy day: First Read More
Southwest’s largest ski operator adds more mountains
Purgatory at Durango Mountain, Arizona Snow Bowl, Sipapu Resort and Pajarito Resort – Sipapu managing partner James Coleman adds Pajarito, Durango Mountain Resort, and Arizona Snow Bowl to the fold, forming the largest ski mountain collective in the Southwest. After nearly 15 years as the managing partner at Sipapu (near Taos, NM), Coleman understands how to Read More
Storms
We all love to tell stories of monster storms. – There was a child who was picked up by a tornado, whirled about and then returned to earth. He ran to his grandma, with dirt up his nose, in his eyes. You can bet he had a changed perspective. And you know the saying about how Read More
The Pacing Black Stallion of Antelope Springs
Range historian J. Frank Dobie had a great affinity for horses, especially the wild horses or mustangs that roamed the American Great Plains. Among the stories he collected in his celebrated book, “The Mustangs,” were those devoted to the courage, endurance and beauty of several white stallions and their heroic efforts in avoiding capture by Read More
Rio Grande… An American Classic
Hope Springs Eternal It was one of those culture-shock moments where urban East meets rugged West. Several of my friends and my sister, all who had come from Brooklyn to Taos to attend my wedding, found themselves hiking a rocky trail down into the night-darkened depths of the gorge. My friend, Paul, a “regular” at Read More
National Wellness Center – Healing PTSD Veterans
An American Veteran and his spouse stand at the bottom of a Native American healing ceremony circle laid out on a gym floor in Angel Fire. Their hands are covered in red mud, a symbol of trauma. They each walk halfway around a separate side of the circle, then toward David Singing Bear, a Native Read More