We made a quick trip out here while visiting relatives in western Oklahoma!
My good friend Sally accompanied me! We have been friends since 9th grade and she has just retired from teaching!
The afternoon we arrived, tired from the drive, we took the 3 hour trolley tour which took us up for an hour at the Taos pueblo. The name Taos means people of the red willow....which grows in their sacred creek. Sometimes rain was threatening, but we toured the church and heard about the settlement from our native guide. The tribe has lived here for over a thousand years and it is a world heritage site...the first such site, I think!
There is an old cemetery and ruins of a mission church in the pueblo. This church was destroyed the last time, by U.S. cavalry who used cannon against 150 unarmed women and children who had taken refuge inside!!! The army blasted a hole into the church wall, inserted the canon and fired until the church was rubble and all were killed. All that stands today is the bell tower and the pile of crosses near the ruin to represent the perished tribe members.
[Photo by scobert on trekearth.com]
Another stop on our tour was the St, Francis of Assissi mission. The most photographed and painted church in the world!
This beautiful sunset photo is by Geraint photography....I didn't have anything but my smart phone and do not like being a shutterbug, so I had to borrow a few photos here! This one below, I took from our trolley of the other side of the church, which was closed for the day! I would love to get back again, sit under those spruces and sketch!
After leaving the trolley and getting into our motel room, we had a nice New Mexico dinner of blue corn enchiladas and such...sopapillas too, with honey! Then being tired we rested and read...exciting Friday night not on the town! LOL!
But we started early Saturday morning...
The Russian sage is beautiful in Taos!....
........... before the shops opened, strolling from the public parking over to a great little breakfast/brunch place near the Bent street quaint local shops!
Perfect 70 degree weather, delicious food ( hueveros rancheros) and coffee and a friendship of 50 years, made a memorable moment for me and Sally! ( who seems very thoughtful here...! One of the things I love about her!)
"Adobe" buildings are required everywhere...not real adobe, except in the pueblo itself.
Beautiful outdoor vignette, below, by a local shop owner...coffee pot full of flowers and 2 cups....so inviting! We especially love the hollyhocks!
We noticed people walking by, carrying produce bags and learned that there was a farmers' market that morning in the plaza!
So we started off to locate the market, pausing to get our photos! Sally under the lush hanging baskets,
me, outside a women's co-operative gallery!
The farmers' market was fun, and large!
Sally, looking at a booth with ropes of marigolds and sage smudge sticks...which burn slowly like a western incense! Good for clearing the air of evil spirits and "bad vibes"!
(These smudge sticks are a photo from ETSY, as I, as usual, didn't get a photo of those when we were at the market!)
Sally finds an embroidered dress for her granddaughter, Kathleen.
I find some locally handmade silver earrings.
All in all, a most successful day!
