ROAD TRIPPING TO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

NORTHERN NEW MEXICO SITES AND SCENERY

www.carolhopper.com

with Dee Sanchez, Artist and Great Driver

Heading north toward the Sangre de Christo mountains,  the initial bluffs are dry and scrubby.  Clouds are building.

In Chimayo, we loved this gate and religious wall mural on a typical adobe wall

The old Vigil store, now know as El Potrero Trading Post

Sancturario de Chimayo
I wasn't able to go in as mass was being held

In Chimayo, this small town is most famous for Sanctuario de Chimayo.  This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site.

Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant has wonderful Mexican food, great for indoor and outdoor dining.

New Mexico is out of our long lasting drought in this part of the state. It was lush and green.

Cundiyo

Wildflowers, intersting fence posts create angles worthy of paintings

Sunflowers in full bloom, Ponderosa Pines on hillside

Whose house this is I do not know
It is within the village though

We are high...over 7000 feet

Dee's photo of sign at our lunch restaurant in Penasco.
 We had the best green chili cheeseburger of a lifetime, so good both of forgot to take a photo of it. The Green Chili Cheeseburger had a thick crisp slice on bacon on a homemade focaccia roll with crisp warm edges..

The above several photographs were taken rolling through the countryside and villages including Truchas, 
Las Trampas, Cordova and Penasco.  

The gorgeous dark clouds continued to build as we continued north to within 23 miles of Taos.

Las Trampas San Jose de Gracias Church
A Historical Site
Photo courteous of Wikipedia

TRUCHAS

(Following information and photograph from Wikipedia) 

 "Straddling a high ridge, the community began as the Nuestra Señora del Rosario, San Fernando y Santiago del Rio de las Truchas Grant, a Spanish land grant in 1754 and, due to its geography and location, remained a relatively unchanged outpost over the centuries. The land grant is commonly known as the Truchas Land Grant, gaining its name from the river that provides the water for irrigation of the land. Truchas is the Spanish word for trout."

Dee and I talked about our reading and seeing the movie "Milagro Beanfield War" while we were in Truchas.  The novel was written John Nichols.  Robert Redford directed the movie.

Now it is time to paint.
Stay tuned!

ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO....gorgeous Georgia O'Keeffe Country

VISIT TO ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO

Fall in New Mexico

 and time to paint outdoors in the clear mountain air

Northern New Mexico Georgia O'Keeffe country  

My husband and I spent a wonderful day in Abiquiu visiting many artists' open studios.  Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch are favorite places of mine.  The Pedernal mountain was something Georgia O'Keeffe loved to paint.

Georgia O'Keeffe is well known for her love of New Mexico as depicted in her art. She came to New Mexico in 1929 as a guest of Mabel Dodge Luhan who was part of an arts and literary circle in Taos. 

Beginning in the mid-30's she lived and worked at her home at Ghost Ranch. In 1945  she purchased a second home down the road in Abiquiu. She walked in the desert and painted the New Mexico landscapes until her failing eyesight forced her to stop in 1984. She died, in Santa Fe, in 1986.

Abiquiu is believed to have been settled by Indians from Mesa Verde who abandoned the area in 1500. By the mid-1700's, Spain colonized the region by deeding land grants to the Christianized Indians who were affiliated with the Spanish. It is believed that parts of Georgia O'Keeffe's home may date back to this period, perhaps 1760.

The adobe home in the village of Abiquiu has been left much as it was when O'Keeffe lived there. When Georgia O'Keeffe purchased the property it was in ruins. The walled compound is set on the edge of a mesa and the view, itself, is worth having a home in that location. Over the next three years, O'Keeffe worked with her friend, Maria Chabot, to renovate the property. She added gardens and innovative architectural detail.

The cottonwood trees hadn't completely turned yellow; my hope is to find a day in my painting schedule to return to Abiquiu within two weeks when fall is in full glory.