By
Gypsy Rhapsody
(a 1977 airstream that can truly say..."I am as American as apple pie.")
The apple trees in northern New Mexico
are overflowing with the bright red fruit
that is their trademark. There are four trees
in Gloria Gonzales RV park. Some are small,
some are big and fat, some are green as the green chilies,
and some are teeny weeny.
One morning as Vannie was heading to work
at the Caribel Condos in Red River
(about 10 miles up the mountain),
she hollered back at Dave...
"Hey, if you don't have anything else to do today,
pick some of those apples over yonder."
He must have been free as a bird,
because he picked and picked and picked.
His buckets were overflowing.
Vannie cooked the apples until they were nice and mushy.
She added lots of sugar, a bag of red hot candies,
some cinnamon, and just a squirt of lemon juice.
She ladled the applesauce into some sparkling clean jars.
Then it was time for Dave to taste test the outcome.
"Yep," he said...it's a winner.
There were so many apples and so much applesauce,
Vannie decided to share some with a few of her
friends in south Louisiana that had been effected by
the flooding. She thought it might be just the thing
to brighten up someone's day that was struggling with a wet house.
Soooo...11 jars went out in the mail the next day.
The art in northern New Mexico takes on a life of its own.
POLLINATE Art Show
Funny how that goes right along with the whole apple thingy.!!!
Artists in this show explored meanings and imagery of
"pollination" in a variety of mediums.
About a mile from Gloria's campground is OCHO.
"Ocho" means 8 in Spanish and is the official
address of the gallery.
OCHO is a multi-use and arts and event venue.
It is located at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountains
in Questa, NM.
Check out these groupies enjoying the show.
Dave, Vannie...backrow - Bob, Jo, Barrie, and Jean
Vannie said that there were so many things to explore
at the show.
A whole room was devoted to exploration.
Here's the old girl trying to lift sacks of
make-believe pollen.
Wow...who knew bees were such weight lifters.!!!
After all that "pollinating"...the art groupies headed
back to me for a bowl of south Louisiana gumbo.
V and D surprised everyone with
crème brulee for dessert. Here you can see Dave
caramelizing the sugar. I enjoyed hearing all the ooh's and aah's.
The adventures of northern New Mexico are over the top.
Late August people look forward to
"Hot Chili Days and Cool Mountain Nights"
This is held in Brandenburg Park in downtown Red River.
Lots of great music and cook-offs galore.
Red River Red Cook Off
New Mexico Green Chile Championship Cook Off
Lone Star BBQ Society Cook Off
More Adventures always include
a big campfire in the late afternoon.
...and fried Rainbow Trout...caught that day...
...and Lots of laughs...
...and fresh baked pies right over the campfire.
(these are made with good ole white bread, lots of real butter,
pie filling of your choice...rolled in cinnamon and sugar after baking)
If that does not make you slap your mammy, I don't know what will.
Another Adventure...
Hiking the Caribel Trail between Questa and Red River.
One of Vannie and Dave's faves.!!!
Over the river...
...and through the woods...
Llama (A Real Poem)
by Brod Bagart
Vannie said google it...
It's a hoot.!!!
These guys are nearly always on the trail.
Supposedly you can rent them by the hour. Hmmm!
Dave was amazed at the face you could see in the bark of this tree.
Can you see the lion?
How about an owl here?
V and D said that there is just "something"
about a hike in the woods that makes everything
seem all is right with the world.
Give it a try...I bet you'll agree.
Aspens and the Blue Sky
Makes you want to write a poem
or paint a picture or just sit and be still.
Vannie kept trying to read these symbols on this aspen.
Kind of looks like the ancient Mayan number system...
Just never know what you will find on the trail.
Another Adventure
Dave said that you can not come to northern New Mexico
without experiencing Taos Mesa Brewing Company.
V and D headed out to Jazz and Salsa night last week.
The music hit the spot after a long week at work.
And Another One...
Our friend, Jo Lovelady, treated us to an early morning breakfast.
Good Morning America was announcing the new lineup for
Dancing With the Stars...V and D are addicted....and they
can not get TV in Questa....so Jo invited them over.
Jo is from Fort Worth, TX, but lives in Questa for the summer.
It was a delightful morning, and they left Jo's with
a full tummy and happy hearts.
The official season of DWTS's is September the 12.
Put on your dancing shoes, Folks.
Hope you enjoyed all our
apple stories, art stories, and adventures
I'm going to leave you with a
delightful little message that Vannie saw on
Facebook...
It Just Fits.!!!
