Cometsgirl

It’s 5:38am and I am stowed and seated onboard Delta 1452 soon headed to Atlanta. It’s another night flight, at least at the start, because of the early morning departure. Somewhere along the way the sun will rise.

I was gifted with some beautiful sunrises this past week.

Gifted, too, with the place in time I shared with special people in my life. In person and through the wonder of technology.

Now as I’m flying home, I give thanks for this travel, the ability to fly, and for all who came along.

And I give thanks for hope, for trust, for faith, for expectation and for promise. All of these are necessary to fly!

Traveling mercies.

That the Lord has made. Let’s rejoice in it!

It is also the last day of Epiphany retreating in Taos. It’s always so hard for there to be a last day in this place. But, thinking about it just now, what really is a last day? In this particular instance, it’s really not as final as a true “last day”. And I am certain I will return to this place during Epiphany 2019.

Still, I’m sad to leave this place of stillness. Of quiet. Of calm. Of rest. The luxury of all of it.

It’s also been a place of raucous laughter. Not unlike the noisy crows outside the back doors.

Packed up and heading south we made a last stop at Coffee Apothecary for a cappuccino for the road, and to say goodbye to Lydia and Pablo until next year. By then the coffee roastery they are building will be completed, and we’ll celebrate that next step in their business.

Part of every trip to northern New Mexico has been the luxury of massages. Booked two months ago, a day had been set aside to luxuriate with massages provided by Bonnie, whom we have known for many years. However, upon our arrival we learned Bonnie had been felled by the flu, so massages were out. Oh no! This is an annual treat provided by Evan.

Fast thinking, and recalling massages some years ago, we quickly booked massages at Ten Thousand Waves Spa just outside of Santa Fe. Yea! It worked perfectly to stop off for massages on the way to Albuquerque for early flights tomorrow.

The highway between Taos and Santa Fe follows alongside the Rio Grande River. It’s a beautiful drive. Stopped by construction driving south to Santa Fe, gave me time to take a photograph of the beauty right next to the highway.

Ah, at last. Spa time.

We had forgotten how exquisite it is to be in this place. After donning kimonos, there was a heated foot soak, followed by a meditation room with heated blankets. Then the real reason for coming – 80 minutes of therapeutic massage, ending with time in the sauna. AWESOME!

Thanks, Evan!

The last stop before the drive to Albuquerque was dinner at La Choza restaurant for one last meal of blue corn cheese enchiladas, my fifth meal of this amazing dish.

A 6am flight tomorrow morning, as the Epiphany retreat comes to a close. Filled with anticipation of return, retreat and reunion, this trip exceeded all expectations.

Traveling mercies.

So far, this trip has been primarily “local” in the sense that we haven’t ventured out and about much more than “out”. Little “about”.

Today was different. We got out AND about. Kind of. While we didn’t travel far, we ventured to a somewhat remote spot. The John Dunn Bridge, which crosses the Rio Grande River about 10 miles north of Taos, just west of Arroyo Hondo.

It was built in 1908 by John Dunn as a toll bridge which transported travelers and mail into Taos. He also built a hotel near the bridge that housed travelers overnight. It was sold to the Territory of New Mexico in 1912 and at that time the toll-bridge was made a free bridge to travelers.

We hung out here for awhile, wandering along the river and the road. And we had a delIcious picnic. Such a beautiful away place.

From here we mosied along back roads through small towns.

We drove west to the Rio Grande Gorge Park, where a much larger and higher bridge crosses the Rio Grande.

We walked several paths in the park, awaiting the sunset.

This was such a good day of vistas out and almost about.

Yesterday was an in and out day, ending with reunion. In and out in the sense it felt like there was frequent getting in and out of the car. Short hops to run errands, have coffee, and shop a bit.

There was, however, ample time to feed and then research what kinds of birds are visiting the table set for them. Magpies, Eastern Starlings, Northern Flicker, “little round gray with rust chest” bird, and crows. The latter my least favorite.

We’re feeding leftover scraps. That wasn’t enough for me. While at Walgreens picking up The New York Times, I grabbed a loaf of bread from the food aisle. As I checked out, the loaf of bread reminded the checker that she needed a loaf to take home for her family.

That gave me pause. I’m grabbing a loaf of white bread because it’s cheap and adequate for the birds, yet when she gets off her shift, she will grab a loaf to feed her family.

In the afternoon, after it had warmed up, we walked the labyrinth at the local Presbyterian Church. I love the intention with which a labyrinth is walked.

The day culminated with the much anticipated reunion with Abby. She’s a local ceramics artist and printmaker. She and her husband, an artist in his own right as cabinet and furniture maker, live in an earthship. They reside north of Taos in El Prada within the Earthship community.

A note about earthship living.

The six needs for life on earth as viewed by earthship devotees are: thermal/solar heating and cooling, solar and wind electricity, food production, contained sewage treatment, water harvesting, and building with natural and recycled materials. Earthships are built in such away so as to provide all six needs.

The community is located in an area of little vegetation and, in a way, a not very scenic setting near the Rio Grande River. This is primarily so as to have ample sunlight to generate heat and provide necessary power. What they lack in scenery, they make up for in the tremendously creative designs.

It’s enormously interesting to me to simply drive through the community, and all but gawk.

Abby and Dean built their earthship many years ago. It’s cozy and inviting. So, too, was the evening spent with Abby. She prepared a special dinner as a gift to us of salmon, salad, cabbage and rice. All served in and on her beautiful tableware.

It was a feast of sustenance of food and conversation. A most excellent evening.

Today is road trip day. Stay tuned.

In a recent reading by Barbara Crafton, an Episcopal priest whose blog I follow, she made the suggestion that one should contemplate, “At the end of the day, have I lived this day well”. That has struck a chord with me. My initial reaction was to say this is especially important because I am “oldering”. But someone suggested it matters not our age, each day should be lived well by each of us. Very true.

I’m trying to be intentional about this. First by beginning my day with the intent to live the day well, to make the hours of this day matter.

And at the end of each day, consider how I lived the day.

My unscheduled day yesterday gave me ample opportunity to be intentional as no plans existed for the day when I awoke. Throughout the day actions and activities were chosen. It was such a gift to go through the day in this manner.

I had good conversations and good silences, laughter and song. The planning of future travel.

While making cards;

Over lunch,

And over coffee.

In front of the fire.

Only one thing was scheduled. We went to the local movie theater to see The Post, a film about the Pentagon Papers. It was excellent.

At the end of the day, I felt this was a day lived with intention, the intention being to slow dow, enjoy the time and place, and to be grateful for it all.

Except for “live” morning prayer with Beth, this day brings no places to be, no have-to-dos, no plans beyond walking through this beautiful day.

Good morning God. This is your day. I am your child. Show me your way. Amen.

I’ve been thinking about conversations I had a couple of days ago with my growing-up-friend. Through those conversations of shared memories, I was able to fill in some blanks I have about those years as I was being further formed.

Talking with her I saw how we had some similar experiences during those times, and how, looking back, I’m certain were life sustaining for each of us.

In Becca Steven’s reflection today, she writes: When we remember our past, it doesn’t take us long to think of times when God showed us mercy, whether in our circumstances or through other people. Mercy is clearest in hindsight.

On this new day, having no schedule to keep, I’m open to possibility and promise. And to be aware of ways I might show mercy.

Arriving late Sunday evening, we were greeted to an unexpected sight as we pulled up to the hotel.

The plaza is still decorated! It’s still Christmas in Santa Fe. Who knew? It’s COLD too. No surprise there.

Quickly settling in for the night, it was so good to be lodging once again in the somewhat recently restored La Fonda hotel. The history of the hotel goes back centuries. The hotel sits on the site of Santa Fe’s first inn which was established in 1607. Throughout the 19th century, La Fonda was the preferred lodging option among trappers, soldiers, gold seekers, gamblers and politicians.

The current hotel structure was built in 1922 and a few years later became a Harvey House. La Fonda remained a Harvey House until 1968 when a local businessman acquired the property. The current owners set out a few years ago to restore the hotel to its current 4-star rating. While brief, it was a wonderful stay.

Cappuccinos at Ikonic Coffee followed Morning Prayer, and then a labyrinth walk on the grounds of St. Francis Cathedral.

Reunion with our long-time friend Sue was filled with joy, good memories, and wonderful catching up. There are always annual reports of Sue’s Eggs, a legendary recipe, having been served an/or uniquely prepared during the past year. I feel it’s a real tribute to a special woman who touched so many lives as she served breakfast in her B&B, and now through so many others who continue to prepare this amazing egg dish.

After lunch we headed north to Taos. Driving alongside the Rio Grande River offers so many glorious views, that it’s tempting to pull over often for photo-ops.

Taos at last! First stop, Coffee Apothecary, for a joy-filled reunion with Lydia and Pablo.

Now settled in for the night, this day brought beautiful sights and sounds through voices and faces of friends, and through the glorious sights of God’s wondrous creation.

I awoke this Sabbath day in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Having arrived last night, I’m now rested up in anticipation of what this 2nd Sunday in Epiphany will bring.

Rising early, I made my way to a nearby Starbucks. The morning sky just about painted my way.

The barista showed me her art creation before securing the lid.

A heart-filled way to begin this day.

From there I made my way to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. I chose this parish by the welcome to all sense I had when visiting the church’s website. The associate rector is a woman and that’s always a draw for me.

The moment I walked in, heard the choir, and entered the sanctuary, I knew I was in the right place for worship this day. I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well. Psalm 139:13.

The service was filled with all manner of prayers and hymns that were unfamiliar to me. Each enriched worship for me.

From there I headed off for the reunion with my childhood friend. What a joyous meal it was! Talk was nonstop about our lives then, our lives now, our lives in between then and now. Between us we almost had total recall. We agreed that we grew up in a far different time than our grandchildren do today. More freedom to imagine, to run loose, to PLAY. We are so grateful to have lived our childhood and youth lives the way we did in the 40’s and 50’s.

We could have talked much longer that the hours we had, and indeed we will do this again. Perhaps next year’s Epiphany trip. Here we are many decades later.

Following lunch I headed to a yarn shop, actually The Yarn Shop, aptly named. Unfamiliar with knitting materials and patterns, I sought help from the store manager. He did his best to guide and direct me. I took photos of possible yarns, shared them with Beth, then took a leap of faith that I would make good choices.

Likely you can figure out which one will be my hat.

The young man helping me shared with me how much he likes the yarn on the left. He recently used this particular color to knit a cardigan for himself. He’s hoping for cold weather so he can wear it. I’m hoping with him.

I was instructed to ask that the yarn be wound into a ball. Well, I did ask, and then I was shown how to do it, and wound it Myself I did! When done I remarked about my success and received this response: “we like to empower people.” Considered me empowered as I await the flight from Houston.

Next stop dinner then on to Santa Fe.

Traveling mercies.

At last! As I type this, I am “sitting in a chair, in the sky”, to quote a well-known comic. Ah, the gift of flight. The gift of travel.  The gift of a traveling friend. I am SO grateful for all of this.

I’d much rather fly in daytime.  I love to gaze out the window, watching the clouds drift by as I try to ascertain just where I am.

Tonight is a night flight.

Flying in the dark does have different scenery – the lights of small and large towns and cities below.  I’m so curious about their names, so I’m generally logged in online so as to map my trek across the country, and thus identify the cluster of lights below. Here’s Little Rock.

I’m arriving a day early.  Given some inconvenient airline schedules, it makes more sense for me to get to Albuquerque this day, so tomorrow evening when Beth arrives we’ll immediately be on our way north… after we stop for dinner at a new favorite place.

I’m arriving late enough that I’m grateful I don’t have to drive any further than a few blocks to my hotel.

Tomorrow brings worship, reunion, shopping, and reunion.

I’ve researched Episcopal churches in Albuquerque and have decided on one in particular.  I’ll let you know about my worship experience later.

Because I’m a day early, I’m able to reunite with the woman with whom I was friends growing up in Denver. When asked what kind of restaurant I prefer, my response was “when I’m in New Mexico all I want to eat is New Mexican food”.  Stay tuned for how this turns out.

And I have errands to do.  I’ve just learned about the women’s march to be held on the day we return home from this Epiphany retreat.  Beth wants to knit “pussy” hats for each of us to wear on our separate flights home, to be in solidarity with those who march.  I was hesitant when I heard this– I’m not really a pink-hat-with-ears type, but I’m told I can choose my own color.  Since that works for me, I’m tasked with getting the necessary yarn for each of us so the hats can be knitted for the flights home. (Stay tuned to learn how that works out for me.) Not requiring pink, my guess is it will be easy for me to find a suitable color for my hat, maybe not so easy to find pink yarn (specifically local to the area, and wool) for Beth.  Not being a knitter, I suspect this yarn shopping could be quite an adventure in itself.

And lastly, tomorrow will be retreat-companion reunion, with travel north.

Traveling mercies.

Retreat is defined as a place of refuge, or seclusion, or to withdraw.

I’ll be doing all of the above in a few days as I journey to Northern New Mexico for my 2nd annual Epiphany retreat.  Beginning in 1995, and continuing for the next twenty years, my best traveling friend and I have spent some part of Advent in New Mexico.

Last year we shifted to retreating during Epiphany in January. A grandboy’s birthday necessitated the shift.  Missing the Advent trip was a sad, sad time last year.  The surprise was realizing the new Epiphany retreat in January was quite possibly better than all the December Advent treks. It’s much quieter in January; you can hear the silence.

Not a fan of change, I would not have thought I’d find the empty Advent days of 2016 transformed into full Epiphany days of 2017.  Now ready for Epiphany 2018, I’m filled with anticipation.  And longing to be on retreat in northern New Mexico once again.

Last year a new coffee spot had opened just a week ahead of our arrival.  We spotted the place as we drove into Taos.  You couldn’t miss it! The Coffee Apothecary.

We quickly became regulars, to say the least. We were on a first-name basis–Lydia and Pablo. A wonderful young couple filled with hope and enthusiasm for their new business.  Now a year later, it will be delightful to be in their midst once again.

Along with retreat will be reunion.

In 1983 my sons went to a camp in the Pecos National Forest outside Santa Fe for a month. This was an effort on my part to instill the “mountains” in my sons’ hearts and souls. We were living in Texas, after all, and so it was necessary they travel beyond state lines.  I chose New Mexico because it was a distance I could drive to pick them up after camp.  My heart and soul needed an annual mountain fix. They continued to attend this camp a month each summer for many years- and yes, I am certain mountains took up residence in their hearts and souls.

When it was time to pick up the boys that first camp year, my dear friend Lynn and I drove from Houston to Santa Fe, allowing several days to enjoy the area before it was time to claim the kids and return home.  On that trip we stayed in a B&B in Chimayó, a small village located about 30 miles north of Santa Fe. La Posada de Chimayó was owned and run by a women from Michigan, who upon returning from service in the Peace Corps, migrated to this remote area of New Mexico and opened up a guest house, as she called it.  She was the first woman in New Mexico to open up such a business.

My friendship with Sue grew over the next two decades of lodging with her, until she shuttered the guest house. We have maintained the friendship, meeting for a meal during each Advent -now Epiphany – retreat. We’ll reunite for a meal on the drive up to Taos.

About the time Sue closed her business, I met Abby.  A potter living outside Taos in an Earthship community, we were introduced by the owner of an Earthship B&B where we were now staying during our December trips. The friendship with Abby has flourished and I am gifted more than words can say as we spend time with her during each trip.

Our lodging for the past eight years as been in a small casa in Taos.  Abby introduced us to Georgia, a local artist who rented out this casa, located just behind her home. Sadly  Georgia died three years ago.  On our last stay not long before she died, we hung out with her in her studio, while talking about illness, death, and decisions – and just how to do all of these difficult things.

Happily Georgia’s daughter manages the casa long distance, so once again we will have our little place just off the Taos plaza where we will relax, rest, and invite Abby for dinner.

There is an additional reunion for me during this Epiphany retreat.  During my adolescent years, I was best friends with a girl who lived just down the street.  We both played the piano and during the summers we competed in talent shows that took place in local neighborhood parks. Our “signature” style was playing duets looking at each other, not the music. We did a good bit of growing up together during those years. We stayed friends for many years, actually living near each other once again in northern California during our early married lives.  Then we lost touch.  Now recently back in touch, and given that she lives in Albuquerque, we shall meet for lunch as I await Beth’s evening arrival.

Delicious is how I describe all the meal reunions I’m anticipating.

Traveling mercies.