The countryside around Taos is fantabulous but hard to photograph because while there are not a lot of roads, the ones that are there are used. A lot. Fortunately, i discovered where the emergency flasher on the car was the prior day. There is adobe for days here both in standard build forms and more DIY varieties. It does make for an impressive edifice for larger homes.
My morning started with being thwarted with a visit to the Taos Pueblo. When i got there, a kid at the gate said it was closed and did not know if it would open the next day. There is a biiiig festival there on 9/30 and i would imagine they are getting ready for that. It also rained over the evening and i bet it was also pretty messy, what with it being made from adobe and dirt roads.
My next stop was to an old church from 1803. Because it was a sunday, when i got there, the church was in session and folks were coming and going. I returned later and when i did, i saw the picture above. A lady sat in the small courtyard and told me to come over and sit down with her. She went over some of the history of the church including her memories of wiping down the wet adobe with sheepskin which had to be dunked into water and then twisted just so. They no longer use sheepskin to pat down the adobe which needs constant care. As she went on with the scripted story, i would ask great imponderable questions like, “how thick are the walls?” which interrupted the flow of the spiel which would be mentally backed up a few sentences and then begun anew.
i untangled from our conversation by saying i enjoyed it greatly but also wanted to see the inside of the church. She said she understood and that perhaps when i left i could offer her some money because she was unemployed.
Inside, I said a prayer or two, left and gave her some money and continued on my way.
The Big World 