2008 Blogs

Thanksgiving Day

11/27/2008

I'm writing from Santa Fe on a rainy Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday was absolutely lovely--puffy white clouds, blue skies, sunshine, and just perfect for an outing to Bandelier National Monument, San Ildefonso Pueblo, and Los Alamos.

I miss being with my family for the holiday, but long before I knew I would be spending half of the year in Vietnam and China, I made plans to interview some people in Albuquerque, then to travel here with my friend Deb. Being in New Mexico is especially meaningful this year because a very dear friend passed away last June, and I have been able to visit a few of the places here that were meaningful to her.

The scenery on the drive to the park was spectacular, and the hike in Frijoles Canyon was invigorating--the air was crisp and clean. Cliffs surrounding the canyon are very porous because they were formed by eruptions of the Jemez Volcano more than one million years ago. The canyon's pink rock has a Swiss cheese appearance, and the Ancestral Pueblo people who cultivated corn here circa 1200 AD used tools to enlarge the natural openings. You can see me climbing up one of the ladders to peek into a small cave. Due to my discomfort with heights, I did not join Deb on the 140 foot climb up to the Alcove House, but I wish I could have!

After leaving Bandelier, we drove through the Los Alamos National Laboratory to Los Alamos, "the town that never existed." At the Ray Bradbury Science Museum we viewed a short film about how the town came into existence in 1943. The government chose this site, which was occupied by a ranch school for boys. It closed to make way for the project. People who lived there all shared the same address: Post Office Box 1663. In fact, PO Box 1663 was given as the birthplace on the birth certificate for children born there during that time.

Our next stop was the San Ildefonso Pueblo, the home to potter Maria Martinez (1887-1980), who was known for her black ware pottery. My friend Carole was friends with Adam and Santana, and her time with them at the pueblo had a significant impact on her life. I wish I could have come here with her, but at least I was able to visit the tree that was very special to her and to visit Sunbeam's pottery shop (which features the work of Barbara Gonzales, one of Maria's descendants, and her family). I really enjoyed talking with her husband, who remembered Carole.

New Mexico truly is "the land of enchantment."

And now, for an update on the Vietnamese visa...I'm happy to report that I now have the correct visa approval code, and can proceed with the visa application process. I know that the next month is going to speed by quickly as I finish preparations for my trip.