Anna (The Old Adobe Church, the Wolf and Survival) and Julie (Transitions and New Beginnings in Truchas, NM) and I decided to get out of town for the day, so we headed down the mountain to Taos, just one hour away.
Mainly, I needed to drop something off at UPS—an old reel to reel demo tape from when I used to sing. I found a company in Maine, of all places, that can convert the old format to a CD. I haven’t heard it for decades, so I’m looking forward to getting it back (4 to 6 weeks turn around time). When I do, you know I’ll be sharing it on the blog.
Anyway, whenever we get off the mountain we seem to make it a mini-vacation and this day was no exception. We had lunch at The Trading Post Cafe, just up the hill from the famous Saint Francis de Assisi Church, which was painted numerous times by Georgia O’Keeffe and photographed by Ansel Adams, to name just a bit of its art history. The restaurant itself is housed in an historic Trading Post building. The food was great and set the tone for a fun day in Taos.
After lunch we headed over to Taos Blue Gallery to deliver some of Bill Loyd’s wonderful bells (The Farmer’s Mantra).
And then we were free to wander. We started at the John Dunn House Shops, situated along a peaceful pedestrian walkway joining the historic Taos Plaza and Bent Street.
First we checked out the lovely fabric store, Common Thread, Uncommon Fabrics. They carry beautiful textiles: Tribal, hand-woven, antique and new.
Then on to The Yarn Shop which offers many yarns and fibers made from local New Mexican alpaca and sheep ranches, professionally spun by local spinners. Some gorgeous stuff!
And no visit to the John Dunn Shops would be complete without stopping at Steppin’ Out, a wonderful shoe and boot store for both men and women. Along with many accessories, including sumptuous hand bags, scarves and jewelry, they have recently added a large selection of women’s clothing.
We left Bent Street and headed over to the historic Taos Plaza. We were on a mission to see the UpCycled Fashion Shop at the north end of the plaza (UpCycled Fashion: Cutting Edge Clothing With a Conscience).
We heard some great bluegrass on the way and had fun looking at the one-of-a-kind fashions designed and made by our Penasco friends.
And, finally, we stopped at Pieces Consignment Store on our way out of town, to both drop off some items and do a little shopping. They have lots of good stuff that perfectly fits our artist budgets.
And then we were back on the High Road, headed up the mountain, back home to Truchas, with promises of another trip to Taos soon.
Love to you all,
Jeane
my kind of day!! thanks for the walk through…love pieces, and looking forward to upcycled…thanks.
Thank you! So nice to have you along on the journey.
Wow woman, you are the piece de resistance at pulling us all (well I assume all react the way I do to your posts lol…am I a bit vain or just recognize good pr when I see it:) in to the reality of being in the places you are standing. I MUST SEE THESE THINGS IN PERSON. I look forward to hearing your voice of years ago sing…I am sure it is lovely…you are a gifted artist in all you do…and your standards are the highest of I reckon ANYONE I have known.The first thing that hit me personally like a board dart was that as a child the Catholic church I went to many times weekly was also Saint Francis of Assisi – in the tiny town of Cashmere Washington – rather awesome to have that be the same saint of a church painted many times by Georgia:) I adore the upscale designer apparel stores, and can feel my eyes and ego coveting the products and my hands pouring over the fabrics and yarns colors make my senses go on overload with glee, but my FAVORITE was the recycled items store…I am a rag picker at heart and cherish the process of making things old – new again:)
When was this trip taken…it is so bright and warm looking….I will have to Google your weather to see if it is possible the weather is so warm and lovely today…the snow is gone? awwwwwwwwww. I think winter is not over yet:) Here is it to be up to 50 and the sun is shining – fooling the plants into thinking spring is close at hand.
XOXOX
Grace
Oh, I’m so glad you get in the spirit of these little romps we take! That makes them all the more fun. You’re making me realize I should do a post about St. Francis de Assisi. Soon. Maybe my next trip to Taos.
We took this trip in late December but, yes, the snow is mostly gone now and it’s 45 degrees today up here at 8500 feet. Snow is expected by the end of the week and I sure hope it comes.