Fall

I just love the fall, especially here in Taos! On Saturday, while Jake was cutting up his deer in the garage, I dragged the kids (they were really into petting the deer head...gross) to the annual Trade Fair at the Martinez Hacienda. It really is like a step back in time walking around the beautiful autumn grounds of this old adobe fortress. There were mountain men re-enactments, vendors, and entertainment. Sage loved watching the Spanish dancers because of their frilly dresses with the big skirts—I looked into getting her into classes, but unfortunately the dance troupe was out of Sante Fe. Too bad. We got fresh bread from the kiva again this year. The ladies from the Pueblo who baked it were super nice. They said to look them up on the San Geronimo Feast Day later this month, and they would feed us. Anyway, it was a fun way to pass the time while Jacob was carving away. I took this picture just because I liked that guy’s hat.
So Jacob was able to shoot a buck with his bow this year. He got it on his last day of hunting. For a full and incredibly intense account of his hunt, go to the hunting blog, www.moscowhunting.blogspot.com. We are all very happy for him.

The town had a “Touch-A-Truck” event a week or so ago. They had all sorts of vehicles: fire trucks, police cars, construction trucks, garbage trucks, tractors, even a Zamboni. The kids could climb in and honk the horns. You can imagine how my super sensitive kids enjoyed it. I think the picture pretty much says it. Yeah, we weren’t there for too long.

Earlier that morning, I did take the kids over to the Harwood Museum for these African dance and drumming workshops that they’re doing this month. It was hilarious to watch Sage AND Keiger learning the harvest dance. These kids can move!
I’ve got the canning bug. We went to the raspberry ranch last week and picked a ton of raspberries so I made a bunch of jam and froze the rest. I’ve been going to the Farmer’s Market to get a handle on prices so now I’m just waiting for our tomatoes in the garden to ripen enough to can salsa. I think we’ll tackle applesauce this week. I’m reading this book by Christ Stewart called “Driving Over Lemons.” It is the story of how he and his wife moved to this remote farm in the mountains of Spain. I am so enjoying it because it is very engaging and humorous in a friendly way, but mostly because it feels so much like northern New Mexico. Things aren’t nearly as primitive here as the way they live in this Spanish farming valley, but the people he describes and the way they act are so similar to here. I never thought I would like reading about acequias so much either. It has been a fun read.
And last of all, I guess it’s never too cold to run through the sprinklers. My kids still love it!