the enchanted circle

a few days ago i drove from glorieta north to red river. on the way i decided to dedicate a little time to one of america's great artists: georgia o'keefe. she lived much of her life in the middle of the land which inspired her, in a tiny town called abiquiu (which rhymes with barbeque). it's nothing more than a dusty town with a pint-sized public library and a classic, late 19th century spanish mission, which still functions as a church. the padre gave me directions. abiquiu is also known for its cliffs, at left from a distance. o'keefe painted these: look at her depiction here. they were much more exciting and filled with color in person, particularly up close. by the time i was done driving down the mountain above abiquiu, it was time for me to make time. so i passed quickly through espanola (sorry, no accent), taos and questa on my way to red river. it was a beautiful drive, though: first alongside the rio grande and then through the plateaus and mountains of northern new mexico.

now, for those of you who do not already know this, rr means a lot to me. my grandmother lived and worked in the tiny town of about 700, and i loved visiting her. it was rafting or horseback riding in summer, skiing in winter. while she no longer lives there, a cousin of mine was gracious enough to let me stay in their house in town (thanks gail!). this town is about a mile long and about a 1/4 mile wide. and as i later learned, much of it used to be essentially a bog back in the 30s. it was founded in the 19th century as a gold mining town, but all of the machines were taken off as scrap metal during wwii, which wasn't that big of a loss since not that much gold was ever found. it has since developed into a tourist town, catering to wealthy texans and families who enjoy the outdoors.
the next day i spent shopping and wandering around town, as well as driving to another even smaller town on the enchanted circle (a series of small towns connected by highways forming a circle in northern new mexico). eagle next is smaller than handkerchief sized, and unlike red river sits in the middle of a plateau between mountains next to a beautiful lake. that's it to the left. nonetheless, i found a little cafe where i could get a cup of coffee, since by now it was the middle of the afternoon and my naptime. i sat and read, enjoying the summer weather. there were fewer people here, so it was a little more relaxing, though the coffee was extremely weak. the above road sign i thought was hilarious, and also apt--by far most of the tourists who come to this part of new mexico are from texas, trying to escape the summer heat, or because it's the closest ski range for many texans.anyway, i returned to red river and ate dinner at sundance, still the best restaurant in town. after dinner i returned to the kirkpatrick house, and i should note here that i had been meeting people all day who knew both my grandmother and cousins. but i think the most interesting character i met in rr was my neighbor, who calls himself happy hal. he lives most of the year in wichita falls, where he is still involved in the drilling of oil and gas at the age of 88. he lives in the house to the left, the oldest in town, dating to the 1870s; it's on the national historic register. every evening, so far as i can tell, he sits on his porch waiting for people to come visit him. i went over after dinner, joining a couple who were already there. funny story--they own a sporting goods place in town (the sitzmark), and not only is george's mother from germany, so i got to speak a little german, but his nephew was in my graduating class at baylor, and i actually knew who he was. what a small, small world. hal told me much of the history of red river i repeated above, and i had a blast talking to him. i stayed there about an hour and a half, listening to his stories and telling a few of my own. for the record, he reads shakespeare for fun. it was a great way to end a wonderful day in a beautiful part of the country. thanks, hal, for keeping me company.