New Mexico again

We arrived in New Mexico yesterday afternoon. My sister Dee lives in Dixon, between Santa Fe and Taos, on the low road to Taos. She is a wonderful hostess and has four dwellings on her nine acres, plus a teepee, so there are plenty of places to stay. We are staying in what she calls the "little house," which seems almost castle like to us after more than 21 nights in the true "little house"--our casita.

Dee has a giant garden and tonight we had a harvest dinner largely reaped from the bountiful garden. The corn was so marvelous...picked right before we ate it. Heavenly.

Dee's beloved Carlos and my beloved Jim, at a distance, in the garden.

Dixon is a little village where a lot of artists live. One of my favorites is a ceramicist and glass artist named Shel Neymark. http://www.shelneymark.com/

Dixon's library won a national award this year and Shel and other folks went to the White House to receive it from Michelle Obama. Saturday, there was a big party to celebrate the award and the library. Shel was instrumental in getting the library established and sister Dee was a major supporter all along the journey. 

http://embudovalleylibrary.org/News/single_post/we-are-a-winner-of-the-2015-national-medal-for-museum-and-library-service

Part of Saturday's celebration was the unveiling of a ceramic mural done by Shel and some young helpers that portrays the Embudo Valley, Dixon's geographic home. Like all of Shel's work, it is inspiring and remarkable. These pictures don't do it justice, but I am so impressed with it.

This is a shot of the entire mural. 

Numbers in the piece refer to the detailed pictures of important landmarks in the area.

A closer shot of some of the landmarks.

The mural has been installed on the side of the Dixon Coop, next to the new library. It will be completed with a colored plaster fill. 

Jim and I stopped here three weeks ago on our way to Colorado and are happy to have the opportunity to visit again for a few days. After this, we will be heading back home, hot or not, though I'm hearing that perhaps the worst is over. I recognize this could be wishful thinking.

Keep it cool!