Trees on the hillside are silhouetted against the last light. We're past the equinox and seem to be rushing toward the equinox. Winter's coming, and that's okay.
We went up to Mancos a week ago, partly to meet the renters and check on the house, partly to get our aspen and snowy mountains fix. We went eastward over Emery Pass (lovely view across the Rio Grande Valley) and on up I-25 and U.S. 550 to Farmington, where we pigged out on "big city" stuff ... Outback and a movie in the multiplex. The late afternoon sunlight across Kutz Canyon and Angel Peak was beautiful with the storm clouds beyond.
Saturday we got a leisurely start and went up the La Plata Highway and then up La Plata Canyon. It was great to see the (freshly) snowy peaks above the tilled fields in the Breen area. When we got up to Hesperus, there was a biker riding up the road into the canyon ahead of us. Beautiful sunny morning in the fresh snow on the road, golden aspen leaves, dark conifers and snowy peaks under the blue sky. Okay, got THAT fix taken care of!
We lunched at the Kennebec Café, one of our favorite eateries in the area, before going on to Mancos. Sunday we went to meeting with Durango Friends and enjoyed (as always!) a Friends potluck with Friends old and new.
Mancos was actually kind of cold and chilly, but it was still good to look around, have supper at Arborena and then at Millwood Junction, plus breakfasts at the Bakery and coffee at Fahrenheit ... and to see numerous friends. The cemetery south of town, Cedar Grove, is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the Mancos Valley, as the deer will attest.
Anyway, we got back okay. Had to have a thermostat replaced in Mancos (Thank God for Gary M.!) and got a late start on the return, so we spent a night in Springerville, AZ, then finished the trip through Alpine and Luna, NM, the next morning.
We did a show at the American Legion Hall in Silver City last Saturday; got to offer some new local shots and some holiday cards, all of which were well-received. FeVa Fotos is beginning to get a presence in the area. Sandy is in a red sweater, standing in our booth under the MIA banner.
And, yes, we have fun, too! The top picture is of the Hi Lo Silvers, a community choral group that does several concerts annually. This one was Sunday afternoon at the Presbyterian Church.
We're getting some pictures ready for a Mimbres Region Arts Council show and getting more holiday cards ready; we have at least one more show ahead before Christmas.
I've been active in Gila Friends Meeting, opening the meeting place some Sundays and serving on the Ministry and Oversight Committee. I'm getting ready now to go to the Friends Committee on National Legislation annual meeting in Washington, D.C. I've decided to drive, so it will take a while.
I'm looking forward to being with Noi and Lucas and Aiden and Nola Jane on Halloween; that should be a hoot! Driving will also enable me to stop by the Great Dismal Swamp in SE Virginia.
What? That's not one of your top tourist destinations? Well, my great-great-great-grandfather Drayton Mills Curtis lived there 200 years ago and I'm looking forward to seeing the place where he walked and breathed. tv
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