Images From Santa Fe

The Commons on the Alameda

Our time in Santa Fe has been made most enjoyable and interesting by the wonderful people that we're meeting. Our current visit to The Commons on the Alameda (an adobe-style cohousing community located within the city limits of Santa Fe) is just one example of how hospitable and gracious people in "The City Different" can be.  

Arriving for dinner last night, we were welcomed with open arms by numerous Commons residents, and we were immediately struck by the positive energy and openness of so many of the people who were present for the community meal which occurs twice per week. Vegans and omnivores alike were happy with the evening's delicious culinary offerings served family style, and there was a great deal of lively conversation around the half-dozen tables laden with dishes and food. 

We were very pleased and heartened to learn that the community has championed a green lifestyle, with the common house being 100% fragrance-free in order to accommodate residents with chemical sensitivities. Using zero-VOC paints and fragrance-free/eco-friendly cleaning and lawn products, the community strives to walk its talk vis-a-vis living a sustainable and green lifestyle (including rain-water catchment, solar energy and some aspects of permaculture), and no one is allowed to use fragranced dryer sheets or other products that might have deleterious health effects. Guests must also adhere to the fragrance-free rule, something that is, of course, second nature to these two canaries living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Mary was twice moved to tears by this amazing awareness and active accommodation of the chemically injured. This aspect of life at The Commons was championed by an environmental health physician who lives here in the community and has dedicated herself to making sure that The Commons be an oasis for the chemically injured as well as a healthy and sustainable community for all. 

Unlike a number of communities we have visited, we were invited into several members' homes within hours of our arrival. After dinner, we viewed a casita that will be available for rent from May through October, and were also invited into the home of Alice Kahn, a very famous psychotherapist who was the co-author of The G-Spot, a ground-breaking book published in 1982. 

This morning we were invited for a delicious breakfast of homemade organic scones and coffee at the lovely home of our hosts here at The Commons, further cementing in our minds the graciousness and kindness that seems part and parcel of life here. When we returned to our rig at the end of day, there was a note taped to our door inviting us for popcorn and a warm fire, an invitation which we delightedly accepted without hesitation while Tina was cared for by a young neighbor across the way. 

Although The Commons is somewhat urban, with the obvious hum of nearby traffic at rush hour, it offers a pedestrian village environment coupled with charming people who live an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. The river bordering the community offers trails for hiking and biking, and The Commons collaborates with a neighboring cohousing community for gardening and a goat-milking cooperative. The fact that The Commons can achieve this here in the center of Santa Fe is both heartening and encouraging, and whether we rent a casita temporarily or not, it paints a picture of what we are looking for. Visiting here breaths renewed life into our search, allowing us yet another glimpse of how community can be done so very well. The hospitality and graciousness of the residents of The Commons is unparalleled in comparison to any of the other seventeen communities we have visited (with the exception of Common Ground in Lexington, Virginia). 

Our interest in cohousing has been minimal so far since we had made some assumptions about this form of intentional community from previous experiences, but The Commons demonstrates that cohousing can offer a vibrant and robust shared way of life. This community in particular has organized itself so that many residents have small casitas attached to their homes which are frequently available as rentals, meaning that individuals or families without the interest or means to purchase a home can still be a part of the community. This appeals to us greatly and changes our view of the cohousing model in general, opening our eyes to the many possibilities that it engenders. 


In our perfect world, The Commons would be about five or ten miles outside of town, allowing for a more rural feel and less traffic and congestion. However, even though it might be considered an "urban" community, The Commons borders a small river and there are several small farms nearby with horses, gardens and open space. Santa Fe is a capital city whose edges merge with the countryside in surprising ways, and despite the traffic on the major thoroughfares through town, it is a very simple thing to drive out of town into rural areas in a matter of minutes. 

We offer our sincerest gratitude to the folks of The Commons on the Alameda, and it seems that we may need to return in order to further explore the potential for relationship with the incredibly giving and generous members of this very special corner of Santa Fe. 

More on Santa Fe Soon

We are still in Santa Fe, meeting wonderful people and connecting with various friends and acquaintances along the way. Please stay tuned for photos and stories over the next few days!

Leaving Las Vegas and Arriving Santa Fe

Life in Las Vegas, New Mexico treated us very well. Yesterday, the kids got to stay home from school after seven inches of heavy snow fell throughout the night from Sunday to Monday. We all reveled in the joys of a snow day, with pancakes for breakfast, a snowball fight, and an afternoon movie followed by a walk down the snowy and muddy road with the horses in tow.

Today we (somewhat reluctantly) took our leave of Las Vegas after seven days and nights on the Ruge Ranch. It was a glorious week of horses, hot tubs, nature, fun, and relaxation in the country. Not driving at all for seven days was like heaven, the rig sitting quietly in the driveway like a forlorn beast of burden. Our dear friends treated us like family, and our time on the ranch was restful and healing in many ways, and for this we are so very grateful.

Driving through the mud and snow this morning, Mary handled the rig like a pro as we fishtailed our way up and down the curvy country roads. Once on the highway, we made good time to Santa Fe where we had a RV technician look at our malfunctioning refrigerator and furnace. Magically, both appliances are now working like a charm, and we drove away grateful that no costly repairs were needed.

Downtown Santa Fe was bustling with tourists and locals alike this afternoon, with many people in t-shirts soaking up the sun despite temperatures in the upper 40s and lower 50s. We wandered through the central plaza, observed the local Native American merchants selling their wares, and ducked into the library to buy a few one dollar novels for the road. Speaking to one of the librarians, I learned that the library once served as the city jail, and I also learned that New Mexico has one of the highest rates of food insecurity and child hunger in the country. The irony was not lost on me as I observed wealthy tourists emerge from high end shops with expensive trinkets whose value could purchase school lunches for entire classrooms.

At any rate, coming to the city after a week in the country is indeed somewhat shocking. After not having heard a vehicle for a week, the hustle and bustle and exhaust of the urban landscape is a notable change. However, as always we are grateful for friends and connections who consistently make our trip so special. We are now parked in front of an old friend's house just outside of the center of town, and a number of other friends and acquaintances who we plan to see will certainly help to make our visit here interesting and fun.

Leaving Las Vegas was definitely difficult to do after such a dreamy week of rural luxury, but we have many more places to go and people to see, and we are certainly gathering no moss as we continue to roll along our merry way.

A Snow Day in Las Vegas, New Mexico

A Tina Update From the Road

Tina, our intrepid Australian Cattle Dog, will turn fifteen on April Fool's Day, and we want to pause to reflect on what a good traveler she truly is.

Tina has been with us since Mary found her on the streets of Holyoke, Massachusetts more than fourteen years ago, and despite two knee surgeries, her gradual loss of hearing and her diminishing eyesight, Tina still shows an enormous amount of joie de vivre and desire for adventure (and Olympic-length naps!).

Supremely adaptable, Tina has (relatively successfully) cohabited during our nineteen weeks of travel with many dogs, a number of cats, goats, horses and chickens, as well as a flurry of new human friends. We frequently find ourselves in new environments, and Tina seems to have a knack for finding interesting smells and comfy places to snooze.

Tina always wants to know what's going on, and she has become keenly attuned to the sounds of our vehicle and our patterns of behavior and movement within it. When we get in the cab and turn on the engine, Tina knows well that it's time to be moving on, and she readily assumes her position between our bucket seats (and more likely than not, is usually asleep within a few minutes of lift-off). Interestingly, due to her understanding that the rumble of the engine is equated with movement, Tina reacts similarly to the sound of our generator, and when we switch it on for any period of time, she will often move to the cab, mistaking the vibration of the generator for the engine.

While we have tried to help Tina to see our rig as both our vehicle and our home, she still is not terribly comfortable being left alone for any length of time, and wails and yelps of furious abandonment frequently emanate from the rig on the rare occasions that we do indeed leave her alone. This is somewhat inconvenient for us and gives us pause when we arrive at a destination that's not canine-friendly, and we do our best to assuage her fears with lots of treats and a few Benadryls to calm her frantic nerves. However, sometimes even if we both simply get out to pump gas or check the tire pressure, she is known to have a mini-freak out.

Over all, Tina continues to be a great travel companion despite her fears of abandonment, and it's her adaptability and consistently affectionate nature that make her such a wonderful animal companion. Despite her adaptability, we observe that Tina is most content when we are staying in a house, reminding us that it will eventually be in her best interest (and ours) to land ourselves in a situation where she can have the comforts of home and enter into her retirement years with grace and ease.

For those of you new to this blog or who just want to do a "Tina travel review", simply click here to see all of our blog posts labeled "Tina", and you will delight in photos, stories and videos, all of which focus on the lovable and sleek grey-blue dog that has come along---willingly or unwillingly---for our excellent adventure.

Reflections at Nineteen Weeks

As we pause for a six-day respite here in Las Vegas, New Mexico on the occasion of our nineteen-week anniversary of leaving New England, we are surrounded by natural beauty and reminded of just how lucky we are to be doing what we're doing. Having this beautiful and comfortable home to ourselves is a luxury, and having two horses and an extra dog to care for and spend time with makes it even more special and memorable.

This morning, I got out of bed around 7:15, roused by Zia the Dog, who walked up to the bed and unceremoniously rested his wet nose inches from mine. By this time, the horses had made their way over to the gate adjacent to the sunroom near the kitchen---they were apparently peering into the house in an effort to discern if we were indeed coming to feed them. Lucky for them, I was already dressed, and having fed Zia, I walked directly to the barn, scattering their ration of hay in two separate piles, and giving the Arabian his extra bucket of grain to munch. After cleaning the stalls and cracking the ice in the water trough, I left them to their own devices and went inside for breakfast with Mary. Soon after, we finished the morning routine by filling the myriad bird feeders in the yard, the lucky winged ones feasting on corn, sunflower seeds and homemade suet made from peanut butter, flour, lard and corn meal.

At this resting place in Central New Mexico, we're reaching out to intentional communities in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas in order to make connections and to see what communities are open to visitors and prospective members. There are a number of New Mexican intentional communities that are intriguing to us, and we hope to arrange a few visits over the weeks to come. New Mexico is feeling more and more comfortable, and we feel that the state is indeed high on our list of potential places to make a new life. 

Next week in Santa Fe, we'll stay with a high school friend of mine and will also visit other friends and acquaintances who live in and around the city, one of whom is a new friend we met recently while visiting Hummingbird Community. We hope to attend a Laughter Yoga session, meet like-minded people, visit the food coop, and possibly make a day trip to Ojo Caliente, a natural spa just an hour to the north. And while we were indeed beguiled by the beauty and friendliness of Taos, the economic situation and milder weather in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque do indeed give us pause. Taos is lovely, but the rough winters, low wages and high cost of living are factors to consider in the bigger picture. Still, it's a nice place to visit.......

Staying in this lovely home, I'm reminded that we both do want to eventually have a place to call our own. Having recently sold a house and most of our possessions, we are loathe to buy yet another house and begin the process of accumulating things all over again. Rather, we would prefer to build a life within the structure of intentional community if we can, preferring to employ simplicity and the need for less as a general modus operandi. Give us our rig, perhaps access to a common house, kitchen and bath facilities, and the camaraderie of life in community, and maybe there's a way for us to create a life that's simple, sustainable, economically viable, and satisfying. 

We do not see intentional community as a panacea. Community life takes work, organization and open-hearted communication. It also takes commitment and sacrifice for the good of the whole. Our hope is that there is a community out there where we will be a welcome addition, and where we can offer our skills and gifts as willing participants in an ongoing social experiment in sustainability and conscious living. 

So, as the sun continues its arc along the wide open blue New Mexican sky, I ponder what the future might hold, I feel grateful for the present moment, and I look back on our past without regret. Nineteen weeks is a long time to be on the road with so much uncertainty in the air, but nineteen weeks is also long enough to begin to get a sense of what we want and where we're going, even if both of those questions remain partially unanswered. 

---Keith

Las Vegas, Continued

Well, our days in Las Vegas are just marvelous, and we are so thoroughly enjoying our time here. Our hosts are now on a ski trip in Flagstaff, so we're holding down the fort, taking care of the animals, and reveling in having space to stretch out, relax, and take care of business at the same time.

Here's a photo from the road approaching our current temporary homestead......

And here's a shot of the homestead itself......

Lucky for us, our 13-year-old friend Teslin led us on a gentle "pony ride" yesterday on Morgan, a Palomino Halfling of sweet disposition......

Here's Chris, Keith's former boss, who is a gifted Nurse Practitioner, father, host, husband and rancher....

Some neighbor horses who wait at the fence for handouts every day........

Keith in the hot tub....

And a beautiful sunset photo by Mary....

We have many photos and videos to share, but internet connectivity being what it is, the videos may have to wait a while. Still, we hope these first few pics give you a good sense of where we are, what we're up to, and just how lucky we are to be here.

Viva Las Vegas---the Original Las Vegas

Leaving Hummingbird Community after a brief but enlightening 48 hours, we drove through the rolling hills to the small city of Las Vegas (population ~15,000) which is situated in San Miguel County, approximately 65 miles due east of Santa Fe. Las Vegas was established in 1835 by a group of settlers issued a land grant by the Mexican government, whereas the other Las Vegas over in Nevada (where, some say, the sins of the American culture run rampant) was established in 1905. 

In the late 1800's, the New Mexican Las Vegas was host to many notorious Old West legends including Doc Holliday, Jesse James and Billy the Kid, but in recent years things have been much tamer. However, San Miguel County's literacy rate is ominously low at somewhere around 50%, and economic disparities are quite strikingly evident wherever one cares to look. 

Be that as it may, we are now happily ensconced approximately 12 miles outside of town on the 14-acre ranch of our dear friends Annie, Chris, Cassidy and Teslin Ruge. Chris was Keith's boss for a number of years back in Western Massachusetts, and even Mary was employed by him as a consultant for a brief transitional time (and what a time it was!). The Ruges themselves left Western Mass several years ago and traveled North America for 12 months in a truck towing a pop-up camper, eventually settling here in Las Vegas. Avid birders all, their blog is an excellent read resplendent with beautiful photographs of birds, flora, fauna and adventure. 

The ranch is a lovely spot down a very long gravel road, far removed from the main road which lays comfortably beyond the hills. Large and picturesque mountains can be viewed from most any vantage point on the land, and two horses, one dog, and countless birds populate the land which is like a self-contained wildlife sanctuary. With a hot tub, satellite internet, a woodstove, a deep well producing abundant and delicious water, and plenty of food and comfortable furniture, it's a heavenly country retreat for the three of us! 

Tomorrow, our kind and generous hosts leave for a long weekend of late winter skiing in Flagstaff, and we will feed and water the horses and dog and otherwise tend to the house in their absence. It is very much a win-win situation for all, and we are exceptionally grateful for this opportunity to have a house and 14 acres to ourselves, with nowhere to go and comparably little to do other than feed and water three dependent creatures (plus ourselves, of course!) and luxuriate in the lap of rural luxury.

On Monday, we will head to Santa Fe, have our broken furnace repaired, and avail ourselves of friends and acquaintances in and around that fair city.  

Meanwhile, we will try to post photos as we are able, and send you all our hearty and happy greetings from the original American Las Vegas! 

Images From Hummingbird Community

Solar laundry room

Solar panels

Garden and dance/art studio

Garden gate

Geodesic "Grow Dome"

Rushing stream

The Kindness of Strangers

Here at Hummingbird Community, we've had a very good day of connecting with members and learning about the community in greater detail. Attending a community meeting, we were able to converse freely with a group of kind souls who have varying degrees of commitment and connection to the land and the Hummingbird mission, and we were invited to facilitate three short segments of Laughter Yoga at the beginning, middle and end of the meeting, all of which were quite well received. Fully engaged in the meeting as participants, we were also able to observe and experience how the people of Hummingbird attempt to "walk their talk" when it comes to being a center for spiritual practice, non-violent communication and conscious co-creation, and what we observed was indeed impressive and inspiring.

Hummingbird serves as a retreat center, intentional community, and a hub of activity centered on clear communication and spiritual practice as it relates to every day life in intentional community. A great deal of skill and conscious intention is obviously at play at Hummingbird, and there is no doubt that very special work is afoot here in the rural mountains of New Mexico. From permaculture to renewable energy to highly honed skills of communication, Hummingbird is a special place with a great deal to offer those who choose to visit here. Stay tuned for photos when our internet connection is stronger! 

This evening, as the sun began to go down, we discovered to our dismay that our rig's furnace is blowing only cold air, and with the temperature forecast to drop to 25 degrees accompanied by wind gusts of up to 50 mph, there is no way that we could stay in the rig tonight without significant discomfort. Luckily, despite a "no dog policy" for all buildings at Hummingbird, we have been invited to sleep inside one of the group houses here, and Tina will sleep in front of the woodstove in her own cozy dog bed. 

Tomorrow we will head another 40 miles south to Las Vegas, New Mexico to visit old friends who will also put us up in their guest room. On Thursday, we will be left in charge of their home, 17 acres of land, one hot tub, two horses and one dog when they drive off to Flagstaff for a long weekend of skiing, so we are lucky travelers indeed. 

While I am vexed about the furnace and am gritting my teeth about having to pay yet another RV tech to diagnose and repair yet another potentially expensive mechanical problem, I am grateful for the kindness of strangers here at Hummingbird, strangers who would eagerly house us and our funny little dog after having known us for less than a day. The journey's twists and turns are at once exciting and maddening, and I continue to do my best to roll with the punches and accept each new situation and circumstance at face value. Broken furnace? Oh well. New tires? Not surprising. It's all apparently still par for the course, and we just continue to come along for what is consistently a surprising ride and an admittedly excellent adventure. 

---Keith

Goodbye to Taos, Hello to Hummingbird

Yesterday we pulled up stakes, left the comfort and familiarity of Taos, and launched a new leg of our journey. Passing back through the Sangre de Cristo mountains, we revisited the grand vistas and snow-covered mountain passes that we drove through on our way to Taos several weeks ago, and it was lovely to see those sights again.

Our stay in Taos was made most wonderful and delightful by being in the home of our son and daughter-in-law, enjoying their company, cooking for them, and sharing life together for a good stretch of time. For those of you who have been following our recent posts, we also had the opportunity to connect with old friends from Western Massachusetts, soak in hot springs, attend a party, explore the natural beauty of the area, and generally get a taste of life in the Taos valley. While the high altitude, cold winter and difficult economic circumstances of Taos do indeed give us pause, Taos is still the first place where we could actually envision creating a new life for ourselves. With more miles to travel and more communities to visit, we keep our feelings for Taos in our back pocket, and continue on our merry way of discovery. 

After crossing the mountains, we arrived to the Hummingbird Community, located in Cleveland, New Mexico. Our arrival was graced with a full rainbow laying low across the late afternoon sky.

We were welcomed by one of the members of the community who joined us in our rig for tea, and we spent the rest of the evening listening to the sounds of rain and sleet pounding on the roof of our rig during the course of the evening. Poor Tina is very frightened of rain and thunder, but a Benadryl at 1am helped her to relax, and she spent the remainder of the night under my sleeping bag. 

As the sun comes out this morning, the snow and ice begins to melt, the mud deepens, and we look forward to a day of exploring Hummingbird and attending a community meeting this afternoon. 

The journey continues. 

Hot Water and The Rio Grande

Today our dear friends Pam and Bruce brought us on a sensational hike down into the Rio Grande Gorge, the goal being a soak in the natural hot springs nestled along the banks of the river. With the wind whipping across the mesa, we wore warm hats and many layers, but the New Mexican sun and the exertion of the hike warmed our bones as we descended into the gorge.

The two natural hot springs (probably ~99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) are situated right along the bank of the rushing Rio Grande, and after a brief soak, we each took a turn dipping our bodies into the freezing water, returning to the hot spring to feel the tingly numbness and rush of sensations as our bodies again acclimated to the dramatic difference in temperature.

Along the walls of the gorge high above the surface of the water, the remains of an old stage coach road can still be seen switch-backing along the steep incline. Stage coaches used to bring riders from Santa Fe so that they could soak in the healing waters of the natural springs. Our friends also told us that these springs are where a scene in "Easy Rider" was filmed.

Leaving the gorge after fortifying ourselves with fruit, nuts and dark organic chocolate, we returned to our car where three men and two young children were doing target practice with a .22-gauge rifle and a shotgun. Texan that she is, Mary sauntered over and asked if she could take a turn with the .22, and after only a few tries, she hit a beer can at 50 feet. She's her father's daughter, after all. Keith had a try with the shotgun but didn't manage to hit much of anything, which might be expected from a middle-aged nurse with bilateral astigmatism. At least he didn't shoot anyone.





At any rate, while the natural beauty and friendly people of Taos continue to beguile us (even though we're each taking turns being sick for the last 2 weeks), on Sunday we head to Mora, New Mexico to visit Hummingbird, an intentional community that we have heard a great deal about. After Hummingbird, we'll visit friends in Las Vegas, New Mexico before heading to the Santa Fe area.

Stay tuned for further adventures from the road, and greetings to all from magical Taos.

Portrait of a Tumbleweed

The other day, while walking down the dirt road here on the mesa at sunset, I came across a tumbleweed that had ensconced itself in the middle of the road. After my walk, it was still there despite the heavy winds, so I gingerly picked it up and carried it home for a photo shoot on the roof of the car with the setting sun behind......Looking at it, I wondered about where it had been, where it would go next, and what stories it could tell about its travels.

On The Road to Pilar.....

Driving along a sunny New Mexican road which runs parallel to the Rio Grande Gorge, we spied a dirt road marked by Tibetan prayer flags and an intriguing array of homes in the distance. Making our way up the dirt road, we were met with scene after scene of interesting (and frequently ramshackle) homes dotting the windswept landscape.

This little compound consisted of a small house expanded with metal shipping containers converted into living space:

As we traversed the mud and bumps, we spied this little compound which gave us a sense of what we might eventually want: a small and simple home with an adjacent shed and room for our rig:

While the road upon which we were traveling was rutted and bumpy at best, the side roads leading off towards the homes along our route were seas of mud and half-melted snow. Every which way we looked, we saw something of interest: old school buses parked in scrubby lots, chimneys for woodstoves poking from their roofs or out side windows; ramshackle structures apparently built from salvaged materials and landfill castoffs; old mobile homes parked next to sheds and tents, forming small clusters of shelter for individuals or families; modest (and not so modest) adobe homes and earthships built on small lots adjacent to other lots strewn with rusted cars and other flotsam and jetsam.

Making our way to the end of the road, we came to a pair of small homes where two older women were working in the yard. We stopped, and Mary engaged them in conversation, telling them about our trip, and asking about this intriguing neighborhood.

The two women---sisters, aged 67 and 65---have lived on this land for a number of years, and their brother lives nearby. They explained that the land in this area was part of a strange "land scam" from the last century, whereby 1/4-acre lots were sold sight unseen---often at the Worlds Fair and other venues---to unsuspecting buyers. Local laws generally stated that lots needed to be 3/4 of an acre in order to be built upon, but everyone has ignored those ordinances for years, thus this community of homes has grown here, with everyone off-grid, the roads completely unmaintained by the town. Since the municipality couldn't care less, the "settlers" of this area have had the luxury of naming their own streets and creating a neighborhood of their own design.

The sisters' twin homes are incredibly simple structures, with porches added recently in order to expand the amount of livable space. Originally planned as temporary shelter while building a larger home, the two reported now being satisfied with their situation, the larger home now no longer likely to materialize.

Happily living totally off the grid, the sisters have propane trucked in for heating and cooking, and their electricity is provided by solar panels. Meanwhile, rainwater is collected and stored in a cistern, and during periods of relative drought, water can be delivered by truck. Two years ago, the two successfully built a lovely outhouse out of "papercrete", and they invited Mary to take a seat on the "throne" and pose for a photo. Not wanting to be photographed themselves, they were happy for us to take pictures of their little compound, a piece of paradise with the Sangre de Cristo mountains on one side, and protected federal wilderness on the other.

"We love it here," one sister commented. "It's so quiet. Nobody bothers you."

When asked about neighbors, they certainly appeared to know everyone in their immediate vicinity, but said that get-togethers can be rare.

"You can go months without interacting with anyone, really. That guy," she points to the west, "he's a German engineer, and every year he comes for a few weeks to work on his house. Our brother lives over there, and the woman beyond his house does a monthly radio spot on women's issues." In the house across the street, an elderly returns every year after the cold weather ends, and the sisters watch over her place during the winter.

The sweeping vista from the sisters' land was breathtaking, and we can see why they love it so much. But living such a rustic life isn't for everyone, and we know for sure that we would at least like to have running water, electricity (solar would be fine), non-wood-burning heat, and manageable, well-maintained roads. Still, this gives us a picture of how many people live economically and sustainably, and it was a detour well worth taking.

Sunset Over Taos