Taking It Slow In New Mexico

i’ve been picking at this new mexico post for quite a while now because it feels like i have so much to say. i want to infuse everything into one succinct blog post so i’m gonna try to breeze through all my thoughts here.

symbols have everything to do with the neuroses we present-day humans share with our neolithic brothers and sisters. abstraction is a new thing in the grand scheme, and it comes about at a really interesting time. this is the period in which pastoral life, food storage, art, language, and sedentary communities overtake hunter-gatherer bands. while anthropology fails to determine conclusively why this shift took place, we feel its impact in hidden ways almost constantly.

staring at my baneful, mismatched food storage containers i am reminded of neolithic pottery and the neurosis which necessitated it at that place and time. carving the patina off desert rocks to symbolize something feels like exactly what i would do as a pastoral ancient guy. in daily life i relate so much of my experience to ancient humans. maybe it’s some metaphysical thing or something more empirical and scientific, but the feeling of interconnectedness, the overlay, is maybe the most uncanny thing i live with.

anyway, a life without abstraction is almost impossible to imagine. the argument can be made that consciousness itself is an abstraction. early symbols however are a brilliant look at life at a certain time and place. petroglyph national park is a gloriously preserved open studio…

not long after we stepped off the plane did my sister pick us up and took us out the monument.

there were tons of little symbols everywhere, all over different rock faces, some only visible in certain angles, apparently only at certain times of day. this one resembled some kind of map to me.

a little phallic flair in this tableau with animals.

though some were more singular in their symbolism. this one reminds me of a water glyph.

the grey light made me wonder how many other images were hiding among the rock faces.

some depictions felt suspiciously contemporary.

and some felt really different than the others in terms of artistry, like this assemblage here. i think this one was from another side of the park.

and how could you resist a hand print? what a perfect, universal symbol. it reminds me of being a kid and dipping your hand in paint.

an enchanting roadrunner crossed our paths while we walked along the beetled paths throughout the park.

it was around this time that we came upon a lost pug.

we exited the park with the little round guy in tow and asked around the neighborhood whose he might be. it wasn’t until my sister walked back through the park did she hear someone calling out for him. an unlikely detour on day one.

we drove off, ate some ethiopian food, stopped at a cute bakery for some sweets for later, and headed to truth or consequences under the little fluffy clouds.

the obligatory sunset shot shouldn’t disappoint:

T or C is a unique city to say the least, and the property we stayed on was no exception. it felt like a miniature version of the city itself: oscillating between cluttered and wide open, warm colors and natural textures everywhere, a feeling of being set in the past. the property was also host to several Excellent Cats, friendly and independent.

Bisbee was particularly proactive about lap time.

Elroy, not to be upstaged, relaxed and drooled a little bit on sarah.

Ozzy luxuriated on the roof. Jake and Miss Mao not pictured.

i fell in love with this gorgeous black and white hen, Little Richard. they were the only hen that let me pick them up, and i’m taking that as a Sign.

T or C also has an amazing bookstore. xochi’s has been around a long time, and perusing its ebay store should give you an idea of its special flavor. it’s full of art, philosophy, metaphysical, and rare books. sarah and had to take an andy goldsworth monograph home, but there were quite a few strange and fascinating books i wish we made off with.

there was also this haunting painting i wish i could learn more about. the image is tattooed on the inside of my brain. and what a great frame it’s in…

we couldn’t let the vacation go by without a bike ride, so sarah and i hopped on the dusty single-speed cruisers in the garage and cruised around town a while. unexpectedly brakeless, a little danger felt just right on an otherwise fully mellowed-out trip.

one of our last stops was white sands national park, which was a little bit out of the way for my sister who graciously drove us all the way out there, but definitely one of the highlights. it’s truly incredible, all of that salt-looking white sand heaped up in wind-sculpted dunes. we rented sleds and waxed them thoroughly to slide down the knolls. laughing hysterically, the otherworldliness of the whole place and the absurdity of sledding down was almost too much. i dug down into the sand and found it pleasingly damp despite the baking heat overhead. some signage informed us that in the evening the sand reflects the sky like a mirror, and that one can actually camp in the park. maybe next time…

overall it was an extremely low-key getaway. fabulous to see my sister and spend time in nature. i’m thankful to think about time, to spend my days around animals, to laugh at sand, to look into the past, to feel the beating sun, to drive under huge skies.

looking forward to getting away again sometime soon.

until the next trip.