John Boal Photography

One of the nice things about flying to the Southwest, and vacation in general, I suppose, is the idea that all the annoying and stressful things about the world (Washington, and NYC, for those out in the eastern half of the US) disappear for a small while . With the crumbling of the financial system and the administration's insistence that he gov't bail it out (I'm not so sure it's a good idea, but I'm no financial expert, so begrudgingly I'll have to leave it to the people who got us in this mess to get us out...ugh...), and a dragging war, I can sit down at El Nido's in Tesuque, NM, and enjoy a huge green chile and cheese hamburger. So the fries are universal. The chile is not. For those that don't know and haven't read my blog enough. Green chile is tha bomb. The shiznit. The best pepper you could ever eat. Put it on everthing. It only serves to make it better. It's hot, it's rich with flavor, and it's a New Mexico specialty. B

This year when I went to Santa Fe, I went during Zozobra and Fiesta .  84 and 296 year-old traditions, respectively.  Yes.   296 years.   That's a long time.  This from the "official" Santa Fe fiesta website: The cry of "Viva la Fiesta" has been reverberating through the streets of Old Santa Fe every autumn for 296 years. The sound generates a curious blend of thanksgiving, revelry and pride in the hearts of Santa Feans who celebrate Fiesta annually to commemorate Don Diego De Vargas' peaceful reoccupation of the City of Holy Faith in 1692. Zozobra is a different tradition altogether.  Seemingly at odds with the decidedly Catholic overtones of Santa Fe's Fiesta, Will Shuster, Santa Fe artist, created the effigy in 1926 to represent anguish, anxiety and gloom.  Shuster created the effigy every year until 1964, passing it on to the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, who now carry on the tradition. Having been to Burning Man last year, it was impossible to ignore

Right now, I'm not going to put too much in the way of words, because:  1. I'm tired 2. It's late 3. If I don't post something "the resistance" in my head will have given me another excuse not to write another blog.   I admit, I've been bad, and I said I wasn't going to write and here I am with diarrhea of the mouth. Here are pictures on why I love new mexico...more to come...