Today--thanks to a suggestion from Barbel--we drove to Capitan and Lincoln, two quaint little towns north of here.
I'd planned to surreptitiously take a few snapshots of the folk art in Bill and Gaby's yard in Capitan (Bill from Texas, Gaby from Germany), but they invited us to come in for a visit and take all the pictures we wanted.
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| These cats are huge--about 8 to 10 feet tall, made of plaster |
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| The folk art and mosaics were done by the former owner. |
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| I loved the mosaics on the exterior of the house, done by the former owner, "a little bitty short artist who moved to Missouri or somewhere." |
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| Gaby and Bill's bedroom |
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| Judy, Carlene, Gaby, and Bill... By the time we left, everybody was hugging everybody. |
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| The sky is so big and blue in New Mexico! |
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| Billy the Kid country Between Lincoln and Capitan |
We found a gallery--New Mexico arts and crafts--in Lincoln,
bought some gifts, then asked about a good place for lunch.
Che Palle (down the road in Capitan)
serves yummy pizza, sandwiches, and desserts
The backs of all the cooks' T-shirts say:
"It takes balls to make our pizza."
Che Palle (Italian) refers of course
to the dough balls that rise for three days before baking--
according to this sassy cook who'd have become one of our
best friends if we'd had another couple of days....
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| When her grandmother died at 96, Stephanie found all these little do-dads in her grandmother's crafts box, pinned them on a purple cap, and wears them every day. |
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| Carlene took this picture of me at the Junk Monkey Cafe |
Yard art, a gallery of local crafts, stories of how people landed here, good food, big puffy clouds--it's been a wonderful day! Each person suggests a place to stop or eat or explore; that place leads to another, then another, and so on. Always ask the locals....
Gallery-owner Annemarie suggested Rosemary's Herb Shop in Ruidoso, a beautiful shop filled with shelves of jars of teas, spices, and herbal remedies. Unfortunately, Rosemary ("an herbal genius" according to Annemarie) is on vacation this week, but I hope to meet her when we come back through here on the way back to Texas.
Our final stop was Martha's Fabric Store--a 60-year-old business (started by their mother, Martha) owned now by identical twins, Cassandra and Clarissa. We visited with them for about an hour, then they hugged us both and asked us to come back.
Carlene just loves to tell her age. "I'm 92!" she says, tacking on a few months to impress 'em even more. They are properly shocked--as people always are. "I thought you were in your seventies," Cassandra said--then Clarissa picked out a periwinkle blouse (they sell clothes too) that would be perfect for her. She didn't buy it, but I think we're going back in the morning to get it. (That and some more compliments for Carlene!)
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