I have, without hesitation, trotted out all the charms of Jemez Springs to my friends in this forum. It has stayed small, sleepy and authentically weird in a lovely sort of way.
But the world is apparently starting to discover our little secret. I was reading the online version of the NY Times and discovered that our little village made a list of 31 recommended destinations for national travel. Here is the funny thing--this article doesn't even come close to listing the best places to see or do.
Most of our residents won't know about the article, and probably wouldn't see much interest in whatever someone might say way out in New York. But I am wondering-what might become of my favorite shower-the one on our deck- or the dozen other things that can no longer exist in most places.
A few weeks ago I was in Minnesota and made the off-hand comment that my Anglo tongue on the town water board was the only reason the proceedings weren't held in Spanish. My acquaintance took that tired old offense that everything should be done in English, that Spanish was going to take over if "we" weren't careful.
He had no idea that Spanish was spoken in our village hundreds of years before English arrived. And the same can be said, but more so, for the languages of the two Pueblos in our school district. Our country is so much richer than many know.
The day is coming when all of this will be swept aside. The different cultures struggle to keep their languages. Rich Yuppie environmentalists are constantly going to court to prohibit the old Spanish cowboys from grazing their cattle on land they have used for hundreds of years.
I am sure there are sincere people on all sides of these questions. A brief glance at history tells me who are going to be the winners and the losers. In the meantime, I will make my friends, hear their stories and take my pictures. Tonight I am convinced there is no where else I would rather be. And that is a great blessing. I am sitting on our deck with my laptop computer, a small glow of light on a dark night. There are pictures that can never be taken. I wish I could post a picture of the billions of stars showing in our clear dark skies at 7,000 feet. Perhaps I have found the one beautiful thing that will not change.
For the record, here is a link to what the New York times has to say about us: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/travel/20080601_SUMMER.html#
But the world is apparently starting to discover our little secret. I was reading the online version of the NY Times and discovered that our little village made a list of 31 recommended destinations for national travel. Here is the funny thing--this article doesn't even come close to listing the best places to see or do.
Most of our residents won't know about the article, and probably wouldn't see much interest in whatever someone might say way out in New York. But I am wondering-what might become of my favorite shower-the one on our deck- or the dozen other things that can no longer exist in most places.
A few weeks ago I was in Minnesota and made the off-hand comment that my Anglo tongue on the town water board was the only reason the proceedings weren't held in Spanish. My acquaintance took that tired old offense that everything should be done in English, that Spanish was going to take over if "we" weren't careful.
He had no idea that Spanish was spoken in our village hundreds of years before English arrived. And the same can be said, but more so, for the languages of the two Pueblos in our school district. Our country is so much richer than many know.
The day is coming when all of this will be swept aside. The different cultures struggle to keep their languages. Rich Yuppie environmentalists are constantly going to court to prohibit the old Spanish cowboys from grazing their cattle on land they have used for hundreds of years.
I am sure there are sincere people on all sides of these questions. A brief glance at history tells me who are going to be the winners and the losers. In the meantime, I will make my friends, hear their stories and take my pictures. Tonight I am convinced there is no where else I would rather be. And that is a great blessing. I am sitting on our deck with my laptop computer, a small glow of light on a dark night. There are pictures that can never be taken. I wish I could post a picture of the billions of stars showing in our clear dark skies at 7,000 feet. Perhaps I have found the one beautiful thing that will not change.
For the record, here is a link to what the New York times has to say about us: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/travel/20080601_SUMMER.html#
