Chimayo Stations

Chimayo, New Mexico--Four stations and four cows!

Hello.

While we're on the subject of the very nice little miracle church of Chimayo, New Mexico--

When I was there about ten years ago, there was a very humble empty parking lot with space for maybe twenty cars and a beat-up, hand-lettered sign warning patrons of the church to lock their cars and not to expect to get their stuff returned if it was stolen while they were praying for some miraculous intervention in their health or other problems.

But when Tanya and I visited last October during our "Journey to the East", there was a vastly expanded dirt parking lot (which is probably paved by now); no warning sign and a lot of parked cars --maybe a tour bus or two-- and plenty of people milling around. (Sic transit mirabilis mundi!)

Also the stone arches representing the "Stations of the Cross" pictured above had been constructed near the pretty little creek.

It was still VERY nice for a miracle place--FAR better than Fatima, Lourdes, Santiago, Rome or even Jerusalem!

(I think so anyway!)

And you can still scoop up the dirt medicine yourself for FREE!

See ya! (Next year at Chimayo!!)

T.

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Chimayo dirt

Old pilgrimage church at Chimayo, New Mexico (Thomas Photo)

Last October Tanya and I made a Journey to the East.

One of our destination stops was the old pilgrimage church in the village of Chimayo in northern New Mexico--between Taos and Santa Fe.

This small adobe church has become famous for miraculous cures--there is a small room behind the main altar where a pilgrim may scoop up some of the famous Chimayo dirt.

Honestly.

According to believers, this dirt--which has the same appearance as all the other dirt in the dry gullies of this dry land--has the special properties of medicine.

I recommend it.

Thomas

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Mill Creek Lodge

Mill Creek Lodge (Where its NOT happening!)

Hello.

This is a very new photo of the old Mill Creek Lodge.

The only difference in the photo and others you may have seen years ago is our green Chevrolet Aveo parked over on the right.

Change is in the air as they say, but some things change a bit less or slower than others!

And this antique building is one of those things!


When we drove over the Lassen Park Highway from the north last fall I was flabbergasted to see the huge "new" (I imagine) parking lot at the trail-head of the hiking trail to the mountain's summit! There was even a hot-dog stand or some such in the lot--and maybe a hundred cars already parked and their occupants already on the trail I suppose!

(Population explosion!!!)

Of course it had been several years since my last visit!

And when we drove around the corner below the Sulphur Works I was surprised again by the absence of the Lassen Chalet!

Holy Mackerel it was GONE!

A brand new building was taking its place!

There is, they say, no place in the universe where nothing changes nor moves.

So it is.

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Ahimsaland

Tanya checks the columbine at the Saturday Farmer's Market

Dear readers:

You may have noticed that I took a long weekend from writing.

Nice to be communicating with you again!

I am going to write some more about Lassen National Park, Mill Creek and Mineral and that good high country in northern California that I like so well so you can be ready for some reading again tomorrow.

For today, I would like to recommend a book I have recently come across which I believe is an important good read.

The title is The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and it is by the man who understood mythology so well, Joseph Campbell.

If you are enjoying my blog--you will enjoy this book.

See you tomorrow,

Thomas

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Tanya and Crampus

Yesterday you saw the unpainted Crampus mask.

Here I am with Tanya wearing the finished mask.

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Crampus mask unpainted

Crampus mask unpainted paper mache

Making the masks is easy for me and good fun too.

I am not under contract and am not trying to please anyone but myself with these masks.

I work well without direction!

So far there is no pervading theme or precise direction so anything that happens in masking characterization is perfectly OK.

As long as there are cast-off newspapers and a bit of flour to boil up some paste, I am in business.

Who knows where it will go?

Who knows where it all will go??

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Me working

Me working on a frog mask. Tanya photo

Hello.

It seems an odd time to be doing something as childish as making masks of paper mache--but the world seems so bizarre to me right now that it seems the very best thing I can do.

There are presently almost two thousand wild fires burning in California--some sort of record they say-- gasoline prices are increasing by ten cents a gallon or so daily-- who knows for sure what is happening in Iraq or Afghanistan since the powers that be play so loose with the truth...

Making paper mache masks seems not such a bad occupation after all to me.

Good peaceful work to you too!

Tom

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