This year our neighbors, Gary and. Cassandra arrived shortly after us. ... While I was Green housing etc., Gary,. Cassan
Cuatro Alamos Update, Summer, 2011
Creatures of habit that we are, we begin our summer (every year) at the Historic Route 66 Motel in Tucumcari, NM.
We often take alternate routes from there to 4A and in this case, NM Hwy 3 through the Pecos River Valley,
Eventually passing the Valle Grande.
For so many years, arrival meant immediate confrontation with all the problems accumulated over the winter. For the last 3-4 years, no little rodent doo doo scattered around the house, nothing broken; nothing stolen………..scary. Something must be crouching and poised to jump out and bite me on the butt.
This year our neighbors, Gary and Cassandra arrived shortly after us.
I had sprouted a lot of stuff back in Texas for my 4A Garden and, even though we arrived late this year (June), there was still ½” ice all around in the morning. So I had to get busy quick and build my 4A Green house.
While I was Green housing etc., Gary, Cassandra and Pat made good progress on their house e.g.
staircase,
sheet rock, water system,
Solar electrical system etc.
Soon, our first guests, Ichigi (from Japan) & Choulin (from China) arrive. Ichigi is my electrician and has several degrees including a PhD in physics……..pretty good electrician too. They come most years.
To protect my garden
form hungry neighborhood critters, Ichigi helped me put up a fence around the house. The sign above the gate says “ Ya’At’eeh (Navaho for welcome) Bienvinidos, Welcome, Mi casa es su casa, please close the door when you leave.”
We have a lot of neighborhood critters, including Wile E. Coyote.
About every other year, Masako’s college girlfriends come from Japan for a visit.
Each year they have a hand make something in the kitchen party. Last year they made Gyoza.
This year they made Udon (Japanese Noodles).
This is kind of a ritual ladies party. Italian ladies spend a weekend making Ravioli, Mexican ladies, Tamales, Polish ladies, Pierogi etc. In Catalonia, men have similar rituals.
美味いです(Oishi!) And a grand old time is had by all.
I always hate it when it’s time for them to leave because we really feast while they’re here.
Foodie that I am, I spent a lot of time designing the kitchen in anticipation of the endless happy hours that I would spend diddling with my favorite form of recreation…………cooking.
However, it didn’t work out that way. Constantly aware of my diminishing physical capacity with old age body rot, I knew I had to get the house up in my 50s so I rarely ever got to cook during the first 8 10 years. In these last 3-4 years, I have been increasingly been allowed the time and here
I’m making Juan’s Amazing-----Magnificent Cornbread.
Our ever faithful and invaluable summer companion, Kuzumi ((far right) has been coming to help almost every year since the house was a pile of lumber and her hair was black.
And, as always, Kazumi and Masako jump in and begin work. Here they are doing exterior stucco. The idea is for the outside of the house to look New Mexico, as in brown Adobe.
And the inside of the house to look Andalúz so that I might relive the youth that I enjoyed among Las Casas Blancas de España.
Kazumi usually gets the hard places because she is more agile than Masako.
And, at last, completion of the front wall and fireplace means the whole downstairs is finally done.
Only one more exterior wall (next year) and the whole outside will be done.
I wish I could clone 5 Aarons. Other yearly visitor/workers, Aaron and Zandy (on right) arrive and we make a little day trip to Chimayó.
The interior of the chimney is a metal chamber designed to collect heat and distribute it in the upper story of the house.
Aaron (extremely talented in all aspects of metal work) is seen here lining it.
The year before last, Aaron and I built the metal framework.
Masako and Kazumi then added the tile and stucco.
And this year they finished it all.
Frequently, I be drillin’ n sawin’ n such and a great commotion begins to erupt. Folks arrive from out of the blue and a spontaneous party occurs. Back in Dallas, I wouldn’t like this but since we built Cuatro Alamos for just this kind of thing, our neighbors know they are all welcome and they always bring plenty of goodies.
Among our surprise guests are Dominique and Fasha from Geneva, Switzerland.
Next, among my dearest from way back, Temple Wynne arrives from Wimberley, Texas and I get by with a little help from my friends. Temple refreshes my gate sign.
About every other week, we take a healing dip at the Jemez Springs Bath House.
Temple joins the work crew. Don't be scared. Folks come from all over the world and some like to work (a little). I always have plenty of little chores………….but only if they ask for them. Other folks play golf, fish for trout, shoot bows and arrows, take hikes, check out the many local attractions etc. and don’t work.
All participate in Yakiniku.
We won’t win any blue ribbons at the county fair, but this year we grew our first corn.
Next year it will get an early start in my greenhouse.
Wow! This year I even got to cook again and this time the big Whoopty doo.
Paella Sevillana!
I made a big pile of it and it was enough for Mike Skaggs (neighbor). Mike’s wife Stephanie is on the left.
Pile of garbage in the front yard? Not this time.
Recycle Very little becomes garbage at our house because I don’t like to have to carry it away. Burnable is burned, most plastic can be used
for other things e.g. insulation.
Here I am using it for a little irrigation system. Some of the water comes off the roof and drains into the garden and the rest goes into rain barrels.
There is a plastic rain gutter under the plastic and it all is eventually covered with rocks and moss.
Javier arrives from Geneva.
And we take in some local 4A attractions. This one is Teakettle Rock.
Our dear friends and neighbors, Larry and Myra arrive just in time to meet Javier. Larry (not seen here) is not the one on the 4 wheeler.
Michelle (also from Geneva) and her mother, Renée arrive.
Michelle brings yummy Swiss Chocolate.
And, bang, wham, by donkey, I get to cook again! Spaghetti alle Vongole.
We round off the season with my yearly (past 20+) visit with Dr. Francisco Zambrano, mi dentista at Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.
I also get a haircut and Masako gets a pedicure.
While waiting for my new fake teeth, we have lunch at our favorite (Old Town Bar & Grill) on the main drag.
By donkey, they have the good stuff!
As always, the best dentist south of Montréal, Dr. Zambrano, makes me very happy.
And what good would a trip to the mountains be without a trip to the ocean? So we linger, in hope that the heat is finally gone in Dallas, with Gabriel and Javier at Michelle’s family condo at Port Aransas. We’ll be back at Cuatro Alamos all next summer. Europe, Japan and Canada are all too expensive right now and we are just right up the road so you’ll come see us.
