Kickin' It on Route 66 ~ New Mexico 6 - 3
Title: Kickin’ It On Route 66
State: New Mexico ~ Chapter 6-3
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, OMCs
Summary: The Allen-Lamberts take a road trip along Historic Route 66
Disclaimer: I don’t own Adam or Kris. This story is fiction. Other major characters are fictional; the places they visit in this story are real.
Dedicated to adamluvr36_fic ~ just because ♥
WARNING! Tons of food and visuals. A rush job, hope it reads alright.
Time for an Allen-Lambert universe mini series. Hannah is 12 years old, Josh is 7 years old. Mrs. Willowby comes along too! Get ready for Americana and nostalgia.
Overview map of The Mother Road ~ http://www.historic66.com/description/map.html
Retrace the trip ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/45756.html#cutid1
Masterlist of Allen-Lambert universe ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/21722.html#cutid1
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
ROAD TRIP DAY 32:
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO DAY 2
“Joshua, use your napkin. We don’t have time to go back to the hotel for you to change.”
“Yes ma’am.”
The boy wiped the maple syrup off his chin then stuffed his mouth with another forkful of blueberry pancake. Hannah smirked around her own mouthful of French Toast until her little brother took his napkin and proceeded to wipe away the blend of syrup, strawberry juice and whipped cream around her mouth.
They’d gotten up pretty early and headed out to the Flying Star Café for breakfast. Mrs. Willowby had been right … they did have a busy day ahead of them. They were going to two museums ~ one in Santa Fe, the other just outside the city ~ and then had to be back, washed up and changed in time for special dinner reservations. Somewhere in there too was lunch.
Kris and the nanny had hardy breakfasts; he enjoyed his Southwest version of an Egg McMuffin called a Bennie with eggs, turkey sausage and cheesy chile sauce on an English Muffin and she savored a Spanish Omelette with shaved papas, garlic whipped huevos [eggs], melted Swiss and scallions with a side of salsa and her own English muffin.
Adam went light ~ either his pants were shrinking or he was expanding and he feared it was the latter. He scrapped his bowl, gathering every last dollop of his Morning Sundae, a tasty mix of organic vanilla yogurt, fresh and dried fruit, walnuts, homemade granola and honey.
“You sure that’ll be enough to get you through the day?” Kris asked, his left cheek puffed out with food.
“I’ll be fine baby. Besides, we still have lunch before I really need my energy.” He wiped his mouth, finished off his orange juice, and leaned back, loosening his belt a little.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
When everyday people make everyday things for everyday use and decorate them to make them special, that’s called Folk Art. The International Folk Art Museum on the Plaza held tens of thousands of items from around the world. The entire family immediately took a liking to this style of art because it looked like something anyone could do to express their creativity.
Seven different collections filled the museum and they found gems as they wandered from one to the other.
“Oooo, aren’t those pretty!” Hannah exclaimed, looking at the wooden antelopes painted with colorful patterns.
The African Collection included household items, toys, textiles, masks, wooden sculptures, pottery and metal objects. Metal working held a magical aura as many Africans believed it was like creation itself. Pottery, on the other hand, was used for daily use as well as rituals.
A vast region was displayed in the Asian & Middle Eastern Collection, including Japan, China, India, Palestine, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Hundreds of cultures, ethnicities, languages and religions abounded there and each had its own style and symbolism. The one item that attracted the kids’ attention was the Indonesian Shadow Puppets.
Each puppet was painstakingly handmade by many hands over many days. A master image was created on paper then traced onto buffalo hide or parchment. Holes are cut out for a mouth or eyes or other decorative elements and then it was flattened with a glass bottle, inspected, tweaked, and then flattened again in preparation for painting. Once decorated, the moveable parts like arms, legs, and heads were attached and connected to bamboo sticks for manipulation. Decorative background props were made in a similar fashion. The show itself happened behind a white cloth and was lit with an electric bulb or oil lamp to cast shadows. A video was playing nearby showing snippets of a puppet show.
“It’s just like Bear,” Joshie observed.
“Bear?”
“Yeah Papa … Bear in the Big Blue House … you know, his friend shadow who told him stories.”
Adam had to think for a moment; it had been a while. He then remembered the one episode the Jim Henson production did teaching kids about using the potty. It had taken him weeks to get that funkadelic ‘Potty Train’ song out of his head and thanks to his son, it all came back.
“Something like that I guess.”
Contemporary Hispano and Latino art from 1900 to the present covered many styles. The artists lived mainly in New Mexico and the Southwest and the collection included paintings, drawings, digital prints, paño (handkerchief) and prison arts, mixed media, ceramics, and more. Adam was drawn to many of the pieces and the stories they told, particularly those done by the prisoners.
The European Collection covered many cultures from continental Europe. The North American collection, though smaller, featured familiar items. Mrs. Willowby examined the fine needlework of the Amish quilts, Adam zeroed in on the circus memorabilia and Kris spent his time examining well used weathervanes.
Hannah loved the whirligigs, figures that moved or spun either by wind power or with human help and a crank. She’d seen them in gardens … the plastic flower with the spinning petals … but these folk art versions were carved from wood and told little stories. The exhibit allowed guests to animate some and Hannah slowly turned the handle and laughed as the little scene came to life. There was a little boy with his dog’s tail in one hand and a lollipop in the other; his mom was scolding him and in front of the dog was a little frog jumping up and down. Once she’d gotten her fill of that one, she moved onto the cowboy riding a bucking broncho.
Meanwhile, her brother was intrigued by the face jugs. The history of faces on pottery went back to the Medieval Ages but the origins of the art form in America’s South had two possibilities. One theory dated back to the time of slave communities when devil jugs, or face jugs with devil horns, were placed on graves for one year after a person died. If it broke, it meant that person’s soul was struggling with the devil. The second theory came from North Carolina and Georgia, declaring a scary face on the container would scare away curious children.
If these faces were meant to frighten children, then the ones in the collection were failing miserably with little Joshua Allen-Lambert. He went from one to the other, mimicking the expressions and laughing at them. When it was time to move on, he didn’t want to go. Kris hefted the boy over his shoulder and followed the others while his son begged his parents to get him one for his bedroom.
The Latin American and Spanish Colonial Collections came mostly from the same regions ~ Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean ~ though the Spanish Colonial items also came from the Southwest and the Philippines. The Latin American masks depicted animals, people, and mythical and religious figures. Some were cute, some funny, some scary, but all elaborate. The Spanish Colonial furniture and decorative items looked like they had come from La Fonda, from the headboards, chairs and architectural details to the painted chests and floor rugs.
Unlike the high fashion and mass produced clothes that dominate the runways and stores today, the clothing in the Textiles & Costumes Collection was made primarily by those who wore them. Dating from the 19th and 20th Century, the collection represented household items, ceremonial pieces, everyday and special occasion dress, animal trappings and sacred/ritual items. The exhibit showed how changes in education, the economy and international influences altered what people wore and how they wore it.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Before leaving, they hit the gift shop. Hannah found an African animal carving of a zebra decorated like the ones she’d seen; Kris put together a collection of world music CDs; Mrs. Willowby chose a turquoise and gold silk scarf from India; Joshie wanted a face jug but there weren’t any available so he went with a small jaguar mask for his wall instead; and Adam chose a Huichol Yarn Painting from Mexico to hang on the wall of their home studio. With no windows in the room, this colorful sun would brighten it up.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Green chilies … red chilies … alone … or together ….
At Tecolote Café, it’s aaaaaalllllll about the chilies.
Nearly everything on their menu had chili on it and if they could think of a way, they would probably add it to everything from the coffee to dessert.
The kids shared a plate of tacos wrapped in soft corn shells with ground beef, shredded lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. They didn’t want the sides of bean and fresh salsa so Daddy moved them over to his plate and gave his kids the fries that came with his Santa Fe Burger, complete with green chile and American cheese. Mrs. Willowby chose lighter fare with a large garden salad, dressed with homemade bleu cheese dressing and a bakery basket. Adam was still watching his intake so he went right for the punch and ordered straight Green Chile Stew chock full of beef, carrots, potatoes, onions and mild green chili. More chili came on the side to spice it up but he still wanted to be able to kiss his husband before they returned to the hotel.
~~
~~ ☼ ~~~~
The last time they visited a living museum, a reconstructed community from the past, had been two weeks ago at Red Oak II in Oklahoma. South of Santa Fe in a farming valley, was El Ranchos de las Golondrinas, or ‘The Ranch of the Swallows’. Dedicated to the history of 18th and 19th century New Mexico, the recreated 1700s village had been an important rest stop on El Camino Real from Mexico City through Chihuahua to Old Santa Fe.
Many living museums had buildings in common ~ private homes, churches, schools, stables, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, stores ~ but each also had places unique to that culture and time period.
The buildings at El Rancho were adobe, like the ones in Santa Fe, as well as stone and wood. It was as true a representation as could be created with villagers in period clothing living life from over 300 years ago; it also came with some pitfalls they had to be aware of. The doorways were low and the thresholds wide in these buildings and though they had been warned, the family still found themselves tripping from time to time and as the tallest in their party, Adam clunked his noggin once or twice. The walking from building to building was more a hike with hills and stony dirt roads … even the floors inside the buildings were dirt. As well, there were animals everywhere that were vital to the survival of such a village but this was no petting zoo: the goats, sheep, burros and horses were unpredictable and guests were warned not to feed or pet any of them. Every time an animal crossed their path, the kids wanted to get closer and every time they were reined in by the back of their shirts.
There were three work stations they found particularly interesting. They’d seen blacksmiths and flour mills at work in the past but this was the first time they explored how molasses was made, how animal hides were tanned for clothing, and how wool and fabric was dyed.
For hundreds of years, molasses was used as a sweetener for baking, an ingredient for ale making and feed for animals. Here at El Rancho, the family had a chance to see how sorghum molasses was traditionally made.
The interpreter explained that the sugar cane was crushed between stones, via burro power, to extract its juice. Next, the juice was put in a large pot and set atop a wood fire to heat it. After ten to thirty minutes, the liquid would boil and then the heat was reduced until it simmered. Left uncovered for two to three hours, the steam would evaporate, thickening it. Once the coloring goes from cloudy and thick, to dark brown and clear as honey, it’s ready. After it cooled, it was placed in storage bottles and kept in a cool, dry place.
“Didn’t we eat that before?” Joshie asked after he was given the chance to dip some bread in the finished product and taste it.
“Good memory Joshua. We had it at Lambert’s Café when we were in Missouri.”
“Do you use molasses Mrs. Willowby?” Hannah asked, tasting it herself.
“Quite often. When I make gingerbread for Christmas, I use molasses. And molasses are added to white sugar to make brown sugar.”
“And here I thought it was just white sugar that got a tan,” Kris quipped.
Adam leaned in closed and whispered in his ear, “Maybe I should start calling you ‘brown sugar’.”
Kris kissed his husband, “And I’ll call you ‘sugar lips’.”
“Ah aren’t you two sweet … now get a move on; there’s so much to see and so little time,” the nanny declared, already heading down the road with the children.
Buckskin, an early form of leather, had been worn by pioneers, woodsmen, trappers, soldiers and farmers because it was more durable than fabric. It was also easier to make on the frontier than fabric as the materials were more readily available.
Spread out over the area were skins in various stages of tanning, from curing to prepare it for tanning to cleaning off the hair and other bodily bits that they didn’t want to think too much about, to the actual tanning in other ‘concoctions’, and then stretching and drying. Kris and Adam found this area interesting since both men liked wearing leather though it was rarely the real thing. More than once, the kids covered their noses and mouths and a few ‘gross’, ‘ewwww’, and ‘yuck’ comments slipped out. Despite all of it though, the kids exclaimed it was one of the coolest things they’d ever seen.
Their last lesson happened in the dying shed. Today, fabrics and wools are mainly dyed with chemicals. Back in the day, and still used today by artisans, the natural dyes came mainly from plants.
The shed had racks of dyed wool hanging up to dry and the adults made a game with the kids to see if they could guess what plants had been used. As the only guests there at the moment, the interpreter joined in, offering the correct answers while continuing to boil the dyes and dip the raw wool.
“Red,” Kris began.
“Tomatoes!” Joshie said.
“Beets?” Hannah guessed.
“Bloodroot,” the interpreter answered.
“You used blood?!” the boy exclaimed.
“I used this flower,” she replied, holding up the white blossomed plant with yellow stamen.
“It’s not red though.”
“The petals aren’t Miss but if you break the stem,” and she did so, releasing a red sap, “you get the color.”
“That’s cool,” Kris commented. “’Kay, next … orange.”
“Oranges!”
“Ummm … I’ll guess oranges too.”
“We use tea leaves or juniper.”
“Isn’t juniper a kind of evergreen tree?” Mrs. Willowby asked.
“It is. We use the bark.”
Kris moved onto the next one.
“Yellow.”
“Lemons!”
Hannah moved closer and caught a whiff. She crinkled her nose.
“It smells like onion.”
“That’s what we used … onion skin.”
“Green.”
“Leaves!” both kids said together.
“You’re half right. Green is a hard color to dye from one plant so we dye it yellow with sage brush ~ that’s a plant ~ and they dip it in a black or brown dye. And that brings us to the last color, brown. What do you think we used for brown?”
“Chocolate!”
“Dirt?”
“Good guesses but no. Again, we can use juniper but we also use walnuts.”
The kids tried their hand at dying some wool, only after Mrs. Willowby was assured it wouldn’t stain their hands, and then they headed back to the SUV. Tonight, they were attending a special dinner and everyone needed to shower and change into the nicest clothes they’d brought with them.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
When they arrived at the Cultural Center, they went to the reception desk to confirm their reservations and to get their seat numbers. Inside, lots of people were milling around, looking at the displays and talking over the live music.
“Can we look around?”
“In a minute Hannah, let’s find our seats first.”
She took her Papa’s hand and let him lead her as she craned her neck to see the trays of food being passed around by the servers. Rather than dining at separate tables, the room was set up like a banquet hall and they found themselves sharing a table for ten. One couple was sitting there with their teenaged daughter and introductions were made. The girl, Emily, seemed to recognize Adam and Kris cause her mouth fell open and she couldn’t talk straight. When the men shook her hand, she looked at it like it had turned to gold. Hannah pursed her lips a little and hoped the girl wouldn’t bug her Papa and Daddy all night with silly questions.
“Can we look around now and try the food?”
“Of course Sweetpea.”
Joshie took his Daddy’s hand and started to drag him away but Mrs. Willowby stopped them before they got any further.
“Now children, remember what I told you. You will be served foods you’ve never eaten before and I’d like you to try at least one bite of everything set before you. I don’t want to hear a commentary on what you don’t like, just swallow and wait until something new comes along.”
“What if we like it? Can we eat it?”
“Of course Joshua … and you can say how much you like it. Just remember, we are guests and we don’t want to insult our hosts.”
The event was being catered by Red Mesa Cuisine, whose mission is ‘to bring Native American Cuisine into the contemporary Southwest kitchen and to help sustain traditional foods, traditional agricultural food practices, as well as keep alive culinary techniques from a variety of Native communities’. This event was being hosted by a local radio station and the boys pulled some strings to get invited, promising to call in after their trip was over and to share their thoughts and experiences in New Mexico. The other guests were contest winners.
Hors d’oeurves were being passed around by the servers but there was also a buffet table set up for guests to select from. It was hard to track down the mobile trays so the Allen-Lambert’s headed to the table instead once they’d looked at the displays.
“Take one of everything,” Kris suggested, “then we’ll head back to the table and munch.”
They filled up their plates and took their seats. Hannah was relieved to see they were alone at the table … for now. Each morsel was a hit with the adults while the kids were hit and miss. Hannah and Joshie liked the skewered chipotle shrimp with mango dipping sauce, the local veggies with avocado ranch dip and organic cheeses with assorted crackers. Hannah liked the smoked trout on triangle toast with crème fresh and dill; her brother didn’t care for it but swallowed it anyway. The caviar on endive feathers was beyond them and try as they might, they couldn’t manage even one bite. Both children silently looked to their parents for help and when the nanny wasn’t looking, their parents ate the bites for them.
Eventually, everyone took their seats … including THAT girl. Before the sit down meal began, there was an informative talk about the history of Native foods in the Southwest and the ingredients they would be sampling that night. Servers came around with the Starter of baby mixed greens, baby tomatoes and cucumber with chile spiced pecans in balsamic vinaigrette. When the brief lecture ended, the table conversation and eating began.
The banter was light hearted. The others at the table recognized the stars dining with them but once they mentioned they liked their music, that was that. In truth, they were more interested in hearing about the places the family had seen and how they went about organizing such a trek. Joshie ignored the chatter, concentrating on his food instead and Mrs. Willowby seemed determine to keep a constant eye on him. Hannah listened but kept her attention on Emily who stared unceasingly it seemed. Throughout the entire meal, Hannah kept a hand through the arm of either her Daddy or Papa; when they were between courses, she stayed latched onto both of them, a silent warning to Emily that they belonged to her.
After the starter came the appetizers. The fresh sweet corn soup garnished with roasted red peppers and chipotle puree was a really good and the kids inhaled the batter fried goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms with Indian salsa fresca.
Overall, the adults were pleased with how the kids were trying everything. Hannah’s clinging didn’t go unnoticed by Adam and Kris, especially when Emily started talking to them and their daughter cut the circulation off to their hands. Rather than say anything, they would pat her hand and pry her loose.
“That’s a tiny chicken,” Joshie declared when the main course was placed before him.
“It’s not a chicken Joshua, it’s a quail.”
“What’s a quail?”
“A bird … like a chicken.”
“Good … I loooove chicken.”
The quail was marinated, grilled and covered in a red chile honey glaze. Roasted root vegetables and sautéed swiss chard were on the side and a basket of home baked blue corn cob bread was passed around. The last course, naturally, was Joshie’s favorite: Navajo fry break dusted with powdered sugar and served with a trio of fresh berries.
“So young man, what did you think of tonight’s dinner?” Emily’s mom asked.
“It was great!” He turned to Adam, and grinned with a powdered and juiced smile. “Papa, can I have yours?”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Everyone was worn out and got ready for bed as soon as they arrived back at La Fonda. Adam was deep in negotiations with Joshua to keep him in his own bed and Kris had the need to talk to Hannah about her behavior tonight. Leaving the peace treaty, Kris knocked on the girls’ door.
“Is Hannah still up? I need to talk to her.”
“Here I am Daddy.”
Mrs. Willowby smiled and welcomed him in. She offered to wait on the veranda but Kris said she didn’t have to go anywhere, that they would talk outside. Mrs. Willowby placed a throw around the girl’s nightgown clad shoulders and father and daughter stepped out into the evening air.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Kris led her over to an iron settee. They settled down and Kris tucked her under his arm.
“No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong … it’s just … I was wondering what was up at dinner tonight. I know we’re an affectionate family but you were so … I don’t know … possessive.” Hannah didn’t say anything for a long time. “Sweetpea?”
“I’m … I’m sorry, it’s just ….”
“Yeah?”
“Well, you guys are my parents and this is a family trip and I didn’t like … didn’t like … HER … staring at you all the time.”
“I suppose I understand but she was just star struck is all.”
“I guess.”
“But you don’t like sharing us do you?”
Hannah sighed, “I know I have to but this was family time and I wanted you all to myself.”
Kris kissed her head.
“At the end of the day Hannah, your Papa and I always come home to you and your brother. No matter how many fans we have, we know none of them are as special as you two.”
Hannah shifted around and hugged him.
“I love you Daddy.”
“Love you too. Now, let’s get to bed. It’s another busy day and there’s more walking ahead of us.”
“You mean the chocolate tour?!”
“Sure do.”
She leapt to her feet and ran back to her room, calling out goodnight as the French door closed. Chuckling to himself, he stood, stretched, scratched his belly and headed back to his room, anxious to curl up with his love and drift off to sleep in those strong arms. Entering the living room, he immediately noticed something missing.
“Where’s Joshie?”
“In our room.”
“But you said you were going to tell him he had to stay in his own bed tonight!”
“I did … and he’s in his own bed … at the foot of our bed.”
“Adam!” Kris whined.
“Well, you try laying down the law when he’s looking at you with those big brown puppy eyes and telling you he’s scared to be in this big room by himself. I could never refuse big brown puppy eyes.”
Kris knew that. In fact, it was the best weapon in his arsenal when he wanted Adam to do something Adam didn’t want to do.
“I guess it’s alright. At least tomorrow we’re on our own.”
Adam drew Kris into his arms and they kissed passionately.
“We’re on our own right now. How about,” Adam began, running his fingers under Kris’ shirt, “we have a little prelude….”
“Papa! Daddy! Are you coming? I’m lonely!”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
♥ = worth a look
African Folk Art antelope ~ http://static3.travelandleisure.com/images/media/0000/4239/201107-b-south-africa_monkeybiz.jpg
Indonesian Shadow Puppet ~ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_igNiCjGJR_g/SxLPG9FLc_I/AAAAAAAAHpI/mj_VrXhxR00/s1600/IM000090.jpg
♥ Shadow Puppets in Action ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGE3m7BEng&feature=related
♥♥ BITBBH Shadow Potty Train ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW3E0ixPkVM
♥ Whirligig in Motion ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYSmiBKnWVg&feature=related
♥ Face Jugs ~ http://supermudpottery.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/facejugscollagetext.jpg
Latin American Masks ~ http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5408493502_089ae7a1e3.jpg
Spanish Colonial Armoire ~ http://kylekinter.com/images/538a.JPG
Hannah’s zebra ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-11387/African-Zebra-Sculpture?category=51
Mrs. Willowby’s scarf ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-11500/Luxe-Silk-Scarf?category=30
Joshie’s Mask ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-2557/Jaguar-Head?category=33
Adam’s wall hanging ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-11761/Huichol-Yarn-Painting?category=453
Tecolote Café ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPJ5ZbLSJXY
El Rancho de las Golondrinas ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rynYJyqdzy4
House & Courtyard Pic ~ http://papiblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/PapiBlogger-Road-Trip-Day-7-2.jpg
Church & Entrance Pic ~ http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4098/4824818661_2093c02324_z.jpg
State: New Mexico ~ Chapter 6-3
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, OMCs
Summary: The Allen-Lamberts take a road trip along Historic Route 66
Disclaimer: I don’t own Adam or Kris. This story is fiction. Other major characters are fictional; the places they visit in this story are real.
Dedicated to adamluvr36_fic ~ just because ♥
WARNING! Tons of food and visuals. A rush job, hope it reads alright.
Time for an Allen-Lambert universe mini series. Hannah is 12 years old, Josh is 7 years old. Mrs. Willowby comes along too! Get ready for Americana and nostalgia.
Overview map of The Mother Road ~ http://www.historic66.com/description/map.html
Retrace the trip ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/45756.html#cutid1
Masterlist of Allen-Lambert universe ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/21722.html#cutid1
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
ROAD TRIP DAY 32:
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO DAY 2
“Joshua, use your napkin. We don’t have time to go back to the hotel for you to change.”
“Yes ma’am.”
The boy wiped the maple syrup off his chin then stuffed his mouth with another forkful of blueberry pancake. Hannah smirked around her own mouthful of French Toast until her little brother took his napkin and proceeded to wipe away the blend of syrup, strawberry juice and whipped cream around her mouth.
They’d gotten up pretty early and headed out to the Flying Star Café for breakfast. Mrs. Willowby had been right … they did have a busy day ahead of them. They were going to two museums ~ one in Santa Fe, the other just outside the city ~ and then had to be back, washed up and changed in time for special dinner reservations. Somewhere in there too was lunch.
Kris and the nanny had hardy breakfasts; he enjoyed his Southwest version of an Egg McMuffin called a Bennie with eggs, turkey sausage and cheesy chile sauce on an English Muffin and she savored a Spanish Omelette with shaved papas, garlic whipped huevos [eggs], melted Swiss and scallions with a side of salsa and her own English muffin.
Adam went light ~ either his pants were shrinking or he was expanding and he feared it was the latter. He scrapped his bowl, gathering every last dollop of his Morning Sundae, a tasty mix of organic vanilla yogurt, fresh and dried fruit, walnuts, homemade granola and honey.
“You sure that’ll be enough to get you through the day?” Kris asked, his left cheek puffed out with food.
“I’ll be fine baby. Besides, we still have lunch before I really need my energy.” He wiped his mouth, finished off his orange juice, and leaned back, loosening his belt a little.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
When everyday people make everyday things for everyday use and decorate them to make them special, that’s called Folk Art. The International Folk Art Museum on the Plaza held tens of thousands of items from around the world. The entire family immediately took a liking to this style of art because it looked like something anyone could do to express their creativity.
Seven different collections filled the museum and they found gems as they wandered from one to the other.
“Oooo, aren’t those pretty!” Hannah exclaimed, looking at the wooden antelopes painted with colorful patterns.
The African Collection included household items, toys, textiles, masks, wooden sculptures, pottery and metal objects. Metal working held a magical aura as many Africans believed it was like creation itself. Pottery, on the other hand, was used for daily use as well as rituals.
A vast region was displayed in the Asian & Middle Eastern Collection, including Japan, China, India, Palestine, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Hundreds of cultures, ethnicities, languages and religions abounded there and each had its own style and symbolism. The one item that attracted the kids’ attention was the Indonesian Shadow Puppets.
Each puppet was painstakingly handmade by many hands over many days. A master image was created on paper then traced onto buffalo hide or parchment. Holes are cut out for a mouth or eyes or other decorative elements and then it was flattened with a glass bottle, inspected, tweaked, and then flattened again in preparation for painting. Once decorated, the moveable parts like arms, legs, and heads were attached and connected to bamboo sticks for manipulation. Decorative background props were made in a similar fashion. The show itself happened behind a white cloth and was lit with an electric bulb or oil lamp to cast shadows. A video was playing nearby showing snippets of a puppet show.
“It’s just like Bear,” Joshie observed.
“Bear?”
“Yeah Papa … Bear in the Big Blue House … you know, his friend shadow who told him stories.”
Adam had to think for a moment; it had been a while. He then remembered the one episode the Jim Henson production did teaching kids about using the potty. It had taken him weeks to get that funkadelic ‘Potty Train’ song out of his head and thanks to his son, it all came back.
“Something like that I guess.”
Contemporary Hispano and Latino art from 1900 to the present covered many styles. The artists lived mainly in New Mexico and the Southwest and the collection included paintings, drawings, digital prints, paño (handkerchief) and prison arts, mixed media, ceramics, and more. Adam was drawn to many of the pieces and the stories they told, particularly those done by the prisoners.
The European Collection covered many cultures from continental Europe. The North American collection, though smaller, featured familiar items. Mrs. Willowby examined the fine needlework of the Amish quilts, Adam zeroed in on the circus memorabilia and Kris spent his time examining well used weathervanes.
Hannah loved the whirligigs, figures that moved or spun either by wind power or with human help and a crank. She’d seen them in gardens … the plastic flower with the spinning petals … but these folk art versions were carved from wood and told little stories. The exhibit allowed guests to animate some and Hannah slowly turned the handle and laughed as the little scene came to life. There was a little boy with his dog’s tail in one hand and a lollipop in the other; his mom was scolding him and in front of the dog was a little frog jumping up and down. Once she’d gotten her fill of that one, she moved onto the cowboy riding a bucking broncho.
Meanwhile, her brother was intrigued by the face jugs. The history of faces on pottery went back to the Medieval Ages but the origins of the art form in America’s South had two possibilities. One theory dated back to the time of slave communities when devil jugs, or face jugs with devil horns, were placed on graves for one year after a person died. If it broke, it meant that person’s soul was struggling with the devil. The second theory came from North Carolina and Georgia, declaring a scary face on the container would scare away curious children.
If these faces were meant to frighten children, then the ones in the collection were failing miserably with little Joshua Allen-Lambert. He went from one to the other, mimicking the expressions and laughing at them. When it was time to move on, he didn’t want to go. Kris hefted the boy over his shoulder and followed the others while his son begged his parents to get him one for his bedroom.
The Latin American and Spanish Colonial Collections came mostly from the same regions ~ Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean ~ though the Spanish Colonial items also came from the Southwest and the Philippines. The Latin American masks depicted animals, people, and mythical and religious figures. Some were cute, some funny, some scary, but all elaborate. The Spanish Colonial furniture and decorative items looked like they had come from La Fonda, from the headboards, chairs and architectural details to the painted chests and floor rugs.
Unlike the high fashion and mass produced clothes that dominate the runways and stores today, the clothing in the Textiles & Costumes Collection was made primarily by those who wore them. Dating from the 19th and 20th Century, the collection represented household items, ceremonial pieces, everyday and special occasion dress, animal trappings and sacred/ritual items. The exhibit showed how changes in education, the economy and international influences altered what people wore and how they wore it.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Before leaving, they hit the gift shop. Hannah found an African animal carving of a zebra decorated like the ones she’d seen; Kris put together a collection of world music CDs; Mrs. Willowby chose a turquoise and gold silk scarf from India; Joshie wanted a face jug but there weren’t any available so he went with a small jaguar mask for his wall instead; and Adam chose a Huichol Yarn Painting from Mexico to hang on the wall of their home studio. With no windows in the room, this colorful sun would brighten it up.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Green chilies … red chilies … alone … or together ….
At Tecolote Café, it’s aaaaaalllllll about the chilies.
Nearly everything on their menu had chili on it and if they could think of a way, they would probably add it to everything from the coffee to dessert.
The kids shared a plate of tacos wrapped in soft corn shells with ground beef, shredded lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. They didn’t want the sides of bean and fresh salsa so Daddy moved them over to his plate and gave his kids the fries that came with his Santa Fe Burger, complete with green chile and American cheese. Mrs. Willowby chose lighter fare with a large garden salad, dressed with homemade bleu cheese dressing and a bakery basket. Adam was still watching his intake so he went right for the punch and ordered straight Green Chile Stew chock full of beef, carrots, potatoes, onions and mild green chili. More chili came on the side to spice it up but he still wanted to be able to kiss his husband before they returned to the hotel.
~~
~~ ☼ ~~~~
The last time they visited a living museum, a reconstructed community from the past, had been two weeks ago at Red Oak II in Oklahoma. South of Santa Fe in a farming valley, was El Ranchos de las Golondrinas, or ‘The Ranch of the Swallows’. Dedicated to the history of 18th and 19th century New Mexico, the recreated 1700s village had been an important rest stop on El Camino Real from Mexico City through Chihuahua to Old Santa Fe.
Many living museums had buildings in common ~ private homes, churches, schools, stables, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, stores ~ but each also had places unique to that culture and time period.
The buildings at El Rancho were adobe, like the ones in Santa Fe, as well as stone and wood. It was as true a representation as could be created with villagers in period clothing living life from over 300 years ago; it also came with some pitfalls they had to be aware of. The doorways were low and the thresholds wide in these buildings and though they had been warned, the family still found themselves tripping from time to time and as the tallest in their party, Adam clunked his noggin once or twice. The walking from building to building was more a hike with hills and stony dirt roads … even the floors inside the buildings were dirt. As well, there were animals everywhere that were vital to the survival of such a village but this was no petting zoo: the goats, sheep, burros and horses were unpredictable and guests were warned not to feed or pet any of them. Every time an animal crossed their path, the kids wanted to get closer and every time they were reined in by the back of their shirts.
There were three work stations they found particularly interesting. They’d seen blacksmiths and flour mills at work in the past but this was the first time they explored how molasses was made, how animal hides were tanned for clothing, and how wool and fabric was dyed.
For hundreds of years, molasses was used as a sweetener for baking, an ingredient for ale making and feed for animals. Here at El Rancho, the family had a chance to see how sorghum molasses was traditionally made.
The interpreter explained that the sugar cane was crushed between stones, via burro power, to extract its juice. Next, the juice was put in a large pot and set atop a wood fire to heat it. After ten to thirty minutes, the liquid would boil and then the heat was reduced until it simmered. Left uncovered for two to three hours, the steam would evaporate, thickening it. Once the coloring goes from cloudy and thick, to dark brown and clear as honey, it’s ready. After it cooled, it was placed in storage bottles and kept in a cool, dry place.
“Didn’t we eat that before?” Joshie asked after he was given the chance to dip some bread in the finished product and taste it.
“Good memory Joshua. We had it at Lambert’s Café when we were in Missouri.”
“Do you use molasses Mrs. Willowby?” Hannah asked, tasting it herself.
“Quite often. When I make gingerbread for Christmas, I use molasses. And molasses are added to white sugar to make brown sugar.”
“And here I thought it was just white sugar that got a tan,” Kris quipped.
Adam leaned in closed and whispered in his ear, “Maybe I should start calling you ‘brown sugar’.”
Kris kissed his husband, “And I’ll call you ‘sugar lips’.”
“Ah aren’t you two sweet … now get a move on; there’s so much to see and so little time,” the nanny declared, already heading down the road with the children.
Buckskin, an early form of leather, had been worn by pioneers, woodsmen, trappers, soldiers and farmers because it was more durable than fabric. It was also easier to make on the frontier than fabric as the materials were more readily available.
Spread out over the area were skins in various stages of tanning, from curing to prepare it for tanning to cleaning off the hair and other bodily bits that they didn’t want to think too much about, to the actual tanning in other ‘concoctions’, and then stretching and drying. Kris and Adam found this area interesting since both men liked wearing leather though it was rarely the real thing. More than once, the kids covered their noses and mouths and a few ‘gross’, ‘ewwww’, and ‘yuck’ comments slipped out. Despite all of it though, the kids exclaimed it was one of the coolest things they’d ever seen.
Their last lesson happened in the dying shed. Today, fabrics and wools are mainly dyed with chemicals. Back in the day, and still used today by artisans, the natural dyes came mainly from plants.
The shed had racks of dyed wool hanging up to dry and the adults made a game with the kids to see if they could guess what plants had been used. As the only guests there at the moment, the interpreter joined in, offering the correct answers while continuing to boil the dyes and dip the raw wool.
“Red,” Kris began.
“Tomatoes!” Joshie said.
“Beets?” Hannah guessed.
“Bloodroot,” the interpreter answered.
“You used blood?!” the boy exclaimed.
“I used this flower,” she replied, holding up the white blossomed plant with yellow stamen.
“It’s not red though.”
“The petals aren’t Miss but if you break the stem,” and she did so, releasing a red sap, “you get the color.”
“That’s cool,” Kris commented. “’Kay, next … orange.”
“Oranges!”
“Ummm … I’ll guess oranges too.”
“We use tea leaves or juniper.”
“Isn’t juniper a kind of evergreen tree?” Mrs. Willowby asked.
“It is. We use the bark.”
Kris moved onto the next one.
“Yellow.”
“Lemons!”
Hannah moved closer and caught a whiff. She crinkled her nose.
“It smells like onion.”
“That’s what we used … onion skin.”
“Green.”
“Leaves!” both kids said together.
“You’re half right. Green is a hard color to dye from one plant so we dye it yellow with sage brush ~ that’s a plant ~ and they dip it in a black or brown dye. And that brings us to the last color, brown. What do you think we used for brown?”
“Chocolate!”
“Dirt?”
“Good guesses but no. Again, we can use juniper but we also use walnuts.”
The kids tried their hand at dying some wool, only after Mrs. Willowby was assured it wouldn’t stain their hands, and then they headed back to the SUV. Tonight, they were attending a special dinner and everyone needed to shower and change into the nicest clothes they’d brought with them.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
When they arrived at the Cultural Center, they went to the reception desk to confirm their reservations and to get their seat numbers. Inside, lots of people were milling around, looking at the displays and talking over the live music.
“Can we look around?”
“In a minute Hannah, let’s find our seats first.”
She took her Papa’s hand and let him lead her as she craned her neck to see the trays of food being passed around by the servers. Rather than dining at separate tables, the room was set up like a banquet hall and they found themselves sharing a table for ten. One couple was sitting there with their teenaged daughter and introductions were made. The girl, Emily, seemed to recognize Adam and Kris cause her mouth fell open and she couldn’t talk straight. When the men shook her hand, she looked at it like it had turned to gold. Hannah pursed her lips a little and hoped the girl wouldn’t bug her Papa and Daddy all night with silly questions.
“Can we look around now and try the food?”
“Of course Sweetpea.”
Joshie took his Daddy’s hand and started to drag him away but Mrs. Willowby stopped them before they got any further.
“Now children, remember what I told you. You will be served foods you’ve never eaten before and I’d like you to try at least one bite of everything set before you. I don’t want to hear a commentary on what you don’t like, just swallow and wait until something new comes along.”
“What if we like it? Can we eat it?”
“Of course Joshua … and you can say how much you like it. Just remember, we are guests and we don’t want to insult our hosts.”
The event was being catered by Red Mesa Cuisine, whose mission is ‘to bring Native American Cuisine into the contemporary Southwest kitchen and to help sustain traditional foods, traditional agricultural food practices, as well as keep alive culinary techniques from a variety of Native communities’. This event was being hosted by a local radio station and the boys pulled some strings to get invited, promising to call in after their trip was over and to share their thoughts and experiences in New Mexico. The other guests were contest winners.
Hors d’oeurves were being passed around by the servers but there was also a buffet table set up for guests to select from. It was hard to track down the mobile trays so the Allen-Lambert’s headed to the table instead once they’d looked at the displays.
“Take one of everything,” Kris suggested, “then we’ll head back to the table and munch.”
They filled up their plates and took their seats. Hannah was relieved to see they were alone at the table … for now. Each morsel was a hit with the adults while the kids were hit and miss. Hannah and Joshie liked the skewered chipotle shrimp with mango dipping sauce, the local veggies with avocado ranch dip and organic cheeses with assorted crackers. Hannah liked the smoked trout on triangle toast with crème fresh and dill; her brother didn’t care for it but swallowed it anyway. The caviar on endive feathers was beyond them and try as they might, they couldn’t manage even one bite. Both children silently looked to their parents for help and when the nanny wasn’t looking, their parents ate the bites for them.
Eventually, everyone took their seats … including THAT girl. Before the sit down meal began, there was an informative talk about the history of Native foods in the Southwest and the ingredients they would be sampling that night. Servers came around with the Starter of baby mixed greens, baby tomatoes and cucumber with chile spiced pecans in balsamic vinaigrette. When the brief lecture ended, the table conversation and eating began.
The banter was light hearted. The others at the table recognized the stars dining with them but once they mentioned they liked their music, that was that. In truth, they were more interested in hearing about the places the family had seen and how they went about organizing such a trek. Joshie ignored the chatter, concentrating on his food instead and Mrs. Willowby seemed determine to keep a constant eye on him. Hannah listened but kept her attention on Emily who stared unceasingly it seemed. Throughout the entire meal, Hannah kept a hand through the arm of either her Daddy or Papa; when they were between courses, she stayed latched onto both of them, a silent warning to Emily that they belonged to her.
After the starter came the appetizers. The fresh sweet corn soup garnished with roasted red peppers and chipotle puree was a really good and the kids inhaled the batter fried goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms with Indian salsa fresca.
Overall, the adults were pleased with how the kids were trying everything. Hannah’s clinging didn’t go unnoticed by Adam and Kris, especially when Emily started talking to them and their daughter cut the circulation off to their hands. Rather than say anything, they would pat her hand and pry her loose.
“That’s a tiny chicken,” Joshie declared when the main course was placed before him.
“It’s not a chicken Joshua, it’s a quail.”
“What’s a quail?”
“A bird … like a chicken.”
“Good … I loooove chicken.”
The quail was marinated, grilled and covered in a red chile honey glaze. Roasted root vegetables and sautéed swiss chard were on the side and a basket of home baked blue corn cob bread was passed around. The last course, naturally, was Joshie’s favorite: Navajo fry break dusted with powdered sugar and served with a trio of fresh berries.
“So young man, what did you think of tonight’s dinner?” Emily’s mom asked.
“It was great!” He turned to Adam, and grinned with a powdered and juiced smile. “Papa, can I have yours?”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Everyone was worn out and got ready for bed as soon as they arrived back at La Fonda. Adam was deep in negotiations with Joshua to keep him in his own bed and Kris had the need to talk to Hannah about her behavior tonight. Leaving the peace treaty, Kris knocked on the girls’ door.
“Is Hannah still up? I need to talk to her.”
“Here I am Daddy.”
Mrs. Willowby smiled and welcomed him in. She offered to wait on the veranda but Kris said she didn’t have to go anywhere, that they would talk outside. Mrs. Willowby placed a throw around the girl’s nightgown clad shoulders and father and daughter stepped out into the evening air.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Kris led her over to an iron settee. They settled down and Kris tucked her under his arm.
“No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong … it’s just … I was wondering what was up at dinner tonight. I know we’re an affectionate family but you were so … I don’t know … possessive.” Hannah didn’t say anything for a long time. “Sweetpea?”
“I’m … I’m sorry, it’s just ….”
“Yeah?”
“Well, you guys are my parents and this is a family trip and I didn’t like … didn’t like … HER … staring at you all the time.”
“I suppose I understand but she was just star struck is all.”
“I guess.”
“But you don’t like sharing us do you?”
Hannah sighed, “I know I have to but this was family time and I wanted you all to myself.”
Kris kissed her head.
“At the end of the day Hannah, your Papa and I always come home to you and your brother. No matter how many fans we have, we know none of them are as special as you two.”
Hannah shifted around and hugged him.
“I love you Daddy.”
“Love you too. Now, let’s get to bed. It’s another busy day and there’s more walking ahead of us.”
“You mean the chocolate tour?!”
“Sure do.”
She leapt to her feet and ran back to her room, calling out goodnight as the French door closed. Chuckling to himself, he stood, stretched, scratched his belly and headed back to his room, anxious to curl up with his love and drift off to sleep in those strong arms. Entering the living room, he immediately noticed something missing.
“Where’s Joshie?”
“In our room.”
“But you said you were going to tell him he had to stay in his own bed tonight!”
“I did … and he’s in his own bed … at the foot of our bed.”
“Adam!” Kris whined.
“Well, you try laying down the law when he’s looking at you with those big brown puppy eyes and telling you he’s scared to be in this big room by himself. I could never refuse big brown puppy eyes.”
Kris knew that. In fact, it was the best weapon in his arsenal when he wanted Adam to do something Adam didn’t want to do.
“I guess it’s alright. At least tomorrow we’re on our own.”
Adam drew Kris into his arms and they kissed passionately.
“We’re on our own right now. How about,” Adam began, running his fingers under Kris’ shirt, “we have a little prelude….”
“Papa! Daddy! Are you coming? I’m lonely!”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
♥ = worth a look
African Folk Art antelope ~ http://static3.travelandleisure.com/images/media/0000/4239/201107-b-south-africa_monkeybiz.jpg
Indonesian Shadow Puppet ~ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_igNiCjGJR_g/SxLPG9FLc_I/AAAAAAAAHpI/mj_VrXhxR00/s1600/IM000090.jpg
♥ Shadow Puppets in Action ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGE3m7BEng&feature=related
♥♥ BITBBH Shadow Potty Train ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW3E0ixPkVM
♥ Whirligig in Motion ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYSmiBKnWVg&feature=related
♥ Face Jugs ~ http://supermudpottery.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/facejugscollagetext.jpg
Latin American Masks ~ http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5408493502_089ae7a1e3.jpg
Spanish Colonial Armoire ~ http://kylekinter.com/images/538a.JPG
Hannah’s zebra ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-11387/African-Zebra-Sculpture?category=51
Mrs. Willowby’s scarf ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-11500/Luxe-Silk-Scarf?category=30
Joshie’s Mask ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-2557/Jaguar-Head?category=33
Adam’s wall hanging ~ http://worldfolkart.org/product-11761/Huichol-Yarn-Painting?category=453
Tecolote Café ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPJ5ZbLSJXY
El Rancho de las Golondrinas ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rynYJyqdzy4
House & Courtyard Pic ~ http://papiblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/PapiBlogger-Road-Trip-Day-7-2.jpg
Church & Entrance Pic ~ http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4098/4824818661_2093c02324_z.jpg
