RICK IN NM- DAY -5&6

RICK IN NM- DAY 5

woke up this morning to the smell of raymond's cooking!

raymond made a traditional new mexican breakfast with eggs bacon and prerequisite red chili. yum!
we glued ourselves together and took the scenic route to visit antebellum artist RAY WIGER who lives in TAOS.

raymond & i stopped off at this quaint little vineyard just outside of dixon and we did a little wine tasting... it was very good. we ended up taking with us two bottles. one for ray wiger and one for ourselves.





on the way into taos we passed THE RIO GRANDE GORGE BRIDGE. know for the famous scene in NATURAL BORN KILLERS where juliette lewis looses her scarf and it slowly flutter down the canyon.


we then make our way towards taos. RAY WIGER asks us to call him from the corner of the highway so he can meet us outside. and there he is! what a vision.. he looks like a classic american nomad in the tradition of ernest hemingway.





originally from washington DC, ray wiger has lived in taos for 12 years.
RAY WIGER'S art is very beautiful- creation of male & female figures in wire mesh. ray creates these all by hand- no tools. both ray wiger & raymond sandoval approach their creations organically, and all by hand. we pop open our first bottle of wine.
ray took over what was once the TALPA TAVERN build in 1902, and has made it is private residence. the charm and haunting still abound...






with all the reservations, settlers, and sacred burials, of course much of new mexico is haunted. much like hollywood with all the past layers. no wonder i love new mexico as much as hollywood. it has the same vibe, except one is urban and the other is remote nature, but both have a tremendous amount of past energy.




raymond sandoval insists that a ghost that keeps reappearing in the niche next to the chair or "throne" that once belonged to the artist- R.C. GORMAN, (July 26, 1931 - November 3, 2005).

rc gorman was a Native American artist of the Navajo nation. Referred to as "the Picasso of American Indian art" by the New York Times. gorman opening his Navajo Gallery in Taos in 1968. It was the first Native American-owned art gallery.

(r.c. gorman)

ray wiger was good friends with gorman and talks about all the people who have come thru the tavern over the years, (and have sat on the gorman throne) andy warhol, dennis hopper and elizabeth taylor.







ray wiger takes us to his favorite restaurant where we just pig-out on the tasty meal and more red wine. we walk across the street to the local market and go shopping together.. how fun and domestic. the girl at the check out counter looks at us like she has never seen our types before. i'm sure she hasn't. she really checks out ray wiger. he does impose an impressive figure. he looks like a literary scholar from Clash of the Titans.
back @ ray wiger's place we have conac and cigars... what a way to end a perfect day... just like the lou reed song-


RICK IN NM- DAY 6

(talpa tavern's original outhouse- circa- 1902)





up at the crack of dawn and we have a sweet little breakfast from the items we choose @ the market the night before.
poppy-seed bagels and cream cheese, and a nice black tea. i make a fruit salad with pears, grapefruit and pomegranate seeds.
i am very proud of it.




as we drive back we take the scenic route and pass by the EARTHSHIPS
of new mexico. originally founded in 1994, the earthships are the world's largest self-sufficient residential development. the community is an eco-freindy- self sustained suburb that is TOTALLY OFF- GRID. they catch their own rainwater and use it 5 times, drinking, showering, washing dishes & clothing, watering indoor gardens and then toilet which eventually goes to the outside gardens. they generate their own electricity from solar panels.
the houses, (earthships) are made from abandon tires filled with dirt, aluminum cans and discarded bottles. once built they are virtually indestructible. remember SUSAN POWTER? the fitness guru who used to say- STOP THE INSANITY." i saw a doco about her where she says she lost one million dollars and now lives happily in one of these earthships.




they are amazing in a post apocalyptic way.. they look like a cross between the spanish architect - gaudi and planet of the apes.





i am reminded of the road trip from thelma & louise. raymond is thelma. raymond stops and picks wild sage.

we simply have to go thru ESPANOLA, (where the low-rider was invented) and visit raymond's favorite bar- SAINTS & SINNERS. this will be the theme for ANTEBELLUM's halloween exhibition- 2011.



we pass the vast open field called VALLES CALDERA. bill clinton passed a land acts bill that eventually made this a national preserve in 2000. it is the largest grass valley in america, and it's located in SANDOVAL COUNTY!




now back @ raymond's house he makes tom and i these incredible sandwiches- ham & cheese on oatnut bread, with red chile, swiss chard and tomatoes from his garden.. i am in heaven.