Things That Don't Get Old in New Mexico: Part II

("Watching the New Ponies, Yellowman/ At Kiva Fine Art)

So, after a relaxing morning of the hotel gym and swimming in the rooftop pool at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, my friend Michael picked me up, and we headed out to the Jemez mountains to see the red dirt. Michael was kind enough to stop at Allsup's to pick up some very tasty bean and cheese breakfast burritos (I'm quite sure they were lowfat...NOT, especially considering they were deep fried, but at least they weren't dripping in grease.)

Jemez was so so beautiful. We stopped at the tribe's cultural center on the way to the mountains so that I could pick up some souvenirs for my co-workers and use the loo.

After our pitstop we headed up into the mountains, which was spectacular. As we got higher up, I could hear the sound of a river below and we began heading through short tunnels burrowed into the rocks as the road wound up the mountainside. When we got out of the car, it was so peaceful. The warm sun beat down on us, but there was a cool breeze and the river below calmed me as it rushed against the rocks on the ravine floor. Next to Chimayo, this was probably my favorite place.

After a soothing afternoon between a rock and a hard place (get it???), we headed for Santa Fe, but not before we stopped off for a wine tasting at the Ponderosa Valley Winery and bought a bottle of the delicious Jemez Red wine.It was so good, and the gaggle of dogs and geese there kept us company. This guy couldn't wait to push his head under the fence to pose for me.






We also popped in at the home of pottery makers Sal and Flo Yepa. Flo told us her very moving tale of being involved in bringing healing to families of victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York City. This is a lovely woman--big talent and big heart. I wanted to give her a hug goodbye, but felt a little weird about it. I bought this beautiful and symbolic pottery box which tells of a journey much like the one I am going on in my life at present. I will cherish it.

Finally, we made it to Santa Fe. It was a lovely day for Zozobra and Fiesta was well under way in the central plaza. All the food vendors were setting up and shouts of "Que viva la fiesta!" could be heard everywhere. It was all actually very civilized, in spite of the fact that it was mostly young people doing the reveling.

After checking into the quaint, and unexpectedly small and rustic Hotel St. Francis right off of the plaza (Can SOMEONE please explain how I managed to get a hotel for $100 per night with $5 parking next door during Fiesta in Santa Fe? Pretty incredible!), we headed out to dinner at La Casa Sena, which features fine dining indoors or out on the front plaza, which is situated in the middle of what was once a home built circa 1860. We opted to head into the cantina, which features singing waiters in a cabaret-style review, excellent, world-class cuisine, a LOT of retirees singing along to "On the Street Where You Live" and fantabulous Silver Coin and Cointreau margaritas. (Note: Food is excellent. Service is excellent. Prices a tad inflated, even for NYC standards, but worth it for the ambience, and what the hell...I was on vacation!).

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to change for Zozobra. We joined the droves of people walking up the hill towards the festival site just before the sun went down. By the time we got there, the field was full of thousands of people who had been waiting for the burning since late afternoon. They apparently were entertained by a variety of bands. Kids swung fake lighted plastic swords and vendors were also selling devil ears that lit up. Family after family made their way into the grounds, baby strollers and all, many full of sleeping children who just petered out. What was cool was that the city has turned this into a very nice family event by banning alcohol on the premises. It seems that about six years ago someone was shot and it was linked to alcohol. It was very peaceful, though I definitely smelled pot behind us.

We stood waiting for about an hour and then the burning of Zozobra began with this guy coming out (almost high-priestesque) and talking about the woes of the past year. Then dancing ghosts came out, followed by flame dancers, fireworks and the subsequent burning of the 3-story white puppet with moving eyes, mouth and arms. As he flailed in anger, he growled, which egged the people in the crowd to yell back at him. Imagine a crowd of, what was thought to be 45,000 people, shouting "burn him!" One woman yelled "You're just like a typical man!" I told Michael to yell "Shut your piehole!" an office favorite in my department at work, and he did to the confusion of the native New Mexicans around us. Then, as soon as it started to burn, Zozobra was no more and I suddenly felt a sense of peace. The ceremony, as pagan as it seemed, definitely appealed to my spirit. Definitely a life-altering experience and one I will never forget.

After Zozobra, we made our way down the hill to Fusion, where "Jacks" the sexy and bustier-clad bartendress made us the best cosmos ever. Later, we made our way down to Vanessi's, where we enjoyed great bar service, beautiful art on the walls, the song stylings of Charles on the piano, and I got to bring the house down with my rendition of "Bewitched" from Pal Joey.

The next morning we were off to satisfy our craving for blue corn tortilla huevos rancheros at the Plaza Cafe, while an Albuquerque-based mariachi band Mariachi Nuevo Sonido played. I couldn't get enough of their music. So much so, that we followed them outside to listen to them on the concert stage on the plaza. Everything about them was perfect--from pitch, to being in sync with one another, to the costumes they wore. I'd pay to sit and listen to them for hours.

The rest of the day was spent drooling over art and jewelry. The jewelry in the plaza was way over-priced, but some of it, like the gorgeous hand-tooled and layered silver pieces made by Jeremy and Eileen Rosetta of the Arts of Santo Domingo, caught my eye and had me wishing I had $4k in my pocket. Here is an image of some of the pieces they had for sale. Notice the detail, not only on the outside, but on the inside of the cuffs. Incredible!

We also traversed down another street where there were other vendors hocking jewelry, sculptures and art. One of the most special moments was meeting a New Mexico artist who arrived there by way of Brooklyn by way of Cuba. Her name is Ariela Boronat, and I want her to adopt me! She is an artist and a printmaker and her work is lovely. I decided to buy an original piece from her titled "Dulzura" because the painting's subject has such a wonderful expression on her face. She explained to me her printmaking process, since I had tried to make some linocut prints in the past and had some difficulty. My absolute favorite print was one of women washing clothes in a plaza. I told her that it reminded me of the time I photographed women in Antiqua, Guatemala, who came down from the mountains to wash their rugs and blankets before selling them in the markets. It turns out that she onced traveled all over Latin America for her job and had photographed these women as well in Northern Guatemala. It was a cathartic experience to share a similar sweet memory with a complete stranger, though I hope we don't remain strangers and that I can buy more of her art!
That day was art, art and more art! We visited my new favorite gallery,The Frank Howell Gallery which specializes in the works of master painter Frank Howell and others, including sculptor Bill Worrell, who makes some inspiring clay masks.

There, I also found the ring that I'm going to buy when my ship comes in. It's by Ray Tracy, and it's made of gold, silver and turquoise. I think it was more than $3,000. This photo doesn't do it justice...believe me!
After all the drooling, we headed back to Albuqerque and the Hyatt Regency. Boy, were we exhausted! So many things, so little time to see it all in. Que viva la fiesta!

Things That Don't Get Old in New Mexico: Part I

The Southwest is one of the most beautiful places to visit. I first had the opportunity to experience its natural beauty when I was on choir tour with the SMU Concert Choir in 1988. We visited Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Santa Fe. This past week, almost twenty years later, I returned to the Southwest to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. In March, I had the pleasure of going to Albuquerque for a project I was working on with NBC’s The Today Show, and I made a friend who works in the wholesale jewelry business there. He told me that I ought to return the first week of September because Santa Fe would be celebrating “Fiesta.” As part of Fiesta, on the first Thursday of September, the city celebrates leaving the past behind by burning “Zozobra” or “Old Man Gloom” on the grounds of a school about five blocks from Santa Fe’s main plaza. My friend assured me that this was an experience not to be missed and surely not to be forgotten. That would be an understatement!

My trip started with checking into the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, which is located downtown on NW Tijeras Street. It’s centrally located between Old Town, the main art and shopping district for tourists, and Nob Hill, a quaint, but lively area bustling with activity from the University of New Mexico college students who frequent its many coffee houses, bookstores, restaurants and funky shops (My new favorite store is Masks y más, which is located on the main strip and sells every possible type of artesania from Mexico, Guatemala, Indonesia and Africa. It made me very happy to walk in since, after I lived in Latin America during college, I wanted to open just such a shop!).

Afterwards, we drove to el Santuario de Chimayó in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where we toured this little church built in the 1800s. We also saw the holy dirt, which you can take with you, in the church floor, dipped our feet in the brook out back and planted our own homemade crosses with important information on them in the far corner of the grounds, just a few feet from the vast pasture behind it that leads to mountains. Chimayó felt completely holy with a mystical air to it. We brought home some beautiful little stones from the brook to remind us of our little day trip.

On the way back to Albuquerque, we stopped at María’s in Santa Fe for some New Mexican-style carne adovada and delicious French vanilla margaritas, which is just one type of margarita on their menu of one hundred! While New Mexican Mexican food is not as tasty as the the Tex-Mex that I grew up with, the drinks were fantastic. Then it was back to the hotel for some sleep to be ready for our trek to Santa Fe and Zozobra on Thursday.

Catching Up With the Past--An August Recap

This post is a little bit long in coming as I was lost in la-la land getting things done at work before my fabulous Albuquerque/Santa Fe trip, so I didn't have a chance to write about a couple of happenings in August until now.The first thing that I want to talk briefly about is how I FINALLY, after an eight-year hiatus, made it back to the U.S. Open this year, thanks to a co-worker of my friend Kate, who was unable to attend. The tennis was good, but the merchandise was over-priced and sucky, and there were too many "ghetto" people this year. I couldn't believe some of the riff-raff who like tennis. Yes, Virginia, I'm a snob and a classist, and I'm okay with that! I used to think the U.S. Open was the most civilized place in Queens, but it has become like everything else (Fashion Week, Fifth Avenue, etc.), a bunch of entitled people trying to be absolutely fabulous. I would have actually enjoyed the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, except some jackass sat down next to us with his girlfriend and proceeded to talk loud on his cell phone the whole time a la "Bro, yeah, it's me, Bro. I'm at the U.S. Open." I know Bro--that's why no one else is on their G.D. cell phones, because we're watching live tennis, so shut the hell up! Unbelievable! Even after three groups of people around him rolled their eyes and my bold friend Naomi told him to "shhh!" he still continued to talk even after he apologized. Ugh! People make me crazy!!! I also made the mistake of wearing flip-flops since it was wall-to-wall people this time around. Weekdays are definitely a better time to attend the open if you don't like crowds. The good news was that it was, indeed, it was a lovely night for tennis and there was a refreshing cool breeze. Most importantly, Naomi and I spent some quality time hanging out.

Also in August, I was nominated for the Arte y Pico Award by the phenomenal artist, Robin Cheers in Austin, Texas. I bought one of her smaller daily paintings ("Meditating Marilyn")earlier this year and I love it. I am uberappreciative about this nomination because I have been blogging just for the sake of documenting important experiences in my life and to relieve the stress that corporate America gives me. It’s nice to be recognized for all the things that the award is about—dedication, creativity, art and more! That’s what so amazing about online communities…making friends who share common traits and goals.

I have to admit, I don't spend enough time reading other people's blogs, but I do enjoy browsing and seeing what art out there inspires me. That's why I am going to nominate Ed Watson, Daniel Peci, Nicole Wong. Both are incredible artists, and their work really speaks to me. William Renzulli also has an interesting blog. He inspires me to make sure that I have the fullest retirement when it comes time for me to take that journey in my life. I also love the work of Gerard Boersma in the Netherlands. His eye for detail and color astound me!

Some Background on The Arte y Pico Award

The designer of the award puts it like this..."The Arte y Pico Award has arisen from the daily visits that I make to many blogs which nourish and enrich me with creativity. In them, I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art. I want to share this prize with all those bloggers that entertain and enrich me day to day. Doubtlessly, there are many and it will be hard to pick just a few."The Rules:1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award through creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter of language.2. Each award should have the name of the author with a link to their blog.3. Award winners have to post the award with the name and link to the blog of the person who gave them the award.4. Show these rules and the paragraph (above) explaining the awards origination.

Back to Basics Toys' "The Toys of Our Lives" Sweepstakes

What’s your favorite toy from childhood? Was it Slinky, Colorforms or Nok Hockey? Did you know it could win you a shopping spree to Back to Basics Toys in “The Toys of Our Lives” Sweepstakes? Starting August 25, toy enthusiasts will be able to go online to http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/ and upload a photo of their favorite toy from childhood and say why they love it. Toys can be ‘classics’ that have been lovingly preserved in Grandma’s attic or toys that have weathered years of love. Throughout the 18 weeks leading up to December 25, Back to Basics Toys will select a winning photo each week and the winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to Backtobasicstoys.com.

Watch a segment on classic toys from Back to Basics Toys here.

Fabulous Read for Kids from Gay Author and Illustrator

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is one of the best children's books on the market for kids 8-12 years-old. At first glance, it seems like it would take a year to read, but it reads like a graphic novel, one that is gloriously beautiful, well-thought out and appealing to adults as well. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is written by gay author and illustrator Brian Selznick, who is as nice as he is adorable. Check out a recent piece in the Washington Blade on this leading children's book author.

Being Metropolitan

My lovely and fabulous friend Kate and I had a fantastic night out on Friday, which started out with a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The plan was meet at the Met at about 6:30 and head up to the rooftop deck martini bar for some cocktails and pleasant conversation with beautiful people. After initially being told that the rooftop (home to the Jeff Koons exhibit) was closed for the remainder of the day, we were told that it, indeed, was open. Indeed, NOT! Once upon the roof, what we found were fifty million Europeans photographing their own reflections in Koons' sculpture. We also discovered, to our disappointment, that the martini bar had been wheeled away because of the earlier rain storm. We also discovered the spectacular view of Manhattan from three sides as well as one of the Central Park tree line below us. The sky was one of the clearest, bluest, and most amazing that I have ever seen. A solitary group of clouds floated calmly by on the crisp fall-like breeze that permeated the air on the rooftop. I’m glad that I took a photograph, which I think almost captures the beauty of the night just prior to sunset.

Afterwards, Kate and I browsed various galleries at the Met, Including Spanish Modern Art, which was fantastic. I was very intrigued by pieces by Miro (Untitled, 1931; Oil and ink on wood) Dali and, as well as a self-portrait by Leonora Carrington, who was Mexican but British born.
We also headed to the very sexy exhibit celebrating superheroes, for which top designers contributed designs inspired by classic caped crusaders. The exhibit included costumes from various Batman movies and from X-Men. Very cool!

Last year, I was fortunate to take the time to see the Met’s “Glitter and Doom” exhibition, which was cool, creepy and artistically inspiring. As I entered one of the permanent collection galleries, I was drawn to a piece by Otto Dix entitled “The Businessman Max Roesberg, Dresden,” which appeared in “Glitter and Doom.” Painted in 1922, it was one of my favorite pieces in the exhibition.

The Met also has a wonderful Asian and Southeast Asia collection, which instilled us with both a sense of tranquility as well as exhaustion, since there is so much to see. It can also be difficult to find your way out if you’re stupid like we were and didn’t look at the map. The Met is always a terrific place to find yourself and feel like you’re doing something productive. It’s always a good idea to eat before you go, though.

I'm Coming Out...and My Pendant Says It!

I was just reading a PDF of the August issue of Island Family Magazine in Hawaii, which I received from the editor today, and I saw a news item about Due Date Charms (available at www.gobellygo.com), which are maternity necklaces that state the month that your child is due on a handmade rectangular nickel pendant. You can also have a individual message added to the back side if you so desire. Oh, how I love social convention.

They should definitely make these for gay men. In our case, though, they should say things like “husband not due: in my lifetime” “healthy relationship due: never,” or “I’m gay and available.” This would clear up any confusion about whether or not someone plays for the appropriate team. I wouldn’t mind wearing one, as long as I wasn’t going to a football game, JiffyLube, the south shore of Long Island or North Philly! Otherwise, any other venue would be fine, and I don’t think it would be like wearing a scarlet letter or a pink triangle. I get so tired of the whole metrosexual, get-your-gaydar-wires-crossed thing that I could scream. I hate the whole earring thing or the bandanna in your pocket thing, too. It’s like straight people had to take those things over and make them fashionable so they’d lose their edge and significance. To top it off, they like to throw us off and get us all excited for nothing with their tight jeans, unbuttoned tight shirts and highlighted hair (THIS JUST IN: Highlights are OUT for gay men!). We should just be able to ask a guy, as I was once asked by a piano player in Midtown in the 90s, “Are you a homo or what?” Until then, what says “I’m gayer than the night is long” than a charm necklace? Besides, it’s definitely less cheesy than pooka shells!