Illumination

Christmas songs are usually written about scenes with Rockwellian nostalgia. There's a certain image associated with this holiday that most of us are familiar with and many long for- trees, snow, sleds, mittens, garlands. I'm not sure what I expected this year, but being here in the American Southwest for the holidays has been a wonderful, and different, experience!

Last Saturday we joined the local Boy Scout troop to help set up for a tradition I'd never heard of. We helped set up over 6,000 luminaria at a local center for the arts called Tlaquepaque (tuh-lock-ay-pock-ay. It's a Mexican word that derives from Nahuatl and means "place above clay land".). Apparently this is a Christmas Eve tradition in Mexico and the American Southwest. People line their houses, driveways, and everything else with paper bags that have a little bit of sand in the bottom and tea lights placed on top. When everything is lit, it's breathtaking!

This is what it looked like when we were setting it up in the morning.

Tlaquepaque hosts an annual event called The Festival of Lights. Around 3pm people start to arrive, and as dusk approaches they all begin to light these luminaria. Not just a few designated people- everyone! The soft glow from the luminaria along the walkways gives way to the bright lighted stars and strings of lights overheard. Music from live musicians, bands, and choirs fills the alleyways and courtyards. Nativities and small displays are set up here and there. Shops are open. People are dancing and laughing. Warm cider is freely given out in paper cups. It's a feast for the senses and a festive gathering of community. It's different from what I'm used to (with our wind and rain, this would probably be a disaster!) but it embraces everything I imagine the Christmas spirit to be and it was a privilege to be able to participate in and witness it.

And this is what it looked like at night when everything was in full swing!

My oldest helped set up the cross! <3

This one is actually from the night before. The chapel was closed for the event. This man was the only one in the chapel playing Christmas songs on his guitar. The acoustics were magnificent and I could have listened to him all night!

The Boy Scout troop set up their own display. It was fun to see Santa in his tent. ;-)

We made the drive to Petrified Forest National Park  and the Painted Desert last week through old route 66. Of course, we had to spot a few fun landmarks...

The forest isn't covered in trees, like the name implies, but instead it looks closer to something you might see on another planet! In this landscape, trunks of trees litter the ground. They look like dead wood when you drive past them, but when you get closer, they are much, much more interesting!

Our younger two...

These trees were once floating in a swamp, where they absorbed minerals like silica. Over time the swamp dried up and these trees were petrified. They were transformed into stone and gems by the minerals. They may have been trees before, but now they are fascinatingly beautiful!!

The painted desert was no less amazing. To see all the colors and layers...well, I can see why there are so many artists here. It's inspiring! The various colors are due to the minerals in the rock layers.

This area is protected and is home to many fossils and dinosaur tracks, as well as petroglyphs left by people who have live here over it's long history. You can view them from several viewpoints. I'm happy to say that my husband brought my camera back after his last trip home, so I was able to use the zoom lens!! (HOORAY!!!)

We took our time and saw the Painted Desert Inn, which was built during the depression and furnished by local youth in the CCC Camps. Their masterful artwork is featured throughout the Inn, which is now a museum. I thought that was interesting because my husbands grandfather was also in a CCC camp in California during that time.

Oh! Before I sign off, I wanted to let you know that we finally saw a javelina! One trekked through our yard just a few days ago. It was about the size of our beagle. One more check off the list!

No! Not these ones!

This one!

Wishing you all a fantastic, non-harried week! And be sure to steer clear of the javelinas!

- Jen

The Frigid Southwest

We've been exploring our new locale this week. The scenery has changed, to be sure, but it's a little cooler than we anticipated. We must have brought the chill with us. In fact, it even snowed! So much for daydreams of flip-flops and wide brimmed hats!

Ice on the cactus. Those yellow parts are the cactus flowers. They're very waxy.

Snow in the buttes

This is what it looks like when it snows on the buttes.

We've settled back into our homeschooling routine and made sure to get our temporary library cards. If you really want to immerse yourself in a community, always make sure to join the local library. They tend to be the place where you can find great programs and people post event advertisements. Plus, we love books and it's fun to earn about the history and food of where we are.

Another quick resource I've found is children's books.  Most places offer a coloring book made for kids with digestible bits of information. These books come in handy before day trips because they help familiarize you without overwhelming you. Then, when you find a subject you want to explore more, you can get the larger, more detailed books!

This past week we visited a Boy Scout troop. I love this because it really introduces our kids to other kids who know the area and local traditions. Plus, most scout troops do community service projects and they are usually very friendly and helpful. At this meeting the boys took the lead and walked my younger son through knot tying (he is now a pro at tying people up. ;-)) while my older son observed.

They also invited us to join them to help set up a traditional Southwestern holiday event. When they described it to me, I had never heard of the tradition! Needless to say, I'm SUPER excited to participate with the kids and report back to you. You'll just have to wait for the details until then!

My husband and I went out for a drive this past weekend and ended up visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It's a Catholic Church that was commissioned by local rancher and sculptor, Marguerite Brunswig Staude. She worked with architect firm Anshen and Allen and it's very unique. It's also supposedly located within an "energy vortex". As a visitor, though, I can't say I felt any more or less "energized" by being there. Although I was pretty amazed by the architecture and landscape.

We learned that Sedona is not a name that comes from either the Native American or Mexican languages. This city is actually named after Sedona Miller Schnebly. Her mother supposedly made up the name, herself, because "it sounded pretty". Sedona Miller Schnebly was the wife of the first postmaster here. He decided to name the town after her. After reading more about her life, she sounds like a very interesting and hardworking woman.

Since Christmas decorations weren't on our list of things to pack for this trip, we headed down to the local Walgreens yesterday and picked up a tiny tree and some stockings. Now we're all set for the holiday season!

We also searched all over for, but sadly didn't find, an advent calendar. I thought they'd be everywhere right about now! I even looked online for Lego ones and it seems they're all sold out. Wow! During our search, though, we played some of the public instruments downtown. It's really a fun, artsy town.

We're still on the lookout for Javelina!

Wishing you all a wonderful month! Happy December!

- Jen