Because the night belongs to Santaʻs elf pig

The little town has a Christmas Lighting contest for local businesses.

My favorite this year, dinosaurs notwithstanding, is the Feed Store display which has a bull riding snow man cowboy roping a pig while a few other characters look on. 

Best of all the Feed Store display is fun in the daylight hours too, unlike those which make heavy use of inflated figures. In the daytime these deflated figures look like a whole lot of spent prophylactics, making the whole town look very shabby and post-party debauched.

Having the holiday lights really did get me out on the streets at night admiring. Most businesses focused on after dark effects, unfortunately, which meant that for the month of December daylight experience of the town, especially historic old downtown, is through  a tangle of holiday lights wires, darkly. Unfortunate this.

An Evening of Lights at Aztec Ruins National Monument

The sky put on a spectacular display as we lit the luminaries at the Aztec Ruins for the annual Evening of Lights.

For a moment the last rays of sun and the candles in the luminaria compete.

Night and the candles and solar lights won.

Solar lights outline the footpaths around the Great House as night falls.

Over 250 luminaria  (candles in paper bags weighted with sand) lit the park headquarters.

The ruins of an Ancient Puebloan Great House were lit from within with solar lights

The same solar lights made beautiful patterns on the ground surrounding the Great Kiva

Dinosaur de-light

When you live in a World Heritage archaeological site, the holiday decorations can get interesting. 

This fine display of 15 or maybe even 20 foot high dinosaurs is at the county headquarters at the west end of town.

Southern aspect

Warmth from the sun's  low arc isn't all the south brings to me at the Bluehouse

Sometimes there are deer neighbors in the dusk.

I am going to miss them when I move.

Playing ducks and drakes at the waters edge

On a recent crossing of the Rio de las Animas Perdita I watch a pair of mallards [Anas platyrhynchos] playing in the shallows.

There is something in the foam along the edges which they like. Both of them are up to their eyeballs in it at times. No I donʻt know what makes the water foam. Less than four months ago this river was contaminated by a mine tailings disaster.

I could get lost in the colours on these avian critters. That hidden little flash of white bordered sapphire under the wings. The green iridescence of his head. The lovely red-orange of their webbed toed duckfeet paddling, paddling, paddling, under the clear water, against the current.

Watching the river flow. Itʻs a thing to do with a life.

 Look hard on the right hand waters edge above. The mallard pair are paddling upstream.

Repunzelʻs chariot

Repunzelʻs chariot awaits her.

Tower, silo, kiva, granary. The childrenʻs room of a library. Seen from the south.

Happiness is sometimes a pink bicycle and a blue sky. An opalescence of clouds: bonus.

Just a hint of a crack

Good morning New Mexico!

With just two weeks to the solstice, mornings are really dark.

As I make breakfast, a waning crescent moon, holding the ghost of the next in its arms, is dancing with a star, with just a hint of crack beginning to let the light in along the horizon.

This is why I like an east facing house here. Southeast is best for winter light and sky gazing.

Following the yellow brick road into hot water

Yes I am in hot water again.

I followed the yellow brick road to the Healing Waters Resort and Spa, Pagosa Springs, Colorado. A while ago, at another historic old bathouse in Jemez Springs, I was told to go across the road from the big fancy drinks-by-the-pool place. So I crossed the road.

At Healing Waters there are indoor bathhouses, one for men, one for women, strictly no kids, clothing optional, about 110 degrees of incredible, lightly sulfurous, natural, hot, mineral springs water. On the wall in the women's bathouse there are paintings: Cave art horses which look very Lascaux to me. Human figures which look very Drakensberg. All contribute to the steamy, primal, cave atmosphere.

Outside,  around a corner, tucked away behind a fence, there is a natural (so management assure me) mineral water soaking tub of about 104 degrees, under trees and sky. I found this pool very calm and set away from any action. Big enough to float in, I had it almost exclusively to myself. One drive by soaker hit and ran, and one workman came to warm up his glaze for some tables he was coating.

The Healing Waters is also a motel. An RV park too.