Harwood Museum of Art

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When I opened the door this morning I promptly shut it.   It was cold (40’s).   After exchanging my sandals for sox and shoes and grabbing my fleece jacket I tried again.   The high temperature for the day was in the 50’s and there was even hail at one point.

This is not the weather we expected in the Southwest at this time of year.   According to the forecast this is only temporary and we should see the sun tomorrow.

First stop today was the Harwood Museum of Art.   Contemporary Southwest Artists a lovely building with odd shaped galleries.  The Hispanic Traditions Gallery featured collections of Retablos (religious paintings on wood) as well as sculpture.   The Taos Society of Artists were well represented as well as more contemporary works by the “Taos Moderns”.

Harwood Museum of Art photos

More Harwood Museum of Art photos

Scenes from Ledoux Street

Earthship

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We were foiled in our effort to go to the Ernest Blumenschein Home and Museum next door because of the CLOSED WEDNESDAY sign on the door.   So we headed out of town across the Rio Grande Bridge to the Earthship Visitor's Center. As their website says – “An Earthship is a radically sustainable home made of recycled materials.”

The homes are built with recycled materials; they harvest water from rain and snowfall and reuse it.   The water is used first for showers and drinking then for irrigating houseplants and food producing plants and then for flushing toilets.   There are solar panels, and windmills for electric power, and a solar/thermal system for heating and cooling which quite effectively maintains a 70-degree temperature year round.   Most interesting of the major building materials are recycled automobile tires, glass bottles and aluminum cans. 

This is an interesting idea but not for old people (like us).

After a late lunch and some errands we called it a day.

Tomorrow we take the High Road from Taos to Espanola and then head to Medenales, into the welcoming arms of our friends  Jan and Seamus. 

Scenes from Earthship Visitors Center

Earthship Structures nearby visitor's center