Lilac season in Taos

 and, needless, to say, it was gorgeous!

The opportunity presented itself for a few days visit

to see my oldest son in Taos -

and I jumped on it!

Road trips are always fun for me -

and this one was no exception.

I love watching the transition from prairie to mountains

as you drive across MO, KS, then into Southern CO

and, finally, Northern New Mexico.

New Mexico is its own brand of beauty;

totally understand why its called the Land of Enchantment.

 While there were indications of spring being on its way -

there were nights of hard frost 

and even a day 

with snow flurries and a dusting of snow on the ground when we visited

one of our favorite parks -

Rio Castillo.

 

As much as he wanted to go fly fishing with the new rod he made,

it was too cold to sustain the effort for long.

SO good to have time with my first born.

We didn't spend all our time in state parks;

we also hit up our favorite spots in town.

 

It also made me smile to watch him teach himself how to knit/crochet/loom a hat!

In an afternoon, while we sat and talked...

who does that?

Anyone want to make a bet we all get hats this Christmas?

The other thing that made me smile was seeing how involved he's gotten in gardening...

ornamentals as well as produce.

While I type this, it's still 90 degrees in St Louis

(at 8:30 pm);

as hard as it was to believe, 

while in Taos, they still had nights below 40, 

so nothing's in the ground yet.

We had wonderful conversations about how gardening cultivates hope -

and couldn't we all use more of that!

While talking about what kind of fencing - or enclosures - to use,

I suggested that he use his new skill to make a wattle fence -

and wouldn't you know it, 

he did!

To be honest, I'm really envious;

I think it looks great.

 

I'll only brag about him for another second.

Years ago, a wonderful, talented and loving friend gifted me 

with a painting of my great grandmother.

I loved it -

and I managed to accommodate the almost life sized canvas as best I could

in my tiny cottage.

 

However, after living with it for years,

it simply seemed like too much body and background,

neither of which was necessary to tell her story.

 

After transporting her to Taos,

Mike helped re-size her and its SO much better now!

As much as I loved it before, I love it even more now!

I'll finish with a few more images from around town, including my souvenir -

which I also love!

At the end of the lane as I was leaving.

I was home for almost a week before I headed out again -

but that will be a post for another day!