What A Wonderful Day

On Tuesday, we went to the Railyard Farmers Market. It is has been named among the top 10 farmers markets on the country. I do not like the taste of raspberry but found a delicious jam made with raspberries and chilies that was not hot.  I think the chilie cut the taste I don't like in raspberries.  I also brought some fresh baked bread, new potatoes and fresh green beans.

Next stop was the Travelers Market.  We walked in a small room and found some cute things but the sales lady said that the room was the tip of the iceberg.  There was 45 galleries of tribal & folk art, textiles, antiques, books, clothing and jewelry from the tribes and bazaars markets of Souks of Aboriginal Australia, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia , France, Guatemala , India, to name a few of the country.

I found these shells that are used for money and thought my daughter would like to make jewelry.  I brought her a few.

Today we went to Mora, NM, so that I could tour the Mora Valley Spinning Mill.

The mill also houses a coffee shop, gift shop of works from local weavers, rugs, paintings, photography, post cards, soaps , lotions and more.  They also created Tapetes de Lana

In 1998 as a vocational training program for rural individuals in the art of weaving.

The tour of the mill was very informative.  I spin but have never seen the commercial process.  This is a small mill were you can send your wool to be processed from cleaning, dying, making roving and finally the yarn.  Their equipment makes a semi-worsted yarn.  Semi-worsted yarns enhance the natural luster and character of the fiber, and are strong, long lasting and resistant to pilling.  It is excellent for rugs, blankets and art weaving.

 If the weather will not allow for natural drying of the wool after washing, they use these dryers but they do not have heat which would felt the wool.

Outdoor drying racks

The biggest drum carder I have ever seen.  A drum carder (drum carder prepares the wool for spinning.  It disintangles the fibers to produce a continuousfiber

Drum full of carded wool

Pencil roving  from carded fiber that spinners danuse or knitters will use as is.

Yarn being put on spools

Skein winder.  If someone needs a 4 ounce skein, she can wind just that amount.

I brought some Navajo-churro roving to spin.  I have never spun this before.  Jean brought some to learn how to drop spindle.  I have a drop spindle that I am letting her use. Navajo-churro  is a breed of domestic sheep obtained by Navajo, Hopi and other Native American nation. 

Off for lunch at Dairy Queen in Las Vegas, NM.  Then we headed to Montezuma Hot Springs which is 5 miles outside Las Vegas.  The Armand Hammer United World College take care of the pools which are free to the public and open from dawn to dusk.  

I was a little disappointed when we arrived.  The rock lined pits were coated with slick green algae.  By the road there are three pools.  The bottom pool felt like very warm bath water, the pool above is 102 degrees and the top pool is 120 degrees.  

I dipped my toes in the bottom pool

Once I got used to the water, I turned around and dipped my toes in the heat of the middle pool, let the liquid rise to meet my ankle, then my shin.  Took off my pants (I had on a bathing suit) to let the water massage my thighs.  I understand what others have known for hundreds of years.  The water made my skin feel like velvet and I felt so relaxed.  The rush of water from one pool to the next caressed my legs .

Jean got all the way in

What a wonderful day