An Enchanting Hodgepodge

 
Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.

1. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve? Elaborate.  
Not only do I wear my heart, but also my thoughts. It gets me in trouble from time to time...I'm definitely the person to play poker against if you want to win!

2. A favorite love song? 
Old-Fashioned Love Song immediately came to mind.
But if I had to pick just one, it would be If by Bread. (My freshman year in high school the marching band played this on the field.)

3. Do you consider yourself a trusting person? Explain. 
Absolutely. I'm too trusting, in fact. I could tell you stories that would make you shake your head and wonder how I'm still here without any scars! 
I've been burned so many times by people I thought were friends or at the very least had my back. After I'm burned I usually put up a wall and don't let that person back in. I may get to a place of being cordial, but that's it; my guard is up after that.

4. June 14th is National New Mexico Day...have you ever been to New Mexico (aka The Land of Enchantment)? Any desire to visit the state? Some of the top-rated tourist attractions there are- Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands National Park, The Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, Bandelier National Monument, The Georgia O'Keefe Museum, Santa Fe Plaza, and the Petroglyph National Monument. Of the attractions listed which would be tops on your list? 
I've never been but it's on my list. I definitely want to go to Carlsbad and White Sands, but the place on the top of my list is Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. More specifically, the staircase. The chapel was built without access to the choir loft. The nuns weren't able to find a suitable builder who could come up with a way to access the loft. They said a novena (prayers said 9 days straight) to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the last day of the novena, a man came and built the staircase. He only had simple tools and left without payment or without saying his goodbyes. The stairs spiral 20 feet to the choir loft and appear to not have any support. No nails were used in the construction, only wooden pegs, and glue. The wood is some kind of spruce but is not indigenous to New Mexico. 
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

5. What's something you've found enchanting recently? 
The woodpeckers and hummingbirds. I guess that's a sure sign I'm getting old! There's a red-bellied woodpecker that visits the suet several times each day. 
The hawks in the park also get my ear when I'm walking; especially in the evening. The other day I saw 1 being chased by 2 blue jays. The hawk had something in its claws (I couldn't tell what it was) and the blue jays weren't happy about it.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 
I have 1 more Ireland post and that series will be complete. I'm glad that I have this blog to keep my memories of amazing trips. Even though I don't "rough it" ( and will never!), I do like camping in different places. I think it gives a different perspective on the places we travel to. Instead of spending the night in a hotel and turning on the tv, I like listening to the sounds of where we're camping. Like I said, it gives you a different perspective.

7 comments:

  1. Both of those are great songs. I'd forgotten all about them. I've heard of that staircase before...and would love to see it too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoy Bread a great deal; good choice!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That story about the chapel staircase sounds absolutely wonderful. I can totally understand you want to visit that place! Woodpeckers are definitely enchanting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That staircase AND the story that goes along with it -- amazing!! I would love to see that!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Everything I Own is one of my favorite Bread songs. And Aubrey...I think if we'd had another daughter that might have been her name. I love the chapel story and now that you've told it I think I'd heard about it. I don't think I have been there, or if I was I was too young to remember. My grandparents lived in Albuquerque but we always went to Sante Fe when we visited. I loved the turquoise jewelry and we always got to pick out something (small). Your trip sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's funny about playing poker with you. Mary, those are two beautiful songs. I remember them but haven't heard them in a very long time. Thanks for sharing. Wow, that is some staircase. We don't see any woodpeckers but I do enjoy the hummingbirds. We also have hawks flying around several times a week. It seems like the big black birds and the hawks take turns.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I enjoyed your answers. On a recent walk we saw a woodpecker sitting on a fence. I wished I had my camera, or time to get my phone out to video him. I couldn't get close enough and when I tried it was too grainy.

    ReplyDelete

Popular Posts