Not too long after we got back from San Diego, we went to another blues festival, this time in Silver City. Two out-of-state trips in one month is a lot. But I would like to do it all again next May! Several things really made these trips work out for us. First of all, even though they were both technically out-of-state, the San Diego trip was only 6 hours away, and Pinos Altos (where we stayed just north of Silver City) is a mere 3.5 hours drive.
We brought the camper van, which makes me feel a little guilty because the gas mileage sucks, but it is really a much more comfortable ride for me. I’m getting old, and having all the comforts of home right in the vehicle makes traveling infinitely easier for me. Especially being able to lay down for awhile, because sitting for hours really does in my lower back. The van is surprisingly easy to drive, being no longer than a large pick-up truck. And it has great visibility, including truly excellent side mirrors.
The other thing that made these recent two trips especially work for us is we timed the trips to coincide with small local blues festivals. I really love music! It’s a trick to find the right kinds of festivals. John and I both dislike crowds of people. I would simply not survive in a crazy fest like Coachella or Burning Man.
Instead, I do my research and find modestly sized community festivals. The Silver City blues festival was very accessible, in the small town’s main park. Yet it offered surprisingly talented musicians. And it was free!
We usually only go to blues or world music festivals. Some other types of music festivals can have completely different vibes. The ones with electronica/dance/house/techno music can be pretty sketchy, with so much pot in the air you can get a second-hand high. Rock and metal concerts can get a bit crazy. A lot crazy. So can the big-name country music festivals. Folk and bluegrass can have similar vibes as blues and world music, but folk is often too slow for dancing. There’s a bluegrass festival in Flagstaff every September that I hope to catch at some point, maybe next year. It doesn’t work for our schedule this year.
We were able to park the van very close to the park, and come and go as we pleased. Being able to rest in the van is so helpful for me. It was rather hot, so we left Biska happily sleeping back at the airbnb. We brought our camper van but we weren’t actually camping! That’s the part that makes me feel a little guilty. We had rented a casita. But it worked out perfectly. Biska was cool and comfortable back in the casita, and we had the van parked near the park for festival breaks.
Our casita was about 15 minutes drive further into the mountains in a town called Pinos Altos. John took this picture of a Pinos Altos restaurant while on a morning walk, although we didn’t eat there. It was one of the only places to eat in Pinos Altos. It doesn’t even look like a real restaurant! But who knows, maybe it was fantastic?
Food in Silver City is also a bit hit and miss. We did get some excellent pizza in Arenas Valley, slightly east of Silver City. But when we have a casita with a kitchen, we mostly prefer to eat our own food.
It was cool up in Pinos Altos, and only 2 miles from the Continental Divide Trail! When we go to festivals, I always make sure there is something in it for John. He doesn’t mind the festivals, but they aren’t really his thing. Hiking in New Mexico is totally his thing!
I like to hike too, but I don’t have the strength and stamina that he does. But we have a system. He gets up early and takes Biska on a strenuous hike while I sleep in, because I need more sleep than he does. Then he comes back and we all go hiking together for about an hour or two. Then we eat and head down to the music festival. And by the time I get done dancing, I’ve had plenty of exercise for one day!
In this short video clip, I’m towards the right in the light gray sunhat, blue sleeveless dress, with a light gray shirt wrapped around my waist.
The wrapped shirt is not the best look (not that it matters at a festival), but it was windy and my travel dress is so lightweight I was afraid that flimsy skirt was going to flip right up. The shirt was holding my skirt down! I never thought of that when I bought the super-lightweight, immanently packable dress. Anything goes when it comes to clothing at these festivals, but getting it right for strenuous exercise plus variable weather can be a challenge.
Here’s a longer clip from the next day. John took these videos from the shade where we had set up our chairs, deliberately back from the stage. He doesn’t like it too loud or crowded. And I’m happy to periodically come back to rest in the shade because dancing can get hot and sweaty!
You can see me on the far left of the dance floor in a dark blue top, dark green skirt, and the same light gray hat. I like to stay towards the edge of the crowd. At the very end of the video you’ll see me suddenly start heading across the dance floor – that’s because I spotted a friend of mine!
We didn’t go out there with any friends, but to my surprise, I recognized many of the dancers from dancing in Tucson. About half the the people on the dance floor were from Tucson! Tucson is only 3.5 hours away, and is a much larger city than Silver City. I would guess there were people from Albuquerque there too, which is a similar distance to the east of Silver City as Tucson is to the west. But I don’t recognize any of the dancers from Albuquerque, because we would only go to one festival a year when we lived there. We were working too hard back then!!!
Nowadays I try to get out dancing weekly in Tucson during the winter months. Not only is it fun, it’s part of my exercise routine. I’m much less likely to go dancing in the summer because I prefer the parks and plazas rather than the indoor venues, and it gets too hot outside in the summer.
Festival attendance peaked in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday. I sat that section out, because it was hot and the dance floor was packed. I was happy to just sit in the shade with John and listen.
And people watch! All kinds of people show up to blues festivals. Families, old people using canes out there dancing anyway, old guys in skirts, young girls with practically nothing on, it’s always interesting.
One grumpy-looking old white guy was hogging an enormous amount of shade with a camping chair and a huge blanket all to himself, and I was getting all judgy in my head about it. Along comes a huge Hispanic family with multiple generations, clutching all kinds of bags and chairs, and they start setting up in the heat of the sun behind him. Suddenly Old White Guy notices them and leaps up and drags his chair and blanket out of the way, saying, “Put the children in the shade! Children in the shade!” They politely protested at first, but he packed up and moved into the hot sun and insisted they settle down in his shady spot next to the tree. Once again, a reminder not to get all judgy in our heads! We all have our moments, but most people mean well.
While waiting out the hottest section of the day, I made an amazing find as I wandered through the kiosks. Felted dolls! I had already been half thinking about trying to make a felted doll. I figured I could learn something from these artists.
The artists are an older lesbian couple, spending their retirement making their felted dolls together. It wasn’t even “Oh, I made this doll and she made that one.” No, it was, “We designed and created each one of them together, bouncing ideas off each other. It’s tons of fun.” Wow! I think it’s pretty special in life to find someone with your exact same special interest. John and I share several interests and do a lot together, but not one thing with such focus.
I asked the artists if they taught classes, and they laughed and said no. But they were happy to chat with me (there weren’t any other customers just then), and I asked a lot of questions. I pretty much got an impromptu class right then and there. They showed me the stages of making the dolls.
They start with a wire outline. Then they wrap the wire with some type of thick wool yarn that I don’t actually know the name of.
After the wire is wrapped, they then use techniques that I already know: layering on the roving (loose wisps of wool) and encouraging it to adhere to itself using needle felting and wet felting. I have a partially-finished blog about felting techniques that I will try to get posted one of these days.
Here are the two dolls I bought.
This second one looks like she’s holding a dove, but they told me it’s a white raven, which is a common mythical and religious symbol.
Don’t tell my new artist friends, but I think I’m going to take these two dolls off their wooden stands and display them in some other way. I haven’t quite got that figured out yet, but I’d rather put them on the wall.
I also plan to try to make a doll myself. I already have in mind an idea to make a girl on a swing. These two dolls don’t have facial features, but I think I will try to make a face on the doll I make. That will definitely be harder. Maybe I can just do eyes. My girl on a swing at least needs eyes, don’t you think? Mine won’t be so 1970’s flowing and swirly either. Everyone’s style is different!
Speaking of couple’s sharing interests, here’s some hiking pictures.
There were a lot of deer. I counted at least 8 in this particular herd; there may have been more that had already headed up the hillside.
It was a great weekend!