Finding William Henry Walker, farmers’ market, quilts
August 1, 2009

Gasp, can it really be August?! It appears so, but I scarcely fathom how quickly the time rolls away. Yet, time stands still now, it seems, as we sit outside the trailer in the most perfect evening ever. The sun has just disappeared below the nearest mountain peak. The temperature is an ideal . . . well, I don’t know what it is but it is definitely perfect. I’m writing; Chris is playing the keyboard and Rowdy watches through the screen door. Neighbors are visiting in quiet, laughing groups and enjoying the music. Glorious indeed!

We went to this morning’s Saturday farmers’ market, a small affair with a nice variety of locally grown and handmade items, leaving with a beautiful bunch of pungent sweet basil, tomatoes, squash and a jalapeno. We have to be frugal with the quantity of fresh things we buy; our refrigerator space is quite limited. The basil is to be used to make a syrup required for the gin gimlet I have grown fond of. Back in Prescott a while back, I chanced to sit next to Peg Rhodes at a Learning Institute meeting, signed up for her cooking newsletter, and now am hooked (on the basil gimlet and the newsletter). Actually, I loved Peg’s cooking columns for years when she published in the Prescott Sun.

Before we returned to the hot springs, we went by Pagosa’s small museum, one of those things I seldom resist. They were having an incredible quilt show - one woman’s extensive collection dating back to 1847. Wow, they were some of the most intricate and inventive designs I have ever seen!

Of course the real reason for stopping was genealogy - no surprise there. Turns out the museum is a project of the local historical society and the woman manning (womaning?) the desk was a genealogist in her own right, very helpful. She has surveyed the burying ground here and was able to give us military affiliation for cousin Jerry’s g.g. grandfather, William Henry Walker, information she found on his tombstone, which derived from his Civil War service with the Iowa Infantry. Off we went to the Hilltop Cemetery, a huge rambling graveyard disappearing into the mountaintop pines. We found and photographed the stone in question, one among two rows of military markers, and gave William Walker flowers and a flag. I can’t help but wonder how long it has been since anyone has visited him or remembered his sacrifices in service or wondered about his life in the pioneering days of Pagosa Springs.

In between those stops, we enjoyed the first really clear day since we got here, soaking and relaxing in the various pools. They range in temperature from about 97 to 112 degrees. We typically choose those in the neighborhood of 100-104.

A bit away from the small individual pools, there is a large swimming pool where most of the children congregate. With eyes closed, I enjoy one of my most favorite ever things: to dozily listen to the sounds of water (waterfalls, river, even still water has its own resonance) and people. To me, it’s magical to hear children laughing and shrieking in the distance and conversations near and far, none of which are really discernible, just the sound of people being together talking and laughing. There’s something different from the busy hum of groups indoors when the sun is warming the sound as it dissipates into the atmosphere.

A perfect end to a perfect day . . .

More birds today: Lewis’ woodpecker and lark sparrow.



Best business name: Ears 2 U, a hearing aid shop.