Navajo Rugs

While I was at the Petroglyph National Monument Visitors Center there was a sale of Navajo Rugs going on. I couldn't afford any of these magnificent rugs. (I would never walk on one) Most are used to hang on the wall. One photo show a small weaving loom but no one was weaving while I was there. There was a Navajo man giving a talk about how the rugs are made and what some of the symbols on them mean. These rugs were brought here from the Hubbell Trading Post near Ganada, Arizona which is still in operation. It was first opened in 1878. These rugs averaged in price from $300 to $3000. Many were made in the last few years, but I did notice a few made in the 1970's. If you can find a rug made in the late 1800's or early 1900's you will pay dearly for it. Most are in museums as they should be. It is mostly the women that do the weaving but there are a few men getting into it. The larger rugs can take up to a year to weave. You can see a neighborhood of homes behind the visitors center in some of the photos as well as the Sandia Mountains in the distance. The last photos show the roof of a traditional Indian or Spanish patio with long strings of New Mexico Chili peppers hanging from them.

Petroglyph National Monument

 Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico is surrounded by housing developments but if you didn't know about it you wouldn't know it was there. The big lava basalt rocks and boulders were thrown here by the 5 small volcanos west of here thousands of years ago. The rocks are dark but when scratched are a light color underneath which has made them a favorite place to chisel out pictures or petroglyphs by the Indians that lived here from 300 years ago to over a thousand years ago. No one is sure what the petroglyphs mean. Maybe stories of travels, or hunting or wars or maybe religious symbols. There are several trails that are from a few hundred feet long to several miles long. These photos are of some of the well know petroglyphs as they are very near a parking area for those that want to see some of them but don't want to hike long distances. It has become difficult for the park management to keep out people that destroy the petroglyphs with spray paint and by shooting them and deciding to chip out more of the rocks. I can not understand any one that would want to deface these wonderful, interesting petroglyphs and rocks.

Blooming House Plants

Some of the flowers that are blooming in my house.

 

Cow Skull with Snow

Stormy Pony

Traveler Pony

Ziva & Trave

Ziva dog and Traveler pony playing the other day.