Commute (the other side)

   Tomorrow took a few days to get to, (God's time) but here is a glimpse of "the other side of the street" I travel.
   One of the most interesting houses I pass several times a day is "Ghost House."  It was built by two brothers who made a living by rustling cattle throughout Northern New Mexico.  They drove the herds up Box Canyon (more later on hiking there) and were notoriously ruthless.
    Arthur and Pheobe Pack bought the property for a dude ranch in 1936. When Georgia O'Keefe first visited the ranch, before she made a home here,  she stayed in Ghost house.  
More on this house later, too.

     Just behind Ghost house is a trail that leads to the Mesa housing area and upper pavilion (where my Yoga class met last week.)  There is a reasonably reliable cell phone signal at the top....... if I stand on a concrete block and don't turn around (no being distracted by views or sunset during a call!).  The first few days this climb was literally breathtaking, but it didn't take long to adjust to the altitude.
     The next building of note is the new chapel (below).  The front doors open entirely, folding back to reveal the landscape.  The acoustics are like very bright, perfect.  This week a choral class is using it to make beautiful music, can't wait for the weekend concert!  Inside are a lovely series of tapestries using Navaho tapestry methods with contemporary designs.  During the "Water and the Baptismal Life" week, we had a wading pool set in the middle.

The library is next.  Its housed in "Cottonwood," which was built for the Johnson Woods family when they fell in love with the ranch during the Pack era.  There is a great book collection inside:  art, theology, biblical studies, science, literature, western history as well a general interest.  Outside is this column displaying the region's geology.  Last week a college class was in working on maps.
     Next posts-hikes to Chimney Rock and Box Canyon (tomorrow?)