Pecos National Historic Site

Pecos National Historic Park

This park covers the ruins of 12,000 years of pueblos, pit houses, and other forms of human habitat, as well as the ruins of two churches from the time of the Spanish occupation. The park also contains most of the battlefield for the Battle of Glorietta Pass, the Confederacy's ill-fated attempt to grab the Colorado gold fields and the passages to the west. Interestingly, the Union's bacon was saved, or at least secured. by none other than the Chivington of the Sand Creek Massacre.

The Second Church (also "The Last Church"). It's built on the site of the first church, which was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt. The locals, having not fully appreciated the benefits of being assimilated by the Spanish, rose in rebellion, and went for the church as the hallmark of Spanish power.

Spring is well along!

We have all kinds of activity in the back yard. Birds a-flutter; flowers budding and blooming; grass needing to be cut.

Poppies from seeds from the Couse House garden down in Taos. They make seeds and cuttings available to the public around the first weekend in October, concurrent with the Wool Festival. 

Couse House, Taos NM

Couse Gardens

Gaillardia pulchella; Blanketflower, Indian Blanket, Sundance. 

You'll find these throughout northern Mexico and the southern, central, and eastern US, as well as parts of Canada, and South and Central America. It has also been introduced to Taiwan.

It's common throughout the Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras National Seashores, where on Ocracoke Island it is known as the Joe Bell.

Chamomile is coming in with a vengeance. We'll pick flowers all summer, and Leece will dry them in the Excalibur, and enjoy chamomile tea through the winter and beyond.

I'm pretty sure this little fuzznuts is a baby European starling, but I would not bet the paycheck on that. You can see he is still sprouting feathers. He's been stumbling about in the back yard. He can flutter short distances. He had a companion earlier, same size and general appearance but without the yellow beak. She's gone. He still lurches about in the mint and morning glories. I am afraid one of the local cats is going to give him a life lesson he may not like.