memories
ever since i can remember, my family has spent two weeks in the mountains every july. my childhood vacations were centered around this momentous event: 14 days of clean air, open meadows, wildflowers, trout-filled streams, bonfires and bears. at first we always went to angel fire new mexico. close enough to taos and red river, it was an ideal relaxation spot for all ages of the mahan clan. we started out camping in the valley and eventually moved up to huge cabins, big enough to hold three generations of our rowdiness. now they've returned to camping, this time near jemez springs in the mountains outside santa fe.
some of my fondest memories are from those times... the first moment we could roll down the windows of our old, wagon-red land cruiser and smell the thick fragrance of pines in the air. gathering rocks to build tiny damns in the stream that ran by our campsite while talking about NKOTB (new kids on the block for all you young 'uns) with kids we met. picking wildflowers every night to present to my mother or grandma for the dinner table. driving up the mountain in my uncle's scout with the top off. building huge bonfires at the beaver pond and being scared out of my mind at the ghost stories. day trips with the men to go fly fishing in the cimmaron, impatiently waiting to gut a fish but then feeling guilty and hesitant because of its helplessness. and then when i got older, day trips with the women to taos for shopping and time at the natural spas. the hot dog cart on bent street in taos and the candy shop with ginormous chocolate covered strawberries. the late afternoon rains rolling in slowly but aggressively. strolling through the santa fe square, captivated by hand-crafted jewelry of the indians selling them on their intricate blankets. feeling the crisp mountain air against my face while mountain biking down a rocky trail. trying desperately summer after summer to build a chipmunk trap with my cousins and our feeling of triumph when it finally worked.
i could go on for hours. but since i'm supposed to be at work very soon, i won't. i'll just say that i couldn't be more excited about recapturing my old feelings and creating new mountain memories with my sister next week. nature kicks ass.
some of my fondest memories are from those times... the first moment we could roll down the windows of our old, wagon-red land cruiser and smell the thick fragrance of pines in the air. gathering rocks to build tiny damns in the stream that ran by our campsite while talking about NKOTB (new kids on the block for all you young 'uns) with kids we met. picking wildflowers every night to present to my mother or grandma for the dinner table. driving up the mountain in my uncle's scout with the top off. building huge bonfires at the beaver pond and being scared out of my mind at the ghost stories. day trips with the men to go fly fishing in the cimmaron, impatiently waiting to gut a fish but then feeling guilty and hesitant because of its helplessness. and then when i got older, day trips with the women to taos for shopping and time at the natural spas. the hot dog cart on bent street in taos and the candy shop with ginormous chocolate covered strawberries. the late afternoon rains rolling in slowly but aggressively. strolling through the santa fe square, captivated by hand-crafted jewelry of the indians selling them on their intricate blankets. feeling the crisp mountain air against my face while mountain biking down a rocky trail. trying desperately summer after summer to build a chipmunk trap with my cousins and our feeling of triumph when it finally worked.
i could go on for hours. but since i'm supposed to be at work very soon, i won't. i'll just say that i couldn't be more excited about recapturing my old feelings and creating new mountain memories with my sister next week. nature kicks ass.
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