Albuquerque a2k roundup, May 14-19, 2008

I heard he made you look like Denzel....

What I see is a happy woman and dog, and a guy with a beer in his hand. You would try to improve this? Huh, PDiddie??

Here's one of me in that Brazilian lace thingy - upon looking at it, I think it would have looked divine on Eva.

OUUUuufff you are so pretty.

Dont ever doubt that eh?

Is that white space between your head and your arm the "thought balloon" we are supposed to fill up with quips in 7 words or less?

Shewolf - I feel like a blimp. THat top molds to everything.

RJB - Do you like the pic I took of you? THere were others, but that was the nicest.

Many, many very nice pictures.

Nice. Very nice.

Just gotta say, I have the fishy pendant too...We've got a little a2k jewelry clique going on, huh?

Did you get the pendant at the shop at that place in Eureka? (D or E Street?. I think there's a similar shop in Arcata..)

Walter is currently up in the canyons of the Sandia taking pictures of sundown rocks, I suppose he will post some of them when he gets home to Germany.

Good man.

I was pooped after our day at Acoma, rich experience that it was. A beauty bath, really. Also tricky for Bad Eyes O'Toole.

But, Dys saw the pueblo mesa before all the recent reconstruction, the before to the after. The after is interesting enough but the before must have been both more impoverished and..

well, I wasn't there.

Nope, Mum picked it up for me at a thrift store actually !

Guys, all the pictures are just wonderful...thanks so much to the photographers for taking the time to post them all, and to everyone else for being willing to have their pictures posted! For those of us who can't make it to the get-togethers, it's such fun to at least see the photos. You all look like you had a great time...looks like such a fun bunch of people.

yeah right.

Well, most of them look like fun....there's always one curmudgeon!

Cyphercat, just ignore Dys and his 'yeah, right.' It was a great group of friends both before meeting and especially after.

Every meeting of a2kers I've ever been to has been a lovely experience in one way or another. Most have been really fabulous.

We a2k'ers are very lucky to have met here and then be able to go to a meeting in person. It makes you realize that we are a pretty honest group, since there are so few surprises regarding perssonalities. The way we present ourselves on a2k is fairly close to what we are in person. Some may be a little more sardonic on a2k than in real life, but that is somewhat useful, especially in the political threads.

The Acoma Pueblo was an experience I'll never forget. Yes, it has been modernized at the bottom with a very nice cultural center, the the mesa itself is still a spiritual experience, at least it was for me. It is a place where the people value beauty and togetherness over any commercial possession. The beauty of the place was the kind that always makes my heart and soul soar. Actually, most of the southwest brings on that spiritual freedom--not religious, but a sense of beauty and space...and freedom.

It is a physical and emotional experience that helps one to take stock and to reorganize priorities, but I only speak for myself.

Curmudgeon, Margo. CURMUDGEON!?

Isn't it a wonderful word - and suits Dys to a t (ha!)

I just found out that it is possible to fly from Sydney to ABQ - at the cost of only 1 arm and 1.5 legs!

Wonderful to have a working computer at home again!

Sadly, Margo, one arm and 1.5 legs sounds about right for the fare to ABQ, dammit.

One of these days it'll happen, perhaps meeting half way.

Curmudgeon is such a perfect word when describing Dys. He's a sweet old curmudgeon

Wikpedia on Acoma Pueblo -



Acoma Pueblo [...] Western Keresan: Aa'ku; Zuni: Hakukya); Haak'ooh in Navajo, also known as "Sky City", is a Native American pueblo built on top of a 367-foot (112 m) sandstone mesa in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The Pueblo, believed to have been established in the 12th century or even earlier, was chosen in part because of its defensive position against raiders. It is regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. Access to the pueblo is difficult as the faces of the mesa are sheer (a topographic map shows this best). Before modern times access was gained only by means of a hand-cut staircase carved into the sandstone.

There are several interpretations of origin of the name "Acoma". Some believe that the name Acoma comes from the Keresan words for the People of the White Rock, with aa'ku meaning white rock, and meh meaning people. Others believe that the word aa'ku actually comes from the word haaku meaning to prepare; a description that would accurately reflect the defensive position of the mesa's inhabitants.

Acoma Pueblo comprises several villages including Acomita, McCarty's, Anzac and the newer subdivision of Sky Line. Acoma people dry-farm in the valley below Aa'ku and use irrigation canals in the villages closer to the Rio San Jose.

Tracing their lineage to the inhabitants of ruins to the west and north, the Acoma people continue the traditions of their ancestors. Acoma people practice their traditional religion and some also practice the Catholic religion that came with Spanish settlers in the 1500s. Acoma people have traded and interacted with their neighbors for centuries, some of which extended beyond the local Pueblos. Trade between Aztec and Mayan people was common prior to European settlement. Only more recently has trade and interaction with other tribes been hampered by international boundaries.

Traditional alliances still exist between the Pueblos who often speak different dialects or different languages. The Acoma Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo have many ties, including location, language and a shared high school. Throughout the year feasts are held in celebration of historic occasions. Visitors are allowed to attend these feasts but are encouraged to be respectful and aware of local protocol.

The Spanish settlers had the mission church of San Esteban Rey built at the pueblo from 1629 to 1641, under the direction of Friar Juan Ramírez[3]. Its 30-foot beams were carried 30 miles from Kaweshtima or Mount Taylor Mountain, and the dirt for its graveyard was carried up the mesa from the valley below. Both the mission and the pueblo are registered National Historical Landmarks. In late 2006 the Acoma Pueblo was also named as a National Trust Historic Site.

Like other pueblos, Acoma and the surrounding area are considered federal trust land, administered by the federal government for the pueblo. Several families still live on the mesa itself year-round, while others elect to live in nearby villages (Acomita Village, New Mexico, among them). The 2000 US Census lists 2,802 inhabitants of the Acoma Pueblo and off-reservation trust lands.

The pueblo is located 60 miles (100 km) west of Albuquerque on Interstate 40 and 12 miles (20 km) south on Indian Route 23. The pueblo is open to the public only by guided tour. Photography of the pueblo and surrounding lands is restricted. Tours can be arranged and $10 camera permits obtained from the recently renovated Sky City visitor center at the base of the mesa. However, videotaping, drawing and sketching are prohibited, with big signs warning visitors not to do any of them (but especially not to videotape) -- anyone found videotaping will have their recording device publicly destroyed.


(U.S. National Historic Landmark)

Acoma Pueblo and its reflection in a pool of water. Ansel Adams, c.1941
Nearest city: Grants, New Mexico
Built/Founded: circa 1100
Architect: vernacular
Architectural style(s): Pueblo, Colonial
Added to NRHP: October 15, 1966
NRHP Reference#: 66000500 [1]
Governing body: Pueblo of Acoma





For me, standing on that mesa, I was standing at one of the most beautiful places on earth.