Collectors Corner! Ed Sandoval's Newsletter (Taos, NM)

Welcome to

Collectors Corner!

Ed Sandoval Gallery's Newsletter

119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571

www.edsandovalgallery.com

edsandovalart@gmail.com

(575) 770-6360

Northern NM Wildfires & Evacuations

I’ve got to address these wildfires in northern NM that have been burning for over a month with no end in sight. 1,000 firefighters have worked 24/7 (now up to 1,500), desperately trying to save structures and create fire breaks, but the fires keep growing and growing. Driven by incessant, erratic, gusting winds, no place is safe. So many towns, villages and rural communities have evacuated, with many more evacuating right now. Scared people and animals are fleeing, the winds keep coming... stronger than anything I’ve ever seen... and we are in for a long, long battle of ongoing loss, tragedies and heartbreak.

Taos News Photo (Source)

Times Union Photo (Source)

A month of watching the smoke plumes rising to the east, clearly visible from our house. A month of watching the trees whip back and forth with winds (tempests) gusting and circling up to 60 mph on some days. A month of sadness, worry and empathy for our beloved region and all the firefighters, people, families, communities, homes, animals and forests...

"Chacon" 22x28 (Evacuated)

"Blue Sky in Mora" 18x24 (Evacuated)

"Symphony of Color" 36x60 - Near La Cueva (Evacuated)

I was depressed and despondent, constantly waiting to hear the next heartbreaking detail about engulfed areas and evacuations. While I moped, Gwen was climbing the walls with anxiety, You see, when she was 13, her house caught fire and burned to the ground while she was there. The wildfires brought back memories of that trauma. She remembers every detail of that terrible day and knows first hand what these families are going through.

Gwen was in the living room at their farm/ranch in northern Oklahoma (pictured). Her dad and one brother were in the fields, and her sister was in her bedroom. It was a hot, hot, hot July day, with temperatures of over 100 for at least a week, and their air conditioner was broken. She was watching TV (KAKE out of Wichita, KS – they only got 3 channels) and heard her mother, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, go outside. A scream! Her mother rushed inside and yelled, "The roof is on fire!"

Gwen ran out onto the front porch, grabbed a garden hose and turned on the water, but the water pressure was too low. The stream wouldn't reach the roof. Only 13 and unsure what to do, she ran inside and started grabbing things to drag outside. After a few trips, her dad drove up the long drive on the tractor – he had seen the smoke from the field – jumped off and came running up. At this point, she was dragging a chair out of the door... an old chair with wooden arm rests and cushions that had a forest green and ivory pattern woven in some kind of raised embroidery. Her dad yelled, "Leave it! Save the art!"

They raced in and out, grabbing paintings, Navajo rugs, Maria pottery...and on the last trip, she was coming out of the door on the right side when the ceiling over the porch started crashing down on the left. Meanwhile, the volunteer fire department showed up. Now you have to understand – Braman is the closest "town" but only had about 500 people, and that's if you count all the farm families that lived miles and miles away. It wasn't exactly easy for them to learn about and respond to a fire, but there they were.

Jumping into action, they went in and out of a bedroom window on the far end of the house, but that whole side of the home sat on top of a huge basement. As they grabbed furniture and belongings, shoving them through the window, the floor started leaning down at an angle (and reached a 45 degree angle!). They escaped through the window just before the floor collapsed into the basement.

Fact is stranger than fiction. Remember I said that their air conditioning had been broken? While the house was burning down, a service truck came lumbering up the driveway... it was the air conditioner repair guy. Gwen's dad told him, "You're too late." And another odd tidbit – there was a shelf up high in the living room that had Native American pots sitting on it, which was too high to reach. All those pots fell down into the burning ashes, staying there for days until it was cool enough to search through the rubble. A Maria pot fell upside down, didn't break but got "refired" ... the bottom stayed the original black, but the sides and top that sat in the embers turned light brown. Gwen still has it.

Gwen's Dad, Rollin, Shoveling Debris Out of Basement

Maria Pot: Brown on Top from Sitting in Embers (Upside Down)

Gwen's Mom, Loretha, Shoveling Debris Out of Basement

I tell this story because Gwen kept saying, "We have to do something to help." When her house burned down, all the farmers in the area stopped working their own fields and came over to help her dad in his fields. Neighbors took them in, donating housing, food, clothing, money... "The community rallied on our behalf back then," she said, "Now it's our turn." I agreed. Of course we donated money to some efforts, but Gwen wanted to DO something, physically do a task to keep her mind occupied, We came up with the idea of feeding evacuees a hearty homemade meal. We had a ton of ground beef in the deep freezers and decided on Frito chili pies (with all the fixings) and frosted sugar cookies.

Getting in contact with a coordinator at the St. James Episcopal Church, we were given a day to bring the lunch and an estimate of 20-30 people. Gwen promptly doubled that and started fixing a meal for 40-60 people: 12 pounds of hamburger, 8 dozen cookies and 11 hours of cooking, chopping, baking and frosting. The next day, we packed up the car and headed out to the Juan I. Gonzales Agricultural Center (evacuation destination).

Wow... you hear about evacuees and know they are having a rough time, but it really hits you when you see those rows and rows of cots. Don't get me wrong – Taos volunteers have gone above and beyond to make the space as comfortable and stocked as possible: tables upon tables of books, snacks, beverages, children's toys, sorted clothing, blankets, etc. But it's the Ag Center, not their home. They were all so grateful, but you could tell they were worried.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was there, giving updates, explaining how to apply for streamlined assistance, asking about needs and answering community questions. She talked for quite a while, and it was nice to see her taking names of people who wanted to be involved in a particular effort, such as revising the archaic forestry rules so people can go collect wood on BLM land (a win-win as people need firewood and we all need dead wood to be cleared so it isn't a continuing fire hazard). It was a very productive Q & A.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

Evacuees & Community Members Listening to Gov. Grisham

We ate lunch with some evacuees, most of whom were from Mora. One couple touched our hearts. She was receiving chemotherapy, he just had back surgery, and they didn't know if their home was gone or not, but they were so jovial and talkative. They couldn't say enough nice things about the people of Taos being so welcoming and wonderful. They invited us to come have dinner with them in Mora, if they still have a house... Sitting there chatting, it was easy to forget (for just a moment) why we were all there.

Within our "Ready, Set, Go" warning system, too many communities are still moving from Ready to Set, or worse, Set to Go. The winds are ferocious and just won't STOP. It's like being in a wind blender. I heard the firefighters from California are just dumbfounded by how our mountains circulate the winds, causing them to circle and double back. They are beyond strong, erratic and dangerous. Prayers and blessings to all of our communities.

A Little Community with a Big Heart

I’ve talked before about the St. Anthony Catholic Church in Questa. The church was in pretty bad shape, but the community came together to save and restore it. It took years, but they never stopped working – they donated their money, time and labor to renovate their beloved, historic adobe church. I painted the church and gifted them the image so they could hold fundraisers. By selling cards, prints or whatever, they could raise money for upkeep and future repairs.

The fundraising committee held a print-signing party on April 10 at Rael’s Coffee Shop, and I was so proud and happy to be a part of it. The organizers made huge roasters full of hominy, chile for Frito chile pies (that's how we got the idea for the evacuee lunch) and homemade desserts. Musicians Chris & Rodney Arellano played their guitars, and the community showed up in droves to buy prints (which I signed), eat yummy food, listen to music and chat. Oh, it was absolutely delightful! I loved every minute of it!

They made a LOT of money, and I'm so happy. Thanks to those of you who ordered a print (18x24) from me. I’m sure the church has more. If you want one ($50), please let me know. Checks should be made payable to Saint Anthony Parish, and I will cover shipping.

Me Signing Prints

Me Signing More Prints :-)

Chris & Rodney Arellano