Week of June 21st - New Mexico

I’ve done a little research on this state, which by all accounts is truly the “Land of Enchantment.” I saw pictures of beautiful vistas where coral color mountains meet clear turquoise skies. It’s a land that inspires artists, both native and transplanted. The most notable of these was Georgia O’Keeffe.

A more contemporary artist that I came across in my “travels” was Alyce Frank, also a transplant. The best way I can describe her work is that it’s the way I would imagine a landscape of New Mexico would look if painted be Gauguin. She mixes strong, saturated color with impressionistic landscapes.

After some initial research I realized that New Mexico might get a little cheated because I was already planning next week’s celebration - Missouri. (After all, we have to go all out for our home state.)

So with that in mind I decided we would just go out for dinner. Since Nuevo Mejico has more Hispanic residents than any other state in the union, I thought Mexican food would count. I actually found a restaurant that advertised itself as “Southwest” style but once there they identified the “Southwest” as Arizona, oh well.

I did find out that the green chile is perhaps the distinguishing ingredient in New Mexican food, separating it from neighboring styles. But I stacked the deck anyway and ordered a dish called Sante Fe chicken.

New Mexico's state flower is in fact a plant native to the deserts of the Southwest. The yucca is available in nurseries here in St. Louis for landscaping purposes but not really available in the floral shops. I opted for an ornamental pepper plant for our table decor.

Since I felt guilty that I was cheating New Mexico out of a proper state celebration, I decided an on-line shopping spree was in order. So some time later (and not needing to put shoes and make-up on) I was awaiting the delivery of earrings and a pottery bear hand crafted by New Mexican Native Americans and the book “The Magical Realism of Alyce Frank”. And my guilt was gone.

Color in New Mexico with coral and turquoise and travel northeast along Route 66 to the “Show Me” state – Missouri. 33 down – 19 to go.