June 3, 2023 Breakfast - Eggs and Enchiladas. Lunch - Hamburger and Cesar Salad. Dinner - Chili Rellenos and Shrimp Tacos

June 3, 2023 Breakfast - Eggs and Enchiladas. Lunch - Hamburger and Cesar Salad. Dinner - Chili Rellenos and Shrimp Tacos

Today we drove to Taos for the Centennial celebration of the Harwood Museum. 

We awakened at 7:00 and packed and fried four eggs and heated green enchiladas for Suzette and red enchiladas for me and put two eggs on each plate. The enchiladas were catered by Sopa’s in Bosque Farms. I poured orange juice and we took out plates and glasses out to the table in the garden and ate our breakfast by the pond.

Then we loaded the car.  Suzette packed a cooler with four beers, a bottle of rose, the almond and chocolate croissant, and several pain au chocolate and we drove straight to Taos, stopping only to fill the tank in Espanola.

When we arrived in Taos we drove to the farmers’ Market and walked around but did not buy anything.

Then we drove to the Harwood.  We first stopped at a booth outside and each made a silk screened image on cardboard with an image featuring the 100th anniversary and a drawing of the Harwood.

We then went inside and toured the galleries.  There were 100 items on display, so it took quite a while to see every thing.  

Then we walked up Ledoux street to the Blumenschein House and Museum and toured it. There was a lovely portrait of Helen painted by her father.

We were tired after viewing the art, so we walked across the street to a wine bar and sat at a table in the shade and drank glasses of Gavi Tenuta di San Lorenzo.

It was almost 3:00 when we walked back to our car, so we decided to eat something.  We drove to Martyrs Restaurant and split a cheeseburger with a side of onion rings and a Cesar Salad. Suzette drank an interesting cocktail called a Granger that combined cucumber juice, gin, lime, and club soda.  I drank an English Samuel Adams organic apple cider.

Then we drove to the Sagebrush and Suzette swam in the pool and I rested in our room until 6:00 when we watched the first game of the Stanley Cup finals between Las Vegas and the Florida Panthers.

After the second intermission when the score was tied 2 to 2 we walked to the restaurant and I ordered Chili Rellenos and Suzette ordered shrimp tacos. It was taking a long time to get our order so we danced a dance in the lobby and then I borrowed a church key at the bar and walked back to the room and opened two Dos Equis beers and walked back to the bar when the score was 3 to 2 in favor of Las Vegas with 10 minutes to play.  

Suzette told me to walk back to the room and she would bring the food when it was ready.  She arrived when it was 4:30 minutes to play and Las Vegas had just scored again to bring the score to 4 to 2.

Then Florida drew a 4:00 minute penalty and with a minute to play Florida pulled their goalie and Las Vegas scored again to win 5 to 2.  

We ate our dinner while watching the final 4:00 minutes; then we finished our beers and Suzette went to bed at 9:30 and I stayed up to blog and read.  

It was a wonderful day of celebration and we enjoyed the little vacation.

I have an interesting story to tell about Bob Ellis who was director of the Harwood from 1987 to 2003.

I was introduced to Barbara Ellis, who was married to Bob Ellis by my then new boss, Arthur Greenfield when I moved to Albuquerque in 1981 because she was a realtor to help us find a house.  She directed us to La Luz on the west Mesa.

Then Bob and Barbara contacted me to assist them with their divorce several years later.  Then in 1987 after Bob had married or was living with Caroline Lee and had bought a house in Taos, when he was was offered the directorship of the Harwood.

He contacted me with a request that I fashion a transaction by which he could be paid for the directorship at the Harwood, and continue to receive his UNM retirement.  Bob had been on faculty and director of the UNM art department for a number of years and he told me he would lose his retirement if he took the job as director in his name.

So I created a corporation that Caroline was the sole owner of and created an employment contract between the corporation and Bob that paid him $600.00 per month and then made a contract between the corporation and UNM to provide director services for the Harwood that included a clause that Bob would render the services.  UNM probably approved this arrangement, not because of my brilliance, but they wanted Bob to become the director of the Harwood. UNM paid the director’s salary to Caroline’s corporation and Bob retained his retirement benefit.

I liked Bob and was happy to help.  His tenure as director put the Harwood on the world stage of small museums when he was able to create a beautiful gallery with six large Agnes Martin paintings. He also expanded the collection and created wonderful exhibits featuring artists he knew when he lived and worked at the Pasadena Art Museum in Los Angeles.

I recall calling Bob when I was contemplating the purchase of my first Raymond Jonson painting.  He said, “Jonson is a major artist of a minor movement.”  That was enough encouragement to get me started buying Transcendental Painting Group painters and I honor him for that encouragement.

I am happy to have helped him and UNM create the relationship that advanced the importance of the Harwood Museum.

Bon Appetit