Guest Blogger: Marco Polo of Venice

 

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Marco Polo, a merchant of some renown from the Republic of Venice. You may have heard of me, especially if you are acquainted with the many fine wares that I have brought to market from Constantinople and beyond. I do a lively business with those eastern lands. My father and my uncle once established a trading house and lived in that city for some time before venturing across the Black Sea and to many places far to the east. As you may know, I accompanied them on a later trip, one that lasted for twenty four years. That was a grand experience...un epico viaggio...which took me to many lands and, I can now say, proved to be the lasting achievement of my life.

I was born a few years after the fifth crusade and raised in Venice, a beautiful city at the head of the Adriatic Sea. If you have never ventured to Venice I strongly urge you to go there at once. There is no city quite like it. You will be amazed and it will dwell in your heart for the rest of your days.

I mentioned the fifth crusade but there were many different crusades beginning around the year 1095. These military campaigns, supposedly intended to gain and keep Christian control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, were exceedingly foolhardy, expensive, disruptive and, in the end, unsuccessful. I'm happy to say that I have lived long enough to see this foolishness ended. Many merchants, yes, many Venetians, grew rich because of the Crusades. Many more people suffered and died. The only lasting benefit came from the exposure to new ideas and new products from as far away as Persia and even India. Was that worth 200 years of religious war? Time will tell but I wonder if the same outcome could have come through peaceful trade and commerce.

My journey to Cathay, you might know it as China but we always called it Cathay back then, and to the imperial court of the Great Kahn brought me into contact with many new things. Paper was used as currency in the Kahn's lands. Yes...paper instead of gold. They also make use of a black stone which they bring up from the depths of the earth and use for heating or cooking. The stone burns just like wood. They are able to send letters or messages great distances in a single day by special emissaries who race from horse to horse along the designated route.

I lived and worked in Cathay for seventeen years and was a friend and advisor to Kublai Kahn, the great Emperor. Although he was the undisputed ruler, he was as much a stranger to Beijing as I was. He longed for the open grasslands of his Mongol homeland as much as I longed for Venice and the Adriatic. On my journey home I learned with sadness of the Kahn's death when I reached Persia. This was almost two years after we set sail from the coast of Cathay. I knew then that he never again gained sight of his homeland and I feared that I, too, would be finally deprived of my homecoming. But God, and a passport from the Kahn, protected me on that journey until I was almost home. But, still my homecoming was delayed. Venice was at war with Genoa and I was captured and imprisoned for two years. Eventually I returned home to a Venice that I left almost a generation earlier. People I once knew were dead or gone. There were not many who knew me and still fewer who believed the story of my travels. Even today there are those who say I made it all up or that I did not go as far or see as much as I said.

In my last years I have been content to stay in Venice and let others do the traveling. I am a successful merchant...you may know me by my wares. I live a comfortable life. Little by little the travelers come home to say that "Yes, it’s true - Marco was right all along".

Trick or Treat .

 

Missouri's Mom and Pop Wineries

Missouri is wine country. A 2008 study showed that the retail value of Missouri wine approached $59.2 million. Winery revenue alone was $42.4 million and wine related tourism expenditures reached $175.7 million. Missouri has had wineries dating back to the early pioneer days. Probably every early French or Spanish community had someone who was a recognized wine maker. When the Germans arrived it became big business. Prohibition ended Missouri's supremacy in wine making but the wineries have come back big time. With dollar figures like those cited above it has become big business. There are dozens of good sized wineries that have created the winery experience for tourists and locals. There are also some interesting small wineries...sort of like little mom and pop operations. Some of these small wineries spring up and produce some surprisingly good wine but can't keep it together and fall by the wayside.

I've been wanting to visit a few of these smaller wineries. My friend, Donna, and I made a trip up to Boonville to visit the storefront Cooper's Oak Winery on Main Street. This winery originated in Higbee, Missouri, as a spin-off from an oak barrel cooperage. I guess they had the barrels so they decided to make some wine.  We were able to taste their main varieties and they were OK but not something I would look for if I was buying wine. We had lunch and we each bought a glass of wine. Donna ended up taking hers back and getting something else. I don't remember what I had but it was drinkable. I tasted hers and agreed that it didn't taste like what we had at the wine tasting session.  Maybe they need to get a few more years experience. We were a little disappointed but stopped off at Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport to get some wine that we liked better.


We tried some other small wineries a couple weeks later down highway 50 toward Mount Sterling and Owensville.  Our first stop was Wenwood Farm Winery a few miles south of Mount Sterling. This is some of the prettiest country in Missouri...the Gasconade River Valley and the river bluffs and hills.  Even in drought it is pretty.

Wenwood is probably the biggest winery we visited. It has a regular schedule of live entertainment, a fairly large outdoor seating area and a small gallery of local artists' work. You can find some of their wine in Jefferson City stores so they have significant production. We were visiting on a week day and were the only people there at the time. Us and the three farm dogs that were the friendly greeting committee. We went into the little barn-like building and met the hostess, a local jewelry artist who lives down the road and doubles as the wine pourer. We like dry wines and usually reds but we had some very good whites and reds. The winemaker follows the French tradition of blending wine varieties so most of their wines are a mix of different grape types. They use the term "meritage" to describe the wine but don't use that term on the labels. Meritage is a California contrived (proprietary) name for certain grape variety wine combinations. The winery has been in business for ten years and produced an anniversary sherry that was good.  Donna bought a couple bottles and I got a bottle of sherry.

Farther down US 50 we found White Mule Winery - which is also a bed and breakfast. It took us a while to find someone to greet us. The place was open and we were wandering around but it just took a while to rustle someone up.  Again, we were greeted by the winery dog...a shaved Australian Shepherd who was very hot and enjoyed laying on the cool concrete floor. We had a good tasting session and liked several of the wines. I ended up buying a red dessert wine and a nice crisp white wine. The one thing about visiting these small farm wineries is that you can't be put off by the smell of manure. These are working farms or are located in active farm localities. In farm country, that is the smell of money. 

The other winery we visited was maybe our favorite just because it was easy to miss and sort of a novelty. The Phoenix Winery is located near the top of the second hill east of Mount Sterling on US 50. In local directions....go over Cave Hill and cross the Second Creek valley and climb up the next hill and you are there, more or less. There are two driveways so if you miss the first one, catch the second one. There are small signs posted.

We found the place and pulled into the yard. There was no sign of life. OK, maybe there was a chicken, I don't remember, exactly.  We got out and walked through the yard to the winery building but it was locked up. We stood around looking forlorn and finally an elderly man came out of the farm house and greeted us in sort of a German-accented mumble. He was the winemaker and had to unlock the building to let us in. It had been closed up for a while and it was hot inside. We had been having multiple 100 degree days and there was no serious attempt at cooling the building. Our host apparently hoped that maybe we would just go away but his wife made him come out. He took up his position behind the small counter and pulled out several partial bottles of wine from a small refrigerator. He was probably near 80 years old and was missing front teeth but he knows how to make wine. His was the best we had all day and we ended up buying five bottles. We talked a while. He is from the Rhine valley in Germany and he used to make beer as well as wine but gave up the beer making to concentrate on the wine. Now he is in some sort of association with a vineyard in Osage County and whatever they are doing seems to work. His wine was all under $10 a bottle, the cheapest prices of the day.

This proved to be an enjoyable exploration of some of the lesser known Missouri wineries. We also stopped off at the Swiss meat and sausage market and did a sausage tasting and, of course, bought some sausages. We had lunch at Clancy's Irish Pub in Rosebud, Missouri. We never made it to Hermann or Owensville.

Back Home

Left Joplin about 9 AM and was home by 1 PM. Worst traffic was at Lake of the Ozarks -- a typical Sunday in July. Jefferson City is still here...lightly toasted. My Hickory tree out front was wilted. I never saw a 30 foot tree wilt lie that. Beginning first aid. 

Mileage was 2,738 miles for the trip.

The mother Robin under my deck has chicks....maybe chick, I can't tell. I guess I'm a grandpa. She and her hubby are not happy t see me.  Wait until they see Watson.

I brought Watson home from Jill's. He has put on weight and not in a good mood. He will mellow out in a day or so.

Doing laundry....gotta go.

A good trip.

High Plains Drifter

I stayed at a different motel in Amarillo. It was better than the one I usually stay at and only $10 more. Still pretty shabby but the room was almost twice as big and I slept well. That was worth the extra $10 and the breakfast was OK.  Why are all the interstate motels run by little people from India or Pakistan?  They always seem to be having some sort of family crisis and are engaged in an energetic verbal exchange in Hindi. Sometimes this is over the phone, possibly long distance, but today they were all gathered around the computer having a loud discussion about something. No idea what.


Today was my trip from Amarillo to Joplin...mostly Oklahoma. Weather was good. Not too much traffic or too much road construction. Not too much to talk about.  I got back into Western Swing music again for a while -- High Plains Public Radio has a show called "Western Swing and Other Things" each Saturday morning and I just happened to be going through the Texas panhandle two Saturdays in a row.

I did stop at the Cherokee Trading Post a few miles west of Oklahoma City to soak up some Indian culture (American Indian this time). They have baskets and rugs and jewelry and tom-toms and rubber tomahawks...none of which have been anywhere close to an Indian until they were stocked on the shelves at the trading post. There is some authentic Indian crafts and artwork for sale but most of it comes from Asia. There is some Mexican stuff there too.   The place was packed...so many people that you could hardly get to the rubber tomahawks or the fake rattlesnakes. There were lots of kids -- all being told by their parents that they couldn't buy anything, touch anything or have anything. Why take them in to the "tradin' post" if they can't get something?

I walked around outside and took some pictures. They have a caged Buffalo but he was at the far end of the pen so no photos. Two ladies posed in front of the big fiberglass Indian while I took their picture for them.

 I was getting ready to snap a picture of a fiberglass Bison with the words "In God We Trust" emblazoned on his side when a man ran up and plopped a bright blue furry or feathered monkey on top of the Bison. He turned to me and said "He's a travelling monkey - I'm going to take his picture". The monkey was made out of a bright blue fur or feathery material and the guy was obviously gay. I admit that I'm not good at picking out gay people but I think that I had this one right. I asked where the monkey had been and he said that it had just been all the way to Oklahoma and now was on his way back to San Diego. I hesitated in my response because the man seemed to be unaware of the fact that he was standing smack in the middle of Oklahoma. He took the monkey's picture and I asked if I could also...after all, you don't see this every day. He said it was OK and that I'd have a good story to tell...yes, indeed. Before I could get the picture the guy started to jump into the picture for some reason. (So that explains the person trying to get into the picture). I mentioned that the monkey was getting some Indian culture and the guy said that he was part Cherokee himself.  Sometimes I think I have a target on my back because I seem to attract peculiar people on occasion. It used to be Hari Krishnas and then it went to Jesus Freaks. I kind of miss the Hari Krishnas. I'm hoping that the man and his monkey is just a quirk and not the next trend.

The rest of Oklahoma was fairly uneventful. I got to Joplin and checked in to my hotel and then went out to find something to eat. I drove up Rangeline Road a few blocks and began to see evidence of the tornado that tore through here last year. Much of the damage has been fixed or hauled away. The large number of vacant concrete slabs  probably mark the location of former businesses. There is one sign I saw that is twisted like a corkscrew but still standing next to one of the vacant slabs. There is an absence of trees and those that you see are small or seem stunted. I didn't go looking for any more storm evidence...I was trying to find a restaurant. I finally went back to an Applebees near the hotel.

I'll be home tomorrow.

How's My Driving?

"If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you"
Weigh Station - 2 miles
"I've been to Trucker School -- How about You?"
"FREE 72 oz. Steak!!"
Yield
"Highway Closed When Flashing - Please Use Next Exit"
Weigh Station - 1 mile
"Eat - Stuckeys"
"Gas - Stuckeys"
"Clean Restrooms - Stuckeys"
"Park and Ride"
"Jesus Saves"
Weigh Station - Next Right
"Share The Road"
Scales Closed
"Adult Videos"
Exit Now
Well, I made it to Amarillo.











Sounds Like a Plan

I met with Betty the Builder and her house designer, Max, this morning before I left Albuquerque. Max is amazing. He worked yesterday and on into the night so he could give me a new set of house plans showing the kitchen changes and other alterations to the plan. All together he was able to cut out over 500 square feet by making just a few changes here and there. The laundry room is smaller, the garage went back to its original size, the master bedroom shrank a little but is still bigger than what I have now, the foyer lost some space. He shaved a little off the outside areas -- the three covered patios (or 'portals') -- but I had him add some of it back.

The biggest change is the kitchen where we knocked out a wall and integrated it into the common living space. That was contrary to my original ideas...I wanted a separate kitchen, but seeing other houses and some of the apartments this week made me see that it was OK to have it open if we can manage it. That one change makes the common area of living, dining and kitchen seem larger and will reduce some costs.

I'm coming home with new plans so I'll be able to look at them and see if it is still what I want. I'm pretty happy.


A Man With a Mission

I decided to continue with my exploration of New Mexico as I worked my way east back to Amarillo. I went north on I-25 past Santa Fe and stopped at the Pecos National Historical Site. This is another Pueblo mission, contemporary with the two that I saw yesterday. There are about seven 16th century Spanish missions in the U.S. and all of them are in New Mexico. With today's visit I've seen four of them.

Pecos Mission is different because it is largely adobe and stuccoed with mud. The others are made of stone. I'm sure there is a lot of stone at Pecos but what you see is mostly adobe. I was here maybe 30 years ago with Joie and it was not very developed. There was no museum or large visitor center that I can remember. We could walk just about anywhere. Now there is a museum and a large visitor center and paved walkways through the site. I'm sure much of this is due to ADA regs. The mission itself seems smaller to me than what I remembered.

They have scaffolding up and are working on restoring or stabilizing the nave. Much of the actual pueblo ruins have not been excavated but they have been mapped out so you can see where the residents lived. The old pueblo buildings were four stories high and they make quite a pile of rubble.

I was greeted by some perky park ranger folks...maybe volunteers...who clued me in to the fact that I was eligible for a lifetime pass to all national parks and monuments for a mere $10. I no longer have to pay an entrance fee. All I have to do is flash my little card and doors will open. Pretty cool.

I watched the short little movie and then took the trail guide and strolled around the site taking pictures. I'm going to have a hard time keeping these three missions separate in my photo collection. This is complicated because I use three cameras and they aren't sorted together. It will take a while to get it all organized.

After leaving Pecos I decided to just drive on to Amarillo. The route was different and it was also busy. This being Friday, people were on the road more and the route passed close to a couple of lakes.  I finally got into Amarillo about 9 PM -- I lost an hour crossing into Texas. I had supper at an Outback and watched part of a Rangers-Mariners ball game....yawn.

Mission Country

The Road Less Travelled - Again

Well, today I decided to some exploring. I'm tired of this apartment stuff and they all look the same anyway. I decided to head south and east out of Albuquerque to see Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near Mountainair, NM.  I took my hat, sunscreen and bottled water...the three other things you need here besides food, shelter and clothing. i also took my trusty GPS. I usually take her along for female companionship and conversation but she is such a nag. "Turn right....Turn Right!....Recalculating." I usually ignore her but I admit I get some perverse joy out of making her recalculate all the time. It's a power thing, I guess.

Anyway, I (we?) headed south on I-25 to the town of Belen (Spanish for Bethlehem) and then headed east toward the Manzano Mountains (Spanish for apple trees). This turned out to be pretty drive but so straight that I could have climbed into the back seat if i could have secured the steering wheel. It just continued on a slow straight climb up from the Rio Grande River. After twenty miles the road started to thread its way through the Abo pass -- a gap between the Manzano and Los Pinos mountains. There was almost no one on this road. I finally got to US-60 going east toward Mountainair.   About twelve miles further I got to the Abo Mission.

The Salt Missions:  Abo - San Gregorio de Abo'

Quick history lesson: The Pueblo Indians occupied several villages/pueblos in this area because it was a trade route between the Rio Grande Valley pueblos and the Indians living out on the Great Plains. It was also rich with salt. The Indians had salt making operations and traded salt to their neighbors. The Spanish conquistadors came through here around 1580 and made contact and claimed Spanish authority over the land and the 15,000 people that were living in the scattered pueblos. Around 1622 the Franciscans sent solitary friars out to convert the Indians and build mission churches. Surprisingly, this was sort of successful but the Spanish civil authorities soon got into the act because the trade route and trade goods meant wealth. An "Encomienda" system was established which forced the Indians to work for the Spanish overlords. There was friction between the friars and the Spanish settlers over use or misuse of the Indians. Things stumbled along for about fifty years until a drought and famine coupled with attacks by the Apaches forced the Franciscans and Spanish to abandon the whole operation and withdraw, along with the few remaining Indians, to areas along the Rio Grande. Later a few Spanish settlers came back in the early 1800s but the ruined missions were pretty much forgotten until 1858 when a U.S. military expedition rediscovered them.

I pretty much had the missions to myself. Even the ranger left for his lunch break.

Baptistery at Abo

Abo mission was closest to the river pueblos and the lifeline to Mexico and was the last to be abandoned. Friars and Indians from the other missions came to Abo hoping to survive the famine but they all eventually had to seek refuge closer to the Rio Grande where they could get supplies from Mexico and the river pueblos. The mission ruins are extensive and there is an interpretive trail and a guidebook that helps the visitors make sense out of what they are seeing.

The structures were designed by the friars with a mix of local and European styles. The massive walls were supported on the outside with large buttresses. The structures were largely built by the women. Abo had two churches. The original church was reconstructed and greatly enlarged only to be abandoned a few years later.

Mountainair, NM

By the time I left Abo Mission it was time to think about lunch. I figured I'd just stop off at a McDonald's or Wendy's in Mountainair and then go on to the next mission. Well, Mountainair doesn't hardy have a pot to pee in. For some reason I thought this was a thriving ranch community ...sort of the Paris of the high desert. Not much going on that I could tell. There was a train going through town that was about a mile long with flatcars loaded two-high with containers and propelled by six locomotives. That was about it. It looks like there are a few artsy folks with workshops or galleries. I don't know if they are the advance party for the town's renaissance or the few that couldn't manage to get out.

The Salt Missions: Quarai - Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Quarai




The Quarai mission is most impressive. There are still some wooden beams embedded in the stone walls. The front facade is still standing and the nave is mostly intact. The Ranger said that there was a major religious conclave of regional priests from as far away as Louisiana held here a few years ago. Each of the mission churches is surrounded with the usual supporting and depending structures. The friars had small cells in the convento. There was a sacristy and baptistery. Quarai had a number of farm buildings and corrals and a defensive tower. Quarai was also seat of the local Spanish inquisition authorities. The friars used the inquisition as a means of keeping the Spanish settlers in line when the occasional church and civil conflicts became too much of a problem.










Square holes in the walls served as sockets for the huge supporting beams.

The nave was 100 feet long with transept and three altars. A choir loft was located above the entrance.

Quarai was unusual because it had a floor paved with flagstones. Other missions had dirt floors in the nave.





The Wet Side of the Mountains

Land grant village - a church and a corral

I was a little surprised with how green everything was. This seems to be the wet side of the mountains. I guess the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico might make it this far. This area is also dotted with little Hispanic villages and ranches. There are still several active land grant communities with descendants of the earliest settlers. The ranches have large entrance gates with the family name shown over the top...names like Lujan and Vigil...some old New Mexico names.

Get Plowed!

As you may recall, I missed lunch. I finished my exploratory jaunt and made my way to Tractor Brewing;s new Albuquerque tap room on Tulane near Central Avenue. I planned to get something to eat but they don't serve food. they said I could bring some in or have some delivered. I decided to have a beer anyway. I picked up a sandwich at Arby's. I have to clean out the fridge tonight so I'll be eating a bunch of stuff.

While I was driving back into town I got a phone call from my builder. she and the designer want to get together with me tomorrow morning. I was planning on leaving Albuquerque and heading for home in the morning but I'll stay around and then just drive back to Amarillo for tomorrow night.

For a Desert It Sure Rains A Lot

I think it has rained every day I've been here except for yesterday when it threatened but never rained. I take it that the monsoon season has started. New Mexico has a short monsoon season but it is usually in August, I thought.  This is a crazy year so maybe it is starting earlier. It smells nice after the rain and everything is greener than usual. Of course, it all dries up in only an hour or so.

Well, I'm waiting for this vacation to start. Any day now would be fine with me. This apartment hunting stuff is for the birds. I decided that I've seen enough. I've seen about twenty and they are sort of a blur in my memory. I took some notes but I should have taken pictures.  I have about six that I can be happy with so when the time comes I'll contact them and see what is available and at what price.   I'm going to do something fun tomorrow.

Brass Tacks...
I spent a good part of the day with my builder talking about the house and going over house plans. We decided to try to scale it back down to about 1600 square feet again. It seems to grow a little bit each time we work on the plans and it is time to get it close to final. My needs and my wants are two different things but I need to have a place where I will want to live. We opened up the kitchen by removing a wall and putting in an island with a space for bar stools. That will expand the living room a little and might allow for a few adjustments on size. I was originally wanting it closed off but I'm changing my mind a little. We expanded the garage last time because I had a long bed truck but I traded it in for a short bed so we can shave off a little space there. I have a good builder and she is open to ideas and keeps up with new trends. There are some new laminated kitchen cabinets that have a very modern look to them. The fireplace will be simplified from what we were going to do because there is a new product on the market that is sort of modular and that looks like what I want. At this point I'm still going to build but still keep one eye open for a resale that would make me happy as a reasonable compromise. Nothing major will happen until I get out here permanently.  She says the first hurdle will getting the bank to approve the loans.

The Range Cafe
I ate supper at The Range Cafe in Bernalillo. This was during a downpour so I was glad to be off the road. I had two Chile Rellenos, considered a "small plate". They were good. The Range is a good place to people watch because if has a mixed clientele...old and young cowboys, Indians, young couples with kids, professional ladies, old and young tree huggers, retired atomic energy scientists, and me.

I stayed in Bernalillo for a little while because I wanted to see them pull up the sidewalks at 9 PM but they didn't do it....maybe because of the rain. 

Downtown Bernalillo