Tarantulas and Balloominarias

It turns out that fall is tarantula season on the mesa. We saw one furry-legged arachnid at the side of the road during our morning walk yesterday and another one in our courtyard. According to our knowledgeable neighbors, it's the mating season, and the males are now out in force looking for a significant other. Our neighbors also assure us that they're not really harmful to humans since they can't sting or bite like a black widow or a brown recluse. Nevertheless, we wouldn't want one in our house. Karen told us that she woke up one morning to find a tarantula on the pillow next to her; she thought it was a rubber spider left by her grandchildren as a joke--until it moved.

Our visit happened to coincide with the Taos Mountain Balloon Festival, and since we went to last year's mass ascension at dawn (when fifty to sixty hot air balloons rise and float above the town), we decided to sleep in this time and go to the Balloominarias instead. This event takes place at dusk, which means that it fits much more easily into our daily routine. The balloonists assemble in the same field where the morning ascension takes place, only this time they remain on the ground and light up their balloons as the sun is setting. There were only about six of these balloominarias, but they were very impressive (photos to follow).

We'll take a break from blogging until we return in December. Meanwhile, que vivan Taos y los taosenos!