Socorro, New Mexico

Late Friday afternoon and early evening, the city of Socorro hosted an open house to their historic plaza area. One of the places we toured during the open house was San Miguel Mission church. This church is still active and holds masses everyday. Below is a shot of the front of the church. Within the walls is a courtyard. See the second photo.

Yes, you see a couple of headstones here in the courtyard. When the church was rebuilt remains were found in this area. And it was decided to leave the buried dead where they were and dedicate the courtyard in their memory.

This next photo is a shot of the sanctuary from the church entrance. The adobe walls are five feet thick. Now that's what I call good insulation!

Below is the statue of the Sacred Heart - placed to the right of the altar. We were told that the artistic design had possibly a French influence due to one of the pastors in charge during its past history.
Here is one of the stained glass windows. Take note of the depth of its placement. I think it was about 2-1/2 feet deep.
I would have shown you a picture of the choir loft, but my photo was too dark to really see and appreciate its beauty. You can see just a smidge of the choir loft in this pic, but I was trying to get a shot of the woodwork, especially the corbel. Most of the wood in the church was still the original wood. Only a few pieces, due to rot or other damage have been replaced. But it is difficult to tell which pieces are original and which are recent.

This next photo is a mural of the coffeehouse on the plaza of historic Socorro.

And below is one of the street signs right in the center of the plaza.

I attempted to get a picture of the sun setting while we were walking around the plaza. This was the best I could do.

After the tour of the San Miguel Mission Dave and I walked over to the "Spirits Tent" where the locals and visitors were invited to sample some wine and beer while enjoying some of the local music provided. The wine and beer was provided by local wineries and breweries. Bottles were sold to those who desired to make purchases. We were also given a couple of commemorative glasses of the 20th anniversary of the Festival of the Cranes. Dave got a beer glass, and I got a wine glass - nice souvenirs.

Getting Ready

Wow! I can't believe it's been more than a week since I last posted. By the way, for those who are still curious about mama lynx spider and her babies, they are doing well. Babies are still hanging around. We had rain Saturday night, but Sunday morning we found mama and her babies had taken refuge under a leaf of their resident rose bush. I haven't posted a picture of them since last Sunday because they don't seem any bigger now than last weekend. I'm fairly certain they will look bigger when I return from my trip.

Trip? Yes, this is my trip I've looked forward to since early summer. This is the Festival of the Cranes in Socorro, New Mexico. I am so hyped up about going, you'd think this was my first time attending. But, I get more excited about this birding event every year. Last year, Julie Zickfoose was the keynote speaker. This year Julie and Bill return and will be leading a couple of birding tours. Both tours are the same; one on Saturday morning, and the other on Sunday morning. It's called "Mountain Birding Tour." It will be a 1-2 mile walk/hike at 7,000 feet elevation. We should be able to see woodpeckers, jays, bluebirds, nuthatches, etc. Here is the cover for this year's event.

And for reading material, I've decided to bring along Kenn Kaufman's book, Kingbird Highway. I really liked Delia's recent book review (beginning to bird), and decided to buy the book to take along on my trip.

Another book I started to read when I flew back east earlier this summer, and haven't finished reading it yet, is Chesapeake by James Michener. I really want to finish this one before starting the Kingbird Highway. Hopefully, I will have time in the evenings to read. I should at least be able to read on the plane and in the airports.

Some of the other programs/workshops happening during the festival that my husband and I signed up for and are looking forward to attending: All About Raptors, Cave Swallows, Birds of New Mexico, Raptors on the Rio, Hummingbirds. This is not a complete/comprehensive list, but just the ones that highlight birding events. There will be plenty more to see and do. And hopefully, I will have Internet access so I can keep up with reading everyone's posts.