Last night I had a dream I have no idea what influenced it. In this dream I was at an auction put on by this Ruger forum. Up for auction was a beautiful Navaho blanket. I have wanted such a blanket for many years., Anyway, the bidding got to $250.00, which I upped to $300.00. Going once, twice, three times. Sold to the old man in the front row! Finally I had my blanket!
This dream took me back to the mid-'70's. I have always been a lover of history, particularly the 1700's-1950's. In the mid '70's, I set off on a hitch hiking journey to Houston and parts West. I decided after leaving Houston, I wanted to see the Painted Desert. Got thru Dallas, heading west. Some where close to the NM border, I got picked up by a coupla guys in a pick-up truck, said they were going to Gallup, NM, and I was welcome to ride the distance. It being a very hot mid-July, I jumped at the chance. The driver was an older gentleman, looked mid-60's. The passenger was a Navaho, the driver's son-in-law. The Navaho was guzzling peppermint schnapps, which can be smelled from a good distance. Sitting beside a person that has been imbibing it for a while is almost overwhelming!
We got to Gallup late that evening, and I was offered the couch to crash on for the night. After several nights under the stars, it was an offer I couldn't refuse!.
Next morning I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs, which was a welcome smell. At the table, the Navaho, who seemed to have recovered quite well from the schnapps, said he was going to the rez that morning and would I like to join him. I jumped at the offer so fast I think it surprised him. After breakfast we got into his pu, and off we went. The Navaho Reservation is a beautiful area.
He pointed to a clapboard house set on block pilings, said it was his aunt's house. They were considered rich by rez standards, they had a house and 40 horses. Next stop he said would be his mother's. A little while later we pulled up to a stick and mud hogan with a fire pit out front. An old lady came out of the hogan, hugged her son, pointed at me and said something in Navaho I couldn't understand. He said she asked if I wanted a cup of coffee. Being a coffee drinker since the age of 12, I said yes. She disappeared into the hogan and came back out with a metal coffee pot and put it on the fire. He told me she had never had electricity, plumbing or any other amenities we take for granted, She also spoke no English, so he acted as interpreter. She made Navaho blankets by hand with the light from a kerosene lamp. She sold them for $80.00 to white traders, who then sold them to tourists for $400-$600.00. He asked if I would like to buy one, which I now kick myself when I think about it. My funds were limited, as well as my pack space, so I declined. I never got my Navaho blanket, but from time to time I think about this old woman living as her ancestors had for centuries. If one could turn back the pages of time.....
This dream took me back to the mid-'70's. I have always been a lover of history, particularly the 1700's-1950's. In the mid '70's, I set off on a hitch hiking journey to Houston and parts West. I decided after leaving Houston, I wanted to see the Painted Desert. Got thru Dallas, heading west. Some where close to the NM border, I got picked up by a coupla guys in a pick-up truck, said they were going to Gallup, NM, and I was welcome to ride the distance. It being a very hot mid-July, I jumped at the chance. The driver was an older gentleman, looked mid-60's. The passenger was a Navaho, the driver's son-in-law. The Navaho was guzzling peppermint schnapps, which can be smelled from a good distance. Sitting beside a person that has been imbibing it for a while is almost overwhelming!
We got to Gallup late that evening, and I was offered the couch to crash on for the night. After several nights under the stars, it was an offer I couldn't refuse!.
Next morning I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs, which was a welcome smell. At the table, the Navaho, who seemed to have recovered quite well from the schnapps, said he was going to the rez that morning and would I like to join him. I jumped at the offer so fast I think it surprised him. After breakfast we got into his pu, and off we went. The Navaho Reservation is a beautiful area.
He pointed to a clapboard house set on block pilings, said it was his aunt's house. They were considered rich by rez standards, they had a house and 40 horses. Next stop he said would be his mother's. A little while later we pulled up to a stick and mud hogan with a fire pit out front. An old lady came out of the hogan, hugged her son, pointed at me and said something in Navaho I couldn't understand. He said she asked if I wanted a cup of coffee. Being a coffee drinker since the age of 12, I said yes. She disappeared into the hogan and came back out with a metal coffee pot and put it on the fire. He told me she had never had electricity, plumbing or any other amenities we take for granted, She also spoke no English, so he acted as interpreter. She made Navaho blankets by hand with the light from a kerosene lamp. She sold them for $80.00 to white traders, who then sold them to tourists for $400-$600.00. He asked if I would like to buy one, which I now kick myself when I think about it. My funds were limited, as well as my pack space, so I declined. I never got my Navaho blanket, but from time to time I think about this old woman living as her ancestors had for centuries. If one could turn back the pages of time.....
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