(By Edie)

Driving through Taos on Friday morning was quite an adventure. Due to the lack of visibly named streets we managed to find ourselves lost, driving back and forth from Paseo del Pueblo Sur and Paseo del Pueblo Norte (this is the same street, going different directions). After laughing about this ridiculous predicament we found our way to Kit Carson Rd and Casa De Los Pasajeros, which is conveniently located in the heart of Taos. The name means “House of the Wayfarers.”

We met Tony Marvin, the extremely unique owner of Casa De Los Pasajeros, and instantly felt a connection with him. He gave us a tour of the cottage and offered lots of information on Taos and the surrounding area.

(By Josh)

Tony is a cultural gem in Taos who has dedicated his passion and soul to preserving, sharing, and exploring the true sacred culture of the area in all its forms. This man has intimate knowledge of artists who made Taos known as an art community, such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Milicent Rogers. He also has intimate knowledge of the Pueblo and its people, their traditions, ceremonies, and artistry, the architecture and sustainable movement that has risen in Taos, the unique culinary fusion of the area, native dances, festivals, and much more.

Tony offers one of a kind cultural experiences in Taos which he calls Inner Passages. They are in-depth explorations of Taos culture that make use of salon discussions and encounters with living cultural legends and their descendants.

(By Edie)

As we toured the home, Tony pointed out various pieces of art, from his own collection, that he had adorned the house with, beautiful creations each holding a precious story within their presence. There was a library of interesting books in the den/bedroom, some of which are now out of print. The entire home had a warm feeling, I felt lucky to be in such a welcoming and cozy environment. The kitchen was well equipped for anyone from the morning coffee drinker to the serious chef. Leading out of the kitchen was a large backyard, with several sitting areas and chimineas for warm Taos evenings.

Instead of using a traditional water heater, the hot water came directly from a Heat On Demand system that saved energy by running only when the hot water faucet was turned on. We found Taos to be quite an environmentally conscious town.

I really felt like Tony was a generous person, not only with his time, but also with his knowledge of Taos. He gave us the inside scoop on galleries to visit, restaurants to dine at, and directed us to a great health food store for lunch called Cid’s.

As we drove to Cid’s we were awestruck by the kind energy that greeted us throughout Taos. We made conversation with people we met and always felt right at home, even when we were so far away from home. After my delightful facial appointment at Taos Skin Care we headed out into the wilderness to check out some real estate Josh had been researching.

The views around the Taos area were breathtaking! We drove up into the mountains above Arroyo Seco, and were quickly surrounded by tall pines and snow covered cabins. The mountain road was icy, muddy, and poorly maintained. Josh expertly maneuvered his Honda Accord, the “Black Horse” as Tony called it, up the mountain. Everyone who passed us was driving a Range Rover or other monstrous off road vehicle. Although at the time, I didn’t appreciate sliding around on the ice while at the edge of a steep mountain drop, in retrospect, it was a great experience. As the sun started to set, Josh eventually became weary of getting stuck in the mud as the road worsened and decided it was time to turn around and head back to the cottage.

We made yet another delicious meal and had a quiet dinner discussing the possibility of one day moving to Taos. We had fallen so much in love with the landscape and friendly community we decided that Taos was among the places we’d love to live.

After dinner, we both decided to settle in, Josh had some things to take care of online (the house was equipped with wireless internet), and I relaxed on the living room couch while reading one of the books from the library. Josh eventually joined me with a book on ancient trees in his hands. He then started sharing interesting facts with me about the world’s oldest living trees, which led to a discussion about the redwoods and dreams of a tree house, and then to the fate of the planet.

(By Josh)

Year after year, we have both become more concerned with the condition of Mother Earth. The pollution, green house gasses, global warming, wars, corruption, rape of natural resources, overpopulation, rampant consumerism, political corruption. Sometimes it seems humanity has been moving in the wrong direction since the beginning and is dangerously close to self-destruction on a global scale. It’s so difficult these days to find true balance and sustainable living, especially in cities. Even our smallish, isolated city in the desert, Tucson, is now covered with a fog of pollution. But it’s really only noticeable when you have been away, in the fresh air for a while. Then you return and you can see and smell the smog hovering over the city. Factories, power plants, jet chem. trails, car and truck exhaust. You see trucks and buses on the roads spewing out black exhaust and realize it’s poison and it doesn’t just disappear. The mother and child walking on the sidewalk are breathing that poison, and so are we.

So how can earth-loving people find a sustainable lifestyle, share it with others, and make a real difference in time for it to matter? Can we reverse our self-destructive habits? How can anything feel right other than total revolution by the masses, investigation and prosecution of corrupt government officials, a massive investment in and transfer to sustainable energy, the taming of capitalism gone mad, population limits, a new constitution that restores freedom and protects not only personal rights but the planet as well?

And how are we to feel about the state of things? Fearlessly hopeful? Realistically aware of our doom? Sometimes it seems that humanity is inevitably going to destroy Mother Earth and there is nothing we can do to stop it. It’s like our civilization is a big party that is raging on, burning the earth to ashes, and all we can really do is try to enjoy the few moments we have left before it’s over. And even though our government is warring, killing, and raping the people of this earth and the earth itself just for profit, even though the elite 1% owns everything and the vast majority of humans on earth are really slaves serving to fatten that 1%, even though our democracy is dying and almost dead, even though we drive around in poison spraying cars and breath that poison, we can harbor a highly functional ignorance to the deep crushing pain in our hearts about the fate of life. We can shop online and watch movies, we can consume and drink wine and try to love our loved ones until some moron pushes the red button or peak oil knocks our global system on its ass. We can mutate and keep sucking polluted air until it’s all over.

Most people don’t even think about it. They’re too busy watching tv, working for slave’s wages, drowning in debt, arguing about who really messed up: Britney or K Fed.

The other approach for those who have their eyes open to the true state of things is to not only live life to the fullest while we are still here, but to also fearlessly and tirelessly work to change things. To start the revolution and keep it going. In Taos, you see people doing just that, in communities like the Greater World Community of totally self-sustaining Earthships. Tony lives in an Earthship there that he bought from the founder of Earthship technology, the legendary Mike Reynolds. On the morrow, we would head out to the GWC to see some Earthships in the flesh.