I grew up in Colorado, then lived in Arizona for a while. Living in the east now, I really miss the smell of pinion fires: a specific scent unlike any other wood. I would catch driving past a house, smoke coming out of the chimney. It was comforting.
This brings back such memories! It's funny you mentioned how they grow near juniper, because for a while when I was very young, I was confused and thought piñons grew on junipers, and i thought juniper berries would eventually turn into piñons. I hadn't thought about that in years!
Families harvesting nuts and fruit from the roadside remind me of the Big Island. As always, I've learned new things from your postcard and enjoyed this glimpse into another New Mexico tradition.
Isn’t it great to live in places where people are intimate with the land? What kind of nuts and fruits our families harvesting on the big island this time of year? Although I guess the seasons aren’t anywhere near as distinct as they would be in non tropical climates.
Maia, I’m on the wet side and it gets rainier in the autumn and winter months. Not sure what Hawaiians would harvest in the fall, but coconuts seem to always abound.
This one sent me back to Chile in 1984. My time there included a stay with friends on the bank of the Tolten River a visit with them to a Mapuche family living on reservation land on the Chile/Argentina border. It was early harvest season so they/we spent the night in the Pinon forest. Unforgettable people, trees, land and experience. Thanks for rekindling the vivid memories!
I’ll never forget the smell of pinion wood fires in New Mexico… such a unique, pungent aroma. And I love the nuts too!
It is unforgettable!
Another small gem, Maria.
thanks, Eric!
I grew up in Colorado, then lived in Arizona for a while. Living in the east now, I really miss the smell of pinion fires: a specific scent unlike any other wood. I would catch driving past a house, smoke coming out of the chimney. It was comforting.
Sending some piñon smoke your way, Elmdea! Although to be honest it hasn't gotten cold enough yet for fires. Maybe in a few weeks.
This brings back such memories! It's funny you mentioned how they grow near juniper, because for a while when I was very young, I was confused and thought piñons grew on junipers, and i thought juniper berries would eventually turn into piñons. I hadn't thought about that in years!
Families harvesting nuts and fruit from the roadside remind me of the Big Island. As always, I've learned new things from your postcard and enjoyed this glimpse into another New Mexico tradition.
Isn’t it great to live in places where people are intimate with the land? What kind of nuts and fruits our families harvesting on the big island this time of year? Although I guess the seasons aren’t anywhere near as distinct as they would be in non tropical climates.
Maia, I’m on the wet side and it gets rainier in the autumn and winter months. Not sure what Hawaiians would harvest in the fall, but coconuts seem to always abound.
This one sent me back to Chile in 1984. My time there included a stay with friends on the bank of the Tolten River a visit with them to a Mapuche family living on reservation land on the Chile/Argentina border. It was early harvest season so they/we spent the night in the Pinon forest. Unforgettable people, trees, land and experience. Thanks for rekindling the vivid memories!