Last time I promised a look at the person I visited in Taos. He’s a colorful character in his own right.
Mark is a barefooter from way back, probably from the time he was a teenager. So he has a lot of miles and time on his soles.
After leaving Denver, he moved to Taos, where he has been an instructor in a private school for the past 20 12 years, teaching mathematics, physics, and general sciences. [Added: it was the school which had existed for 20 years.]
The school was Chamisa Mesa School:
One of the more interesting things about this school was that footwear was street shoes were not allowed inside, so all the kids (and teachers!) went barefoot. Raising barefooters from the ground up! [Added: thus, slippers were allowed. But many did go barefoot, particularly in warmer weather.]
Unfortunately, the school closed last year for a lack of funds and students, so Mark is now spending his time writing the books he’d always intended to write but could never find the time for.
This was a great time to get my copy autographed. The book, a political science selection, is called “Engines of Domination: Political Power and the Human Emergency”. Why don’t you all get your own copy?
He’s the one who took me out to see the Rio Grande Gorge. And, ta-da!, here he is:
No, he is not fat. I told you yesterday about the fierce winds. Well, here he is being slightly blown up (or at least his shirt is).
Here’s another, much better shot of him with the wind blowing the other direction (and looking north along the gorge). Unfortunately, the shot is ruined by that other person in the picture.
Anyways, it was great visiting with Mark and having lunch in a Taos artsy eatery, “The Wire?” “Wired?”. Who ever knew you could make a quesadilla Reuben? My thanks to Mark for the hospitality.
[Notes added June 1: Mark had a few corrections for me, so I’ve edited those in. Makes you wonder how much other stuff I get wrong, doesn’t it?]
I remember Mark. I always thought it was neat that he could teach barefoot. While I am not betting on it, I would love to do that.
I guess Chamisa Mesa School was a private school, cuz you mentioned lack of funds & students was the reason it closed? Do public schools in NM allow bare feet in them? Or was it only Chamisa Mesa School?
…and where would one find Mark’s book, “Engines of Domination: Political Power and the Human Emergency”? …or Mark for that matter! I knew Mark back in college at Boulder when he first began going barefoot. He gathered a group of students to try to form a consortium of intellect…and read his play..lol! All good fun. Did you trip?? π
It’s available on Amazon.