Cosmo and Silvia stop in a town just west of Albuquerque which is modeled after Tucamcari, New Mexico. Named after the mountain that is situated near this small city, it has a charm of its own with a number of vintage styled hotels and restaurants built as early as the 1930’s that are still in operation.
It is here that Cosmo hears the sound of the desert wind. “It sounded close and far away at the same time. It was strong, but it didn’t sound like it was fighting with the world around it. It passed through everything in a most unobtrusive way. It made him quiet inside, and through the quiet, he could hear a part of himself that sounded different from his usual dull and cynical inner voice.”
They stop into a gift store while in Tucamcari in which they encounter a character named Crazy Ted. He’s a modern-day cowboy who came out west from Pennsylvania and married a native woman named Rosemary. She’s passed away although Crazy Ted appears to be able to keep her alive in his own way as he tells Cosmo and Silvia about his deceased wife. “As he went on about Rosemary, Cosmo could almost see her standing beside her husband, as if his words had resurrected her, or as if she had never left his side. “
This post is from my blog series on the places visited in the road trip story, “Discovery of an Eagle.”
Grace Mattioli is the author of the Greco Family Trilogy books, including Olive Branches Don’t Grow on Trees, Discovery of an Eagle, and The Bird that Sang in Color. These books are available from all major online book sellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books.
