August 3–Cortez

Today was the start of the balloon festival. There were 8 balloons.  Maybe there will be more tomorrow. 

After the balloons lifted off, we had breakfast and decided to go back up to Mesa Verde to check out another of the cliff houses and the museum. Norman did a Grass Dance.  His costume is supposed to represent the flowing grass. Norman ended their performance with a ring dance. He is portraying an eagle flying here.

Balloonists must be just about the nicest people anywhere, because they have to have lots of friends.  It takes at least 6 people to get the balloon out and up, then the balloonist takes off with maybe one other person, and the rest all pile into the truck and take off down the road to catch the balloon when it comes down and put all the stuff away.  The dancers at the Cortez Culture Center tonight were a couple who do pow-wow dancing, the Roaches.  Ramona is Navaho and Norman Roach is Lakota Sioux and they met many years ago at a pow-wow.  They were by far the most interesting and energetic.  Ramona danced a Plains buckskin dance. Ramona did a jingle dance like the Lopez girls did on the first night, and then she did a shawl dance. It’s been nice to watch the different dancers perform, but even more to hear them talk about who they are and what the meaning is behind the their dances.