On December 22, 2012, Keeper of Seasons Hall met to observe Yule, its last official holiday celebration of 2012. Like previous years, we had an indoor celebration, and Debbie and I hosted the event at our home. Continue reading
Category Archives: Event Reports
Winternights 2012 report
Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate its fifteenth Winternights November 10, 2012. While for the most part the weather to date had been warm and dry, the morning we met at the Pueblo Montaño trailhead was cold, overcast, and windy. Intermittent drops of rain fell as we made our way to our destination on the bank of the Rio Grande, the same site we had used last year. Perhaps because of the weather, we saw less wildlife than in previous visits, though we did see a few ducks and crows, and at least once we heard the sound of cranes flying overhead. Continue reading
Midsummer 2012 Report
On June 17, 2012 Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate Midsummer in the Sandia Foothills, using the same ritual site as the previous year. As with 2011, the city and surrounding areas had been suffering drought, but it was not so severe that we had to worry that our chosen site would be closed to the public. Continue reading
Yule 2011 Report
Though most members would not begin their personal Yule celebrations for another few days, on December 18, 2011 Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate the opening of the Yule season and hold its last official holiday observance of the year. As with previous years, we celebrated indoors, and in 2011 Debbie and I hosted the event at our home. Continue reading
Visiting Santa Fe
On Sunday, November 20, Debbie and I visited the Scandinavian Cultural Club of Santa Fe to give a small presentation on Asatru. Continue reading
Winternights 2011 report
Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate its fourteenth Winternights November 6, 2011. Though the drought gripping New Mexico had continued, there had been enough precipitation that the Bosque was once again open (in fact, it had rained for a few hours the previous morning), so we met at the Pueblo Montaño trailhead and hiked for a time until we reached our destination on the bank of the Rio Grande. The site was one we had not used for many years, but it offered a spectacular view of the river; during our time there, we were made aware of the presence of ducks, cranes, ravens, and crows. Continue reading
Midsummer 2011 Report
Featured
On June 26, 2011 Keeper of Seasons Hall met in the Sandia Foothills to celebrate Midsummer, returning to a site we had not used for that holiday since 2007. Though we had originally planned to meet in the Bosque, a few days before our celebration city officials decided to close the area. Extremely dry conditions had created severe fire danger in many parts of the state; even our site in the Foothills was closed not many days after we had met there. Continue reading
Winternights 2010 report
On November 7, 2010 Keeper of Seasons Hall celebrated Winternights on the bank of the Rio Grande in the Bosque. The day of the celebration was unusually warm, even with the mild onset of winter that has become a regular feature of Albuquerque for the past few years; the sun shone brightly, and the temperature approached (though did not quite reach) 70 degrees Fahrenheit. We met at the Montaño trailhead, chatted for a time, and headed to our site, an area the Hall has used a number of times now. Though we did not see as many cranes or geese as in previous years, we saw quite a few ducks and many times heard the raucous cries of crows and ravens in the trees.
Winternights 2009 Report
On October 31st, 2009 the membership of Keeper of Seasons Hall met to celebrate Winternights.
We met at a trailhead in the Sandia foothills at about noon, and after exchanging some pleasantries and my slinging the bag full of horns and mead over my shoulder, we departed on our short hike to a rocky outcropping well-known and loved by the Hall. Continue reading
Midsummer 2009 report
On June 27, 2009 Keeper of Seasons Hall met in the Bosque near the Montaño trailhead to hold the year’s Midsummer Blót. Though this summer had been cooler and wetter than usual thus far, it was still warm enough that we decided, as in previous years, to meet early in the day to avoid the worst of the heat. The unusual amount of rain in the weeks leading up to the blót meant that the plant life of the Bosque was much greener and more lush than last year, and in addition to the usual bird life (including cranes flying overhead), we encountered large numbers of toads, frogs, lizards, insects, and small mammals on our way to the blót site. Continue reading