Detail of Valentine by Henriette Wyeth

Hurd-La Rinconada Gallery & Guest Homes  February 2010 
"Apache Snow"
  by Michael Hurd
 
Apache Snow by Michael Hurd
Price:  $6,500
Size:  12" x 18"
Medium:  Watercolor
Signed:  Lower Right
"La Cruz Blanca"
  by Michael Hurd
 
La Cruz Blanca by Michael Hurd
Price:  $7,500
Size:  14" x 20"
Medium:  Watercolor
Signed:  Lower Right
Henriette's Valentines

  Valentines by Henriette Wyeth
    As a young girl, honing her artistic skill, Henriette used Valentine's Day as an opportunity to create whimsical pieces of art.  Today, these magical images of a young girl's hope for love and romance, are part of the Hurd Gallery's Children's Collection which includes sketches and drawings by Henriette and Andrew Wyeth and Peter Hurd.

 
Peter and Henriette in Love 
   At age 16, Henriette Wyeth was already a serious artist and much sought after by the accomplished, wealthy and educated young beaus of Pennsylvania society.  She must have been surprised by the arrival into her world of a handsome, wirey, young man in cowboy boots.  The attraction was not instantaneous, as she stared at him initially with a look that Peter described as "falling short of admiration."  The romance that developed over the summer, however, eventually evolved into lifelong companionship, professional teamwork, and intense devotion.  In this 1928 letter to Henriette, Peter uses his typical eloquence to woo the object of his affection:
    "A man in love I do think cuts the sorriest figure in the world.  My mind keeps searching the panorama of memory for every sort of incident and scene in which you figured and focusing on them as with powerful binoculars it suddenly throws them into magnified relief in my vision with a vividness that later startles me.  I remember how we used to sit together in the dining room-or playing Parcheesi and the very dress you wore and the things you said and your dear smile will all suddenly appear.  Or your voice as you used to say to me each night goobye till tomorrow Peter be very careful and don't run in a ditch.  The pain of those moments has now grown light with this month long separation.  Then the wan northern sunshine will appear and we are reveling in the beauty and excitement of a noonday picnic at Sugar Loaf - and I remember how sweet you looked sitting beside me urging me to take more of the lunch you had prepared and how delicious was your mouth to kiss.  I am afraid I cannot tell you if you have not already read it, how incompatible with my feelings is any thought of faithlessness to you.  I adore you completely and wholly with every atom of what is me.  Always yours, Peter"
 
  Peter with his Sword Collection
     The true test of a woman's love for her sweetheart, often occurs at the moment when she is introduced to his world, which in many cases is an existence of basic survival and bacheloresque minimalism.  Such was the case for young Henriette Wyeth, who left her world of culture and civility in the East to follow her handsome, young groom to their new home in New Mexico.
     Henriette often described her first glimpse of New Mexico as a magical experience.  Peter picked her up from the Carrizozo train station while a full moon bathed the landscape with a soft glow.  Peter drove Henriette to the ranch which he had named "Sentinel Ranch," where their new home, with it's whitewashed walls appeared dreamlike and beautiful in it's simplicity.  Under the cover of darkness, mystical moonlight and young love, Henriette was truly enchanted by her new home.
     The next morning, Henriette awoke to a different world.  The beautiful house of the night before was now revealed to be a rustic 1850's model Mexican homestead in need of much repair, plumbing and a woman's touch.  Instead of the smells of breakfast and coffee coming from a warm kitchen full of family, Henriette encountered a dingy room with no activity and some smells that were more questionable than appetizing.  Seeking the cook, Henriette found him sleeping off a hangover in the tack room.  He was soon urged to find employment elsewhere.
     Seeking out her new husband, she found him already at work in his studio.  The studio was a proud new addition to the house and while living his bachelor existence, Peter had often slept there on the floor.  Glancing around, Henriette found the room full of the items and books that Peter used for reference in his work, but one item in particular caught her eye.  In the middle of the floor was a bedroll, unrolled with a saber next to it, protruding straight up out of the floor as if recently planted there in a duel.  "Petey?" she asked, "why is that saber impaling the floor?" 
     "Oh that?" Peter replied sheepishly.  "I have been using it to chase the furry critters that visit me at night."  Henriette's reaction to this revelation is unknown, but easy to imagine.
     Peter had a collection of swords and sabers, collected over years of travel around the world.  He was skilled at fencing and displayed his collection prominently over the fireplace in his studio for many years.  When Peter designed the logo for Sentinel Ranch, he incorporated this important symbol from his years as a boy at the New Mexico Military Institute and later at West Point.  The backward "S" and lazy "P" shaped like a saber also represent his love for his new home in San Patricio and pay homage to the proud history of the cavalry at Fort Stanton.
     Peter's son, Michael, still has the infamous critter-detering saber.  It is an 1861 Navy cutlass, with the distinctive dents and markings of hand-to-hand combat during the Civil War...and maybe a few scuffs from a little bit of critter warfare.
"Valentine" by
 Henriette Wyeth
 
Valentine by Henriette Wyeth
Price: $3,000
Size:  11 1/2" x 8 1/2"
Medium:  watercolor
Happy Birthdays!
Michael's Birthday
Michael celebrated his birthday this month (February 16th) along with Munchkin the Gallery Greeter, who turned 1 year old (in human years) on February 26th.  They shared a key lime birthday pie to celebrate...you can see from this picture that Munchkin hoped to get the first bite!
A Farewell to B.B. 
BB in Snow
     Many of you may remember "B.B. Gone" (his registered name) who was enjoying retirement from polo in the pasture near the Orchard House and La Helenita.  B.B. passed away on SuperBowl Sunday at the ripe ol' age of 32.  One of our frequent visitors to the ranch, Margy O'Brien, who often rents the Orchard House with her husband Ken, wrote this lovely tribute to B.B.:
   "If I were to come back as a horse in another life, I wouldn't mind grazing out my final days in a spacious orchard, near a little river, with shady trees to snooze under, warm San Patricio sunshine to ease my aches, and people who held me dear."
     We will all certainly miss B.B. He was a ranch mascot and as the last horse on the ranch, his passing represents the end of an era.  Rest in peace B.B. Gone.
    (B.B. can be seen patiently waiting outside The Polo House in Michael's painting "The Sentinel.")

The Sentinel by Michael Hurd

Recipe of the Month
 Southwestern Quiche

Southwestern Quiche  

1 unbaked pie shell in 9-inch pan
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt or 1/2 cup minced onion
1 tsp. red chile powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped green chile
2 cups heavy cream or 1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
 
     Prepare pie crust and place in 9 inch pie pan; set aside.
     Separate eggs, beat egg yolks, then whip egg whites until foamy.  
     Fold egg whites into yolks along with salt, onion, red chile powder, black pepper, chopped mushrooms, and green chile.
     Add cream or evaporated milk to mixture and blend well.
     Layer cheese over bottom of pie crust; pour egg mixture into pie crust.
     Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until quiche is browned and solid.
     Serve hot.  Makes 6-8 wedges.
Option:  Crumble 1/2 lb. cooked pork sausage or 1 cup crumbled bacon (cooked) over top of egg mixture before baking.
 
 
Gallery in Snow 2007
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Contact Us:
Helenita in Snow
 Hwy 70, Exit at Peter Hurd Loop
(Approx. 20 Miles East of Ruidoso, 50 Miles West of Roswell)
PO Box 100
105 La Rinconada Ln.
San Patricio, NM  88348
1-575-653-4331
1-800-658-6912
 
Michael Hurd, Owner
Tiffanie Owen, Director
Judy Petersen, Gallery Assistant
Albert Chavez, Ranch Foreman
Gerardo Medina & Julian Marquez, Hard-Workin' Ranch Dudes
Maria Guillen, Head Housekeeper
 
Content and images on this site are the property of Michael Hurd, Tiffanie Owen and the Hurd-La Rinconada Gallery/Sentinel Ranch.  Reproduction of the content on this site is prohibited without the express written consent of the owner.  All rights reserved.