Tied to the Post

The Crazy Crow Café lands in Bluff

It’s been a long time coming, but the Crazy Crow Café at Twin Rocks has finally arrived. Steve has been considering a new restaurant concept for over ten years, and that plan is now a reality. Under the guidance of Frances van der Stappen, the cafe’s general manager, our new casual Four Corners...

The charm of hummingbirds

A “charm,” the collective noun used to describe a group of our tiny feathered aviators, has returned to Bluff for the season. Susie put out her first feeder in late March, and Frances filled the six stations on the Twin Rocks Café porch a week later. Ever since then, we’ve had a fine flock of our...

Radical quiet – a lesson

Due to the worldwide reset commonly referred to as COVID-19, Grange, our 20-year-old son, has returned to Bluff after a two-year stint at the University of Utah. Grange was just finishing his sophomore year in the Honors College at the “U” when the crisis struck. While he is sure to complete the...

A people story in dog’s clothing

This is a dog story, except... many of us realize a dog story is actually a people story in dog’s clothing. Storytellers from the beginning of time have used animals to tell humanity’s narrative – how Raven facilitated the emergence of the first people by prying open a clamshell or how Coyote...

The wedding rug

Attached to the cash register at Twin Rocks Trading Post is a piece of tape. On that tape is a handwritten note. The note reads, “Navajo Wedding Rug.” This is the story of that piece of tape, and why it was recently removed. As a student of Navajo history and the owner of a Southwest trading post...

COVID-19 testing

Recently I overheard a young child asking her mother when school would reopen. The youngster had apparently grown tired of being home with her older and overly controlling siblings and wanted to reengage with her classmates. After unsuccessfully trying to explain recent events to her inexperienced...

Friends and neighbors

As is so often the case, the worst of times can bring out the best in people. Like everyone else in the world, our area of southeastern Utah, and especially the vast Navajo Nation, are going through a difficult struggle during the coronavirus pandemic. In one of the most isolated areas of the...

A corona

Early this morning, Jana and I were out walking Pearl as the sun began to rise in the east. Pearl, whom many of you have yet to meet, is the successor to Buffy the Wonder Dog. Buffy grew up and spent most of her days lounging on the mat in front of the Kokopelli doors. Winter, spring, summer, and...

Walmart and Native American art

As one might easily guess, there are no theaters in this town of approximately 265 people. Consequently, when Jana and I want to see a movie we get into the car and steer towards Cortez or Durango, CO or Farmington, NM. Living in a small town, which is far removed from any significant population...

It’s black and white

It started with a “Splat,” then came “Black Hole,” “Boomerang,” and most recently, “Diné Diamonds.” What can all those things possibly have in common? Well, when it comes to Twin Rocks Trading Post, the likely answer is Navajo baskets, and baskets it is. First, a little context. Several years ago,...