Greer Garson Had a Blue Bathtub

As long as I've been visiting and living in New Mexico, every time my family took the long drive up Highway 25, past Santa Fe and through Pecos and past Las Vegas, New Mexico (where we always stop to eat at El Rialto near the plaza) on our way to our family seat of the small town of Roy (where the Great Plains meet the Rockies), I'd always hear the story about how Greer Garson had a big house off the highway. Back when I was 17, I'd look off into the dark, dark New Mexico darkness and try to imagine this house. Every time we pass Pecos, the same story my Dad would tell about Greer Garson's house out there somewhere.

So I've moved here for a spell, as they say; and my relatives have been lamenting the rumor that the house and grounds had been sold off or destroyed.

John and I live close to Pecos and John works with many Pecosites as a security guard. So we've visited to find hiking trails, indulge in their Dairy Queen and hear disparaging stories about one-time Cher boy-toy Val Kilmer (Pecosians don't care for him, it would seem) and to visit the Pecos Pueblo ruins and National Park, which we've been to now three times.

Much to my happy surprise, The Santa Fe Community College offered a continuing education tour of Pecos Pueblo, including Greer Garson's house! Whoo hoo! It's still there!

In fact, we were to find out, Greer Garson and her husband, Texas oilman Fogelson, owned so much property for their cattle raising, their land included the Pecos Pueblo. They donated the pueblo grounds to the National Parks service and Greer designed the small movie theater there to look like a Kiva and narrated the video about the site. (Ricardo Montelban does the Spanish version)

When Fogelson died, Greer ended up with the house and half the property. Fogelson's son ended up with the other half, which he promptly sold to Val Kilmer and Jane Fonda (who locals seem to like).

Speaking of Jane Fonda, one of our elderly members on our tour still managed to say dismissive things about Jane Fonda due to her remarks about Vietnam. Her friend lightly defended Fonda, saying she has since apologized. I thought to myself, although Veterans still have a right to be pissed off about it, kids today don’t even know what that was all about.

I told them that Fonda's latest workout DVD, Fit and Strong, is for old people and is still kicking my ass. I mean, I used to not like her because she could do aerobics better than me. That was before her titanium hip. Now I seem to like her much better.