Editor,

Having family at Whidley Island, I read the News-Times’ opinion piece: “Taos and Whidbey share different but special love for art and artists” (Aug. 26 issue). I made my first trip to Taos, New Mexico, when I was 41 years old. I had been to New Mexico before; yet, Taos seemed off-the-beaten path of my normal journeys from when I lived in Kansas. It wasn’t until I moved to Texas when I finally decided to drive to Taos. Frankly, it seemed like a long, remote and zig-zagging drive. My only real purpose was to visit the house and grave of the frontiersman Christopher “Kit” Carson, who was a cousin to my great grandmother.

When I got to Taos, I was mighty happy to have reached my destination. I visited the Kit Carson Home and Museum, which was then owned and operated by the Masons. I happen to be a fifth-generation Freemason myself, so it is a family tradition. The Home and Museum was wonderful, although due to “age” — needed a bit of repairs.

It “dawned on me” that museums are often “the magnet” for “tourism,” Without that museum and other attractions, Taos would largely dry-up. Similarly, with Whidbey, the arts and artists must be cultivated; but it has to be “good art” and not offbeat or “abstract.” Most people (like myself) want art they can understand and tell what it is.

Whidbey Island is long and varied. It really cannot be compared to Taos, which is a small tight-knit town. Yet, tourists will come if they feel it’s worth it. I only went out of my way to Taos, because I felt it was worth the trip. It was.

James Marples

Longview, Texas