MAINLAND - SANTA FE, NM

Santa Fe and thrity years together

            Once the races were over we finished packing and left for a two month adventure on the mainland.  We started in Santa Fe with good friend Siglinde.  We got to see her new home and it was a fabulous bed and breakfast with tours of museums, countryside, cultural exhibits, etc.

Staying with friends is the best of any B&B experience

            When our plane landed in Phoenix it was raining.  In Santa Fe we experienced a rare and beautiful rain storm as well.

Siglinde smelling the much needed rain.  

            The contemplation was short lived as she ran around to all her catchment barrels when it came down hard.  We were treated for three days like royalty and she honored our 30^th wedding anniversary with balloons, roses, fine wine, good music and much laughter. 

            We got a walking tour of downtown Santa Fe with its plaza, churches, shops, nooks and crannies and unique architecture.

 New Mexico Museum

 New and old architecture sometimes hard to tell apart

 Pretty street corner near downtown plaza, street market at left

One of many intriguing shops we enjoyed passing by 

Burro Alley 

 Another street market next to St. Francis 

This guy was above a gallery, too many people to catch the name

 Older architecture

Modern concerns (not just on Kauai but nationwide)

 Great grinds at Eske’s brewery with a spontaneous bluegrass jam.

 Bluegrass guys

Evening is beautiful and we have heard that Christmastime in Santa Fe is magical

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            We went to Taos Pueblo the next day and I left my camera in the car out of respect.  I bought a beautiful turquoise necklace, Gil and Siglinde bought fresh baked pie.  It began to rain and we jumped rivers of water between family shops.  We heard the story of riding into the mountains in a storm and shooting turkeys – I have one of the turkey feathers.  We heard drumming in beat to the rain, the shop owner chanted and I was really tempted to do an eagle dance.  The much needed storm was very moving.

            After the Georgia Okeefe museum in town to see the works she did in New Mexico, we visited churches and then went to museum hill for the Indian Cultural Museum – the works outside were fabulous in the natural setting.

 Truly on a hill top, several museums beckon

Interpretation of a real eagle dancer

           Like old Mexico, New Mexico is a mix of native Indians and the colonizers from Spain.  Here there is definite clarity in the art work and the American-Indian influence is not diluted.

They are at home in the landscape

This Apache Spirit Dancer was more dramatic on our leaving with the wild sky behind him

 The Corn Goddess

This little guy made me homesick

petroglyphs remind me of Hawaii and deer remind me of Colorado

Spanish / Catholic influence

            

St Francis of Assisi

 The new font, gorgeous

            A glass stained wall

In front of Loretto church

(many St. Francis, and many Lorettos in Santa Fe)

Goofy and commercial?  

Pretty much but we were assured it was worth it

 The staircase was quite beautiful

. . .  as was the whole interior

            Three days was gone in a flash. It was a great way to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We really got a feel for the many layers of Santa Fe and it was so good to reconnect with such a close friend.  Siglinde sent us a photo of our balloons as she let them go over the desert in farewell after dropping us back at Albuquerque airport, Denver bound.