Santa Fe, NM III

On the go early, headed to Guadalupe Street to look around.  We were going to a museum, but all closed on Monday.  Had lunch at Tomasita's, food so good we had to go back.  Drove over to see river area and historic downtown.  Went into lots of galleries and shops and John bought me an amber ring that is so pretty. We went into Chuck Jones Gallery, which contained lots of cartoon art from Bugs Bunny to Dr. Seuss.   Stopped for coffee and to sit down.  Totally pooped out and could barely make it back to the car.  Home, fed dogs and visited with them and settled in the the night.

The Plaza

Center of every old Mexican city

Resting in front of Chuck Jones Gallery

Headed downtown to NM Museum of Art.  Bought discount tickets for 4 museums in 4 days - $20.00 each.  A real bargain if we can do it.  Pretty much zoomed through the museum.  If I try to do my "normal" museum looking -- which is reading everything -- I will never get through the place.  My body just won't take standing around all day long and I won't be able to make it back to the car.  So it is look, look, look and then read if it is very intriguing.  I could spend days in museums because I love them

New Mexico Museum of Art

We stopped in the gift shop and I saw a calendar by photographer Ansel Adam ("AA"), a photographer famous for his black and white photography.  That reminded me that he had taken lots of photos in New Mexico and I asked the shop lady if there was an AA gallery here.  She said yes, and told us that it was right around the corner.  So happy to discovery that and we headed over there.  They were having a showing of many of his photographs from a Texans private collection that were not even for sale.  We watched a video about his life.  There was one photograph there that was for sale for $275,000.  This was a treat and a highlight of Santa Fe for me.

Wednesday woke up to a light snow that was pretty.  I think winter is coming to Santa Fe.  We went to the International Folk Art Museum.  First display was on Japanese kites, history, great video and many examples of kites -- huge to tiny.  Very interesting.  They even had a table for kids to make a little kite.  Learned about chocolate from South America and Yerba Mate, an interesting drink held in neat small cups and drunk through a straw.  The folk art was from all over the world and it was so interesting.  Lovely museum.

Woke up to a bit of snow

Some very old Japanese kites

Yerba Mate cups with straws

Drink is passed around and shared

Thursday, another museum.  Santa Fe is so rich in culture.  We visited the NM Indian Cultural Museum.   One of the best museums I've been too. Getting  pretty tired.........

Huge bronze statute

In the sculpture garden

Friday, the last museum.  This was the perfect museum to save for the last because it summed up everything that is great, wonderful and beautiful about New Mexico.  History of Santa Fe from the beginning at the Palace of Governors -- which is the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States.  Amazing. Every part of the settling of the land including some sad parts for the Native Americans and original Mexican families.  There were many influences that make up today's NM -  several different tribes of Native Americans, Mexicans, Spain, and the United States, along with the influence of the Catholic Church.   We learned so much about this wonderful 47th state.

Palace of the Governors

1610

Hurried home to get dinner ready for our homeowners arrival home.  We made a nice dinner for them and we all sat down and told our travel stories.  Ann and Jim are dear people who have become our friends.  We would have loved to have stayed longer -- and they did invite us too -- but we've just got to get on the road and move through Texas, Louisiana and get ourselves to Clearwater, FL.  To sum up our two week stay in Santa Fe, I can only say there is a magic there and I truly fell in love with it.  Thanks Ann and Jim for letting us take care of your beautiful home and sweet, fun dogs, Chaco and Misa.  We will hope to get together in the future to do some fun things together.

Sun lit foyer

Chaco - leader of the pack

Sweet Misa, white tipped tail

The family reunited

They were so happy to see their people

Santa Fe, NM III

On the go early, headed to Guadalupe Street to look around.  We were going to a museum, but all closed on Monday.  Had lunch at Tomasita's, food so good we had to go back.  Drove over to see river area and historic downtown.  Went into lots of galleries and shops and John bought me an amber ring that is so pretty. We went into Chuck Jones Gallery, which contained lots of cartoon art from Bugs Bunny to Dr. Seuss.   Stopped for coffee and to sit down.  Totally pooped out and could barely make it back to the car.  Home, fed dogs and visited with them and settled in the the night.

The Plaza

Center of every old Mexican city

Resting in front of Chuck Jones Gallery

Headed downtown to NM Museum of Art.  Bought discount tickets for 4 museums in 4 days - $20.00 each.  A real bargain if we can do it.  Pretty much zoomed through the museum.  If I try to do my "normal" museum looking -- which is reading everything -- I will never get through the place.  My body just won't take standing around all day long and I won't be able to make it back to the car.  So it is look, look, look and then read if it is very intriguing.  I could spend days in museums because I love them

New Mexico Museum of Art

We stopped in the gift shop and I saw a calendar by photographer Ansel Adam ("AA"), a photographer famous for his black and white photography.  That reminded me that he had taken lots of photos in New Mexico and I asked the shop lady if there was an AA gallery here.  She said yes, and told us that it was right around the corner.  So happy to discovery that and we headed over there.  They were having a showing of many of his photographs from a Texans private collection that were not even for sale.  We watched a video about his life.  There was one photograph there that was for sale for $275,000.  This was a treat and a highlight of Santa Fe for me.

Wednesday woke up to a light snow that was pretty.  I think winter is coming to Santa Fe.  We went to the International Folk Art Museum.  First display was on Japanese kites, history, great video and many examples of kites -- huge to tiny.  Very interesting.  They even had a table for kids to make a little kite.  Learned about chocolate from South America and Yerba Mate, an interesting drink held in neat small cups and drunk through a straw.  The folk art was from all over the world and it was so interesting.  Lovely museum.

Woke up to a bit of snow

Some very old Japanese kites

Yerba Mate cups with straws

Drink is passed around and shared

Thursday, another museum.  Santa Fe is so rich in culture.  We visited the NM Indian Cultural Museum.   One of the best museums I've been too. Getting  pretty tired.........

Huge bronze statute

In the sculpture garden

Friday, the last museum.  This was the perfect museum to save for the last because it summed up everything that is great, wonderful and beautiful about New Mexico.  History of Santa Fe from the beginning at the Palace of Governors -- which is the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States.  Amazing. Every part of the settling of the land including some sad parts for the Native Americans and original Mexican families.  There were many influences that make up today's NM -  several different tribes of Native Americans, Mexicans, Spain, and the United States, along with the influence of the Catholic Church.   We learned so much about this wonderful 47th state.

Palace of the Governors

1610

Hurried home to get dinner ready for our homeowners arrival home.  We made a nice dinner for them and we all sat down and told our travel stories.  Ann and Jim are dear people who have become our friends.  We would have loved to have stayed longer -- and they did invite us too -- but we've just got to get on the road and move through Texas, Louisiana and get ourselves to Clearwater, FL.  To sum up our two week stay in Santa Fe, I can only say there is a magic there and I truly fell in love with it.  Thanks Ann and Jim for letting us take care of your beautiful home and sweet, fun dogs, Chaco and Misa.  We will hope to get together in the future to do some fun things together.

Sun lit foyer

Chaco - leader of the pack

Sweet Misa, white tipped tail

The family reunited

They were so happy to see their people

Santa Fe, NM Part II

Drove downtown (Saturday) and it was a total tourist mad house.  We left and went up the hill to the new Santa Fe Botanical Garden.  Not many folks there, it was peaceful and we enjoyed our walk through this very new, not established garden.  Wish I could see it in 20 years and see the changes.

Colorful little succulent

Snow in mountains

Could not resist buying a New Mexico ristra, chili that dries and you can use them for cooking.  So pretty. This will be in our car for the journey to Florida (am I nuts?).

Famous Hatch chili

Fun store, Jackalope

John and I had so much fun make carne adovada (pork in red chili).  Took quite a bit of work.  Boy I'll say it is great to cook in a huge, wonderful kitchen with gas burners.  What a treat!!!!!  Thank you Jim and Ann.  I am going to freeze some of our meat for when they get home.  We ended up with two pots full.  So burritos and the BSU game, what could be better?

John was such a great help

John cleaned all the chilis.  They don't

bother him, I have to wear gloves.

Original New Mexico dish

Carne Adovada

We have enough for a party

Sunday, did some wash, chores around the house and then decided to get out of here and go for a Sunday drive.  Went down the "Turquoise Trail" that includes mining towns of Madrid and Cerrillos.  They mined for turquoise, silver, gold and also coal.  Very interesting.  Fun shops and these town are now supported by tourists.  Some beautiful jewelry, pottery.  We we went into one shop and the lady asked what we'd done today and I said, Oh, we just are taking a Sunday drive."  Then she said, "where are you from?" and I said, "Boise, Idaho."  She said, "Oh, that's quite a drive" and we all just cracked up.  Explained we were in Santa Fe, but it was funny.  Met a nice man named Jose, who was here for Balloon Festival.  He is from Minneapolis and owns a house in Clearwater -- where we are headed.  We visited quite a bit and we may see him if he gets down to Florida later this year.

Cloud bank over Santa Fe

Pre-sunset

Sunset in beautiful New Mexico

Santa Fe, NM Part II

Drove downtown (Saturday) and it was a total tourist mad house.  We left and went up the hill to the new Santa Fe Botanical Garden.  Not many folks there, it was peaceful and we enjoyed our walk through this very new, not established garden.  Wish I could see it in 20 years and see the changes.

Colorful little succulent

Snow in mountains

Could not resist buying a New Mexico ristra, chili that dries and you can use them for cooking.  So pretty. This will be in our car for the journey to Florida (am I nuts?).

Famous Hatch chili

Fun store, Jackalope

John and I had so much fun make carne adovada (pork in red chili).  Took quite a bit of work.  Boy I'll say it is great to cook in a huge, wonderful kitchen with gas burners.  What a treat!!!!!  Thank you Jim and Ann.  I am going to freeze some of our meat for when they get home.  We ended up with two pots full.  So burritos and the BSU game, what could be better?

John was such a great help

John cleaned all the chilis.  They don't

bother him, I have to wear gloves.

Original New Mexico dish

Carne Adovada

We have enough for a party

Sunday, did some wash, chores around the house and then decided to get out of here and go for a Sunday drive.  Went down the "Turquoise Trail" that includes mining towns of Madrid and Cerrillos.  They mined for turquoise, silver, gold and also coal.  Very interesting.  Fun shops and these town are now supported by tourists.  Some beautiful jewelry, pottery.  We we went into one shop and the lady asked what we'd done today and I said, Oh, we just are taking a Sunday drive."  Then she said, "where are you from?" and I said, "Boise, Idaho."  She said, "Oh, that's quite a drive" and we all just cracked up.  Explained we were in Santa Fe, but it was funny.  Met a nice man named Jose, who was here for Balloon Festival.  He is from Minneapolis and owns a house in Clearwater -- where we are headed.  We visited quite a bit and we may see him if he gets down to Florida later this year.

Cloud bank over Santa Fe

Pre-sunset

Sunset in beautiful New Mexico