Santa Fe – Downtime Monday

Ok … I’m officially getting older. After a full day on the road, taking pictures in the heat, drinking a gallon or more of water, I was exhausted. Slept like a baby and woke up still tired.

So, what to do? What to do? More sightseeing? More pictures? No … let’s go to the movies.

After checking to see what was playing, I headed out to The Violet Crown to see RBG, a fascinating look at Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The movie chronicles her life from her childhood through present day.

I followed the movie with a nap and then a “to go” dinner from The Famous Plaza Cafe.  Delish!

Then it was time to pack for the return trip to Dallas.

Enjoyed you, Santa Fe, and hope to come back again some day.

Santa Fe – Picture Day

One thing I love to do when exploring a new place is to take photographs.  Never having been to Santa Fe or the surrounding areas, I wasn’t sure where to find the best spots for pictures.  And, if I was driving, it would be hard to stay on the road and look at scenery at the same time.  Then, on TripAdvisor,  I found a solution:  a photography day tour with Mark Schumann.

Mark suggested taking the High Road to Taos with stops at Nambe, Chimayo, Santa Cruz “Lake,” Truchas, Trampas, Rancho de Taos, downtown Taos, the Gorge Bridge, the earth ships, the Taos Pueblo, another location or two along the Rio Grande, as well as a sunset spot on the way back to Santa Fe. Whew!

Mark picked me up at 10:00 am. We were joined by Chihiro, an avid photographer who lives in the Austin area. Chihiro is much more knowledgable about photography, camera settings, etc. than I am. Basically, I use my camera as “point and shoot.” With Mark’s guidance, I began to understand some of my camera’s settings, how to “frame” a landscape for depth of field and more. But, I did “go rogue” some of the time and shot what grabbed my attention instead of what Mark was pointing out.

Nambe

We stopped to take photos of Sacred Heart Church and the cemetery. Some of the gravesites were simple but more were elaborate with plastic flowers, solar lights, photos, and toys.

On The Road

Great opportunity to learn about landscape photography:  include some close shrubbery for perspective; focus on the middle ground. But, most important: clean your lens before you start taking pictures.

El Santuario de Chimayo

Chimayo, a little adobe church in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains in northern New Mexico, is sometimes called the Lourdes of North America. Like that famous shrine in France, it attracts those who are seeking healing of body, mind, or spirit. Read the entire article here.

Pictures coming soon!

Somewhere in the high altitude

I’ll have to send a note to Mark and ask him exactly where this is. It’s high in the mountains and is a small picturesque spot. The church was open and has wonderfully detailed murals.

Las Trampas

Las Trampas Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District and is home to the San José de Gracia Church National Historic Landmark. The district and its church are located in Las Trampas, off Route 76, roughly 30 miles south of Taos, NM. We visited the church and, fortunately, it was open. The inside is beautiful with rough-hewn wood, tall ceilings, a wood burning stove. But, unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos of the inside.

Scenic Overlook

High up in the mountains is a scenic overlook where you can see for miles. Mark said it was unusual to see the cloud banks. Usually, the sky is a crystal clear blue. The clouds gave additional definition to the field of depth.

Lunch Break!

No pictures; I was too busy eating and guzzling water. Believe it or not, we ate at a Vietnamese open air restaurant. Yes, Vietnamese!! It was surprisingly good and affordable and plentiful. We also visited the gallery where Mark sells some of his prints. Take a look. This is just a small selection of what’s available.

Taos Pueblo

Then it was on to the Taos Pueblo, the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. It was larger than I expected with some ancient building and some relatively new buildings. Again, we weren’t allowed to take photos of the inside of the church with it’s shrine to the Madonna. It’s traditional to dress the Madonna in robes for the season. Well, this was hot pink Barbie season. The entire altar display was bright pink.

Rio Grand Gorge Bridge

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, the second highest bridge on the U.S. Highway System, is a three-span steel continuous-deck-truss structure with a concrete-filled steel-grid deck. It was called the “bridge to nowhere” while it was being built because the funding did not exist to continue the road on the other side.

At 650 feet (200 m) above the Rio Grande, it is the fifth highest bridge in the United States. The span is 1,280 feet; two 300-foot-long approach spans with a 600-foot-long main center span. The bridge was dedicated on September 10, 1965 and is a part of U.S. Route 64, a major east-west road.

Earthship

An Earthship is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires, pioneered by architect Michael Reynolds. Earthship structures are intended to be “off-the-grid-ready” homes, with minimal reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. They are constructed to use available natural resources, especially energy from the sun and rain water. More informationnightly rentals

It was strange to see these upcycled homes in the middle of the desert. Notice that some have satellite dishes and some have solar panels. We could only take photos of a few of them because the main community was roped off and inaccessible.

Red & White Rock Formations

As we travelled along, the landscape changed from semi-flat with scrubby brush to semi-flat with scrubby brush and large rock formations. We stopped at several locations to take photos.

Sunset and Moonrise

We made a quick stop at Bode’s General Store and drove past Georgia O’Keeffe’s home but had to hurry on over to Ghost Ranch to wait for Sunset and Moonrise. We did have time to take a few pics at Ghost Ranch and then waited and waited and waited. It seemed the sun would never set. But, once it did, the sunset was spectacular. Moonrise happened before sunset so we had a two-for-one photo op.

End of a Long Day

After the sun set and the moon rose, we headed back to Santa Fe. Thank goodness for Mark and his stamina. I was beat and very quiet (possibly dozing) on the way back.

Santa Fe – Clay and Glass

When my friend Allee Etheridge found out I was going to Santa Fe, she urged me to go to Santa Fe Clay. So, on Saturday morning, I headed over there. Even with a GPS, I got a little lost and then got caught up in the Farmer’s Market & Art Show traffic. It took a while, but I found a spot in a huge parking garage and then walked over to Santa Fe Clay.

What looks like an unassuming (warehouse) building houses an amazing art gallery, retail space (for ceramic supplies), studio space, kilns, and more. It took a while to look at (and take pictures of) the pieces in the art gallery. Then, I *had to* buy some supplies and a mug.

A quick visit to a local restaurant for lunch and I was off for my afternoon adventure: creating a glass paperweight at Liquid Light Glass. I’d been wanting to do something like this for a long time and this was the perfect opportunity. Fortunately, there were two experts helping us (me and 8 others) through the process. But, instead of taking my piece with me that day, I had to wait until Monday to pick it up. Apparently, after creating the paperweights, they have to be in a kiln to anneal and then cool.

Anyway, here are photos of the mug from Santa Fe Clay and the paperweight from Liquid Light Glass.

Santa Fe – Staying in an Art Gallery

The place I stayed while in Santa Fe is fantastic!! The inside has been completely redone. It’s modern, comfortable, private, quiet. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, full-size kitchen with a gas stove that I wish I had at home. While it doesn’t have central heat/air, the bedrooms do have mini-splits that heat and/or cool the room. Actually, it was cool enough in the mornings (50 degrees) that I opened the doors and enjoyed the fresh air for several hours. Even in the heat of the day, the temperature inside was comfortable. And I discovered that the floor in the bathroom is heated! So nice when stepping out of the shower.

Let me tell you about the art. It’s everywhere. It was like staying in an art gallery. One morning, I started at one end of the condo and took pictures.

If you’re planning a trip to Santa Fe and looking for a great place to stay, check out Casa Magdalena

Santa Fe – Out and About – May 25th

After my hiking expedition was cancelled, I opted to explore Santa Fe.  The place I was staying was within walking distance of the downtown area with its many galleries and places to explore.  Of course, my trusty camera was with me and I found plenty of opportunities to use it. (To see larger versions of the pictures, just click on the photos.)

I fell in love with this sculpture of a dog made of corrugated metal.  And, yes, that is a swing hanging from the dog’s underside.  The sculptor signed the piece on a dog tag … just in case you’re interested in ordering something similar.

The Spanish architecture amazed me:  So many stucco buildings and this amazing old tree caught my attention.

Then, to get an idea of what’s what, I stopped by the Santa Fe Visitor’s Bureau. There was a wealth of information on what to see and do in the area. And the art pieces within the visitor’s bureau were awesome.

Then, it was time to wander around the old town square where the art galleries are. I only took pictures of pieces that were outside of a gallery.

Did I buy anything? Well, yes. But not at the galleries. I browsed the Indian market that was in the shade of a building at the old square. A small piece of pottery caught my eye and is now part of my collection. The artists dig the clay, then hand form the bowl, carve it, burnish it and fire it in a pit. It’s not the best picture but shows a bit of the detail.

After a late lunch/early dinner at The Shed, I went back to my adobe home-away-from-home.

Santa Fe – May 25th, morning

Last month, I took a few days off and went on vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It was supposed to be a trip for two but, at nearly the last minute, Significant Other’s doctor said that he couldn’t go because of the altitude.  He sometimes has trouble breathing in Dallas and he would be worse off at the high altitude in Santa Fe.  It was too late/expensive to cancel all the reservations; so, he took me to the airport and told me to enjoy myself.  And I did!

Morning was cool in Santa Fe: a perfect time to go for a hike in Hyde Memorial State Park. The park was about 8 miles from the place I was staying but, because the road was winding and I wanted to savor the coolness and big trees, it took about half an hour to get there. The driver behind me wasn’t too thrilled that I was going so slowly but there wasn’t really a good place to pass me; he was stuck.

Well, the park has several hiking trails and I started on the East Trail. But, after climbing about 50 yards, I decided that this wasn’t for me. So, I tried the West Trail. It was overgrown and steep. I took a few photos and concluded that my hiking was done for the day. First, the altitude was about 7,000 feet above sea level and the steep trails go to about 9,000 feet. Next, the trails were overgrown, steep, with slippery footing. Finally, I was by myself without reliable cell service.


tree with fungi

pine cones

bird’s nest on the ground

lichen on the rocks