10/10/19 - Santa Fe, NM

Eager to start seeing more of Santa Fe, I thought I would check out a friend's recommendation of Meow Wolf, which was on the way to the historic plaza area.  It was so crowded, that I couldn't find anywhere to park my car, either in the lot or on the street.  When I drove back later in the morning, the line to get into the building was wrapped around into the lot.  So I took these photos from the car.  I wonder what I missed inside.  https://meowwolf.com/explore/watch/origin-story

Seeing the outdoor sculptures, made me more attuned to find others on my way to the historic town center.

I found a few more on the way to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum.

 As for Georgia O'Keeffe, when I lived in Lake Zurich, IL several years ago, I was lucky enough to attend several lectures about her life and her work.  I became so interested, that visiting her museum became part of my wishlist for returning to Santa Fe.  I got to the museum about 10 minutes after it opened and had to stand in line for 1/2 hour to get in.  Those who know me, know that I don't like lines and crowds but this had been on my wishlist for a while.  https://www.georgiaokeeffe.net

During this very crowded tour of the museum I realized several things.  I really like some of her paintings, I admire what she went through a a woman choosing to live alone and paint in New Mexico in the 1930's, that I especially don't like crowds who smell bad, and standing still is even harder on my arthritic hips than walking!

My favorite painting that I saw today.

Walking to my car, I realized that I was in so much pain, there was no way that I would be able to fully appreciate walking around the plaza and visiting the churches and museums that I wanted to see.  That was hard for me to admit and I started to feel pressured that others would be disappointed if I failed to make some visits in my blog.  I got over that and decided to hit the Turquoise Trail. http://www.turquoisetrail.org

As I left the city, I thought I would capture a photo of the cathedral we read about in Death of the Archbishop.

I know it is corny but as I was leaving the city, with a full tank of gas as recommended, this showed up in my playlist as the sights changed to these.  And I did feel happy to be out of the crowds.

The Origami in the Garden brochure that I picked up in the campground caught my imagination, so I pulled in without hesitation.  No problem finding a parking spot and the Tylenol had started working, so I braved a walk around the lovely garden and visited their gift shop to make a donation.  I can't choose one favorite piece, and I love these shots.  https://origamiinthegarden.com/about-us/about/

My soul was so much more satisfied with this visit than the time I have spent in Santa Fe.  I did talk to the young lady in the gift shop to find out what time of year I should come back to the area to avoid all the crowds, etc.  She said never visit in September and October, she thinks August is the best time  Her co-worker recommended that I visit the ghost town of Cerrillos for lunch at the Black Bird Saloon.  What a fun experience but food so spicy!  My Hoosier tastebuds were overwhelmed.

After ordering from the blackboard menu at the bar, I was given this to indicate which table to deliver my order to.  Recognize her?  Know where she is buried?  

Madrid, NM was next on the trail, but too many people, so I crawled through town and want to come back some day.  http://www.visitmadridnm.com

I did get drawn in by the signs for a family owned trading post in Golden, NM and ended up buying some jewelry.  https://www.hendersonstore.com  I was silly enough to say how nice it was to be in an uncrowded store, right before the crowd showed up.  Like a nurse saying it's quiet, I couldn't believe I said it out loud.