Santa Fe, New Mexico

Sunday, October 5, 2014
Warm Sunny
Mileage 527 282 km
Last night we stayed at Santa Fe KOA site #T5
Awesomeness: Well, we did not have to pay big bucks for a hotel in town. We have stayed here back in 2007 during the Indian Market. The bathrooms were extremely clean and plenty of hot water.

The night sky was very dark, dotted with bright stars. The desert sky at night is beautiful.
It was about a twenty minute drive from the campground into Santa Fe. We found a great little Mexican restaurant - El Parasol, for breakfast burritos. Hope to eat there again.

I wanted to go for a walk about for exercise but we just went downtown for the sights. Santa Fe downtown is very arty and well worth the visit. There were marque tent set up with art and artists. Also the Indians had an entire covered walk way set up selling their wares. The wares being mostly turquoise and silver. All was gorgeous but I was not really in the market for jewellery. Ken and I did a big walk and looked minimally. Then I left him back at the vehicle to read or nap. I did the loop or walk this time stopping and looking. I saw bronze statues of animals. I saw a huge, old fountain with bronze animals. The flowers are still in bloom here, zinnias, etc. Downtown was busy with tourists and locals. I looked in on little courtyards with restaurants and courtyards with art for sale. I had my own personal art adventure. My little swore into art for the afternoon ended at a stamp shop. I actually for some art items I considered and obviously thought I could not live without, I bought them.

We decided to stay in a hotel tonight because the hotel was about the same price as it was to camp. The hotel was also closer to town. We needed to switch from cold weather clothes to warm weather clothes. We decided that doing so in a hotel would be easier. We looked through many rooms before choosing the one we would call home for one night.

At supper we found another great little Mexican restaurant called The Pantry Restaurant. The waiters were really on the ball. Service was quick and the food wonderful. They serve l homemade red and green chili sauce on the side. Luckily we split a combination platter. That still seemed like a lot of food. We often do that on holidays. The practice of splitting is obviously cheaper and more low cal for both of us. Eating in good restaurants makes you eat too much if you are not careful, especially if the food is very delicious.

Ken took advantage of having a TV. He watched the latest Star Trek using Netflicks. I did Spanish using my newly loaded iPad app.

Monday, October 6, 2014
Warm Sunny
Mileage 527 3333 km
Last night we stayed at Motel 6 Central, Santa Fe, NM (pa
Awesomeness: The price.


We went to The Pantry Restaurant for lunch this time. Ken had a three egg omelette with the absolutely best fried potatoes you could imagine. Every time we ate at The Pantry we get great service and the very best of food.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Hot Sunny
Mileage 527 362 km
Last night we stayed at Motel 6 Central, Santa Fe, NM

We went for a walk one night and came across a wonderful looking little restaurant in an artsy district. It was an East Indian restaurant called Paddy Rawal's Raaga at least that is what was written on the receipt when we went to lunch there the next day. I will have to warn you that if you frequent this restaurant regularly and like it do not read the rest of this post. I have to vent about this place because we do not often find places that do not suit us.

We did go right at lunch hour. The interior looked lovely and appeared to be a converted house. There were original paintings on the walls with an East Indian theme. The waiter took our order and was able to answer our questions at least somewhat. Once we received our food our disappointment began. Ken picked up the bowl of rice and said, "this is cold, it has not been warmed up". We had received rice that was not fresh and needed to be nuked. Meantime I had dished up some of the main course, tasted it and realized they had given us absolutely no "heat". The waiter had asked us what we had wanted for "heat" and we had specified on the hotness scale somewhere between no heat and a medium. Once the rice was heated up and they were going to bring up some hot sauce I realized we had no dumplings. No dumplings,the waiter had brought us the wrong order totally. We had something else that is why we had no dumplings and it was a more expensive dish. When we were almost done eating the waiter brought the side of hot sauce. It was good but we had nothing left to eat it with. We thought for sure after this Faulty Towers act we would at least get an apology or a discount or something. None of these were forth coming. In fact, we got up charged for the more expensive dish. What would you have done? We just paid and left, never to return. Well, actually I think we left a bad Yelp review. Even if we had looked on Yelp before going, which we didn't, we would not have been prepared for the scenario that ensued. On well! We are usually lucky and get good service and great food in most restaurants. This was supposed to be rather upscale but believe me it was not.

Enough ranting! Sorry about that, but I just had to vent.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Warm OverCast
Last night we stayed at Motel 6 Central - Santa Fe, NM
Awesomeness: Friendly staff, location, location, location - we can walk to downtown, even to Canyon Road easily from here. We are close to galleries and other tourist attractions.

We wanted to check out the galleries on Canyon Road. Ken checked on Google Maps and felt we could easily walk that far, walk the Road then walk home. That is what we did and it did not feel like it was too far either. It was overcast so most of the time we were not getting that direct desert sun.
Our walk went through a residential area. We saw many homes in what we call the adobe style with the flat roof. Most are a kind of light rust colour or desert sand combination. There were some yards that were well landscaped with tall cosmos or sunflowers still in bloom. We saw a big orange cat enjoying his day from the perk of an adobe fence. We saw one yard artistically decorated in the extreme. There seemed to be lots of yards with bird feeders. It was a curiosity to me why in this area, at this time of year bird-feeders would be required but I don't live here.

We found Canyon Road and began our tour. We realized quickly that touring each and every gallery would drive Ken crazy and tire me out. I accessed the situation and decided that if a gallery displayed works with animals I would want to check it out. We both like realistic renditions better than abstract. We started at a gallery that had painting of famous scenes than the artist added the face of a emu with big eyes. We, of course, could not take pictures of any art inside the galleries, sorry about that. But likely if you were the artist you would not want anyone to take pictures of your art either.

Santa Fe railway station was near our hotel

The new Santa Fe railway was up and running for our stay. Very new, many restaurants still had that new restaurant smell or others were still not open or running yet. This tourism set up was put together by the governement and is aprt of a transit expansion providing service to southern communities. We liked it, some didn't like the fact the government did something. The development was a flood with small markets, art schools and galleries, so mission accomplished if that was the intent.

Shortly after arriving on Canyon Road we realized, yes, that we were hungry or at least needed coffee. Off we went to find a delicious lunch, easy in Santa Fe. We sound a little travel shop with promise for coffee later. We sound a burrito joint with many people sitting outside eating so this was our lunch spot.

Once back on Canyon Road I started looking for a gallery I had loved back in August of 2007 called Thirteen Moons Gallery, run by Jane Sauer. She sold fibre art, something obviously close to my heart. Unfortunately she sold the gallery back in 2013, but it has been taken over by another couple who do have some fibre art in the gallery. Tansy Gallery is its name and it is wonderfully laid out with a little back courtyard. The trim outside is the most an azure blue. They had pieces of Judith Contents work hung on the walls.

The other galleries we went to had the most amazing creature painting, etc. The names of some of the artist of note were Travis Bruce Black

Thursday, October 9, 2014
Cool OverCast
Last night we stayed at Motel 6 Central, Santa Fe, NM
Awesomeness: Close to Wholefoods and to art galleries. There is a wonderful walk up Guadalupe Street about a quarter block from here. You go passed the rail yard which is being used but also has the old train station and old tracks turned into a park.

Canyon Road features some of the best art works and venues in the area.

Today was cooler and it was overcast. It was different than what we have seen in this area so far. I do know they freezing temperatures here in the winter. We talked to a gallery owner/worker yesterday who told us about the winters here. It can hover around 0。 F - yuck! That same gallery owner/worker of GiacobbeFritz Fine Art on Canyon Road talk to us about Mexico when she found out that was where we were traveling to. She was going to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead this year. She also told us her Mother lives in Mexico in the small town of Los Almos in the state of Sonora. This happens to be a colonial town in Mexico and is the farthest north of any colonial town. There are expats that live there. In fact, this young gallery owner or worker told us not only does her Mother live in Los Almos but she owns a hotel there which we plan to go check out. It is called Hotel Casa de los Tersoros. We looked it up on-line and wow it is decorated just as we like in a hotel in Mexico.

Today was not to be a touristy day but a light shopping, getting things done day. Not too exciting but had to be done.

Since we are going to an area of sun and lots of it I thought sun protection was key to our travels. My Sister, Charlene, turned me on to some awesome products. Eucerin Daily Protection, which is a moisturizing face lotion. It has an SPF 30. Great for Ken and I. Then I had been looking for an overall body moisturizer and sunscreen that is light - Eucerin Daily Protection Moisturizing Body Lotion SPF 15. Maybe not great for the beach or a day in full sun but great for walks in and out of the shade.

I wanted to go to the Janome dealer here to look at the free-motion quilting feet. There was one that bounced as it quilted and was open toe. The other ones came as a set - two were metal, one looked like a quarter master foot the other an open toe foot. There was also an outlining foot so you could follow the previous stitching in a precise manner. Plus the attachment for the feet allowed for raising or lowering of the foot depending on the thickness of your batting. These feet did not bounce. I ordered my sewing machine from Towes in Cloverdale and also purchased the later set of feet. I am pretty excited about it all. I have barely sewn in months due to all that has been happen lately.
After our less then exciting day we came back to the hotel and went for a long, enjoyable walk together. We bought yummy seafood soup for supper from Wholefoods, which did I mention, is about a block away.

So much art, so little time.