Santa Fe Getaway 2018
May 5th, 2018, 05:11 AM
#23
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Day Four
Day Four, Wednesday 25 April, 2018 High of 74, balmy (you may repeat this weather each day until Friday when there were a few wispy clouds)
Short:
Breakfast: See Day 2
Linner: Abiquiu Inn, Green Chile Ribeye Stew, (chunks of tender Ribeye steak with green chile and potatoes), Merlot, $14, B-
Sight: Georgia O’Keeffe home ($35), Abiquiu area tour ($150)
Long:
Today is the Abiquiu tour with Tom Gallegos (“TG”) and a reserved on line tour of Georgia O’Keeffe’s (“GO”) house. I’m pretty excited and will not be disappointed. First, Mr. Gallegos loves what he does. He stopped every so often on our way to the Ghost Ranch where GO lived for most of the 15 years it took for her to buy her house from the church.
View at Ghost Ranch
We then drove to the white rocks that she drew with great regularity:
GO painted the white rocks often
They are located on the Islamic Education Center. TG said there are 19 Pueblo villages with 5 languages amongst them. Some of the Pueblo people have casinos; other make and sell crafts to support their tribes. There are various gatherings (pow-wows) where dancing, singing and eating abound. Indeed, a national gathering is scheduled for the weekend in Albuquerque.
He then drove us to GO’s home and the area around it before Abiquiu Inn lunch. TG mentioned that La Fonda (in Santa Fe) was a Harvey Hotel (google that and Harvey Girls when you get a chance). Lunch was tasty but ‘chunks’ was a much too optimistic word to use for the stew ingredients. ‘Dice’ a better characterization. ‘Soup’ rather than ‘stew’ would have been a more realistic description as well.
The house tour center is on the same grounds as the restaurant. BTW, there is a nice gift shop and inn in the resto building. TG waited the hour it took for the tour. A group of us bussed up to GO’s home. I liked the area we walked into:
GO's walk way
We got to see her studio and the kitchen/breakfast room. The original floors consisted of a fragile paste of dirt, flour (?) and animal blood so we could only view the other rooms from the outside or through doorways. GO’s taste in furniture was simple. A bit avant garde for her time, but perfect for today.
She had water rights on this property and each Monday, her garden got a good soaking. Guide said most of their food was grown on her land.
As she aged, she developed macular degeneration and only her peripheral remained. She started sculpting. Her large spiral like a ram’s horn called out to me more than her paintings.
Aspiring potter Juan Hamilton became her helper in her later years. She left $70+ million to him. Her relatives sued and the courts set up a foundation with Mr. Hamilton’s agreement. The 58-year difference in their ages was not an impediment for this amazing woman. You go, Girl!
Back to the Abiquiu Inn where one of TG’s fan brought us cookies! Biscochitos..NM state cookie!
Our final stop is near Los Alamos. We are high above the Rio Grande. TG’s love for NM is touching. We end the day seeing a young man asking for a prom date. I will preserve their privacy by not posting a sweet photo of them. A perfect ending to a lovely day with a guide I wholeheartedly recommend. True New Mexico with Tom Gallegos - Home
TG near Ghost Ranch Cabin ("City Slickers" filmed here)
Short:
Breakfast: See Day 2
Linner: Abiquiu Inn, Green Chile Ribeye Stew, (chunks of tender Ribeye steak with green chile and potatoes), Merlot, $14, B-
Sight: Georgia O’Keeffe home ($35), Abiquiu area tour ($150)
Long:
Today is the Abiquiu tour with Tom Gallegos (“TG”) and a reserved on line tour of Georgia O’Keeffe’s (“GO”) house. I’m pretty excited and will not be disappointed. First, Mr. Gallegos loves what he does. He stopped every so often on our way to the Ghost Ranch where GO lived for most of the 15 years it took for her to buy her house from the church.
View at Ghost Ranch
We then drove to the white rocks that she drew with great regularity:
GO painted the white rocks often
They are located on the Islamic Education Center. TG said there are 19 Pueblo villages with 5 languages amongst them. Some of the Pueblo people have casinos; other make and sell crafts to support their tribes. There are various gatherings (pow-wows) where dancing, singing and eating abound. Indeed, a national gathering is scheduled for the weekend in Albuquerque.
He then drove us to GO’s home and the area around it before Abiquiu Inn lunch. TG mentioned that La Fonda (in Santa Fe) was a Harvey Hotel (google that and Harvey Girls when you get a chance). Lunch was tasty but ‘chunks’ was a much too optimistic word to use for the stew ingredients. ‘Dice’ a better characterization. ‘Soup’ rather than ‘stew’ would have been a more realistic description as well.
The house tour center is on the same grounds as the restaurant. BTW, there is a nice gift shop and inn in the resto building. TG waited the hour it took for the tour. A group of us bussed up to GO’s home. I liked the area we walked into:
GO's walk way
We got to see her studio and the kitchen/breakfast room. The original floors consisted of a fragile paste of dirt, flour (?) and animal blood so we could only view the other rooms from the outside or through doorways. GO’s taste in furniture was simple. A bit avant garde for her time, but perfect for today.
She had water rights on this property and each Monday, her garden got a good soaking. Guide said most of their food was grown on her land.
As she aged, she developed macular degeneration and only her peripheral remained. She started sculpting. Her large spiral like a ram’s horn called out to me more than her paintings.
Aspiring potter Juan Hamilton became her helper in her later years. She left $70+ million to him. Her relatives sued and the courts set up a foundation with Mr. Hamilton’s agreement. The 58-year difference in their ages was not an impediment for this amazing woman. You go, Girl!
Back to the Abiquiu Inn where one of TG’s fan brought us cookies! Biscochitos..NM state cookie!
Our final stop is near Los Alamos. We are high above the Rio Grande. TG’s love for NM is touching. We end the day seeing a young man asking for a prom date. I will preserve their privacy by not posting a sweet photo of them. A perfect ending to a lovely day with a guide I wholeheartedly recommend. True New Mexico with Tom Gallegos - Home
TG near Ghost Ranch Cabin ("City Slickers" filmed here)
May 5th, 2018, 06:40 AM
#24
Glad you had a good day with Tom Gallegos. As I recall that was a chance online find from your other thread. Nice that it worked out.
Your feeling tired the first days no doubt partially due the 7,000' altitude. A big jump from near sea level.
We were driving down through eastern NM I think the same time you were there. It looks to be setting up for a drought year. Everything was incredibly dry and not a drop of rain in sight. Normally you might expect some dramatic clouds in the sky, but not this year. Just blue skies, dust, and pollen.
Lots of movies filmed in New Mexico. We happened to come across locations of "Longmire", "No Country for Old Men", and "The Homesman", among others.
Nice report, great photos, thanks for posting!
Your feeling tired the first days no doubt partially due the 7,000' altitude. A big jump from near sea level.
We were driving down through eastern NM I think the same time you were there. It looks to be setting up for a drought year. Everything was incredibly dry and not a drop of rain in sight. Normally you might expect some dramatic clouds in the sky, but not this year. Just blue skies, dust, and pollen.
Lots of movies filmed in New Mexico. We happened to come across locations of "Longmire", "No Country for Old Men", and "The Homesman", among others.
Nice report, great photos, thanks for posting!
May 5th, 2018, 07:47 AM
#25
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Thanks Nelson, and yes, TG was a chance find and a good one. Thanks again for searching around for him. I think some of the Indiana Jones movies were filmed around the Ghost Ranch also.
May 6th, 2018, 06:06 AM
#26
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Here are the last days and some final thoughts.
Forgot to write that I felt so slow on Tuesday that I cancelled my cooking class. Also didn’t write that TG told me that many of the hills are volcanic. Did yo know that?
Day Five, Thursday 26 April, 2018 High of 74, balmy (wind gust warnings in ABQ)
Short:
Breakfast: See Day 2
Linner: La Fonda’s La Plazuela, Rainbow trout with blue corn taco crust, fingerling potato salad, veggies, lemon cilantro butter sauce, blueberry pie a la mode, red wine, $22, $50.97, B+
Sight: Museum, Institute of American Indian Arts and the Five and Dime!
Long:
On Monday, I found a cute little ceramic box for my kind neighbor who watered my plants and put out the trash and recycling cans. Spent the a.m. looking for last minute tour to Taos but no luck. Finally decided to really walk around the Plaza.
Slowly strolled and window shopped. Met a nice woman who makes purses out of commercial indoor/outdoor materials. Very expensive. Visited a jeweler and fell in love with a necklace that was inlaid stones of many colors. “I will give it to you half price…it is slow right now.” Guess what half price was? Come on, guess. $750. Gulp.
A cute framed puppy beckoned me into Antieau Gallery. If you google ‘ antieau embroidered dress ‘ you can see her cool dresses. Artist, Chris Roberts-Antieau will have works in Baltimore’s Visionary Museum so I’m hoping to see more of her stuff.
On and on with more and more shops. I pass La Fonda on the way to the Basiilica (google it to see non-adobe architecture!) and decide to eat there on the way back. The Basilica is nice.
Back to La Fonda. I enter a dark, cool, registration area. Lots of leather chairs around. La Plazuela is located in an atrium that is nice and bright.
Much brighter than the cool darkness of La Fonda
The meal was very pretty
but I thought the sauce was a bit heavy. The crust on the dessert was too thick and tough but I ate out the fruit and didn’t send it back. Server offered to remove it from the bill but I said no.
After lunch, I walked over to the Institute of American Indian Arts (“IAIA”). Do google it—very interesting. I can’t remember if the entry fee was $13 or not. Two pieces attracted me. The first was “The Day Jackson Pollack Became Christian” by Mike Medicine Horse Zillioux:
Then an installation of sewn bags that looked like fish skins. The red squares in the background signs in red are part of another installation:
Each bag represented different things but I didn’t write down. Most were fish.
Passed the Pueblo People along the covered front of the Governor’s Palace and got back on the shuttle and crashville.
Day Six, Friday 27 April, 2018 High of 74, balmy—got some wispy clouds today
Short:
Breakfast: See Day 2
Linner: Saveur Bistro, Turkey and Swiss on Sourdough, $11, A
Sight: Museum Hill
Long:
My last day and I am finally feeling better. Used the public hotel computer to print out my flight boarding pass. Still slow walked to the Shuttle stop that I had passed on Monday. There are two routes and they both stop at the Visitors’ Center across from the State Building (BTW, Clarice said it is the only Circular State House), and at Canyon Road. I caught the Plaza route and the driver told me that the Museum Hill route passed every 30 minutes; the Plaza route every 15. I was the only person on both routes.
We pass St. John’s Santa Fe campus, and quite a few gated homes. Museum Hill has a restaurant and several buildings. Google ‘museum hill santa fe’ for full info. I visited Indian Arts and Culture, and International Folk Art. Saw a beautiful little vase that I decided to give to my neighbor instead of the ceramic box. This vase was black and off-white with a few spots of red. Soooo pretty. $600! Another gulp. Bought a $6 magnet instead.
Two Museum Hill outdoor shots:
Saw some beautiful and amazing beadwork. Check out this photo of a VW:
Another room had a photo of an entire room of beads. Kitchen sink, plates. Really incredible.
On the route back, we passed a sculpture of a Conestoga Wagon. Although we passed a regular bus stop, you really need a car to take advantage of the Museum Hill area. Lots of parking BTW. Driver said very few St. John’s students used the shuttle.
Back to Visitors’ Center where I changed for the Plaza route. Today there are several folks aboard. 4 are visiting Albuquerque for the national pow-wow. Woman I spoke with is Ojibwe. Another couple says they are going to Cowgirl for dinner and a show. I won't make it.
There’s no place like home. Day 7, Saturday, April 28, 2018
Sandia Shuttle is on time and we are in ABQ in less than an hour. There are 6 of us aboard. I recommend Sandia highly. We pass a field of colorful balloons. Balloons have the absolute right of way if they happen to land on the sidewalk…
I grabbed a Green Chili Apple Strudel in the airport and waited for the plane. Uneventful flight to BWI Baltimore, found the Econopark bus fairly easily (there are no special spots—just a general area that can get mobbed with taxis, cars and busses), the car started and I was crashing once again ere long chez moi.
Looking back, I’ve got to say how glad I am to have seen this little piece of the world. I appreciate Georgia O’Keeffe the person more, but her paintings still leave me unmoved. Her sculpture of the ram's horn was lovely. I wondered what her art would have contained had she started sculpture first. As always, one hates to make a general comment after visiting a limited area, but the majestic mountains humbled but didn't excite me the way ocean waves do.
I wish I'd paid more attention to the history of the Indian People. Of course, it was written by white historians. And about adobe. Couldn’t someone have place some color somewhere? LOL. I hope to return with a canister of oxygen.
Forgot to write that I felt so slow on Tuesday that I cancelled my cooking class. Also didn’t write that TG told me that many of the hills are volcanic. Did yo know that?
Day Five, Thursday 26 April, 2018 High of 74, balmy (wind gust warnings in ABQ)
Short:
Breakfast: See Day 2
Linner: La Fonda’s La Plazuela, Rainbow trout with blue corn taco crust, fingerling potato salad, veggies, lemon cilantro butter sauce, blueberry pie a la mode, red wine, $22, $50.97, B+
Sight: Museum, Institute of American Indian Arts and the Five and Dime!
Long:
On Monday, I found a cute little ceramic box for my kind neighbor who watered my plants and put out the trash and recycling cans. Spent the a.m. looking for last minute tour to Taos but no luck. Finally decided to really walk around the Plaza.
Slowly strolled and window shopped. Met a nice woman who makes purses out of commercial indoor/outdoor materials. Very expensive. Visited a jeweler and fell in love with a necklace that was inlaid stones of many colors. “I will give it to you half price…it is slow right now.” Guess what half price was? Come on, guess. $750. Gulp.
A cute framed puppy beckoned me into Antieau Gallery. If you google ‘ antieau embroidered dress ‘ you can see her cool dresses. Artist, Chris Roberts-Antieau will have works in Baltimore’s Visionary Museum so I’m hoping to see more of her stuff.
On and on with more and more shops. I pass La Fonda on the way to the Basiilica (google it to see non-adobe architecture!) and decide to eat there on the way back. The Basilica is nice.
Back to La Fonda. I enter a dark, cool, registration area. Lots of leather chairs around. La Plazuela is located in an atrium that is nice and bright.
Much brighter than the cool darkness of La Fonda
The meal was very pretty
but I thought the sauce was a bit heavy. The crust on the dessert was too thick and tough but I ate out the fruit and didn’t send it back. Server offered to remove it from the bill but I said no.
After lunch, I walked over to the Institute of American Indian Arts (“IAIA”). Do google it—very interesting. I can’t remember if the entry fee was $13 or not. Two pieces attracted me. The first was “The Day Jackson Pollack Became Christian” by Mike Medicine Horse Zillioux:
Then an installation of sewn bags that looked like fish skins. The red squares in the background signs in red are part of another installation:
Each bag represented different things but I didn’t write down. Most were fish.
Passed the Pueblo People along the covered front of the Governor’s Palace and got back on the shuttle and crashville.
Day Six, Friday 27 April, 2018 High of 74, balmy—got some wispy clouds today
Short:
Breakfast: See Day 2
Linner: Saveur Bistro, Turkey and Swiss on Sourdough, $11, A
Sight: Museum Hill
Long:
My last day and I am finally feeling better. Used the public hotel computer to print out my flight boarding pass. Still slow walked to the Shuttle stop that I had passed on Monday. There are two routes and they both stop at the Visitors’ Center across from the State Building (BTW, Clarice said it is the only Circular State House), and at Canyon Road. I caught the Plaza route and the driver told me that the Museum Hill route passed every 30 minutes; the Plaza route every 15. I was the only person on both routes.
We pass St. John’s Santa Fe campus, and quite a few gated homes. Museum Hill has a restaurant and several buildings. Google ‘museum hill santa fe’ for full info. I visited Indian Arts and Culture, and International Folk Art. Saw a beautiful little vase that I decided to give to my neighbor instead of the ceramic box. This vase was black and off-white with a few spots of red. Soooo pretty. $600! Another gulp. Bought a $6 magnet instead.
Two Museum Hill outdoor shots:
Saw some beautiful and amazing beadwork. Check out this photo of a VW:
Another room had a photo of an entire room of beads. Kitchen sink, plates. Really incredible.
On the route back, we passed a sculpture of a Conestoga Wagon. Although we passed a regular bus stop, you really need a car to take advantage of the Museum Hill area. Lots of parking BTW. Driver said very few St. John’s students used the shuttle.
Back to Visitors’ Center where I changed for the Plaza route. Today there are several folks aboard. 4 are visiting Albuquerque for the national pow-wow. Woman I spoke with is Ojibwe. Another couple says they are going to Cowgirl for dinner and a show. I won't make it.
There’s no place like home. Day 7, Saturday, April 28, 2018
Sandia Shuttle is on time and we are in ABQ in less than an hour. There are 6 of us aboard. I recommend Sandia highly. We pass a field of colorful balloons. Balloons have the absolute right of way if they happen to land on the sidewalk…
I grabbed a Green Chili Apple Strudel in the airport and waited for the plane. Uneventful flight to BWI Baltimore, found the Econopark bus fairly easily (there are no special spots—just a general area that can get mobbed with taxis, cars and busses), the car started and I was crashing once again ere long chez moi.
Looking back, I’ve got to say how glad I am to have seen this little piece of the world. I appreciate Georgia O’Keeffe the person more, but her paintings still leave me unmoved. Her sculpture of the ram's horn was lovely. I wondered what her art would have contained had she started sculpture first. As always, one hates to make a general comment after visiting a limited area, but the majestic mountains humbled but didn't excite me the way ocean waves do.
I wish I'd paid more attention to the history of the Indian People. Of course, it was written by white historians. And about adobe. Couldn’t someone have place some color somewhere? LOL. I hope to return with a canister of oxygen.
Last edited by TDudette; May 6th, 2018 at 06:08 AM. Reason: Lost typing
May 6th, 2018, 08:08 AM
#27
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The I.A.I.A. entrance fee was $5 for seniors. Also, the Saveur Bistro serves only breakfast and lunch. It is on a nearby corner between the Shuttle and the Bus stops. The sandwich was really good. Real turkey as opposed to the pressed meat some sandwich makers use. The 2 workers I saw wore black berets and white jackets.
I never got to the chocolate shops! Hotel left box with 2 chocolate pieces but they were hard as soft rocks.
I never got to the chocolate shops! Hotel left box with 2 chocolate pieces but they were hard as soft rocks.
Last edited by TDudette; May 6th, 2018 at 08:10 AM.
May 7th, 2018, 05:55 AM
#28
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Still haven't labeled the photos but they are pretty much self-explanatory:
www.flickr.com/photos/32219995@N07/albums
Click on "Santa Fe 2018"
I keep remembering things Tom Gallegos said about the Pueblo People in NM. He said the society is matriarchal. That they are nations independent of the United States (through the treaties).
www.flickr.com/photos/32219995@N07/albums
Click on "Santa Fe 2018"
I keep remembering things Tom Gallegos said about the Pueblo People in NM. He said the society is matriarchal. That they are nations independent of the United States (through the treaties).
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