Santa Fe

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Greetings from Santa Fe. This is the coldest it’s been since I left home. Monday while I was eating breakfast, I was welcomed to New Mexico with a brief snow shower! It was mostly cloudy, windy and cold Monday. Tuesday was a bit nicer with the sunshine, but it sure got chilly as the sun went down. My propane furnace has kicked in each of the last two evenings as the temps dropped below freezing.

I discovered this is definitely the off season here. As I strolled around town yesterday I learned the historic plaza was fenced off and under construction. Then I looked down the street and saw scaffolding around St. Francis Cathedral. Sunday I was told there was a good city tour via tram. I decided that would be a good way to get an overview. Monday afternoon I headed over to the location where I thought it departed. I asked three people and never saw a sign where I was supposed to catch the tram. Finally a hotel concierge told me the tram tour was shut down for the winter!

Monday I met a fellow South Carolinian - and photographer - who told me about Chimayo, great restaurants, and a photo exhibit here in town. Tuesday at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum I met a nice lady on the staff who filled me in about Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch where Georgia O’Keeffe had homes. I’ve had a great time meeting folks who have shared wonderful ideas on things to see and do in the area.

Tuesday, after visiting the Andrew Smith Gallery - which has a Lee Friedlander photography exhibit - and the O’Keeffe Museum, I drove to Chimayo and Abiquiu. There is a lot of beautiful scenery as you head north from Santa Fe.

I believe you could spend a week or more and not see every gallery and artist in this town. Not only are there galleries all throughout the historic downtown area, but Canyon Road is lined with shops and galleries for more than a mile.

Well I’d better wrap it up for tonight. There’s a lot more I want to see and only two more days left before I head south to Bosque.

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Photos

Oldest Church in the USA
San Miguel Mission is the oldest church in the US.

plaza
Here's a view of the historic Santa Fe plaza which is undergoing renovations.

Performing Arts Center
This is the Lensic Performing Arts Center and is a few blocks west of the Plaza.

St. Francis Cathedral
As you can see, St. Francis Cathedral has scaffolding around it as renovations are also in progress.

Chile
Sights like this are common throughout New Mexico.

El Santuario de Chimayo
This is the historic church in Chimayo.

Pedernal at sunset
Pedernal Mountain is west of Abiquiu Lake. Georgia O'Keeffe could see this mountain from her Ghost Ranch home and it appears in several of her paintings.