Our mission in Santa Fe: see, taste, absorb. Sunday was a beautiful day. There was a good breeze and clouds by noon that broke the heat spell (100 degrees). I visited the Loretto church with the spiral staircase that couldn’t be built the way it is… and lasts 100 years later, beautiful and strong. We took a tram tour and visited Canyon Road (all the galleries) and museum hill (Native American museums), then we went to the Loretto Mission and Spa for lunch.  I expected exhorbitant prices, but we drank Monk’s Ale made up in the Monastery and had $15 brunches. Not too bad. I then went on to The Museum of Indian Women in the Arts and an exhibit of the paintings of Helen Hardin, the middle woman in a family of women artists. Helen’s mother is Pablita Velarde, the first Indian woman to professionally paint for a living. Helen received her mother’s talent and took it to the moon and Helen’s daughter is now preserving the legacy with a gallery and painting career of her own. They are blessed, beautiful, accomplished women who had to sacrifice to use their talents, but OH how amazing is their work. We are so conscious of using the term Native American and in Santa Fe, they are called Indian. We see a lot of wonderful colorful art and dress and jewelry here. I have visited museums, galleries and churches and will do 3 more today (Monday) but again, I’m ahead of myself! After the museum, Chuck and I strolled once again through the Plaza and the last day of the Arts and Crafts Fair then drove up Canyon road to stop occasionally and photograph painted doors and adobe walls and amazing galleries! I saw a sign for Fine Judaic Art and we pulled "down" a hill to a beautiful little museum. The artist is Sara M. Novenson and she has written and illustrated Women of the Bible and the Psalms. She showed me her work. For example she illustrates the Song of Songs, or Bible story or Psalm and surrounds the painting with script (in Hebrew). I took her card and information and told her I would like to keep in touch as I too am working on the Psalms and would love to incorporate her work somehow (vision, illustrations). I always try to be aware of "angels" who guide me… You never know – her sign was really small and I totally missed it when we drove by on the tour… I was supposed to spot her sign at 5pm as she was closing up. I was supposed to find her. We then climbed back up out of that tiny parking lot (we are in a very big van and it can be cumbersome but gets us around…) We then continued up to find Museum hill to find the Storytelling at the Wheelwright Museum. Well the museum was closed at 5pm but I knew I saw the Storytelling information someplace. So I said, "Let’s just go sit on that bench and you read and I’ll draw for a while" (we had about 1 1/2 hour to "kill"). There are 4 museums up there on the top of a hill – all closed at 5pm. We sat, and I drew while Chuck read, and then 2 cars pulled in! A family who came to picnic before the story telling! Great! Then the wind started blowing and giant black clouds threatened … actually the black clouds and lightening stayed over the mountains. Cars began to arrive and we became a part of America as little children played ball, families settled on blankets, and the Peabodys pulled out chairs and shared wine with a veteran. Chat chat chat and then the story teller started with a story about the Cayote and the Skunk. He went on to tell the legend of an Indian boy whose mother lost him, but the cayote carried him to the deer to be raised. All the stories had obedient children and the changing of hearts to the good. Wonderful stories! We then realized we couldn’t find our way back down to the hotel and so used our trusty GPS to get us there. Arrived safe. Today is cool out due to the storms. We’ll visit the Georgia O’Keeffe museum near the Plaza, 2 churches (Guadaloupe and San Miguel – both about 400 years old), and maybe a small Italian restaurant, or some small restaurant about 3pm. Then at 6pm Music on the Plaza in the bandstand begins. Repeat last night: get out the chairs, jackets and blanket, wine. Ummmmmm. Santa Fe: have I told you lately that I love you?
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