On our way to TAOS ....

We are leaving VERY HOT Santa Fe on our way to not-so-hot Taos (only because we will be in Enchanted Canyon).  The two greatest highlights of our days in Santa Fe since the last blog were the world renowned Santa Fe Opera house and the amazing dog park at our RV Park.

The Santa Fe Opera opera has become internationally acclaimed for its performances which attract world-class artists, and its architecture. 

I HAD to see it, and the opera season has not begun, so I attended a Saturday breakfast event that was fabulous.  The presenting artist was David Zimmerman, a wig artist, who travels the world wigging performers out at the best operas, including the Metropolitan. The wigs are made of real hair from China and Indonesia.  Did you know that hair and nails continue to grow when we die?  He travels with between 50 to 150 wigs, which he then stylizes to the performance (dye, braid, curlers, etc.). The vast majority of performers wear wigs customized to fit their appearance and role. The cost of each wig is about $900.

They spend an incredible amount of time, talent and money constructing the most elaborate sets and costumes.  When asked why go to so much detail and extravagance when the audience is so far away and can't really appreciate it, the docent advised that it is not for the audience -- it is for the performers.  It pumps them up and makes them perform better!  The budget for the five operas they perform is $18M.  Incredible.  Only half comes from ticket sales.  So, next time you go to the opera, realize why the ticket costs so much.

The opera house is set atop a hill with 360 degree views of the mountains and high desert.  It is an open air theater, which is unusual for opera which requires acoustical perfection.  The roof is shaped like a wave to mirror the surrounding hills and is free-floating, suspended by huge masts and tension rods.  The Roof contains giant acoustical  reflectors which project the sound to achieve optimum resonance.   

The opera house architecture is similar to Sydney’s opera house, which I toured many years ago, but a very different experience since SF’s is much smaller featuring open air sky and mountain scape whereas Sydney's, primarily made of glass, is about grandness and waterscape. 

This is the Santa Fe Skies RV Park, where we stayed.  The matriarch of the park is Florenceruth Brown, 82 year old first woman attorney in the state, who is full of good health and spunk.  She was general counsel for the state and has been awarded a Life Achievement award for her many and varied contributions to Sante Fe life.  Her lineage is quite historical and interesting.  She is one of the most interesting older women I have met.  She homesteaded this land which includes seven family homes on the outskirts.  The homestead has President Roosevelt's very own signature!

Now for the dog park where we had evening dog parties with at least 15 dogs. It's huge with an artistic seating area for the humans and sawdust covered ground for the doggies.  Here's a photo of it (did not get party photos!).  

Paw gate.

The architecturally interesting awning in the middle of the dog park ... and a typical Santa Fe sunset!  It was great for the kids to experience so many other doggies in such a nice setting with parents socializing. 

.... and, of course, the kids had their baths and dried outside in their beds before we hit the road to Taos.  See you there.

Love, The Wanders

SIZZLING Santa Fe

Hi Pals:  We watched the sun rise over Santa Fe this morning from our new home perched on the hill.  

Who's that on the chair?

We arrived here yesterday after a five day drive from Memphis across Interstate 40. We drove through three states -- Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico -- day before yesterday.  I’ve seen bicyclers and walkers on the interstates before, but never a roller skater which we came across along the way.

We stayed at KOAs along Rte 40 and love the amenities – they make a nice home cooked dinner and deliver it to your coach.     

Loved the park in Checotah, OK.  Big grassy spot, wonderful walking trails and a lake. 

Texas is all about BIG … and their rest stops are too.  This one was like a whole city. 

This is only part of it.

This is a humungous building with videos in it!

The kids in wait.

Even a playground

       And about 10 of these picnic areas.  Very big and very nice.

We toured lovely downtown Santa Fe today ....

 … before it turned 97 degrees!   

There are lush parks around town 

 This is the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi.  Very magnificent.  Built of limestone. 

the ornate grand entrance

And Altar.

This is the Loretto Chapel.

And, guess who's at the chapel door?

The Loretto chapel was built without a way to get to the choir loft. The Church was small and lacked space for a staircase and there no no funds to build one.  The Sisters of Loretto prayed for St. Joseph's help for nine straight days.  On the tenth a shabby looking stranger appeared at their door.  He told the nuns he would build them a staircase but that he needed total privacy and locked himself in the chapel for three months.  The resulting staircase is an impressive work of carpentry.  It ascends 20 feet, making two complete revolutions up to the choir loft without the use of nails or apparent center support. 

This is the Plaza, the town gathering spot.    We were there very early today, so very peaceful and quiet.

More Santa Fe architecture.  

A little color.

Masonic hall 

Ethnic costume

Illuminaria for lunch

... and our favorite place to be .... The Santa Fe river walk.

We’ll be here for a week and will slowly crawl up to Glacier National Park hitting all the great spots along the way. Seems it will continue to be mighty hot even as we move north through Colorado!  

Adios .... Amore ... Amigos!

MEMPHIS, ELVIS' TOWN

 Memphis is Elvis’ town. 

It was great getting to know the King of Rock better.  I toured his home, Graceland.   Actually, I was invited to brunch, as you can see below.

 This is where we had brunch ...

 And hung out in his media room ...

Graceland was much smaller than I expected, but I have come to understand that Elvis was a rather humble man.  

This is the living room that opens to the music room. His parents’ bedroom was just off the living

room.  

The staircase to the master suite ...

The jungle room, his favorite room

We did not tour the upstairs. This is the back of the house which leads to the racquetball courts and the trophy room. 

And .... his grave, next to Mom and dad ... he died at 42 .... 

His famous PINK CADILLAC!

And, of course, got a ride in the red cadillac!

   

I toured the Rock and Soul Museum where I learned a lot about the history of segregation and music.  Back in the early 50s black and white artists did not even play together.  It was just changing when Elvis hit the scene.  What an incredibly talented guy Elvis was.  He was just born with it – and seems the amazing hip torquing, leg shaking routine was just part of the gospel experience in his church.

The Peabody Hotel was totally wonderful. 

Very plush hotel with ducks hanging out in the fountain in the middle of the very elegant lobby.

 Waaaaay adorable. 

   The duck master

... reported to me that the ducks have the penthouse suite.  At 11 am he brings them down in the elevator where they march across the lobby to their fountain, spend the day and at 5:00 pm are ushered back by him.  He advised that he is having a power struggle with one of the female ducks!

Beale Street marked the beginnings of B.B.King, Isaac Hayes, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis,  to name just a few.   It seems that the cotton pickers would sing wonderful gospel songs in the fields and some of them ended up on Beale Street which became soul City USA ... and began the desegregation of music.

 

  We walked a few blocks.  This is Silky O’Sullivans and The  which are on the most famous corner of Beale Street.

We stayed on the grounds of Graceland at the RV park, so couldn’t have been more convenient.

 The park itself was great – had regular shuttles to Beale Street and a humungous lush green park of its own.

... and now ... I am in Checotah, OK (home of Carrie Underwood) eating fried pickles, a specialty here!

Love, The 3-Sum