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