September Anniversary Trip - Santa Fe & 58 Years

Because Santa Fe is one of our favorite places with lots of family memories, we chose to return after almost 25 years to celebrate our 58th wedding anniversary.  The last time we were there, we introduced this place of enchantment to our oldest grandchild, Chandler.

The old marker on the right side of the road that we always stopped and climbed on to take a picture has been replaced with this large overhead sign.  It is not nearly as much fun as the old one.

Cline's Corner was always a stop as it is where we would turn to go toward Glorieta.  It hasn't changed a bit.

The view on this road brought back memories as we always got excited when we could see mountains in the distance.  This trip was no exception.

The first thing we did after checking into our hotel was to walk to the Plaza.  They were having a big Labor Day Festival with all sorts of vendors.  It was quite a busy place on this Monday, but we didn't mind.  It was exciting to just be there.

We enjoyed an ice cream cone while people watching and enjoying the atmosphere.

We enjoyed visiting with this Native American jewelry maker and hearing about his history and heritage.

This lady was also very interesting as she told us that her disabled daughter was the inspiration for her jewelry.  Everyone has a story and most are eager to share it with someone interested in hearing it.

John and Michelle gifted us with a delicious anniversary dinner at a wonderful steak house.  We started with a complimentary glass of champagne, then an appetizer of roasted bone marrow before having the most delicious steaks.  We loved our special gift and are so grateful for their thoughtfulness.

Afterwards we walked around and enjoyed many examples of the extradentary sculptures along the streets.

After our long and wonderful day, we did feel much like this fallen Indian - exhausted and in need of some rest.

The next morning we met Prestonwood friends, the Clarks for brunch at the Laredo Hotel.  They have had a home there for almost 15 years and had sold it just a day before meeting us.  We so enjoyed this time with them.

We then began our walking tour of the town beginning with the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.  We had never been inside so decided it was time.

It is beautiful and we were so glad we finally took the time to visit.  It had a baptismal pool for anyone wanting to be emersed.

There were not nearly as many Indian vendors in front of the Governor's Palace as there used to be.

We saw the State Capital Building which was not far from our hotel before visiting the Poteet Victory Art Gallery.

My hairdresser, Kent James had been telling me about his father's best friend who is an artist in Santa Fe.  I knew when we visited this would definitely be a stop.

While I looked around, Dick had the best visit with Poteet's wife.  She is the most friendly and down-to-earth person you could ever meet.  It was a delightful time.

And this is the artist himself.  Such a high point of our stay in Santa Fe.

We ended our memorable day and stay in Santa Fe with a snack and the most delicious shake in this outdoor cafe right on the Plaza.  We could not have celebrated our special day, and relived memories in a better way.  Tomorrow we go to Moab, Utah.