October 24, 2020
Hello, Hello! Greetings from New Mexico! We arrived Angel Fire, NM a few days ago. One of our very favorite places to stay. But more on that later – right now I want to share with you our wonderful visit we had with Guy and Katelyn in Santa Fe.
They had never been to New Mexico before, and it was so fun sharing one of our favorite places with them. We had great weather (they have 325 days a year of sunshine there!) and a nice spot at the RV park we like to stay in there. So we had a perfect home base for our visit.
There is so much to do in Santa Fe – the museums, the historic Plaza with it’s shops and restaurants, hiking in the near by mountains, and our favorite – the Farmer’s Market! We did it all! We also love the adobe architecture of the area, it really feels like you’re in a different part of the world. And it fits the landscape perfectly. Santa Fe is just beautiful to look at and be in. We soaked up as much of it as we could!
We also visited with Steve’s high school friend, Chris, and her husband, Bob, again while there. It’s so nice to be able to visit with folks who we probably wouldn’t get to see if not living this RV life of ours. Chris gave us a very nice personal tour of the Museum of International Folk Art, where she works. We had visited it before, but we learned so much more when touring with her. It’s an amazing museum, and I highly recommend it if you visit Santa Fe.
We got outside and hiked twice with Guy and Katelyn, up in the mountains with some fall color still there. We missed the peak color, but we really enjoyed the golden aspens that were still there. I know I say this every year, but there is something magical about being in the golden light of the sun shining through the golden aspens. Guy and Katelyn loved them too, and we had picnic lunches on our hikes in the trees. My definition of heaven on earth – in the mountains, eating lunch in the golden aspens with our loved ones. Really – Life Is Good!
During one of our visits to the historic Plaza area, we stopped and talked to 2 Native Americans (turns out they were father and daughter, named Okhuwa P’ing and Khuu Ay, from the Santa Clara Pueblo) who were selling pottery they made. It is called “black on black” pottery for the style it is. They shared with us how it is made – they do not use a potter’s wheel – it is all hand shaped. Then it is fired outside in a wood fire, then smothered with horse manure to block the oxygen. Beautiful pieces, and we purchased a couple of items. During our conversation, Guy mentioned he and Katelyn were getting married next year. When we were leaving, Okhuwa P’ing called us back, and he gave Guy and Katelyn a beautiful, handmade Dream Catcher as a wedding gift. He spoke to them about the meaning of the Dream Catcher, and the 2 feathers on it. He gave them blessings for a long life together. It was incredibly personal and very meaningful. What a special person he is, and we are so fortunate for getting to spend time with him and his daughter. I don’t think any of us will forget the experience. Here’s a picture of Guy and Katelyn with their Dream Catcher:
We loved showing the kids the Farmer’s Market. They love farmer’s markets like we do, and go often back home in Minnesota. I know I’ve gushed on about the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market in posts from years past. But really! It is something special! It was a little smaller this year, and there were no performances going on like there usually are (dances, music). But it was still incredible and we of course bought so much fresh produce and food we could hardly fit it into our fridge and freezer!
You’ll notice we quickly adopted our New Mexico look again, with our hats…and we got Katelyn in on the look too! Still working on Guy….. 🙂
Of course, the time spent together went by way too fast. But we enjoyed every minute of it and are so glad they were able to come visit. We love our RV life and sharing it with loved ones makes it all the more special. Life Is Good, indeed. Here’s pictures of our visit – enjoy! https://photos.app.goo.gl/xxky18Z3j3GsNQZF8