Santa Fe day three

Yesterday was 31 on 31.

I have really been enjoying the lunch break music they have had on the plaza each day. So many people, local and visitors, gather to listen. I mentioned before that food vendors have their carts set up and people are treating themselves to authentic New Mexico fare while listening to great music. ( Well, there is that Chicago hot dog cart that isn't quite authentic Southwest food) 

It has been extremely entertaining to watch the dancing that breaks out. The little twins were too cute and the lady in the orange hat ? A show stopper. She has been out there several times, always a step ahead of the others and always sporting a very colorful outfit with matching hat. 

The pigeons are always there too, doing their own dance of sorts and hoping for a little treat tossed to them by the little kids. I was kneeling down trying to get a photo of this group taking flight. Every once in a while the little boy feeding them would charge toward them. The birds would all fly up, circle just a few feet off the ground and then land right where they started. I watched this for awhile before getting a little closer to try and capture just the right photo. Of course, other people would walk in front of me just as the little boy ran up to the birds, blocking the view and the shot. I snapped off a few, like the one below, before noticing what was just beyond the birds, hiding behind the tree.

Yep. Chuck was on a quick break from his meetings and saw me in the plaza taking pictures of the pigeons. He had been watching me for a bit, before I had looked up to see who was attached to the legs in my photo! I never did get the birds in flight, but seeing him on the camera screen when I hadn't noticed him standing there was just as good. (look back at photo with the birds, you'll see his legs right by the tree trunk-Ha!)

Our hotel is quaint and perfectly Southwest. This is the inside of the elevator!

I love these curly seed pods in the big trees, dangling and twirling with the rhythm of the music.

Colors are so vibrant and full. All of the brightness is a great contrast to the stucco walls and old iron gates.

Hidden courtyards are tucked away everywhere. It's so nice to wander through and realize that on the other side of that building is the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. And, it is interesting to imagine what some of these old buildings were originally used for many years ago.

Quiet. Peaceful. Beautiful.

Love those hollyhocks.

And sunflowers. I'm determined to see if I can grow some in our Arizona yard.

Chili Ristras are so quintessentially southwest. These were the smallest little mini ristras I have ever seen.

On one of the side streets I saw this tiny little corn garden. A great use of garden space I'd say.

The Old Santa Fe Trail ends here. It is marked in the center of the plaza. Imagine the hardships endured on that long road. Santa Fe is definitely a tourist destination for many people. The area is rich in history and I have heard languages spoken from many countries while here. This is a great tourist location. The Native American culture and Spanish heritage through art, food and music is all around. It is really a special place.

I met an older couple in the plaza yesterday and struck up a conversation.  I knew that man was an artist even before it was confirmed in the conversation. He was what we would all picture in our heads as a typical artist. He was wearing a beret tipped sideways, a white cotton shirt and large round wire-rimmed glasses. He was originally from Holland and still sported a great accent. She was everything Santa Fe. Quirky with her white hair, large flowing madras striped skirt with her belted turquoise top, and a colorful striped floppy hat. A photo would have been ideal, but it just didn't seem to fit the moment.

They are locals and have lived here for 30 plus years. He said he loves to come down to the plaza and sit on the bench to watch people. She likes to go around and mingle in the crowd. That is how I met her. I had been standing near their bench, listening to the music and watching them. They were an adorable couple. While she was off wandering the crowd, he had nodded and smiled at me. A few minutes later she drifted back towards me and said hello. She asked where I was from and then asked if I needed any suggestions on what to do while we were in Santa Fe. I took out a piece of paper and she wrote a list of some of their favorite things to do. Then she stepped me closer to meet her husband Nicholas. What an interesting man he was. He told me all about his people-watching love and I said it was something I liked to do to. He said he had noticed the color of my eyes when he was looking at me and had nodded his hello. He pointed out some others and his wife joined in and pointed out "the lady who is a real good dancer". I told him about the man I had seen drive up in an interesting car, when I had first gotten to the plaza, and what I told the people who were standing next to me about him. More on that in a bit.

He said they just love Santa Fe and told me, after I told him our art background, that we should move there. He said it is the best place to live. What a delightful man and I loved that we could share our enjoyment of people watching.

Like this.

And this. She was drying her hair in the warm afternoon breeze on the patio outside our hotel room.

This pigeon likes people watching too. It was on the window ledge of our room peering in at us.

No people on this bench but, I loved the brick walkway.

This was one of our favorite pieces of art while walking through the galleries. This artist does some interesting work and his color pallets are beautiful. Luckily for our savings account, this one was not for sale. It was the gallery owner's favorite piece too.

Walking through the neighborhoods is a treat too. Love this tiny cottage with the rustic fence. This place was for sale so, for grins, we looked it up to see what the price was. One bedroom one bath. Six hundred square feet of cuteness. Over $1000.00 per square feet. You do the math.

Here is the car that rolled up and caught a lot of people's attention. The man is a little washed out from the bright sun...but like I told the lady standing next to me..."If Santa had a car, this is what it would look like." And you know the stories of old St. Nick getting caught in the chimney? Let's just say this Santa had the same problem getting out of his car. Oh Santa...Fe...how enjoyable you are.

So, I started this post saying 31 on 31.

Did you think I was going to show you 31 photos from my day on the 31st of July?

Nope.  We celebrated 31 years of marriage on the 31st. When that happens on you birthday they call it your Golden Birthday.  Is it the same for marriage?  Your real Golden Anniversary is when you celebrate 50 years. That is GOLDEN.

But as Chuck said... "this is our first Golden Anniversary."

We had dinner on the front patio of a really great place called El Farol. The band that was playing in the plaza during the lunch break said they were playing at that restaurant that night. Since we hadn't completely decided on where we were going for dinner and since the couple I met in the plaza gave it rave reviews, we chose it for our anniversary dinner.

The food was delicious. The music was great.

Self shots with the camera are not easy for me.

Yes, Nicholas the artist on the park bench, who said he noticed how pretty my eyes were, noticed Chuck's when he had joined us after his meetings. Upstaged.

Yesterday, the day was Golden.