Downtown Santa Fe and the Casita

The second day in Santa Fe was spent downtown.  The downtown area is great, it is full of galleries and shops filled with work by local artisans.  We started the day at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.  There was a large selection of her work which we enjoyed looking at and seeing how her work changed over the years.  Next we headed to a small photography gallery and store which was having an Ansel Adams exhibit.  John and I both love his work so that was a lot of fun to see. 
Then it was time for some lunch.  We headed to a spot recommended by a friend of ours.  It was tucked inside this group of shops and I don't think we otherwise would have ever noticed it but it was packed with the local Santa Fe crowd.  The food was authentic and delicious.  After that it was a short walk to St. Francis Cathedral.  The church was stunning and my favorite part was the old part of the church done in the southwest style hundreds of years ago. 

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi

 The casitas at The Four Seasons

The beautiful sunset

Our lovely kiva fireplace

After our day of sightseeing we decided to head a little north and look at a hotel also recommended by our friend.  The Four Seasons Resort was beautiful and we liked that it was out of town so we could enjoy the natural surroundings.  The staff was beyond accommodating and we were happy we decided to give up our hotel in town to find this gem.  We were able to get some great views of the sunset and enjoy a fire on our patio and then later in our room.  What a wonderful day! 

Santa Fe- first day

John and I took a little getaway to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It was a nice break from the everyday routines and some needed alone time.  Santa Fe is a great city and we really enjoyed it.  Most of the first day was spent traveling.  We opted for a later flight so we could fly directly.  John's ears usually don't do well on planes so one less landing and take off really appealed to him and I am not a fan of sitting around in waiting in airports so it was good for me too.  We did get to try some authentic New Mexican food though our first night in Santa Fe.  We ordered chips and salsas as our appetizer.  You read that right, three salsas, came with the chips.  They all had very distinct flavors and were fun to try.  The green chili sauce was my favorite. 
The meals there you can get with either red chili sauce or green chili sauce.  John opted for the green sauce which came in a medium, hot and extra hot.  He likes spicy food so he thought hot would be what he wanted.  Let me say the look on his face as he took his first bite was priceless.  Hot in New Mexico is a bit hotter than we are used to in the midwest.  He ate his meal but said he would be ordering medium for the remainder of the trip. 
The place we went to serves breakfast twenty-four hours also.  Earlier in the week we had watched an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in Santa Fe.  On of the dishes they featured were blue corn pancakes with pine nuts.  So, that is what I had for dinner.  They were good and a nice change from the traditional pancake although I don't think I will be switching my pancake preferences any time soon.   
After dinner we drove downtown to the plaza, which is like the town square with restaurants, galleries, stores, etc.  One of the things I liked about Santa Fe is that a majority of the buildings are built in the southwest style and even bridges and overpasses were painted with southwestern style artwork.  The square and many other places in town were lit up for Christmas.  But, instead of traditional Christmas lights they had lights that were designed to look like luminaries.  They were really beautiful and kept with the feel of the town.  It was a nice way to end our day. 

This is a building with the luminary lights on top of it.

My Little Monkey

My little monkey made her first trip across the monkey bars a few weeks ago!  She has had the strength for a while but being up that high and letting go of a rung at a time has intimidated her.  Once she set her mind to getting across though there was no stopping her.  I love the look of determination on her face!