Wow! What a wonderful day packed with beauty, great people, amazing southwestern architecture, shopping, wandering and soaking up one of our country’s most beautiful and exciting cities. In 2011 when Ava and I were here in 2011, we both fell so in love with it so much so that she wanted to intern at the Santa Fe Opera House. I’ve wanted to come back here to create new memories last year but still wasn’t ready. Now I know why. I needed my big sister with me to help me walk through some memories with Ava and create new ones with her! What a great Big Thithter she is!
First on our agenda for the day was the “Mirror, Mirror” Exhibit at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art containing personal photos of Frida Kahlo giving us newer insights of a woman my sister and I have admired for years. I believe that she defined surrealism but she said she used art to express what she felt and boy did she ever! As a young child, she had Polio. At the age of eighteen, she was in a tragic trolly accident wherein she suffered a broken pelvis, collarbone, legs and three displaced vertebrae which caused her a lifetime of excruciating pain wherein she had to endure long hospital stays, body casts, bed confinement and approximately thirty operations.
Frida Kahlo had mirrors all over her house. I can only assume so she could paint her feelings no matter where she might be confined.
In Historic Santa Fe, we visited the San Miguel Chapel thought to be built by the Tlaxcala Indians around 1610. It is thought to be the this nation’s oldest active church!
San Miguel Chapel built around 1610!
San Miguel alter.
Across from San Miguel. What shouldn’t be in this picture? LOL
A few blocks away, we entered the Loretto Chapel made famous by it’s “miraculous Staircase” to the Chapel’s choir loft. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. An anomous carpenter is said to have fashioned the spiral steps in 1878 by using only wooden pegs; leaving without asking for material reimbursement or compensation.
Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe Historical District
Loretto Chapel Miraculous Staircase front view
Loretto Chapel Miraculous staircase back view
Loretto Chapel Alter
As we walked through Historic Santa Fe, art of every genre is found in abundance inside and outside the buildings. I’ve never seen so much beautiful art for sale permanently exhibited in courtyards and walkways. It made us wonder how all these high end stores could possibly stay open without a great deal of tourists.
And, to top off our day, we found this 1953 restaurant called “The Shed,” touted to have award winning red chile.
Tomorrow? On the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico via the Turquoise Trail.
HAPPY TAILS, TALES OR TRAILS!
from a Friend 
WOW! How absolutely beautiful!
Thank you SSHS Sister! It’s wonderful to know you are following me! Love you!
Happy Tails is still my favorite! How cool that the Frida exhibit is open now while you are on your journey! So happy to hear you are so happy and getting to visit a special place to you and Ava with your Thithter :)) Love you forever! See you so soon!
Awww. Me too. I loved seeing that Happy Tail that Montana always had! And, guess who I saw today? Georgia O’Keeffe! How much better can you get than Frida and Georgia in the same trip…except to see my Jenni! I love you forever!