Going to Hell in Santa Fe...

We left Albuquerque this morning; driving up I-25, we got to enjoy one last view of the balloons participating in today's competition. It was a short travel day, about an hour. We were a bit early to check into the RV park, so we walked around a nearby outlet mall. OK, we shopped a bit.

After checking in (and securing an extra night), we set up the coach, fed little Izzy, and went off to explore town. It's been more than a decade since we've been here... seems that art galleries and real estate have driven things a bit more up-scale than the last time we visited. After lunch, we drove to the town square, parked the truck, and walked around. There is a beautiful church about a block off the main square.

We stepped inside... plenty of other tourists admiring the lovely interior. There was a sign stating "No Flash Photography"... I turned off the flash on my camera and took a photo. I turned the camera off and moved to get a different angle. Who knew that when you turn the camera off, it resets the flash to "auto"? Oh yes, I took another photo and the flash fired... a collective gasp of people echoed in the church as they all turned to see who the blasphemer was. Joan pretended to not know me. I slunk out the door as quick as I could. I'm pretty sure there is no Commandment stating "Thou shall not flash." Still, I felt guilty... does that count for anything? Oh, here's a nice photo of the interior...


One thing that hadn't changed since our last visit: the Native American jewelry artists selling their goods along one side of the square. Lots of turquoise and silver; some very nice work. Not my style, but there were a steady stream of tourists looking and buying.

Up-scale shops and galleries surround the square. A couple museums. Plenty of history here. Plenty of trendy shopping. Nothing we needed enough to part with the $$... I've been doing my part for the economy at the gas stations and RV parks... especially considering the prevalent "Balloon Fiesta Rates."

Back at the coach, little Izzy wanted to go for a walk. As usual, I obliged. We weren't out more than a few seconds when a bird in a nearby tree caught her eye. She surprised me by bounding right up that tree! The bird moved further out on a branch and seemed to be egging Izzy on. Izzy climbed higher and further out. I could see this wasn’t going to end well. When the bird finally flew off, laughing, Izzy got the “oh-oh” look on her face. No exit strategy. She tried backing, but that didn’t work. She looked for a way off the branch she was on... no joy. She tried turning around and couldn’t keep her balance on the skinny branch... she slid under it, holding on for dear life. The tree wasn’t that tall, but she was just above my reach. When her grip gave out, I caught her. No harm, but she was very anxious to go back in the coach.