SOME PEOPLE OF SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

 ZOZOBRA      DAYS


The queen and her court walking through the streets, in Santa Fe, NM.

 The homeless of Santa Fe, NM.
Everywhere I go I see the homeless. 
Some with very little possesions;
some with many possesions. 
                                                                                           
The saints adorned the trees, in the plaza, for the celebration.

    Kateri Tekakwitha


First Indian to be proclaimed a saint, in North America. 

A UNIQUE WAY TO KEEP HISTORY ALIVE

TRAIN DINER
We didn't eat here, but it was a very interesting walk through. 
An old diner train turned into a diner!

Several cars long.  
Original tables and chairs. 
Same kitchen, somewhat
updated. 
Railroad tie sculpture in front of the cars.

A unique way to keep history alive.
Long halls, checkered floors, shiny and well kept. 

Envision ladies and gentlemen, of days gone by, long, fancy dresses, startched white shirts, eating, drinking, talking, laughing, gazing out of the windows, with dreams of a new land ahead. 

Our first planned destination ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico!

We arrived to the very pleasing landscape of Santa Fe.

Buildings we saw in Santa Fe were no higher than two stories. All are built, within the city, in the Spanish Pueblo Revival look.

A street to meander down, in Santa Fe. 

Homes and businesses built up into the hills.

We came-We saw- We were amazed- 

       We left feeling sad.

If going to Santa Fe, be sure to go to the Loretta Chapel. 

The stairs is one of the world's unsolved mysteries. 

An unknown carpenter built the stairs with a hammer and wooden pegs. Some concluded the novena (nine day prayer) said by The Sisters of the Chapel, brought St. Joseph himself to the chapel to build and answer the prayers of the Sister. 

The number of stair risers, the unknown wood used, the design, the use of no vertical support rails and the disappearance of the carpenter-without pay-leads to the mystery of the stairs. 

In years to come rails were built

 to support choir members.  

         These stairs are a source of wonderment! 

We did leave feeling sad. There is a loud tape playing/repeating over and over and over.  People were talking loud (probably trying to be heard over the tape), laughing and having no respect for being in the chapel.  When I was in Santa Fe, not so many years ago, the chapel had a different flair.  Respect and reverence would be the feeling I remember. 

Now--not so much.  Sad

Santa Fe is known for art and artists. Various types of art can be seen from one end of town to the other.  We happened to be in town on a weekend with an art fair!  The sight of little white tents set up side by side can get my blood flowing!  We were impressed by the art we were viewing.  A plethora of arts and crafts with a multitude of styles!  

What a fun day to saunter around my favorite city, in our wonderful USA!

Art is to be found everywhere in Santa Fe. 

We toured the city, on an open-air trolley, taking pictures on every street, at every turn. 

Too many pictures to post -so here are a few. 

The large sculpture on the porch of a house was 

most unusual.  A person peering out of a "hole" on the front porch. 

Yes, Santa Fe is full of surprises.  We walked past several large, wooden carvings right next to the Santa Fe River. 

 

Then there were the colorful

metal sculptures. 

My favorite being the Indian 

maiden swinging the quilt-like 

cape freely in the breeze.

 Where my new Hemp had came from.  It is so cool ~ folds to a small ball ~ pops out to be a great cover-up for a rainy day.  Couldn't take pictures, in the store, but this store had the best posters ever made! We went there twice.  It can be put down as my favorite shop!

http://www.santafehemp.com/aboutnatfib.html

       So long Santa Fe ~~ I will visit you again ~~ soon!

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Dorothy and her "gang" were there for the pictures when we followed the Yellow Brick Road in Liberal, Kansas. 

The road is actually named Yellow Brick Rd. 
The sidewalks in front of the area are made of  yellow bricks. 


Dorothy's house sits on the grounds, but we didn't see the legs of the wicked witch sticking out anywhere!
We walked around the grounds of "OZ" ~ the buildings were not open.  
I've seen pictures on-line of others that visited here, so I know at one time this was an active museum stop.

After walking around and taking a few pictures we decided this town could really draw tourists in, if they played up the "OZ" factor more.  Stops like this give a nice break in the long drive to the west. 
The people of this town should visit the town of Metropolis, Illinois/where Superman is featured.  Lessons can be learned from Metropolis!  

CATTLE-STOCKYARDS-CATTLE-AND MORE STOCKYARDS!

Traveling through Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas---that's all we saw! 
Cattle roaming, cattle drinking, cattle grazing, cattle in stockyards. 
America sure loves it's beef!  There were acres and acres and acres of it!
Windmills dotted the landscape and trains were runnning on either side of us for the entire trip through large expanses of land in those states. 
The pictures here were taken as we drove - I wanted to show the massive stockyards and train tracks.  The tracks were very well-kept with gravel built up on the sides of the tracks the entire way. Moving animals and goods via train is the way of the west. 

Oh, I forgot - there were snow fences! 

Blurry, I know, but this went on for miles and miles. 

Stockyards crammed with cattle. 

America loves their beef!

...and granaries - yes there were granaries in every small town, village and places where there weren't any towns.  

The granaries were the largest buildings in town! Most likely the largest employer also.  Good for the small towns. 

...and let's not forget the deer that roam the same land that the cattle are roaming...except they can jump the fences and roam the 

highways that we are roaming!  

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

We continue onward.  I always like crossing the Missouri river, usually I'm on my way to Michelle's house.  This time is different, we are on our way to Kansas.  Bypassing Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, MO -we are beginning to see massive expanses of land, with the vegetation and landscape varying by different types of scrub grasses and bushes. 

Billboards promising viewing the largest hand-dug well in the world, lured us off the highway.  

As we are driving into the town of Greensburg, Kansas I was curious as to why the town looked so new.  Why would anyone build a brand new town way out here?  We found the well and down the street was a "Green" house tour.  A roundish house sits on the corner and the tour guide was just starting a tour.  Unknowing to us when entering, there was a reporter taping the tour for St. Louis public television. 

Three years ago a tornado destroyed 95% the town and homes in Greensburg, Kansas. A challenge was laid in the laps of Greensburg residents and business owners.       Rebuilding. 
On the tour we learned the town made the decision to rebuild using as much "green" technology as possible. Residents needed places to live and brought in prefab homes/each with some "green" qualities/as each could afford.  What a great decision-what a great decision, especially with such an appropriate name for the town!


The downtown area looks like a town from the future! 

See what I mean?  The town has clean lines and "green" is used everywhere.  
We were fascinated by the driveway of the home we toured. It looks like blacktop with little stones in it.  The tour guide showed us a small piece of the driveway and how the water flows through-due to the small holes in the driveway.  Rain drains through, snow melts and drains, water drains as you wash your car. What an amazing invention.  

The toilet has two flushes, using less water when needed.  The back of the toilet is a sink, using clean water.  
Sleek design!  The places that we live in are very small, this might be the ticket.  Hmmmm...brushing the teeth may be an issue? 


Water flowing through a piece of the driveway. If I had a driveway, I would want it to be like this one!

The school was one of the first buildings replaced.  If people were going to stay in Greensburg, their children needed a school.  It is a great new building, built "green." 

The tour guide explained the school has it's own windmill to generate power/ backed up on the grid if needed. 

One unique, unusual feature in back of the house reminded me of the bomb shelters of years gone by. 
An old propane tank was cleaned up and refurbished to be a tornado shelter. Cemented to the ground, a door, windows, lock, and holes for air. The house was designed by the architect that designed the roundish, dome homes in Florida that I previously posted on my blog. The house has rounded walls so the winds skim by, past and around/hopefully.  
       If not, the propane tank shelter is available. 

Inside of propane tank/shelter.

ROAD TRIP ~ ~ ~ ~

            TWO WEEKS ON THE ROAD ~ YES ~ WONDERFUL TRIP 


Planning our first trip together, my sister Geri and I decided to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I knew she never saw Mount Rushmore, so I suggested we go north on the way back, as we were ending our trip in Wisconsin Dells, just another state over to the Dells!
Leaving on Labor Day was a great choice.  Very little traffic!  
Setting the GPS for the shortest distance was a choice we later laughed about.  It took us forever to leave WI!  Forty miles per hour isn't feasible for a trip that was going to be thousands of miles.  When the GPS said continue 120 miles and the speed limit was 40, we decided to reset the GPS and look at a map!  
Finding a more reasonable route/and speed/we were off! 

Our first stop being the Amana Colonies, where Geri met the lady on the postcards there.  She has worked in this store over 35 years.  She autographed the post card that Geri purchased.

 Amana General Store

         
Besides the shops there is a family type restaurant and small villages that are only a few miles down the road. 








Having a stop to stretch and explore we continued down the road to our next adventure.