Arrival in Santa Fe and Lights Out

The wide blue sky and piercing sunlight welcomed me back to Santa Fe today. It was a busy day of arranging the last minute details for the tour….a visit to the Goat Cheese farm where the frisky female goats welcomed me by trying to hug me on their hind legs and a drive up to Paula and Michael’s stunning Tesuque apple orchard. The long breathtaking drive through the Turquoise Trail was perfect for readjusting my racing New York City brain to a much calmer Santa Fe frame of mind.

Everyone arrived safely from their travels from New York and Virginia and we celebrated our arrival at a quintessential Santa Fe gathering hole, The Cowgirl. There were margaritas, BBQ, and green chiles all around. Sleep deprivation, tequila, and the altitude combined to make us all loquacious and giddy. The grand finale of the night was the black out just as we finished dinner. We walked the short distance back to the hotel in darkness, illuminated only by Ellen’s cellphone and the occasional car lights. The lights went out in all of Santa Fe and stayed out for about an hour. It was the perfect amount of time to allow us to take in the bright night sky and all the stars from the hot tub.

We are off to a good start….