Bonne Fete, Bob

October 2, 2009

This being my birthday, I got to do the schedule. So we slept in a bit, but got up in time to walk to the Plaza for a breakfast at the French Creperie, in the La Fonda Hotel. Served by a French woman, the breakfast was very chic. And we finished in time to go to the State Capitol Building, where we had been told there was an art gallery we might enjoy.

That was the great surprise. the building was newly-renovated, built as a circular structure to resemble the New Mexican Zia symbol. We were met at the door by a security guard, who opened the door for us, told us about the place, and wished us a pleasant visit to the building. This was such a change from what we had expected that we almost fell over. And the art that was there was remarkable in its diversity, its accessibility to the public, and its extent. We ended up spending over three hours just touring the area, and marveling at the art that was available for public perusal, even encouraged by the folks working there.

New Mexico, we have discovered, has many unusual things. Their state legislature is run by people who are elected, but do not get a salary or stipend. They get a per diem when they are working, and their expenses are covered. But the legislature itself only sits for sixty days per year. Interesting. They also have a state cookie! and an insect, and a poem, and so on. So it's a clearly different place from what we're used to.

It now being noon, we were walking back to the centre of town, when my cell phone rang. Not the first time it has rung here (I got a call from paging on Monday), but this one was much nicer: it was from Dan, wishing me a happy birthday. We agreed to talk later, since Darlene and I were on our way to do something else. Which we did. then went back to the hotel, hooked onto their wifi network, and called him back. Nice to talk with him, and kind of neat to do it from this distance.

And then it was time for our afternoon glass of wine. Santa Fe is a low-rise city. The main hotel in town has a height of five stories, which pretty well makes it the tallest structure in town. There is a bar on the top floor, so we went up there, and looked down on the town. Paid too much for a glass of wine, but the view was impressive.

This cafe life, it does take time to enjoy. And the sun: boy, it's hard to take. Big decision this afternoon was where to have supper. That done, we went back to the apartment so I could have my beauty sleep and a shower, before heading out for supper. Le Cafe de Paris did not disappoint, and they even gave us a free dessert for my birthday.

Early to bed tonight, up tomorrow to get into Albuquerque before dawn. Tomorrow is the opening of the Balloon Fiesta, and there is a mass ascension at dawn. Looking forward to it.