Santa Fe
The local libraries were closed on Monday, so I spent some time in the morning at Starbucks. I had a bagel and coffee while I worked. I drove to the capital but couldn’t find parking and had to park even further away.
This was the second visit to Santa Fe State Capitol building. It is home to numerous artworks that reflect the rich cultural heritage of New Mexico. I entered from the other side of the building and captured the children’s education statue. The rotunda area of the building is different than other capitol buildings. It’s a flat round structure. The circular shape of the building creates a different flow to the building. I actually had trouble finding my way to the staircases.
The Capitol houses a collection of paintings by artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Fremont Ellis, and Bert Geer Phillips, who were part of the Taos Society of Artists in the early 20th century. Their works capture the rugged beauty of New Mexico's landscapes and the unique cultural traditions of its people. There’s also a painting by R.C. Gorman of three Navajo woman. At one time I owned a similar print, not an original. The photos didn’t come out as I had hoped due to all the reflections. Overall, the artwork in the Santa Fe State Capitol building showcases the history, culture, and artistic legacy of New Mexico.
On the top floor is the governor’s office. Your actually able to go to her lobby area and look at the art work there. There were two woman listening to incoming calls from constituents asking the governor to sign or veto certain bills. Absolutely every corridor had art work on the walls. I strayed into an area with some other people where staff were working. There was a sign that said we shouldn’t enter (whoops). All the wall in the offices had art work on them.
Hall Of Governors - Governor’s Office On Right
As I was on the third floor, there was an entrance for visitors to watch the Senate in session. I sat in on a debate about a solar panel project for certain renters and rental property owners. There were so many questions about the bill and it seemed that the bill needed to be rewritten to clarify a lot of issues.
Senate In Session Discussing A Bill
It was getting late in the afternoon in Santa Fe. I walked around town and took photos. I tried to go through The Georgio Keefe museum but it was closing in an hour and would be closed for the next two days. I made it to the visitors center a few minutes before it closed and picked up brochures on northern sites to see. I continued to walk around and take photos. The story of Staff Sergeant Leroy A. Petry by his statue indowntown Santa Fe, New Mexico was fascinating. He picked up a live grenade to save the others in his group and lost his hand.
A dark cloud was quickly forming overhead and I dropped into Mellow Velo, a bike shop selling high end bikes downtown. I saw my dream gravel bike that would be fun to have on the trip. I decided to hangout in the shop while it was hailing and struck up a conversation with Shawn. Shawn is married to a woman who’s mother is from Santa Fe and her father is from near Geneva Switzerland. He talked about the old Swiss Bakery in Santa Fe that his in-laws started. We chatted about travelling through Switzerland.
When the sleet stopped, I found myself in front of The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Santa Fe). I went inside to take photographs and met a woman from the church who explained how the building had been expanded 5 times since the 1600s. The current Cathedral was built between 1869 and 1886, replacing an older adobe church that was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. There was a service about to start and I was welcome to stay. I decided to leave and continue my exploration.
I spent the rest of the afternoon dropping into art shops / galleries. There were so many stunning art pieces all over town.
Shawn had recommended Andiamo Italian for dinner as a really good restaurant in Santa Fe. It had taken second place in the best of Santa Fe. The food was really fresh and tasty.
I had eaten way too much and decided to walk around taking photographs. I ended up in an area with a lot of art pieces.
I made it back to my tent close to 10:00 pm and watched a rerun of the voice.