"WELL THEY SAY THAT SANTA FE..."

...is less than 90 miles away - Oh Alburquerque."

Man were my angels with us on timing. It turns out that this weekend is the big Hot Air Balloon Fest and swarms of people have already started to arrive. We got into a obscure campground just on the northeast side of Alburquerque before the onslaught. It was blazing when we arrived and overnight the temperatures sank. We knew that was going to happen. Well, we were in a desert. Nevertheless I refused to put the rainfly on the tent to hold in the warmth. The glorious stars and moon were too precious. I love my tent!

We stopped at Walmart on the way to camping. Ines needed some things and I need a jug of windshield wiper fluid. I couldn't believe how fast we had gone through it. I told her to meet me back at the car. I didn't know that she had found a bottle of malbec (for 7 bucks - Trapiche) and guacamole fixings and had the forethought to purchase them. Way to go Ines. We erected the tent with the help of Faustino and his partner Ron. Four hands instead of two had my little house up in less than 10 minutes.

The cold morning had me huddled in my sleeping bag but the dawn called so loudly (and I had to pee) that I simply had to get up and take a photo of the hills before the sun fully rose. Fresh air, beautiful light. How could I miss it? Sunrises feel like GOD is breathing life into the world. I took my electric skillet to the bathhouse, heated some water for my thermos, made some coffee and just breathed. I needed to. I knew the day was going to be...



... the Turquoise Trail. In Madrid we visited shop and gallery after shop and gallery after shop and...can you tell I have a limit and we surpassed it? Plus it was unusually hot to boot. I did meet a few good and interesting souls though and two of them I am going to highlight now - because we all need to support one another. The rest you can go and meet on your own.

# 1. Joanna Conte was at an herbal shop Moonbow Herbs and Gifts at the northern end of town. I went in to look for a sage spray to clear some energy and we got to chatting. We spoke the same language - art, community, peacefulness, nature, intuition.

From her card: ART HEALS. Private sessions, Ceremony, original vision paintings, commissions, ritual art. Open studio. Create your life into being. Experience the vision. Buy Art. Sound familiar? My mandala site says "Let Nature and Art Recreate You." Insert smiley face.

Many of Joanna's paintings are on the wall at Motherbow and if they are too big for you to put in your suitcase she has printed greeting cards.




#2 Jennifer C. McCarthy was in her own gallery CrazyX at the southern end of town. Bright energy comes off this artist. She was working on the detail of a large canvas and when I saw it I tingled. Now Jennifer's art is nothing like the mandalas that I draw but... details, detailing. Check the photos at her website. We spoke in a connective voice about how it is in the detailing that you become lost in the meditative process. The world slips away and there's a flow of nothingness and peace. Someone on my Facebook recently commented on my last mandala drawing that I posted that it was Escher-like. Joanna's smaller rectangular canvases truly remind me of MCE. Stop in and meet her, or if she requests a couch from you (I turned her on to couchsurfing) definitely accept her request.

Onward to Cerrillos and ORIGAMI. This sculpture garden and museum/gallery is unusual and beyond eco-friendly. The garden is unique and the building engineered to make the best use of the environment. It is a place and space of complements.

And further on... to a motel. I was done. Until the next day (today) and now I am well done. We went into Santa Fe to the plaza and shops and galleries. It didn't take me more than 10 minutes before I got agitated. I decided to take the course of least resistance. Ines how long and where? We decided to meet back after three hours. Everyone has a different browsing style and it should be respected, to deny it creates conflict. I would rather split for a bit and do my own thing, get away from the crowds. I went back to the car, got my watercolor pad, wandered in and out of places off the full tourist grid and then found a spot on the plaza and started to draw. People stopped by to chat and several asked me where to eat. Try Roque's Carnitas on the corner. They are SUPER!

Well that's definitely it. I am really done now. Tomorrow we head to Colorado. Chau 4 now.