Sunday in Santa Fe

Okay, so yesterday while C was occupied at home smoking up some pork ribs (the best he's made yet, I will add), I decided to take a limited number of children up to Santa Fe to visit the New Mexico History Museum.

First of all, let me back up and say that I wanted to take all the kids there on Friday.  However, the transmission in Vannie White (our 14-passenger van) needs replacing, so gone are the days when I can zip down the highway anywhere with all the kids -- until we have the finances to cover yet another car repair.  Vannie needs to stick close to home and at low speeds.

But I was still anxious to see the museum that had somehow not become known to me in the nearly four years we've lived in this state until Friday.  So, I was able to take fewer kids in my Suburban (though I could have fit all of ours, I could not also fit the nieces) and Sundays are free to New Mexico residents.  Yippee!

S, H and J all accompanied me and I left the younger two boys with Daddy at home.  We headed up to Santa Fe and stopped at Flying Tortilla on our way for lunch (I'd heard good things).  The food was good, but our spirits were dampened as J slammed her own finger in the car door as she was getting out and then before I could unlock it and open it, she yanked her hand out.  So we walked up to the restaurant with a screaming child, dripping blood all the way and it took quite some time to console her and get her calm enough to think about actually eating.

I think she might lose that nail, but she'll live.

After lunch, we followed my written directions to the museum.  Where I was supposed to make the last turn there was a roadblock.  Why didn't someone tell me that there was a HUGE art festival in Santa Fe this weekend?!

I called C, who directed me to another route and parking spot so we could walk to the museum -- which was on the same street as the art festival.

Ultimately, we found the Museum -- where photos were not allowed -- and it was awesome.  It rocks.  I will be back.  The older kids loved it and J found her spot to chill out while we looked around, as she tried to reassemble a broken piece of pottery (that was the actual activity in this spot) supposedly dug up by archaeologists.  It was hard to pull her away when she couldn't finish it (I'm not certain all the pieces were there).

Afterwards, we walked through the Art Festival -- why not, right? -- and then we stopped at the Haagen-dazs shop at the end of the road for an ice cream treat before heading home.  Delicious ribs were waiting for us!

Here are some uninteresting photos for your enjoyment!  (My heart wasn't in the photography of everything when I couldn't take any at the Museum).

Looking one way down the street at the Art Festival.  Ooooooh.

Looking the other way down the street at the Art Festival.  Ahhhhhh.  Notice that I did not actually photograph any of the art at the festival.  I'm wacky, I know.

In the ice cream shop, I noticed the superhero versions of these carved dolls (I forget what they're called).

While J noticed that the superheroes looked like they were holding ice cream cones.

This is a sculpture in Santa Fe all the time -- not just during Festivals -- but I like it a lot!