It was nice to get away for Chad’s birthday! We spent most of our vacation in the small town of Taos, New Mexico. Taos was home to primarily Native Americans in the 17th century. The natives were practically eradicated by Americans and Spaniards, but a few of their adobe communities, or pueblos, remain standing. We visited the 1,000 year old Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Site. Today, you would never imagine that just 150 years ago, the Pueblo was a gathering place for rebels who opposed the American occupation of New Mexico. President Roosevelt stole thousands of acres of sacred land from the native people, but Nixon returned 48,000 acres in 1970. Only a few natives inhabit the ancient pueblo today. Small art galleries and shops that cater to tourists are set up throughout the Pueblo.
The art scene is huge in New Mexico. There are galleries everywhere! The most well-known are those on Canyon Rd in Santa Fe. Chad fell in love with one piece in a Taos gallery and just had to have it. I can’t wait to share it with you all when it arrives. It will definitely raise eyebrows! In addition to visiting the Taos Pueblo and browsing art galleries, we hiked the Williams Lake trail (elevation 11,000!) and toured the ancient caves in Bandolier.
Other than that, we just took it easy and ate out every single meal. I’m not kidding! They had some great dishes in New Mexico. Breakfast was especially delicious-breakfast burritos and blue corn pancakes- yum! There is a culinary institute in Santa Fe that offers classes and demonstrations. I was hoping we could make one of the classes, but the timing didn’t work out. We were only in Santa Fe for a few days.
I bought Chad yet another camera for his birthday this year. It’s teeny-tiny and we both just love it! We normally pack at least 2 SLRs when we travel. This time, we brought only 1 SLR with 1 lens and barely used it. I forgot what a joy it is to shoot on AUTO!! OMG, the camera does everything for you! No need to worry about aperture or shutter speed or white balance…..wow! Very nice for a change. I took the last pictures below using macro mode. Really? -I can shoot macro without changing to a macro lens!? Oh yes and then some! Check out how close I was to the pine cone below. Pretty sure I could shoot an entire wedding with one of these. I’m tempted to try it- any volunteers? ;-) Definitely get one of these if you are in the market for a small, affordable camera. This one even has smile detection mode- we tested it and it works! The moment you smile at the camera, it takes your picture. What a clever little contraption! I don’t think we’ll be leaving home without it.
Here are a few pics from our trip. I asked Chad to pull over every morning near this golden field so I could take pictures of the statuesque horses roaming it.
Taos Pueblo
The “Darn Near Anything” store in Angel Fire, NM where kids enjoy 4-day school weeks:
How can anyone be this happy at 11,000 feet?! Look at that dashing smile- melts me every time! ;D
Chad’s birthday at Graham’s Grille. This was one of my favorite restaurants in Taos (trust me, we tried them all in 6 days!)..the food was amazing and our server made the night special when she included a candle in the key lime pie for Chad’s bday. =D
Macro Mode:
