A Tale of Two Concerts: Better Late Than Never

Exactly 18 years ago I came to Santa Fe with my mother to spend Christmas. We rented an adobe casita on Delgado Street in the historic upper East Side of the city.  I was going through a particular rough time in my life, and magical Santa Fe was the perfect place to find positive energy for myself and my mom.

One of the high lights of our visit was to attend the Christmas Eve concert at the beautiful Loretto Chapel near the main plaza in Santa Fe. I had purchased the tickets to hear the Santa Fe Pro Musica Baroque Ensemble long before we left on our trip.

On Christmas Eve we awoke to a snowstorm! By the end of the day, we had over two feet of snow on the ground. There was no way our dirt road was going to get plowed in time to go to the concert. Instead, we were invited by friendly neighbors to join them around their traditional outdoor Christmas Eve bonfire to drink mulled wine. Needless to say, a heart warming experience.

Last evening, Eric and I attended the Santa Fe Pro Musica "A Baroque Christmas" concert at the Loretto Chapel with the radiant Deborah Domanski, mezzo-soprano, singing Vivaldi and also traditional Carols. We both remarked later that it was a celestial experience.

After the concert, we walked to the Plaza to see the Holiday light display and then on to the historic La Fonda Hotel for dinner. A perfect end to a perfect evening.

Loretto Chapel

The Magic Chapel Stair Case

Lights on the Plaza

Window display at the La Fonda Hotel

The God Machine

Eric and I decided to see the art work at  the Armory show at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe. After parking the car at the site, we noticed a large metal sculpture adjacent to the parking lot. This would become one of the most fun, enjoyable experiences we have had in Santa Fe so far.

 A smiling, jovial, white haired man was standing next to the sculpture. He reminded me of "Oz" in the "Wizard of Oz".  He introduced himself as John Massee and was eager to show us his work of art, the Deus Machina or the god machine.

 Mr. Massee explained, "It became increasingly apparent and necessary that a Sculpture be built that would encompass all Human hopes, desires, dreams and History. 

As a result of great patience, certain insights and the overcoming of various obstacles I was able to evolve a great Machine capable of producing a sense of delight and joy."

Massee's sculpture had to satisfy certain criteria:

it must be virtually intriguing 

it must be intellectually engaging 

it must be life supporting

it must be joy producing

it must solve all problems

On the front of the sculpture near an open window, there were pockets containing paper cards. I chose a card that was labeled "happiness and joy". I gave my card to Mr. Massee, who placed it in a box to burn. I saw smoke rise above the sculpture to the blue sky - proof that my dream of "happiness and joy" would come true.

Deus Machina

Make a wish cards

John Massee

 

The Best Paella I Have Ever Had!

Originally paella was a dish made in Valencia using chicken, rabbit, snails and three kinds of fresh beans. There is no right or wrong recipe, so the chef (in this case Eric) can be as creative as he wishes to be. We chose as our ingredients Bomba rice, chicken thighs, chorizo, shrimp, mussels, artichoke hearts, peas and white Spanish beans. Of course, it is important to drink wine while going through each step of the paella process. We had a nice Chateau de Flaugergues recommended by our friend Kat. Paella can be cooked on the stove top, in the oven or on a barbecue grill. In our case, we had the use of the wonderful Italian stove named "Francesco". The result was a melange of colors, textures, and aromatic spices to delight the taste buds!

Roadblock to Santa Fe

We feel frustrated, angry and helpless at a recent stumbling block to selling our home in Harrisburg, PA - the Federal Biggert/Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012. Here is a link to an article in the Patriot News that featured our own personal story:  http://bit.ly/KNehwF FYI our home is one of ones under water in the photo at the top of the article page.

We thank our  friends in advance who will contact their Senators and Representatives in Congress and ask them to repeal the Act. The law will have catastrophic results to those living in newly mapped flood plains and also to the housing industry.