Santa Fe

Impressions of Santa Fe:
1. Massive amounts of red or green chile sauce, cheese, tortillas and corn on the menu
2. Tasty and beautiful Chimayo chiles and blue corn at a Santa Fe farmer's market
3. Reddish-hued adobe architecture

Chaco Canyon

It was a hot, dusty day at Chaco Canyon. We took a tour of Casa Rinconada, then had a picnic lunch at the one sheltered picnic table in the area. Other tourists were out of luck - they sat on the dirt in full sun. We also did a self-tour of Pueblo Bonito.

Monument Valley & Chaco Canyon

It was a very long drive from Second Mesa to Monument Valley. We didn't get there until just after noon - the hottest & dustiest time for that region. We drove on dusty unpaved roads for about 1.5 hours and that was enough. We also wanted to go to a trading post and just made it to the one at Red Mesa. It was more like a grocery store with one small counter in the back with dusty pawn items.

Meteor Crater & Winslow

We had dinner in the Turquoise Room of La Posada Hotel in Winslow. In the parking lot we ran into a man who was driving his vintage car through every capitol of the continental United States. The hotel has an impressive veranda for viewing trains. The menu selections in the Turquoise Room leaned heavily towards meat. Our companions had steaks while we had venison and pork.
In the morning we went to Meteor Crater, one of the best preserved craters in the US. You really got a sense of the impact from the observation area.

Sky City, Acoma, New Mexico

It was worth paying a photography fee at Acoma as the pueblo buildings and the clouds above them were spectacular. Many of the buildings have been renovated as people still live in them, but they preserve the look and feel of the original structures. I loved the giant white ladders leaning against the hogans.

Ravens Fans in Albuquerque

We arrived in Albuquerque on Saturday night and went to the Frontier for a late dinner. The cafeteria-style restaurant was filled with excited high school students from Rio Grande. Their football team, the Ravens, had just won a game. We enjoyed enchiladas in green sauce and tried to remember when we had this much energy at 10:30 pm.

Roadworks Steamroller Prints

Roadworks Steamroller prints put on by the SF Center for Books featured large linoleum cuts made by printmakers, inked up, then run over by a steamroller. The result? Fabulous prints!

Acquerello

Especially noteworthy: the rigatoni with fois gras, black truffles and Marsala paired with 1988 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey

Paris, Mon Amour

View of the Seine from the Solferino Footbridge

Rodin Museum
In front of D'Orsay
Art student sketching a statue
Richard Serra's sculptures framing the Obelisk
A beautiful fountain at the Place de Concorde

Sunday at the Cluny

We spent several hours at this lovely Medievil museum. They are famous for their unicorn tapestries, but there were many other works of art that were absolutely stunning. The museum itself is a medievil structure and built on the site of Roman baths.

Eiffel Views

Afternoon clouds framed by iron arches
night view from the street
Eiffel strobing out
Sunset view of the Seine from Troisieme Etage

Street Scene

A photoshoot was in progress at Place Vosges.
The easiest way to get around is on a scooter or motorbike. Captured this young woman in a stylish mini and boots.

I came upon these fair-haired waitresses in their lacy headdresses taking a break between shifts.

Rooftops on the 16th

We stayed at a bed & breakfast in the 16th arrondissement. The view from the kitchen window was typically Parisian with rooftops and chimney pots. The clouds were puffy and full of moisture.

Reception at Hotel De Ville

After an all-day conference on human rights at UNESCO, we went to a mayor's reception at Hotel de Ville. All the conference participants were given the red carpet treatment, including fine wines and delicious hors d'oeuvres.

Arriving in Paris

Walked that first day around Rue de Bac and Blvd St Germain, soaking in the aroma of Paris and dodging rain showers. Lots of fashion in this area, including my favorite redhead designer, Rykiel. I was also taken with the chocolatier, Chapon, which had an all-chocolate icecream on display in their front window. I went inside and bought a bar of very dark chocolate by the name of Equateur, which had a hint of jasmine in it. This bar was to sustain H and I during our next three days.

King's Mountain

This Labor Day crafts fair is nestled amongst redwoods. The fragrance of redwoods is heavenly and the crafts are interesting to see. I purchased a curly redwood barrette at one of the booths.

Fireworks All Day

A's pull off an unexpected win over the Twins with Sweeney's bunt walk off RBI.
Fireworks after the game, courtesy of Chevron (they got some boos from the crowd)
Fiery chile peppers on sale at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market.

Slow Food Nation

One of the lovely organic produce booths
Victory Garden right in front of City Hall!

Ran down to Civic Center this morning to check out the Slow Food Nation fest. Got there just when they opened, so didn't have to fight the crowds. The victory garden was impressive - I wonder how they got the crops to grow there so fast? Two booths exhorted us to stop using bottled water and to use tap water instead. I got a "I Love Raw Milk" button even though my stomach doesn't digest dairy. Also some non-wheat bread that tasted sourish and herbal. Will try it as a bun with grilled veggies tonight if I can talk M into it. Another booth had a delicious sour cherry conserve and I also replenished my brown rice supply. Tourists, who had no idea this event was on this weekend were delighted by all the wonderful choices and free food samples.

Glass & Che

Underground Comic Spain Rodriguez. Behind him are drawings by Paz de la Calzada
Newly published graphic novel by Spain Rodriguez.
Gallery 94124 Opening of Public Glass Artists

Went to two events last night - Gallery 94124's show of glasswork and photographs and a talk by Spain Rodriguez at the Mission Cultural Center. These photos look like they were taken in heavy fog but it's actually M's Iphone that has gotten very smeary from use.

Insectos

Back in June I went to Creativity Explored's show, Insects/Insectos and purchase this pen & ink drawing of a mosquito by Ka-wai Shiu. I picked up the drawing today and fell in love with it all over again.

Birthday for Stan

Stan H celebrates his 60th birthday in Noe Valley.

Serpentine

A girl plays on the back of a giant serpent in a Mission playground.

Papercut Mural on Hampshire and 24th

We were doing a self-guided mural walk in the Mission yesterday when we came up on this amazing ephemeral mural made of paper. It seemed like the background halo was made from just one piece of paper. The subject of this mural is immigration.

Ripening Grapes at Chappellet

Napa Parade

A parade on Napa's Main Street started with these men on horseback. It was a lovely hot summer's day in wine country. We visited the Chappellet Winery and went on a 1.5 hour tour and tasting. Afterwards we had lunch at Go Fish in St Helena, then dinner at Ubuntu. A very indulgent and laid back Sunday.