Oh my gosh, where'd they go and what did they do?

I know, I know, it's been a couple of days since we last posted, right?  So what have we been up to?  Why haven't we been keeping you up to date on our doings?  Well, we've been some kind of busy, is why!  And, to be truthful, at the end of the day, when it's almost midnight, I might be too doggone tired to think anymore, so I just don't, sorry, not sorry.  hehehe

Soooo, let's see....Today is Saturday, we traveled on Friday, we spa'd (more on that later) on Thursday, Wednesday was Madrid and alpacas, so it must have been Tuesday I need to start with.  Wow, I am way behind, aren't I!  We went to downtown Santa Fe, this time, we were smarter about it.  We drove down to the Visitors' Center, where parking was FREE, and hopped on the free shuttle bus to take us down to the Plaza and the Palace of the  Governors, the oldest public building in the country.  You may recall last Friday, when we arrived, the Fiesta was going on.  This is the same place, but it was almost deserted, in comparison.  Don't get me wrong, it was still busy and crowded, but not nearly to the same degree as the Fiesta.  Unfortunately, though, the actual Palace of the Governors building was closed for renovation, and would remain so through 2020.  Bummer.  We got to peek in a couple windows, and it was nothing but empty rooms, so that was kind of disappointing.  There were several Native Americans sitting in the shade, on the sidewalk in front of the building, each hawking their handmade jewelry and handcarved pottery and woven dreamweavers, but the prices were outrageous.  Maybe not for what the items were, but, for MY budget, they were way too expensive.  I found one simple silver and turquoise bracelet I liked, for $85!!  Someone else will have to purchase it; that is almost a tank of diesel, so no sale there...We walked around back, to the New Mexico History Museum and browsed through the gift shop.  This covered wagon was a replica of the ones used on the Santa Fe Trail, connecting Franklin, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico.

 It was pretty warm, and my back was already screaming, so we decided to pass up the museum and head over to the capitol building.  We figured we'd breeze through it and head on back home, maybe do some laundry and give the dog a bath.  Bahahah....oh nooo....we must have spent a good 3 or 4 hours in the capitol building.  You see, it's an art museum!  They had art of all kinds!  But, first, the front entrance...It's the only round capitol building in the country!

And at the center of the Roundhouse...

The rotunda ceiling is patterned after a woven Native American basket, with blue representing the sky and pink representing earth.

Inlaid in the travertine marble floor is the Zia sun symbol, representing the sun and its rays, as well as the four seasons, the four directions and the four stages of life.  The New Mexico state seal is mosaic inlaid in the center of the turquoise and brass medallion.

As I'd mentioned, art was everywhere in the building.  All kinds of art - textile, paints, sand, wood, metal and plastic sculptures, as well as this handsome fella...all out of found and recycled trash items.  Old paintbrushes form the bridge of his nose, newspaper clippings form his horns, and pottery shards form his nostrils, incorporating the Native Americans.   

 One eye is a lantern, symbolizing light, hope and strength.  The other (sorry, no pic) was a fishing reel surrounded by a horseshoe.  The buffalo was once as plentiful on the plains as fish are in the ocean, but they were slaughtered by men on horses, wearing horseshoes.

A beautiful (but not particularly comfortable) place to sit and contemplate woven the Navajo blankets.

Acrylic paintings on ostrich eggs..

Because the legislators were not in session, we were permitted to enter the Senate and House Chambers.  Be forewarned, though, cell phones had to be silenced and no applause or public comment was permitted.

Nor was standing permitted in the gallery.  This is the Senate and the House was identical except it was on the west side of the building.  If a round building could be said to have sides...

There were four floors filled with art, then there was a long hallway and a whole 'nother building, also all filled with art.  In the administrative offices, this tapestry was hanging from the ceiling.

And then, in the center of the floor, was the Caretaker of the Aqueduct, a very significant figure, even in today's world.

On the way home, we passed this caboose in the old rail yard turned city park.

Because we'd spent a lot more time than originally planned, the day was about over, so we simply went home, fixed dinner and cleaned up.  While walking the dog afterwards, we stopped to chat with new friends, John & Laurie, and 3 or 4 beers later, decided to call it a night.

Up next, Madrid and Blue Mesa Alpacas.  Till next time....