This past June I had the chance to visit my dad and my step-mom, Jan, at their home in Amarillo, TX. This is a place I’ve been spending my summer vacations and Christmas breaks since I was seven and it feels like a second home. I remember the sound of Grandfather clock, the feel of warm breezes in the backyard, the smell of Jan’s perfume lingering in the air of her bathroom. Red Door. It’s always been Red Door. And I love that. Home isn’t supposed to change so much that you can’t quite recognize it anymore, and even though Texas is my second, temporary home for a week or so out of the year, it’s home. And it felt good to be back.
While there, we took a mini-vacation in the middle of my vacation, over to Santa Fe, NM. This is the third (or forth?) time I’ve visited Santa Fe and I have such amazing memories of it. One of which was being proposed to on the ski lift, overlooking the snow covered mountains at Ski Santa Fe. Such a perfect memory! And whitewater rafting the Rio Grande with Daddy, Jan and my ‘nieces’, all of which are my age. Or hearing Doug Montgomery play piano at this beautiful piano bar called Vanessi’s. All great memories. But I can honestly say, this is the first time I’ve been to Santa Fe and felt like I gave it my true attention. I don’t think I’ve ever really paid attention to it until now. I remember being 15 and so used to my view of green pine trees in Georgia, that I thought Santa Fe was so ugly and BROWN! Yuck! Everything looked the same, there were no real trees or grass to look at… just brown, brown, brown. Didn’t give it a chance. Silly little girl. Well, I’ve rectified my wrong and I’m more in love with this place than ever before. So, before I keep on and on and lose you all (and I’d be surprised if anyone at all even reads THIS far down!), here are some shots I took while there in June. I hope they calm your spirit and bring you a sense of peace, the way they do mine. Enjoy.
*Oh, and yeah…. there are a ton. Sorry!
We stayed at the most beautiful, little casita, called Casa de Tres Lunas. Love, love, loved it!
Trying to outrun the storm as we were leaving Santa Fe. Scary stuff! I will neither confirm nor deny that Jan and I needed an adult beverage to calm our nerves after that storm! ;)
And the Palo Duro Canyon, in Amarillo. One of my favorite places on earth. We’ve been going there since I was a kid. We went down into the canyon to watch Texas, the musical… and I’m in awe of the performance they put on!! With the open air amphitheater and the gorgeous canyon at sunset as their backdrop, it makes for a fantastic night. :)
