An Easy Day

The morning dawned (although I didn't see it) bright and clear. As only it can in the high desert, the early morning contained promises yet to be fulfilled. We've been going a bit while in Santa Fe, and Sasha has been very co-operative, but today we decided that she should have a playday. The local SPCA maintains an area near the animal shelter that includes large and small dog play areas, as well as smaller individual areas for dogs that have not learned their social skills just yet. All of this is fenced and cross fenced, and is quite large. The particular park that we went to has a gravel path around the perimeter that is 1/2 mile long, so that owners can walk a bit while their dogs play.

The setting is true Southwest, with the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background. Sasha made immediate friends with a 12 week old German Shepard-Husky mix. "Gordon" is still learning how to play, and Sasha taught him a few tricks! Gordon got just a bit too rambunctious at one time and Sasha got a good grip on his lip....Gordon got the picture! The two dogs played for about 2 hours, which was a great thing to see. Water bowls are provided with a cold water faucet near the gate, and necessary bags in a dispenser. While it was surely dusty and dirty, the pups enjoyed their time together!

We brought Sasha home for a bath and a cleanup for ourselves and then took off for lunch. Acting on the suggestion of an unnamed relative, we headed for the Railyard and lunch at La Choza, with their award winning chile and New Mexican food. The day continued to be pleasant, so we chose to eat out on the patio.

The food, as expected, was delicious! Donna's plate included a soft taco and an enchilada, while I had a go at a plate of Chili Rellenos. We simply sat and enjoyed the cool day, the excellent service, and each other's conversation. What a pleasant experience!

We walked around the Railyard district, looking at shops, art galleries, and the nice park that has been created out of what was once a Santa Fe switch yard. Now the tracks end at the Railyard, and are used by the Rail Runner Express, a commuter train that serves metropolitan Albuquerque and Santa Fe. At about 4 pm, we drifted over to the Santa Fe Farmers Market, expecting to shop a selection of farm to table products. Well, I guess it's late in the season or something, but we had seven vendors to choose from! We did manage to encourage the economy in the area a bit, buying some heirloom tomatoes and some Frying Peppers. Now, we've never fried a pepper before, but the farmer said "hey, it's easy!", so we'll give it a try.

The centerpiece of the Railyard is the water tower. Set among unused tracks, it harks back to the old days of steam locomotives.

The old rail yard has been turned into an attractive park, with paths, trails, and paved walkways.

Some of the old rails are still in place with concrete sections that are reminiscent of railroad ties. A great way to revitalize an urban area!

Tomorrow is our last day in Santa Fe, so we have to visit downtown one more time. While there are thousands of shops, hundreds of restaurants, beautiful mountains, and miles of hiking trails in the city and surrounding areas, we will have to put most of those on the "next time" list. And there really should be a "next time" for Santa Fe!