Santa Fe, New Mexico

April 29-May 4

With my help and Mona’s we got Poppie and Lynn to Santa Fe and to our campground. We quickly unhooked the trailers and we were off to the Santa Fe Plaza to see two very old buildings. The first was San Miguel Church. This is the oldest church in the U.S.A. It was built in 1610.

The other was Loretto Chapel. It was built in the 1870’s. It is special for its circular staircase to the choir loft. It has 33 steps in two full 360-degree turns. It is very mysterious in its construction. It has no center support, nor is it held from its sides. The builder disappeared after the staircase was finished and was never seen again.

We went to another church, Santuaio De Chimayo, that is also very special. People come here for its Holy Dirt. The Holy Dirt brings about spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. Gram told me she saw rows and rows of crutches left by people that were healed. Each year over 50,000 people make the pilgrimage to the church on Good Friday, a truly Holy Church for all Believers.

That night Gram got the beauty treatment from Maxine by candle light.

The next day I showed the group Bandelier where Ancestral Pueblo People once lived. The Pueblo came to this site over 10,000 years ago. They farmed and hunted. They even raised turkeys to use for food and clothing.

All at once I saw a bear during our walk. I hid down deep in the backpack Poppie was carrying me in. I felt safe with Poppie carrying me. That bear wasn't going have me for dinner.

It was now time to show Gram and Maxine some outstanding galleries in Santa Fe. Did you know Santa Fe is second only to New York City as far as the number of artist and galleries they have in their cities? That’s what someone told me anyway.

I had shown Gram the great bronze sculptures they have in Santa Fe. Here’s my favorite. I could have lounged all day by this sculpture. I had trouble keeping up with Gram and Maxine as they went from shop after shop. Poppie and Lynn were still looking for that outstanding ice cream shop.

We had our last dinner with Lynn and Maxine before they left to go back to Surprise, AZ. What a fun night we had and also a great time camping and exploring the southwest together.

Gram told me she wanted another day of shopping. So I took her to some special places. There were Native Americans selling their jewelry in their assigned stalls.

A special exhibition was going on, “Oil Painters of America”. See the outstanding tractor, Jackson! And this is Gram’s favorite painting. Oh, I do hope Gram starts painting again.

Hey, Denny! There was even an REI - and surprise there was a sale going on. Well Gram and Poppie couldn’t pass this up.


Jackson this is for you. We saw a train station and they had a diesel engine with doors wide open. These are the engines that make the train go really fast, Jackson. With these last pictures we leave Santa Fe and on to more adventures with Gram and Poppie.


Good-bye for now, Olivia