Albuquerque, Santa Fe & Hollywood! Part Deux

As promised, more on that most inspiring and much needed trip I took recently to New Mexico, you can view Part One here

Travelling down Canyon Road in Santa Fe was a feast for the senses! I happened upon the beautiful bunch of poppies shown below and they did indeed inspire my Illustration Friday illo from the other day - yes Kris, I imagined a tiny girl wandering around amongst them and falling asleep :>





After leaving Canyon Road, we travelled to the historic downtown area to visit the many shops and finally found a place to park (btw parking is very limited downtown, your best bet is to pay the day-park rate, just be prepared for lots of walking!)

First stop as we rounded the corner? The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, a gorgeous architecturally rich building, designed in the French Romanesque Revival style. The cathedral was built between 1869 and 1886. To say the inside was jaw-opening is putting it mildly and be sure to eat your Wheaties so you can open the 20 foot high heavy wooden entry doors - unbelievable!






After leaving the church we made our way down the main street to the shops and park center, when we came across what looked like a movie set. We talked to a few people and discovered that yes a Hollywood crew had just set up to shoot a movie the day before - which movie? "Odd Thomas". It's based on a series of books by author Dean Koontz & is directed by Stephen Sommers ('The Mummy' films) movie release is scheduled for 2012.....



After watching a bit of the filming we didn't see any famous actors or actresses so we decided to start making our way through the streets. A few hours later we stopped back at the set to see if we could get through to more shops on the other side. It looked as if things had wrapped up for the day so we started walking through the set and I happened to spot a familiar face....



William Dafoe! (or Willem as he prefers) Super, super nice guy - unlike his Green Goblin character in the Spiderman movies. He happily obliged for a quick pic and some small talk before a couple of people from the film crew started asking everyone to clear out - time is money!

Anyhow, Dafoe wіll be рοrtrауing a police chief іn a tіnу California town аnd only one of two individuals whο know Thomas’ secret -- that he communicates with the lingering dead....

I may just have to buy the book AND see the movie :>