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 :>

Albuquerque, Santa Fe & a bit of Hollywood! Part One

Hello friends! I hope you are all finding time for creativity these days. Lots going on for me the past month and just recently a special trip was my escape from the heat here in Texas, so thought I'd share it with y'all. New Mexico was the destination, specifically the ABQ /Sante Fe area. Lots of shopping to be had in ABQ - one stop being the new ABQ Uptown Mall with upscale open-air shopping.

First stop: Anthropologie! Check out the cool display they set up in the bedding section .....don't think I'd get a good night sleep in that bed but I love the concept :>



And although I mostly window shopped, I did pick up a few special items: a beautiful, big mug to sip my herbal teas from, an illustrated calendar / dayplanner by the talented Geninne, and a fun bundle of twig-wrapped colored pencils.....



More shopping was followed by a quick trip into Trader Joe's (their carrot cake is simply AMAZING) and Starbucks, then we were on the road to Santa Fe - only a short 40 min. drive away.......plenty of time to finish coffee and cake :>

Since we got there late afternoon [and did I mention it was only 59 degrees, that's cold to south Texas folks this time of year!] we decided to head down to Canyon Road and check things out for the next day. Canyon Road is a gallery & studio lined street near the historic downtown area in Santa Fe. As I travelled on foot up & down the narrow street with camera in hand, I marvelled at the rich colors, ornate doors and style of the adobe buildings, as well as the fabulous outside metal & hand-carved wood displays. It truly is an art mecca - and the second largest art market here in the US. I wish every artist could experience the amazing atmosphere & vibe of Canyon Road at least once - it gave me lofty aspirations to say the least.



I loved the color of this little chair paired with the clay pots.....



And I adored these painted metal birds....



Well that's it for now! Stay tuned for Part Two - Canyon Road cont'd, downtown Santa Fe and a walk on the Hollywood side......