Explore Santa Fe: Archives

Two sisters, 8 and 5, wove their way through the throngs of visitors to the New Mexico History Museum on its opening on Memorial Day weekend, getting their own bead on history. The big girl had her arms wrapped around her little sister’s chest from behind and led her from one display case to the next, reading bits from the wall texts and embellishing  with flair.

“Now we’re coming up to Billy the Kid, but I have to warn you,” Big Sister said, pausing as any good teacher would for dramatic effect. “He was an outlaw.” She gave that fact a moment to sink in. “And here’s the guy who shot Billy the Kid.”

Saturday is the Fourth of July. So go ahead, celebrate your independence from royal rule. Shoot one off in honor of the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. There are some fireworks restrictions, of course, but thanks to recent rains they aren't as tight as they were in drier years.

Right this minute, as many of her peers are panicking about a wonky job market and how they’re ever going to pay back that tower of student loans, 24-year-old Amanita Thorp is out wandering the vast high desert wilderness of the Galisteo Basin, atop her horse, a pair of hawks making lazy loops overhead in the endless blue sky. She’s got no worries, she’s blissfully content — and, surrounded by 164 goats, she’s also gainfully employed!

Celebrate the wines of New Mexico at a historic southwest ranch! Discover the delicious blends of today’s vintners at the Santa Fe Wine Festival, where you can sample and purchase varietals from 16 New Mexico wineries in a festive atmosphere with live music, food, traditional agricultural products and handmade arts and crafts for sale.

On March 4, 2009, (and in a follow up discussion on March 25, 2009), I had the opportunity to speak with J. Patrick Lannan, Jr., Executive Director of the Lannan Foundation, in the Conference Room at the organization’s center (313 Read Street).  I have been a fan and ardent supporter of the Lannan Foundation’s popular “Readings and Conversations” series since 1996, the date of the foundation’s relocating in Santa Fe.  I also had the opportunity of meeting Patrick Lannan when some of the Lannan speakers would visit my school to give readings and answer questions (and, most important, inspire budding writers) in conjunction with their public readings at the Lensic Theatre.