Sunday, March 21, 2010

We woke up Saturday morning to snow and 27 degrees. BRRR! We waited until 10:00 and drove to the Balloon Fiesta Park where we parked the motor home for the Rally.

After we got parked, we drove to Santa Fe to visit the Kingsbury’s. What a great time! We hadn’t visited with them for 10 years. They retired to Santa Fe after Khalil retired from John Deere. They live in a beautiful adobe in a gated community northwest of downtown. Mimi and Khalil are in the picture with the mountains in the background.

Sunday, we went to their Episcopal Church, had breakfast at Harry’s Road House, went to the “Miracle Staircase” at the Loretto Chapel. Then we went to the New Mexico History Museum, and to the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos. Later, we stopped at Trish and Clark Elmer’s; they also retired to Santa Fe from Cedar Falls about six years ago. They live in the same area as the Kingsbury’s. Both have beautiful homes!

Here’s the history for today. The Loretto Chapel is home to the “Miracle Staircase.” Around 1865, a carpenter was passing through Santa Fe and the Sisters at the chapel asked him to make a staircase up to their choir loft. He built a circular staircase to the loft with two full 360 degree rotations and no supports. Modern carpenters would have a very difficult time reproducing this staircase. When he finished he just left, vanished.

More history, the Bradbury Science Museum displays the history of the atomic bomb/the Manhattan Project. Los Alamos is home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory which employees 11,000 people. The Laboratory works on nuclear programs, national defense, and lots of secret stuff.

Tomorrow the Rally begins. We have an orientation seminar at 8:15 A.M. More later.