Two Des Moines writers, Brianne Sanchez and Linda Mason Hunter, recently explored Santa Fe. (Photo courtesy of Brianne Sanchez) By Brianne Sanchez When my friend Linda Mason Hunter invited me to join her on a trip to Santa Fe, I felt as compelled by her company as the destination. We both write, we both live in Des Moines and, despite our nearly four-decade age gap, we’re kindred spirits drawn to inspirational environments and the talents who can translate natural beauty into their work. Known as “The City Different,” Santa Fe is a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts famous for its world-class museums and one of the country’s highest concentrations of artists per capita. But traveling with Linda would involve more than sightseeing. She’d introduce me to a group she befriended while researching “Southwest Style: A Home-Lover’s Guide to Architecture and Design” (published in 2000), and I’d drive the rental car. With a little planning and some on-location serendipity, we devised a multigenerational Santa Fe itinerary around gallery stops, performances and visits with painters, sculptors and photographers from Linda’s past. Linda timed the trip around a solo art show by the painter Carol Anthony, who’d taught Linda how to fingerpaint luminous pears using oil pastels. “Enough” opened at McLarry Fine Art, one of nearly 100 independent gallery spaces that line Santa Fe’s Canyon Road. It’s possible to spend a full day browsing there, like you might at the Des Moines Art Festival. We caught the tail end of Santa Fe Opera season, which runs July through August. Lightning from a distant storm added dramatic effect to Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” which featured a set designed to accentuate the elegant open-air theater’s mountain views. (Linda and I agreed that the atmosphere was electric, but the singers’ voices didn’t resonate as clearly as they do at the more intimate Des Moines Metro Opera.) The production’s “Japanese adobe” aesthetics paired well with a sunset “community soak” in a hot tub at Ten Thousand Waves, a Santa Fe spa resort that has perfected the art of relaxation. Visitors to Museum Hill can choose from or combine several attractions, including the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Museum of Indian Arts Culture, Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian or the Museum of International Folk Art (where an exhibit of fantasy coffins from Ghana was recently written up in The New York Times.) If, like me, you can’t miss the miniatures in the Cultural Building at the Iowa State Fair, you’ll appreciate the museum’s displays of architect and designer Alexander Girard’s global collection. While Linda caught up on writing her “Green Zone” segments for Des Moines’ KFMG independent radio station, I stretched my legs during a free guided birdwatching hike at the Randall Davey Audubon Center Sanctuary. Our group spotted too many hummingbirds to count and a “Nuthatch trifecta.” If I’d had my kids in tow, they would have loved the nature playscape. Hearty breakfasts prepared by the staff at Bobcat Inn fueled us for adventure-filled days. The eclectic BB off Old Las Vegas Highway is about 15 minutes outside the city center but close to local-favorite lunch spot Cafe Fina and Harry’s Roadhouse. Takeout from La Choza was our fast track to enjoying tamales “Christmas style” (with red and green salsas) without waiting for a table. Stroll between the restaurant and the Santa Fe Railyard Arts District, which features a plaza for local markets and performances. On our flight back to DSM, just hours after visiting the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the view out the airplane window felt like floating into the icon’s painting “Above the Clouds I.” After surrounding myself with her work, I plan to stream “Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light,” a documentary about the Mother of American Modernism. When cinematographer Dyanna Taylor’s name rolls in the credits, I’ll be able to say: “I met her in Santa Fe.” Contributor Brianne Sanchez writes about inspiring people and places around Iowa in our dsm and ia publications. You can also find her work in Better Homes Gardens and Iowa State University Foundation’s Forward magazine. ...read more read less