the wandering chick
...Our reunion in Santa Fe
June 19 - 22, 2018
Well, we did it again!!! Another reunion, our 12th, and this year was a record-breaker: we had 19 attending. Certainly, we missed some of our "regulars" (yeah, you know who you are!), but, as always, it was a fantastic four days, and Santa Fe proved to be a great destination.
We tended to spread out more this year. With such a large number, planning was a little more difficult, not to mention getting everyone rounded up to head in one direction, except, of course, when it came to eating! So, we met for dinner every evening, but for the days' events, we kinda 'scattered' in different directions and in smaller groups.
As of this writing, we've not determined our destination for next year. But Jerry is in the process of gathering our votes.
As always, we thank him for organizing our trips and keeping us all informed before, during and after the reunion. And I wish to thank those of you who sent pictures for this web site.
Enjoy the page, relive the moments and until next year...be safe and carry on.
Here we are. Eighteen of the 19 of us. Diane is missing from the photo. Sandy Day was with us the first evening, but couldn't stay for the duration of the reunion.
A Wednesday morning outing was on a Santa Fe tour shuttle. It was a great introduction to the town, and our whacky but fun driver (remember her?) gave us lots of good information on Santa Fe and also invited us to her "fabulous" house when we returned next year! What????!!!!
Per tradition, we gathered Tuesday night for dinner. We ate at the inn where we were all staying: The Inn of the Governors in Santa Fe's Old Town. Great rooms, great location and great service. More than once they gave us our own private meeting room.
Somebody had to move the road block sign from the path of our shuttle. Thanks, Dale...what would we do without you!
Our dinner Wednesday was at Tomasita's, a southwestern-cuisine restaurant that could handle a herd of 19. It was recommended to us by the inn staff ...casual, good food and it could handle large groups, Perfect! So, off we go!
Returning from dinner with big smiles and full bellies.
Sue: "Ill take your picture."
Charlene: "No, I'll take YOUR picture."
Sue: "OK. Let's take each other's picture."
Results: Great shots of bofus.
Based solely on expressions, I'd say Sheila and John decided to just not listen to each other!
Not sure what was going on here in the parking lot, but I think Dick was trying to determine which car between his and Lou's would have more room in the back seat for the next day's excursion.
On Thursday, a group of us drove in two cars west of Santa Fe to the Puye Cliff Dwellings, the ruins of an abandoned pueblo. The following pictures are of that day trip. Others in the group chose to see the museums, churches and other sites of Old Town.
The Puye cliff dwellings were inhabited between the years 1250 and 1580 and cover 1350 acres. It was the largest complex in the area and comprised two levels: the upper mesa and the lower cliff dwellings. and at least 740 rooms. The mesa was more than a mile long and atop a 200-foot cliff; the lower level was roughly 2100 feet long. The two were accessed by ladders and by stairs that were cut into the cliff face of the soft volcanic tuff. By the year 1580, drought had forced the puebloans out of the area.
The site was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and is also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Some of you who have not attended the last few reunions may not recognize these two women. On the left is Pam, the sister-in-law of Ann Peterson Overmyer. Pam has joined us on several previous reunions and is officially one of the group. On the right is Kathy Peter's daughter, Karen. This is Karen's second year with us, and we're hoping she's on her way to becoming a regular, too.
A tour van took us up to the mesa where this and the next few pictures were taken. After touring this area, we were taken by van down to the gift shop area. From there, we walked up the paved path to the cliff-dwelling level.
On the mesa, we were allowed to climb down into the kiva, a spiritual and ceremonial room. Because kivas are considered sacred, no photography is allowed in them on pueblos.
"So, whadaya think, Jerry?" "Duh...I dunno, Linda. Whada YOU think?" "Hmmm. I dunno either."
Ladders were used to get from one level of the dwellings to the other. None in our group tried them out.
Kudos to EJ for finding this fabulous place in Taos to have lunch. It's the El Monte Sagrado, not too far from the Taos Old Town Plaza. It's a conference center, lodge, bar and restaurant.
Thank you for visiting these photo pages.
If you're interested in seeing more, please return to my Main Menu at the bottom of my home page and make your selection.
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To view some of the previous reunions, please return to the reunion home page.
Or, you may enjoy visiting the old (but not ancient!!) pictures taken when we were all in Vilseck.
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I was so happy to be able to meet up with Dick and Rosie Dickinson this summer in Leavenworth, Washington. We almost missed each other, having made contact at the eleventh hour!. They are doing wonderfully. Rosie is involved in a walking group and stays active keeping up with Dick, her sweet and positive disposition intact. Dick still has his great sense of humor which, I hope, will never leave him. He has a hobby of soap-making.
Before the official start of the reunion, John and Linda visited the famous chapel at Chimayo. It's known not only for its picturesque setting, but especially for its annual pilgrimage, considered one of the most important in the U.S. Chimayo is located to the east, between Santa Fe and Taos, on the "high road" to Taos.
