photo of the week 7: arias from the hills…

A year ago, I jetted off to Santa Fe, New Mexico to hear and see Natalie Dessay perform at the Santa Fe Opera.

Set high on a hill overlooking the rocky, Southwestern landscape dotted with brush, the Santa Fe opera is open to the elements, affording the audience a fresh breeze and a breathtaking view of the mountains beyond. Given the opera houses’s panoramic view, most opera-goers arrive early and stage what must be the most eccentric tailgate known to mankind. Artisanal cheeses and charcuterie were served, and Grand Crus were poured out of the back of luxury imports. It has become a tradition. (We had dinner at a nearby resort, Terra.)

Earlier in the day, I had toured the little town of Santa Fe on foot. It’s narrow streets are choked with boutiques brimming with turquoise-studded tchotchkes, New Age paraphernalia, and Southwestern wear.

It really wasn’t my scene.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, however, was quite a gem (I especially adore her abstract landscape paintings, like “Sky Above Clouds III/Above the Clouds III”).

And the Loretto Chapel, which sits a bit off of the main quarter, was charming, with it’s beautiful, woodwork interior and miraculous staircase.

Santa Fe’s high elevation makes the sky appear a brilliant shade of blue and the sun particularly strong. Standing outside the gate of the chapel, I futzed with my camera’s settings until I captured this shot of the Loretto Chapel.  Although the sky is completely blown out, you can see the magnificent – almost electric – color of the sky reflected in the windows of the chapel.