The universe has decided the flute was not meant to be mine.
I went back this afternoon to Native Sounds, the shop where I met the flute guy and flute, and when I walked in, there was only one flute missing from the display -- the one I wanted. He said someone came in and bought it not long after I left yesterday. That's the whole point of commerce I suppose but still, it made me a little sad.
Clearly this is a sign that I need to be better about my spending.
Anyway, I still had a pretty nice time in Santa Fe today. Our morning program was at the Santa Fe Opera, which is so much more than just a theater. It's a whole sprawling complex of rehearsal halls, scene shops, costume studios, and even a cafeteria and swimming pool of the employees and their families. It's essentially a commune devoted to opera, without the cult overtones. It's pretty freaking cool.
We had a nice presentation on the Santa Fe Opera's youth programs, which focus both on opera singing and stage management. Two of their youth opera singers performed for us, which was an absolute delight, and they even gave us a voice lesson (with the help of some kazoos and a slightly lost baby bird)!
I wish I had more to show for my afternoon, but sadly I spent most of it inside, working. I wandered downtown for a little bit after the cosmos told me the flute and I were not meant to be, and I did really enjoy the artsy adorable downtown. I wish I had more time to look around! I'm definitely planning a trip back someday, when I'm working less and traveling more!
Our last night was at Bonanza Creek Ranch, an old western film set in the high desert outside Santa Fe. It's been the set of Longmire, Bonanza, 3:10 to Yuma, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Gunsmoke, Walker: Texas Ranger, and about 50 other films and TV shows since 1955. You'd probably recognize it from the photos. We had dinner right in the middle of the main road through Movie Town, a dusty western town complete with a saloon, jail, and old church on the hill. If you're in northern New Mexico, it's worth the trip.
For me, the best part of this whole trip was walking up the hill to the old church, standing alone on top of the high desert, feeling the wind wash over the mesa while everyone else faded away in the town below, and watching the stars come out just east of the bright yellow sunset, more stars than I've ever seen before.