Springtime in Santa Fe
This is our third time visiting Santa Fe, and our first time experiencing it in Spring. There is still snow on some of the peaks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. (One of them is Ski Santa Fe, at elevation 10,350 feet.) The nights have been chilly, around 40℉, which is fine because our adobe house has a kiva fireplace, and we love using it in the evenings. Mornings are sunny and cool, 50-60℉. Afternoons are unpredictable - it might be 70℉ and sunny one moment, and cloudy with freezing gusts of wind (or even a brief sprinkle of rain) the next. We have learned to bring sweaters or jackets with us whenever we go out. Our moms would be proud.
True story: it SNOWED one day, while Steve was washing the car! It had been a warm, sunny day, but then clouds and frigid air moved in quickly. The ice flurries didn’t last long, but it was quite a thrill for us Florida folk.
Springtime in Santa Fe means the cottonwood trees are bright green, and flowers are blooming everywhere. Gorgeous! I was surprised by the abundance of colorful flowers here in the high desert. Some of the blossoms had vanished by the third week of our visit, so it seems we arrived here at just the right time.
Springtime in Santa Fe also means there is pollen in the air. It didn’t bother us, but those with hayfever will probably be happier avoiding Santa Fe at this time of year. And a new experience for us was the annual “snowfall” of elm seeds - flat, papery pods blowing everywhere and collecting in corners like round confetti.
