fig® - Downtown Lancaster

Recently I was fortunate enough to do some traveling.  I touched down in the beautiful area of New Mexico.  Santa Fe was our first destination.  My excitement was rising as I was approaching La Pasoda Resort and Spa de Santa Fe.  We were surrounded by Adobe style houses, cacti, and dry, dry air!  Mexican men with cowboy hats opened our car doors and we were pleasantly surprised by their hospitality.  The US Egg and Poultry Association was what brought my family and I to this breath taking state.  Every year the conference is held in a different state.  My father is the president of Wenger Feeds in Elizabethtown and a board member of US Egg and Poultry.

After settling in to our little village style housing for the next three days we headed in to town and “The Plaza.”  The town was covered from sidewalk cracks to the tops of the trees with turquoise accessories.  For me it was completely overwhelming.  I had never seen so much beauty in one area.  The street vendors and artists had wool blankets on the ground with aztec prints just filled with turquoise.  Belt buckles, earrings, necklaces, cuff links, handbags, rings, bracelets, everything you could possibly think of.  We were taught there is original turquoise that is made from the areas in New Mexico and there is also Chinese produced turquoise.  You had to be really careful not to be tricked!  The street vendors all had the real stuff!  I purchased a piece from a young girl who educated me on the different mountains and how they actually recover the stone.  I also purchased a raw piece of stone with the original way turquoise begins.

After shopping until we were ready to collapse, we retired to our “village” to shower.  We had to be ready to be on a bus to take us to a historic cowboy ranch where Wild Bill was filmed.  Saloon girls greeted us with beer and carriage rides.  We met two bartenders from the area that had a little gallery on the “Turquoise Trail,” a small area on the way from Santa Fe to Albuquerque.  They told us we should stop by on our way to the airport.  We did just that!  Tons of art galleries and the infamous Mine Shaft Tavern were places that had been recommended to us by townies.  As sweat beads were slowly forming on our faces and we were eating a bite of lunch at Mine Shaft Tavern we were surrounded by hippies and bikers.  The area is very laid back and comfortable.  My dad spotted Ed Harris, the actor.  He approached him because I told him that I go through this little battle inside my head every time I see someone famous in New York.  Should I approach them and feel embarrassed for 5 minutes or should I just forget it?  I told him I have learned you just have to go for it because you will most likely never see them again in your life.  He did and it paid off.  Indeed it was him and we got our picture taken with him!  Nice guy!  Very humble!

We then continued our travels to Albuquerque.   More shopping!  Cute little shops and galleries.  I met a women who owned the store Details by Alex.  The shop was very similar to Pappagallo.  We exchanged some vendor names and tips and I even purchased a dress. Surprise, surprise!  We then stumbled upon a shop like Details.  They carried many vendors we carry and I got some new ideas.  It is really nice to be able to experience other cultures and other areas of the country.  I tried to take away as much knowledge I could from the people that live there and the people that own businesses there.  It was funny to talk to the shop owners because they are going through the exact same shift in economic spending as we are here in little Lancaster, PA!