Fiestas, pets and awards …… Oh my god!
Zozobra burned on Friday, so no more gloom from here on. I promise. (Crossing my fingers, Sugar Pops, just in case I’m not a psychotic … I mean a clairvoyant.) Our week ahead promises to be filled with festivities – Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts, Fiestas de Santa Fe, Fun, etc.
Creampuffs, while I’m stuck on alliteration examples that start with an “f,” the Española Humane Animal Shelter reported on a successful fur festival. The Fur Fest raised money and attention for their Foster First program. Like so many other animal shelters, Española Humane has found that caring for an animal is superior to languishing in a shelter, said Executive Director Bridget Lindquist advocated foster parents. More than 200 people responded.
In addition to other summer events to raise dollars for Fur Fest 2021, the director of the shelter’s Giving Karl Ferguson, hosted a fundraising dinner at Bistro 315 in June. My friend, Linda Osborne, sponsored a table, and her enthusiasm led to her appointment to the shelter’s fundraising committee. Linda’s dog, rank, is a Jack Russell Terrier and a Rescue from Española Humane. Lovebugs, Rango is Mr. September in the new Mexican from Santa Fe’s 2021 pet calendar.
Two other notable events occurred in August that deserve our attention today. First, every broker’s favorite parade was the Haciendas – A parade of houses, sponsored by the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association. Pumpkins, last year’s parade was virtual (like so many events during the pandemic) so this year it was especially exciting to personally showcase eight of the thirteen homes vying for this year’s awards, including the Grand Hacienda.
Scott Cherry and his design-build company, Light foot, won the Grand Hacienda Award 2020 for their innovative renovation and remodeling of the Donaciano Vigil House. If you missed the virtual tour last year, you can still see photos of it in the 2021 edition Haciendas, a sleek magazine produced and published by Santa Fe New Mexican that was added to the Sunday paper on August 8th. Don’t worry, you can always pick up someone else from the SFAHBA office.
The second notable event was a book signing at Travel bug on Paseo de Peralta 839 (opposite the Drury Hotel). Greg Ohlsen and his partner Ellen Stelling founded Garcia Street Books in 1991, then combined their love of books and travel to form Travel Bug in 1997. Fortunately for us, Dear Hearts, the Travel Bug is still alive and well despite the disastrous impact of the pandemic on travel. Of course, Greg and Ellen have learned to adapt to the changing times. Your language courses are now online. They shifted away from travel guides to a well-curated selection of books on biography, history, social science, etc.
This shift to predominantly non-fiction books served the authors Mark cross‘Home advantage. Mark’s first book, An Encyclopedia of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico, has become well established as a gift from a realtor to new home owners and is the first book on the shelves of our extensive short-term rental offering. His latest book, which he spoke about to an enthusiastic audience on Travel Bug, is a biography, Tales of Santa Fe: Betty Stewart in the City Different. People who read it say that not only is it an interesting story about the life and times of Betty Stewart, a charismatic figure who designed and built some of the most memorable homes in Santa Fe, but that the book is one too great story of Santa Fe told and its iconic “Santa Fe Style”. Oh babies, the 80s – what a decade in our City Different.
How do I say goodbye to someone I could barely say hello? I have to do that this month Jessa Cast, the editor who took Paul Weideman’s job when he retired from our HOME / Real Estate Guide magazine a few months ago. Jessa came on board, earned the respect of me and other columnists, and then announced, to our surprise and sadness, that her final issue would be this. I know it was a tough decision for her, but an opportunity had gone and she couldn’t pass up. I hate to admit that she preferred this and more time with her dogs and husband to me, but really, kitten, can I blame her? Of course not. But adios, Jessa, I’ll miss you and your sharp eye.
So long, Sweetpeas … see you next time,
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