A night at the opera

 

 Last night we enjoyed a night at the Santa Fe Opera.  We began with old friends and new friends having a fancy tail-gate.  The Baers, Hollises, and Weavers, dear "old" friends, joined us, and summer students Ashley and Andrew joined us, along with Ashley's family from Wisconsin-- making up the "new friend" contingent. There were 16 of us gathered under stormy skies to enjoy our feast.

We enjoyed chicken salad, cold chicken wings, croissants, broccoli salad, three bean salad, smoked salmon, cold ham, caprese salad, shrimp-mango-cucumber salad in small tortilla cups,  potato salad, fruit skewers, fruit with a chocolate drizzle, cheese fresh from a Wisconsin farm (nothing like fresh, creamy colby!), a strawberry fluff, chocolate mousse, and drank champagne, sparkling cider, or hibiscus-peach iced tea. It was delightful despite the threat of downpour, and occaisional sprinkles.  But the real rain held off until we had finished eating and made our way into the opera house.

For those who have never been to the Santa Fe Opera, it is an amazing space.  It is acoustically perfect, open-air, and filled on opera nights with world-class musicians. Watching an opera with a sunset or thunderstorm over the Jemez mountains as a backdrop is really incredible.  We saw Offenbach's Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, and while it was not my favorite opera of all time, it was nothing but fun, and reminiscent of something more like Gilbert-and-Sullivan than high opera.  It was silly and funny, and I think everyone had a good time. I know I did!  

Last night we headed for Santa Fe around 6 PM and didn't arrive home until 12:30 or so this morning.  It might take me a few days to recover from having so much fun!