Pancakes on the Plaza (Santa Fe, El Rancho: home, buy, living)
Santa FeSanta Fe County
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I was all set to get tickets for Pancakes on the Plaza, but then our realtors out here told us we must go to the Fourth of July parade and other fun stuff out here in Eldorado, so we will.
Every year in Santa Fe on the 4th of July is the Pancake Breakfast, a fundraiser for United Way and a large community event. In the eight years I lived here, I came once but didn’t eat pancakes. Somehow it didn’t seem like the same thing so since I'm living so close to the plaza, I figured it was time to give the whole experience a try. I walked down around 9 am and did a quick walk through of the car show before getting my ticket for breakfast. The line swept around the block and I was wishing I had brought some coffee with me. Watching and listening to people made the time pass quickly although I was glad when the 60ish woman with the long hair partially grown out harsh bleached blonde; sparkly white framed glasses; and a red, white, & blue ribbon on her white plastic hat left after I heard “****” uttered in a low tone when a pretty young woman walked by in a revealing top. She was going to have a rough day starting like that!
This is definitely a community affair. You find every kind of person who lives in the area here along with some tourists although I’m sure the locals outnumber the tourists today. Walking down Lincoln I passed three good looking middle aged couples--women all thin, good looking, well dressed, and blonde. The women were talking about the color of their hair—ho hum, do you have to be blonde to belong in your group? I’ve noticed many people like to hang out with other people who look like them. Yet there is also a spark of wishing I could be perfect like them even though I know the “perfection” is an illusion. If only….I’ve been lonely this week, missing family and friends and not sure I will ever find any here and most of the time too busy to worry about it …if only I was….I would be with friends today who look just like me instead of wandering alone being a watcher of people.
After getting my pancakes, ham, strawberries, and COFFEE, I put my blanket on the grass against a tree to listen to the music and watch people. An older Hispanic woman was sitting alone in a chair next to me so I started talking to her. She's lived here 60 years and didn't want to walk around so her children brought her a chair and checked on her every so often. I would have enjoyed talking more to her but the music made it difficult. The parade of people was endless-- Hispanic families, Asian tourists, young people, black people, street people, people I recognize from living here before. One woman that I’ve talked to many times at contra dancing looked at me, walked right past me and sat behind me without a word—it is funny because she never remembers me—another character in Santa Fe. The variety goes on and on passing on the sidewalk in front of me. I love that about Santa Fe.
I should have taken more pictures because there was such a large variety with some very unusual outfits. One large older woman wore tight white pants, a white cowboy hat, and a very tight white lacey top with her large bare belly hanging out beneath it. Watching the parade of people reminded me that we are all different with different shapes, in reality there are very few that have the façade of perfection which usually takes money (gym, time, expensive clothes, hairdressers) and I admit a commitment to spending your time doing that instead of pottery, tinwork, writing these posts….
The dancers and music were good--loved the little girls in the bright dresses dancing the Spanish dances. The group Manzanares was excellent—Nuevo Latino music—made you want to get up and dance and many people did. I saw one older woman who reminded me of my Mom doing the motions of the dance without actually dancing. The vintage cars are always fun to look at—people are so proud to show them. Of course, I have to drool over the Chevy pickups with five windows. Some of the guys from the breakfast group were there so I got a hug from the guy with the hot mustangs. Hugs are always good!
I then made myself do the walk (uphill!) home. Bad timing, hottest time of day but I made it home and took a shower and a mini nap. I'm glad I went. It is easy to forget about the large variety of people who live here when caught up in my daily life of work and home. I thought about comments I've read on here about Santa Fe being a Disneyland or some such nonsense--these people should go to the pancake breakfast. Hehehe...this guy isn't one of you guys is it? He looks like a character. Not that we have any of those on here!
Last edited by Towanda; 07-04-2008 at 08:06 PM..
Reason: re-write
We were thinking of going to the Plaza for pancakes....but decided to spend our first Independence Day in New Mexico right here in Eldorado. There was a parade - nothing fancy - fire trucks, kids on bikes, scouts, horses, a few makeshift floats. Then we went to the Fourth of July program at the Community Center - the Eldorado band played, a bagpipe band played, Santa and Uncle Sam were there, there were free hot dogs and lemonade and popcorn and snow cones. People were dressed up in patriotic clothes. Everyone was very nice and having fun.
I had the same thought as you, Dancingearth: I realize there are tourists in the downtown area all the time and all the art galleries and expensive shops and restaurants ... but Santa Fe is also down to earth, nice, diverse, interesting people ... and the Disneyland term is a real misnomer as well as a little insulting. And it makes me sad to think that is how some people characterize Santa Fe and never look further.
After posting the first one I wrote it again for my family and think it expressed some of my thoughts during the day better--please delete the first one. Why I don't want to be a writer--endless editing and rewriting.
The nap was probably what refreshed you and inspired you to rewrite it.
Let's see if I can fix it.
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Thanks for the reminder--I want to go buy my ticket for the breakfast today. 
community on the plaza
