Summer wind

The wind came up out of nowhere, which I'm told is what all Santa Fe weather patterns do. Well, not exactly out of nowhere. It was casually thundering when I left the house on foot to forage for lunch, but the sun was shining and the sky was full of innocent puffy pillows—not an ominous storm cloud in sight. As a special precaution I took my umbrella. I like to be prepared.

The best thing (although there are many great things to choose from) about my little adobe house is that it is within walking distance of just about everything, except the Opera, which is within walking distance of nothing. So all I had to do was point myself generally northeast (or towards the mountains, if you're directionally challenged), walk 10 minutes or so, and there were dozens of lunch options. I didn't even consult my iPhone. THAT NEVER HAPPENS.

By the time I picked a cozy cafe with outdoor seating under giant umbrellas, the thunder was sounding a bit more meaningful and the perfect blue sky was tending more toward gray. Still, the hostess sat me at a table under an awning, and I settled in with my Kindle and a turkey sandwich with an entire avocado stuffed inside.

And then the wind came up, like I said, out of nowhere. And it wasn't a subtle breeze; it was a full-on "Auntie Em! Auntie Em!" GALE. Rain was pelting down on me and my sandwich, utterly unfazed by the awning, and then all of a sudden there was a huge crash followed by some little crashes, and the staff of the restaurant freaked out. Everyone was shouting, CLOSE THE DOORS! CLOSE THE WINDOWS!, and I just barely made it inside in time. And then I saw what the huge crashes had been about. On the other side of the restaurant, one of those giant umbrellas had flown up in the wind and completely shattered a tall window. There was glass everywhere, giant jagged pieces and thin slivers all over the floor. I sat down as far away as possible to finish my sandwich, and within minutes the glass was swept up, the staff were all checking in to make sure I was okay (even though I hadn't been anywhere near the accident), and the sun was shining again. My waitress was so friendly and considerate, and we ended up chatting about it being my first day in town, and the craziness of the Santa Fe weather. She had been a bartender at the Opera last summer, and she assured me that it was an incredible bunch of people, just the nicest group you could find, and that I would love it there.

Today was my first day of work, a gorgeous sunny day, and you know what? I can already tell that waitress was totally right.