Tailgating at the Opera

So, being from Arkansas, and graduating from a school that is a huge part of SEC football, one would think that I would have attended a tailgating event before. One would be wrong.

My first experience at this, ladies and gentlemen, was at a world class opera in Santa Fe.

See? Everyone does it. Apparently, it's all the rage.

This was our little group:

We got to the opera about 1.5 hours early, quickly set up, and then enjoyed wine, champagne, fresh fruit, cheese, veggies, baguettes, southwest risotto, marinated pork loin served with homemade chutney, and a variety of desserts. The weather had already started to cool down, so it was comfortable and relaxing. I mean, there were tablecloths. Some people brought actual china to eat on. It was a really...new...thing to see!

And it was my first time at the opera! Em's aunt is a season ticket holder and a musician, so she was able to tell us all about how a world class opera operates. We attended "amateur night," where the understudies (who were out of this world talented and phenomenal - I would never have thought that they were anything less than highly-qualified and experienced professionals) perform a variety of scenes from a variety of operas. So, the cool thing is that we got a preview of 8 different shows!

Getting ready:

The spectacular Santa Fe Opera House:

See the mountains on the right? The opera was partially open to the elements.

Ready for the show!

After this experience, I would highly recommend the opera as well as this particular venue! It was the perfect way to cap our visit.