In celebration of the twenty-seven magical years since our first date (!!!) as well as the first road trip we ever took together, we spent the weekend in Santa Fe. Our first stop, of course, was La Choza, and then a stroll up the tracks to the Railyard on a sleepy Friday afternoon.

How’s that for a mural?!

First ever mansard roof sighting in Santa Fe. Fancy!

Hummingbird – which reminds me of one of my favorite books, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, which I first saw in Santa Fe.

A picture of a thousand words if ever there was.

Sweet nappers…

Juniper Beulah, tin roof style.

Enjoyed our anniversary dinner at La Boca – the grilled arugula salad one magical mess o’ lettuces, New Mexico grown pistachios, fennel, and golden raisins. The jamon iberico and Cava weren’t too shabby, either.

Not pictured, but most worthy of note, our dear friends Michael and Mary were in town (YAY!) and we met for a wildly wonderful lunch at Loyal Hound. Mac and Cheese with green chile and fried chicken and waffles the height of yumminess.

Also, I would be seriously remiss if I didn’t encourage the devouring of a carne adovada burrito at Tecolote. If they ask, get the bakery basket – you’ll overload on carbs, but will enjoy every morsel.

We never tire of adobe.

The Plaza, cheerfully lit.

First Presbyterian Church, 150 years old and ever so lovely.

Back at the Railyard for the hullaballoo of the Farmer’s and Winter markets. We enjoyed all manner of goodness (chiles, tarts, tortillas, jerkys, jams!) and friendly vibes.

Apropos…

Love this sky…

and this fabulous neon Zia. Eeek!

Sunday morning, we awoke to much, much needed snow, the whole of Santa Fe, and our route homeward beautifully blanketed.

The Treasures:

Turquoise Zia t-shirt from Marcy Street Cards + positively intoxicating sweet sage bundle from a kindly street vendor + Heidi’s Raspberry Red Chile Ginger jam + Santa Fe Spirits Atapino – a sip of the scent of New Mexico + pinon plantwater purchased at the fabulous Red River Mercantile + Casa Blanca Red Chile beef jerky – for lovers of dry, not at all sweet jerky, like me! + Zia pinon kola – the best kola EVER and an even better mission + An exquisitely crafted brooch bought at the Winter Market + Deeelicious chile powder, smoky and mild + Coyote America from my favorite Santa Fe book shop, Collected Works + Look closely, a tiny Raven (my spirit animal!) fetish from Keshi, carved by Calvert Bowannie + Beautiful woven table mat from the Five & Dime on the Plaza. Oh, Santa Fe, your fine purveyors and makers, my heart overflows…

And now, to Socorro (founded in 1598!), to begin the last leg of our trip and a mighty fine Thanksgiving feast with some of our besties, Michael and Mary.

We spent Black Friday neither shopping nor among crowds, instead enjoying superb company and the wonders of science at the Very Large Array. Site of a music video or two as well as important roles in two of our favorite sci-fi fil-ums, Contact and 2010, the Very Large Array consists of 27 enormous radio telescopes (weighing 230 tons each) on a site larger than the island of Manhattan, arranged in varying configurations to help earthbound scientists better understand the universe. For an in-depth video on the work they do, click HERE.

San Miguel de Socorro – my friend Mary attends Mass here.

Let your heart light shine!

Driving northward to Las Vegas, no not THAT one.

Breakfast at the Plaza Hotel – delicious blue corn pancakes and a breakfast burrito. When in Rome…

Really good coffee!

The two sculptures in the historic plaza were made from dead trees, far better than cutting them entirely to the ground! Las Vegas is a delightful town, full of kindly people and sweet shops. It was Shop Small Saturday and we went at it like gang busters, buying books, art, sweets, puzzles, lotions, soaps, and more. A great end to a marvelous trip!

Welcome to Sante Fe!

La Choza is our favorite New Mexican Restaurant of ALL TIME. Whenever we’re in Santa Fe, we eat here every day.

The El Rey Inn, like Ojo Caliente, is our home away from home in Santa Fe, also going on 25 years. We love it here.

La Fonda

Plaza pigeons

This interior and the San Miguel Mission above are two of the oldest structures in the United States. This dates back to the 1200s and the Mission to 1610. How often I forget the history here!

In sharp contrast to the adobe history of Santa Fe is the new art experience at Meow Wolf. I am dating myself here, but do you remember the game Myst? It was the only video game I ever really got into, actually playing it beginning to end. If you don’t, the player clicked on different objects and places on the screen to solve a series of puzzles. The Meow Wolf is like an in-person version of it. Wander, climb, and crawl around, through a myriad of highly artistic and intriguing rooms and spaces, poke around, see what you find. It is fascinating and a delight to the senses. It can be a bit overwhelming, too. Take your time. Enjoy a break or two, you have all day.

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This post is dedicated to my Grandma Tess, who would have been ninety-four today. She loved Santa Fe and New Mexico as much as I do, maybe even more so because she met my Grandpa there. We love and miss you, Grandma!

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