Lynette and Obi pose at the campground's "chuck wagon" at park entrance
One of the first things one notices upon arriving in Santa Fe is how low the buildings are, and how well these structures blend in with the high-desert surroundings. Santa Fe sits at 7000-ft above sea level and is situated at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mts, the southern end of the Rockies. Adapting to the thinner air can take a day or two (as I found out first-hand), so drinking lots of liquids (water, not margaritas) to stay hydrated is highly recommended. Santa Fe's architecture style relies virtually wholeheartedly on adobe, a very durable material used for centuries in the southwest by the native population to construct this area's many pueblos. Adobe is produced by combining sand, clay, water, and some type of organic matter like straw or sticks. Our first sightseeing trip took us straight into the heart, or epicenter, of downtown Santa Fe, its historic Plaza. Many of the towns shops and boutiques -- and numerous art galleries -- are centered around two shopping areas: the Santa Fe Arcade and the Plaza Mercado. If you're like or are interested in buying southwestern jewelry -- especially turquoise -- Santa Fe is a great place to shop. Before hitting any shops/boutiques or art galleries, we decided to visit several of the town's historic landmarks located in-and-around the Plaza. First up was the stately Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The Cathedral and its grounds are simply magnificent. The architecture is a combination of southwestern adobe and incredible stained glass from France, along with local stone from the Santa Fe region. There was a mass going on while we were there, so we were only able to view the chapel proper from behind glass windows in the foyer. Still, the cavernous chapel was an impressive, beautiful sight.
As we walked around the outside of the Cathedral, we noticed several larger-than-life statues of various church-related figures, including, of course, St. Francis of Assisi.
However, the one statue that really made an impression on me was of an Indian woman, Kateri Tekakwitha, depicted in beautiful bronze in front of the
Cathedral. For me, this statue depicting a beautiful Native American woman with a serene face -- and adorned with turquoise jewelry and holding eagle feathers -- was almost magical as it loomed over the entire entry way into the Cathedral. Santa Fe’s Archbishop commissioned this statue of Kateri, also known as the Lily of the Mohawks, to honor the Native American spirit.
Lynette posing with Kateri to show size comparison
Close up of Kateri statue
After touring the Cathedral, we headed for the Palace of Governors, the oldest continuously occupied public building in the US. The Plaza Mercado area in front of the Palace of Governors plays host to any number of Native American vendors offering a variety of handmade jewelry and souvenirs, as well as local art.
We left the Mercado and headed for one of the many museums in the Plaza area we both wanted to see, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. We probably spent a good 90 minutes walking among the art works of this very unique artist who had a special place in her heart for the Southwest. O'Keeffe held a lifelong passion for nature and felt a particular kinship and spiritual connection with the southwestern landscape. She drew great inspiration from the southwest environment often found in her richly-colored paintings of flowers, trees, plants, and of course, landscape. Here's a couple of my favorite works we saw at the Museum.
Once we left the O'Keeffe Museum, we started looking for a place to grab a bite to eat. Our campground hosts had suggested a place called The Shed, just off the Plaza, as a good restaurant. As we made our way back to the Plaza, we did some window shopping and ducked in and out of several art galleries and jewelry shops. If visiting this part of Santa Fe, keep in mind that much of the shopping is very upscale, meaning its quite expensive. Nice stuff, but fairly pricey. We finally found The Shed and since it was once again such nice weather, ate lunch on their outside patio. Our drinks? Margaritas, of course, and our drink of choice, it seems, while we've been in the southwest. I found another prickly pear margarita on their menu and it was once again excellent. I've got to find some of that prickly pear juice so I can make my own!
After lunch we continued our tour of Santa Fe's downtown area, all of which is within about an eight block square area. Adobe architecture is THE architecture style for this part of Santa Fe, from shops and boutiques to state government buildings to landmarks. As we walked down one street than another, into one shop and another, we suddenly found ourselves in a very historic location: the Old Santa Fe Trail and historic Route 66. What a deal! Course, I just had to snap a photo of it.
Another landmark in downtown Santa Fe that shouldn't be missed is the 134-year old Loretto Chapel, known for its "miraculous staircase" -- a spiral stairway built by a mysterious carpenter. The staircase has two 360-degree turns and no nails or screws (wooden pegs only) for support. The chapel is believed to be the first Gothic-style structure west of the Mississippi. The Sisters of Loretto had the chapel built in the 1870's, but found out it had a design flaw: there was no way to get to the choir loft from the chapel. Local carpenters couldn't find a solution because of the size constraints of the small chapel. So the Sisters sought divine guidance and made a Novena to their patron saint, St. Joseph the Carpenter. As legend has it, a mysterious carpenter showed up to design and construct a circular staircase to the choir loft. His only tools were a saw, a carpenter's square, a hammer, and tubs to soak the wood. When the staircase was completed, the carpenter disappeared without seeking any payment. Quite a story and legend. I'm not sure if my photos caught the true nature of the staircase, but it is impressive. The Loretto Chapel itself is small, but very picturesque, and fits right in with the Santa Fe adobe architecture.
Outside of Loretto Chapel
Altar inside Loretto Chapel
By the time we finished visiting the Loretto Chapel, we were just about out of energy, plus my bad knee was really starting to act up. So we made the wise decision to come back tomorrow and head up Santa Fe's Canyon Road (the road begins just off the Plaza area), renowned for not only its numerous art galleries but also home to dealers of fine leather goods, jewelry ranging from Southwestern to contemporary, and chic home furnishings.
Our sightseeing trip into the Canyon Road galleries and shops was once again accented by some wonderful weather. Low 70's, clear blue sky, and just a slight breeze. Our first gallery stop was at the Barbara Meikle Fine Art gallery. I'm familiar with her art since I've seen it before in other galleries and also in catalogs. Bright, bold colors generally depict Barbara's surroundings, this high desert area, and the animals that inhabit it. Barbara just happened to be her gallery this day -- a special treat for us -- and we chatted for several minutes. A very pleasant woman who obviously enjoys her profession and the Santa Fe area. She even brought out some of her art that was not actually on display for us to see. Here's a shot of Barbara's gallery and a couple of my favorite pieces -- very distinctive style.
We spent the next three hours bopping in and out of several more galleries and shops/boutiques, and I couldn't help noticing the use of either life-size or large-than-life statues and sculptures, usually made of bronze, to decorate the outside areas of the galleries. I must have taken dozens of photos of these statues. I've included some of my favorites below; very distinctive, and very expensive. I've also saved some of the "cuter" photos for my grandkids, since they're following the blog, too. Except for little Luke who is still too young to read...but can certainly look at the photos. These photos will be included in a follow-on blog entry for the grandkids, but feel free to also peruse that blog entry. These sculptures were really neat to see as we walked up and down Canyon Road.
One other gallery I'd like to mention that we visited is the Frank Howell gallery. My sister, Sandi, clued me in to Howell's art a number of years ago. She has several of his Native American-themed pieces that are just out-of-this-world. Very impressive. So, I knew I had to drop by his gallery -- and we certainly weren't disappointed. In addition to several Howell pieces of art, the works of several other artists were also on display. Howell's work, whether original or in serigraph form, although quite expensive, does seem to increase in value as the years go by. That said, I did find a serigraph I thought we could afford and then store it until we finish with our full-time traveling and are in a home or condo. Alas, my idea was met with a very strong veto, so I'll have to do with the pics. Someday, though, someday. Here are a couple beautiful examples of Howell's work. Howell has become one of my favorite artists; really love his style.
"Visitation"
"White Hummingbird"
So that's pretty much our Santa Fe sightseeing; we came away very impressed with the area and the weather is simply outstanding for this time of year. Our one-day trip up to Taos (about 90 minutes away) was really a "bust" since the famous Taos Pueblo -- the oldest continuously occupied pueblo in the US -- was closed. Not sure why, although one shop owner in Taos said it was closed for cleaning. Guess with all the tourists coming and going they need some "down time" to keep things neat and clean. Didn't do us much good, sigh..... We did manage to have a great lunch on the Taos Plaza and also had some success doing some Christmas shopping. So it wasn't all a total loss. We traveled to/from Taos through the Kit Carson National Forest, which offered some different landscape to look at beside the desert southwest. I did manage to "catch" some of the desert landscape area between Santa Fe and Taos as we exited the forest area. Interesting formations.
Before ending this blog entry, thought I might share a photo with everyone that shows just how friendly the folks are here in Santa Fe. Lynette snapped this photo of me outside an art gallery posing with some new friends. And let me tell you --- these guys/gals just love to dance!
So, that's more or less closes the book on Santa Fe and New Mexico. But believe me, we are coming back. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we're off to Carlsbad, NM, on our way to southeastern Texas for a mini-reunion with some of the Texas Metzers. Really looking forward to that. On our way to Carlsbad we'll be driving through Roswell -- yes, THAT Roswell of UFO fame. Located right in Roswell is the International UFO Museum and Research Center. With an earlier than usual start, we're hoping we can stop and visit/tour this museum on our way to Roswell. More on that later. And with that, I say Adios New Mexico -- Texas here we come!
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