Today I spent the morning at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market which is easily the best Farmer's Market I've ever seen (click the title of this post to check it out). It happens every Tuesday and Saturday morning from 7-noon in a shopping plaza about a mile away from my house. The market is so successful that the city is in the process of building a permanent indoor/outdoor market building on the outskirts of town. I think it's such a great way to keep small family farms up and running.
There were probably about 50+ vendors of all kinds this morning: baked good, fruits, vegetables, flowers, candles, soaps, fiber arts, spices, herbs, honey, plants, all kinds of things....The market itself was packed, all sorts of people milling about, some relaxed, some definitely on a mission. You can tell people have their favorite vendors for just about everything. The smell of roasting green chiles (the New Mexico specialty) was everywhere. What a fun morning. I can't wait to go again, and to cook something with all the veggies!
A list of my purchases (money goes FAST at the market)!
Cranberry Scone (that's already gone)
Raspberry Ginger Red Chili Jam (delicious)
Calabacita (a strange round zucchini)
Haricots-verts
Nectarines
Asian Pears (four for ONE dollar)
Golden Delicious Apples
Lemon Cucumbers (these are the strangest looking things--can't wait to try)
Fingerling potatoes
2 Broccoli Florets
A Sweet White Onion
A sage stick (for burning--love the smell)
A beautiful bunch of zinnias (I miss mine at home in the garden)
I'll take pictures next week; the camera battery was dead :-(.
Fiestas continue through tomorrow, and I think after I go to the gym, I will stroll down to the plaza and see some dancing and listen to some music! Have good weekends!!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Zozobra!
So it's really hard to describe Zozobra, and I am not sure I am up to the task. I'll just give a preview, and the pictures can give you a better idea. Zozobra, or "Old Man Gloom," is an 83 year old Santa Fe tradition. Each Fiestas week in September, since the 1930s, old man gloom has been built and burnt as a sort of community cleansing. Begun by the artist Will Schuster, he bequeathed the enterprise to the local Kiwanis chapter when he died. So, every year, upwards of 20,000 Santa Fe residents and visitors trek up to Fort Marcy Park to watch the burning. Gates open at 2pm; the burning happened at 8:45pm. I arrived (with my new scholar friend Jonathan) around 6:15 and took in the scene. Lots of little kids, teenagers, hippies, and residents of all types were spread out on blankets, picnicing, listening to music, eating from vendors, buying light sticks and getting ready for "the burn."
As it got darker, the crowds swelled and swelled and by 8 you could tell that people were getting restless. Chants of "Burn Him" began (a little too reminiscent of "Lord of the Flies" crossed with the scene where the Deatheaters come out at the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter IV) and got louder as the time came closer to the Burn.
The Burn began with the stadium lights going out, and people pressing their way to the front, chanting louder and louder. Dancers began a pagan ceremony up and down the Aztec temple style stairs that led to Zozobra, running around, throwing fire sticks, and cueing the fireworks to begin. This pre-burn activity lasted way too long, but you could tell it was just to get people more and more riled up. Little kids were screaming, adults were calling for the burn in the kind of scary, intense voices that only come out when it's dark and no one can tell who's yelling. The pot smoke grew thicker and thicker, and finally, after the red flame dancer came out, the burn began. Zozobra, about 40-feet tall, and a working marionette, is filled with gloom messages: divorce papers, speeding tickets, and gloomy thoughts written on scraps of paper loaded into the bottom of the structure. I think it would've been more "cleansing" without the screaming and the incredibly loud amplified moaning of Zozobra himself. The burn was pretty spectacular, and over very quickly. Getting out of that place was a little scary--masses and masses of people trying to crowd over very small wooden bridges, but back to the casita safe and sound.
I don't think I'd go to Zozobra again, but it was pretty cool (and so strange), and quite the experience!
Viva la fiesta--festivities continue through the weekend, with all state offices closing at 2pm tomorrow.
Time for bed!
Pic 1: Zozobra by daylight
Pic 2: Zozobra right before the burn, with the pagan dancers
Pic 3: Zozobra burning!!!
As it got darker, the crowds swelled and swelled and by 8 you could tell that people were getting restless. Chants of "Burn Him" began (a little too reminiscent of "Lord of the Flies" crossed with the scene where the Deatheaters come out at the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter IV) and got louder as the time came closer to the Burn.
The Burn began with the stadium lights going out, and people pressing their way to the front, chanting louder and louder. Dancers began a pagan ceremony up and down the Aztec temple style stairs that led to Zozobra, running around, throwing fire sticks, and cueing the fireworks to begin. This pre-burn activity lasted way too long, but you could tell it was just to get people more and more riled up. Little kids were screaming, adults were calling for the burn in the kind of scary, intense voices that only come out when it's dark and no one can tell who's yelling. The pot smoke grew thicker and thicker, and finally, after the red flame dancer came out, the burn began. Zozobra, about 40-feet tall, and a working marionette, is filled with gloom messages: divorce papers, speeding tickets, and gloomy thoughts written on scraps of paper loaded into the bottom of the structure. I think it would've been more "cleansing" without the screaming and the incredibly loud amplified moaning of Zozobra himself. The burn was pretty spectacular, and over very quickly. Getting out of that place was a little scary--masses and masses of people trying to crowd over very small wooden bridges, but back to the casita safe and sound.
I don't think I'd go to Zozobra again, but it was pretty cool (and so strange), and quite the experience!
Viva la fiesta--festivities continue through the weekend, with all state offices closing at 2pm tomorrow.
Time for bed!
Pic 1: Zozobra by daylight
Pic 2: Zozobra right before the burn, with the pagan dancers
Pic 3: Zozobra burning!!!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
10,000 Waves
So on Monday, after hearing my neck pop while doing some pilates, and having the day off from the museum, I decided to make use of Kate's birthday present, a gift-certificate to the renowned Santa Fe Japanese Spa, 10,000 Waves. What an incredibly beautiful place. You'll see below the pictures of the grounds on the walk up. The Spa is known for their Japanese baths--sort of like a hot-tub, but oh-so-much nicer. They have communal men's and women's tubs, in addition to private tubs. They are all enclosed, with rain showers, cold plunges, saunas, teak decking, and the blue sky and many trees above. I'm having a hard time thinking of a more relaxing place. If you come to Santa Fe (and please do!), you must spend a day here. Better yet, I'll take you. It was fun talking to people on vacation, some who postponed leaving Santa Fe, just so they could spend another day here at the spa. My massage was decent (I still have bruises on my back from Pyara's elbows), but I'm a discerning client :-) so you have to be a pretty good masseuse to impress me...and it was good, not great. When I go back (and I will definitely go back) I'll go for the special Japanese pressure point massage. It's so interesting to be in carefully cultivated environments like this one--they've taken much care (open since 1984) in really making a truly quiet and relaxing space that's not really snooty like most spas are. All sorts of people were there--alot of locals too--as they give a hefty New Mexico discount. Everyone walks around in Kimono's and sandals, and somehow that seems almost normal. Almost...until you drive out of the driveway back into reality. But "reality" Santa Fe style is nothing to complain about, so I won't.
I am really settling into work at the museum now--there in my office most days from 8-5:30 ish. Windows open, speakers playing music, me in my comfy grey plush chair taking copious notes on yellow legal pads. It's truly amazing how much work can actually get done in an office when no one comes to knock on your door. Don't get me wrong, I miss my students and teaching terribly, but this gift of time and silence is truly amazing. I've been reading lots of primary and secondary stuff on Stieglitz and Day, shoring my foundations, so I can go on to put Day back into the leadership role of the fine art photography movement. I've rediscovered the critic Sadakichi Hartmann and some key phrases of his from the 1890's like "Day and Stieglitz are the only photographers that should even be looked at by serious "art" critics." All synapses are firing and my brain is back to making connections beyond whatever I am teaching on a given day. Maybe it's all the Gingko Biloba I have to take for the altitude issues--maybe it's the peace and quiet--maybe it's the fact that I know I better make the most out of this four months, because it's back to reality in January. Either way, I am remembering how much I love to research (if not the part that comes after), and that's a sentiment I've not felt for ages.
Life here has settled into a routine--museum, gym, eating healthy, listening to Cds, not watching TV--I have one, but rarely turn it on--there's nothing I really need to be distracted from. I do find that I miss people (my husband especially), but the solitude has its benefits, and there are plenty of nice people to talk to at the research center when I get tired of putting pen to paper. The guards are particularly informative and amusing. It is, I must admit, SO strange not to be at BC after 11 years, but I am getting plenty of updates from my old students and advisees, which I am grateful for!
Tomorrow is the burning of Zozobra, which I am excited for. I mean, who doesn't want to see a 40 foot tall Old Man Gloom go up in flames with 30000 other spectators. I'll be sure to fill you in :-). Good Night!
Check out 10,000 Waves: http://www.tenthousandwaves.com/
I am really settling into work at the museum now--there in my office most days from 8-5:30 ish. Windows open, speakers playing music, me in my comfy grey plush chair taking copious notes on yellow legal pads. It's truly amazing how much work can actually get done in an office when no one comes to knock on your door. Don't get me wrong, I miss my students and teaching terribly, but this gift of time and silence is truly amazing. I've been reading lots of primary and secondary stuff on Stieglitz and Day, shoring my foundations, so I can go on to put Day back into the leadership role of the fine art photography movement. I've rediscovered the critic Sadakichi Hartmann and some key phrases of his from the 1890's like "Day and Stieglitz are the only photographers that should even be looked at by serious "art" critics." All synapses are firing and my brain is back to making connections beyond whatever I am teaching on a given day. Maybe it's all the Gingko Biloba I have to take for the altitude issues--maybe it's the peace and quiet--maybe it's the fact that I know I better make the most out of this four months, because it's back to reality in January. Either way, I am remembering how much I love to research (if not the part that comes after), and that's a sentiment I've not felt for ages.
Life here has settled into a routine--museum, gym, eating healthy, listening to Cds, not watching TV--I have one, but rarely turn it on--there's nothing I really need to be distracted from. I do find that I miss people (my husband especially), but the solitude has its benefits, and there are plenty of nice people to talk to at the research center when I get tired of putting pen to paper. The guards are particularly informative and amusing. It is, I must admit, SO strange not to be at BC after 11 years, but I am getting plenty of updates from my old students and advisees, which I am grateful for!
Tomorrow is the burning of Zozobra, which I am excited for. I mean, who doesn't want to see a 40 foot tall Old Man Gloom go up in flames with 30000 other spectators. I'll be sure to fill you in :-). Good Night!
Check out 10,000 Waves: http://www.tenthousandwaves.com/
Sunday, September 2, 2007
!Viva la Feista!
This Labor Day weekend is the start of the week-long fiesta in Santa Fe that occurs during the first week of September each year. The Fiesta commemorates the Spanish reconquering of Santa Fe (from the Indians) in 1692, led by Don Diego De Vargas. It is both a religious celebration and a party, with a strong mix of Native and Catholic elements. This weekend, the first events included a huge Arts and Crafts fair on the Plaza, entertainment last night in the Capital park (mostly mariachi and dancing), and the annual Night Light Parade. It was lots of fun to wander among the many vendors at the Arts and Crafts fair--it's really amazing to see the unique things people make--both useful and not. I curbed my tendency to buy things and just had a strawberry lemonade agua fresca as I strolled around. I then wandered over to the park to listen to a few hours of very varied mariachi--some great, some not. Santa Fe's first all-girl mariachi band was fabulous; the self-promoting "Jenna" not so much. There was also traditional dancing on the center stage, and the little girls all running around in their fancy dresses, petticoats and cowboy boots were absolutely adorable. When darkness fell completely, around 8:30, the parade began and I walked closer to home to watch it, as the procession went right past my street. As the parade began--floats and marching bands all illuminated with Christmas lights and other glow in the dark paraphanelia--the heavens opened and it started absolutely pouring, thundering and lightning. I watched the parade, got soaked, and felt very bad about all the costumes and floats getting ruined; such is life.
Today, I decided to go to the Indian Arts and Crafts festival at the Santo Domingo Pueblo, about 20 miles south of Santa Fe. It was neat to go and explore the Pueblo and also to visit the literally hundreds of tents filled with jewelry, pottery, and weavings. It was even harder to contain myself (and my wallet) at this fair as the array of turquoise and other shell and stone jewelry was stunning. Though I wanted a $200 necklace, I settled on a very cool $20 bracelet and a lunch of roasted green chile covered Indian Fry Bread. The bread is sort of like fried dough, but better. I brought my camera, but no pictures were allowed in the pueblo. This was too bad as I would have loved to take some shots of the traditional Indian dances that occured throughout the morning. It was incredibly hot at the pueblo, so after a few hours, I headed for home and for a swim workout at the Fort Marcy pool. The altitude sickness is better thanks to copious amounts of water and hefty doses of Ginkgo Biloba.
Fiesta continues all week, the highlight being the burning of Will Shuster's Zozobra (Old Man Gloom) at Ft. Marcy Park on Thursday night. All year long, people collect their bad thoughts, old speeding tickets, divorce papers, etc. and put them into the huge Zozobra to be burned. This ritual, done since the 1930s, is supposed to rid Santa Fe of gloom and bad thoughts. Apparently it's quite the sight, with more than 30,000 watching. I've already got my ticket, and the park is right behind my casita, so I am looking forward to it. There's also lots of entertainment on the plaza next weekend. Maybe I'll have some new friends by that point, as at least one other scholar is coming this week :-).
I am enjoying it here--it's very cool to see so many new and different traditions (new and different to me anyways). Enjoy the rest of your weekends. I cannot believe it's the end of summer.
Pics 1-4: Images from the start of the fiesta on the Plaza yesterday.
Pic 5: The little Casita I live in....
Today, I decided to go to the Indian Arts and Crafts festival at the Santo Domingo Pueblo, about 20 miles south of Santa Fe. It was neat to go and explore the Pueblo and also to visit the literally hundreds of tents filled with jewelry, pottery, and weavings. It was even harder to contain myself (and my wallet) at this fair as the array of turquoise and other shell and stone jewelry was stunning. Though I wanted a $200 necklace, I settled on a very cool $20 bracelet and a lunch of roasted green chile covered Indian Fry Bread. The bread is sort of like fried dough, but better. I brought my camera, but no pictures were allowed in the pueblo. This was too bad as I would have loved to take some shots of the traditional Indian dances that occured throughout the morning. It was incredibly hot at the pueblo, so after a few hours, I headed for home and for a swim workout at the Fort Marcy pool. The altitude sickness is better thanks to copious amounts of water and hefty doses of Ginkgo Biloba.
Fiesta continues all week, the highlight being the burning of Will Shuster's Zozobra (Old Man Gloom) at Ft. Marcy Park on Thursday night. All year long, people collect their bad thoughts, old speeding tickets, divorce papers, etc. and put them into the huge Zozobra to be burned. This ritual, done since the 1930s, is supposed to rid Santa Fe of gloom and bad thoughts. Apparently it's quite the sight, with more than 30,000 watching. I've already got my ticket, and the park is right behind my casita, so I am looking forward to it. There's also lots of entertainment on the plaza next weekend. Maybe I'll have some new friends by that point, as at least one other scholar is coming this week :-).
I am enjoying it here--it's very cool to see so many new and different traditions (new and different to me anyways). Enjoy the rest of your weekends. I cannot believe it's the end of summer.
Pics 1-4: Images from the start of the fiesta on the Plaza yesterday.
Pic 5: The little Casita I live in....
Friday, August 31, 2007
I need an Altitude Adjustment....
So, I was all proud of myself for joining the Fort Marcy Community Recreation Center this week so I could swim and work out, but even the best of intentions need a little adjusting. I swam a mile yesterday, felt fine while doing it, and was actually a little psyched that 3 weeks out of the pool did not undo all the hard work I put in at the good old Plex this summer. And then....I went home, cooked myself some dinner (gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce), and went to stroll around the Plaza and got a horrible headache, the headache that just won't quit.
I, apparently, am having some difficulty with Santa Fe's altitude--a totally common affliction--but a huge annoyance. Apparently you eventually get used to it, but in the meantime, I must drink obscene quantities of water, take some aleve, and hope for the best. Some toned-down workouts are also in future plans. Santa Fe is roughly 7000 feet above sea level and, for east-coasters, a bit of an adjustment. All the people I've told about this episode have nodded knowingly, and told stories of what happened to them when they first moved here. Some people still have difficulty sleeping throught the night because their throat dries up. Thankfully I've no sleeping problems, but I am more fatigued, and guess I will just grin and bear it, as there's no real cure unless you get really sick and have to go to the hospital for a prescription.
The headache is starting to subside, but I seriously think I've had more than a gallon of water today. All else is well. I went over to the museum itself today to view the show that's about to come down "Circling Around Abstraction."
(http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/visit/current.html) The Museum itself is lovely and well-organized and the show was extremely interesting. I especially like O'Keeffe's early work from the teens and twenties, and it was well represented in the show. I've always liked her work, but reading her bio. in conjunction with being at the museum has been really fascinating, and I've begun to get some more ideas together about Stieglitz. I also had my research library introduction this afternoon, and Eumie, the librarian and co-director of the Research center, could not be nicer, or more helpful. It's going to be a productive fall!
I can't believe it is Labor Day weekend already, and it feels strange not to be home, or going to the beach. Ah well, we adjust. I am thinking of going to check out Taos on Sunday and maybe go to an Indian festival at one of the nearby Pueblos.
Now I'm off to find my local movie theatre. More Water!!
I, apparently, am having some difficulty with Santa Fe's altitude--a totally common affliction--but a huge annoyance. Apparently you eventually get used to it, but in the meantime, I must drink obscene quantities of water, take some aleve, and hope for the best. Some toned-down workouts are also in future plans. Santa Fe is roughly 7000 feet above sea level and, for east-coasters, a bit of an adjustment. All the people I've told about this episode have nodded knowingly, and told stories of what happened to them when they first moved here. Some people still have difficulty sleeping throught the night because their throat dries up. Thankfully I've no sleeping problems, but I am more fatigued, and guess I will just grin and bear it, as there's no real cure unless you get really sick and have to go to the hospital for a prescription.
The headache is starting to subside, but I seriously think I've had more than a gallon of water today. All else is well. I went over to the museum itself today to view the show that's about to come down "Circling Around Abstraction."
(http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/visit/current.html) The Museum itself is lovely and well-organized and the show was extremely interesting. I especially like O'Keeffe's early work from the teens and twenties, and it was well represented in the show. I've always liked her work, but reading her bio. in conjunction with being at the museum has been really fascinating, and I've begun to get some more ideas together about Stieglitz. I also had my research library introduction this afternoon, and Eumie, the librarian and co-director of the Research center, could not be nicer, or more helpful. It's going to be a productive fall!
I can't believe it is Labor Day weekend already, and it feels strange not to be home, or going to the beach. Ah well, we adjust. I am thinking of going to check out Taos on Sunday and maybe go to an Indian festival at one of the nearby Pueblos.
Now I'm off to find my local movie theatre. More Water!!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
R.I.P. 2002 Silver Ford Taurus....
The adventures never end in this part of the world. While driving home from the Albuquerque airport on Tuesday afternoon after the San Francisco weekend the Taurus decided to behave really badly--engine light flashing, evil sputtering sounds, no acceleration, etc. So, I decided to try to make it to the nearest dealership, Capitol Ford in Santa Fe, and see what was wrong. I left the car and took a ($25!!) cab back to the casita (note to self: cabs in Santa Fe=bad idea) to await the fate of my vehicle.
I strolled around the Plaza, trying to get a better idea of where I am (and to forget that the car was broken), and had a nice dinner at Il Vicino, a local favorite pizza and salad place. I, of course, also located an amazing paper store-Papergami-which reminded me a lot of home and the Paper Source in Brookline on a much smaller scale. After watching a documentary I bought ages ago about Stieglitz (An Eloquent Eye), I fell asleep. I decided to walk to work on Wednesday morning, a lovely 10-minute stroll, and checked in at the Museum Research Center. Monica, the curatorial assistant, showed me around, and I am thrilled at the whole set-up, especially my amazing office (see below). As I was unpacking books, I got a call from Capitol Ford, letting me know that cylinder #1 in my engine was dead, equaling a $4000 new engine. Steve and I decided (seconded by Vincent the service guy) that there was no way we were putting a new engine in the p.o.s Taurus and so looked at other alternatives. Totally disheartened, I strolled around the Santa Fe car park, inquired about long term rentals at Enterprise ($700/month) and in the end, decided the solution was just to get another car.
So, me being me, I made my decision quickly (which is the antithesis of everything Steve believes in--car research would have taken him at least a month) and decided upon a 2007 Suburu Impreza Outback Sport (see below!). I knew I didn't want another Ford (sorry Dad!) and had been dreaming of Outbacks for awhile, so this little silver sporty version seemed the perfect choice for Maine. It was the last of it's kind on the lot, a standard, and drove really well. So, Robin, my hilarious salesman (Jarrett, if you are reading this, he reminded me SO much of you--same voice!), set me up, got me a reasonable deal, and I spent the better part of the afternoon (four hours) at the dealership purchasing, financing, registering and insuring my car! It's so strange to do this in another state. For instance, in NM, there are no state inspections, you just have to drive the car to the insurance agent and he looks at the odometer. Also, you need to purchase protection against uninsured drivers as more than 40% of drivers in NM are illegal and not-insured. Crazy! So, I will, in a few days, have New Mexico plates, which I think is hilarious. I am enjoying my new ride thus far. And, I would just like to reiterate to Steve that I DID NOT purposefully sabotage the Taurus engine despite earlier threats that I was going to just leave the car on the side of the road in NM before returning home. I guess the 4300 miles we put on the car coming out here was just too much for its delicate sensibilites. Ah well, RIP Taurus, and the impressive $100 trade-in value you brought to me. Honestly, I would have paid the dealership just to dispose of it.
So, back to work in my lovely office. Files are all unloaded, and so, no more excuses, it's time to start writing. Hope you all are well. Drop me an email and let me know what's going on in your parts of the world. Happy Labor Day Weekend and Good Luck to those getting ready to go back to school!
Pic 1: The New Suburu Outback "Sport"
Pic 2: The courtyard of the Research Center
Pic 3: My incredibly beautiful new office!
I strolled around the Plaza, trying to get a better idea of where I am (and to forget that the car was broken), and had a nice dinner at Il Vicino, a local favorite pizza and salad place. I, of course, also located an amazing paper store-Papergami-which reminded me a lot of home and the Paper Source in Brookline on a much smaller scale. After watching a documentary I bought ages ago about Stieglitz (An Eloquent Eye), I fell asleep. I decided to walk to work on Wednesday morning, a lovely 10-minute stroll, and checked in at the Museum Research Center. Monica, the curatorial assistant, showed me around, and I am thrilled at the whole set-up, especially my amazing office (see below). As I was unpacking books, I got a call from Capitol Ford, letting me know that cylinder #1 in my engine was dead, equaling a $4000 new engine. Steve and I decided (seconded by Vincent the service guy) that there was no way we were putting a new engine in the p.o.s Taurus and so looked at other alternatives. Totally disheartened, I strolled around the Santa Fe car park, inquired about long term rentals at Enterprise ($700/month) and in the end, decided the solution was just to get another car.
So, me being me, I made my decision quickly (which is the antithesis of everything Steve believes in--car research would have taken him at least a month) and decided upon a 2007 Suburu Impreza Outback Sport (see below!). I knew I didn't want another Ford (sorry Dad!) and had been dreaming of Outbacks for awhile, so this little silver sporty version seemed the perfect choice for Maine. It was the last of it's kind on the lot, a standard, and drove really well. So, Robin, my hilarious salesman (Jarrett, if you are reading this, he reminded me SO much of you--same voice!), set me up, got me a reasonable deal, and I spent the better part of the afternoon (four hours) at the dealership purchasing, financing, registering and insuring my car! It's so strange to do this in another state. For instance, in NM, there are no state inspections, you just have to drive the car to the insurance agent and he looks at the odometer. Also, you need to purchase protection against uninsured drivers as more than 40% of drivers in NM are illegal and not-insured. Crazy! So, I will, in a few days, have New Mexico plates, which I think is hilarious. I am enjoying my new ride thus far. And, I would just like to reiterate to Steve that I DID NOT purposefully sabotage the Taurus engine despite earlier threats that I was going to just leave the car on the side of the road in NM before returning home. I guess the 4300 miles we put on the car coming out here was just too much for its delicate sensibilites. Ah well, RIP Taurus, and the impressive $100 trade-in value you brought to me. Honestly, I would have paid the dealership just to dispose of it.
So, back to work in my lovely office. Files are all unloaded, and so, no more excuses, it's time to start writing. Hope you all are well. Drop me an email and let me know what's going on in your parts of the world. Happy Labor Day Weekend and Good Luck to those getting ready to go back to school!
Pic 1: The New Suburu Outback "Sport"
Pic 2: The courtyard of the Research Center
Pic 3: My incredibly beautiful new office!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Settling In....
We arrived in Santa Fe late Wednesday afternoon and after a few wrong turns found our way to the 610 Paseo Corto casita, a very sweet little (and I mean little--there's a reason it's a 'casita') place that I will call home until Christmas-time. After unloading books and endless amounts of clothing from the car, we decided to consult the roadtrip book one last time for a dinner suggestion. Once again, it steered us in a very pleasant direction and we had a great southwestern dinner at the Shed. I've never seen garlic bread served with mexican food before, but it was a nice twist and we enjoyed our "last meal" together. Back at the casita, not wanting to unpack, we watched a little TV and fell asleep. On Thursday, I took Steve to the Albuquerque Sunport to fly back to Boston--truly the end of our cross-country trip and back to old and new realities for both of us! Steve's already back at work, and I check into the O'Keeffe Museum to get shown around and move into my office on Wednesday of this week.
After I dropped Steve off at the AP, I managed to miss the turn back onto Route 25 to take me back to Santa Fe (an hour's drive from ABQ) and drove around aimlessly for a bit trying to find my way. Eventually I did, hindered only by a crazy accident, and my extremely poor sense of direction. I always think that it will somehow improve or get better with age--it never does. I used to forget how to get from my house to high school back in the day. I decided to use Thursday as an unpacking and shopping day, so I found all of the local hotspots--Trader Joes, Target (on a street named Cerrillos, leading out of the city, reminding me a lot of Rt. 9 at home) and proceeded to set up my new digs. Not loving the comforter already on the bed, I found myself a more Libby choice, and stocked the pantry. I also had to get a small bookshelf at Target for all of my Maine reading materials in preparation for teaching in January, and I was lamenting the loss of Steve's presence, because I am terrible at following directions and putting things together. I managed to get it done, however, and the place is starting to look a little more homey. My neighbors, the owners of the guesthouse, are quite nice and have two very cute kids. It's just a short walk to the Plaza and to the museum--neither of which I've explored as of yet--having saved the "fun stuff" until the more practical things were done. I found a great local hangout near Trader Joes, "Cafe Santa Fe," where I will happily bring anyone who comes and visits. I found the laundrymat (I thought those days were done for me...alas)! And I found that my day passed rather quicky and I went back to the Casita and packed Kate's Bachelorette weekend in San Francisco.
The Bachelorette weekend was great fun, the highlight being a trip to Napa Valley on Saturday where we had lunch, a tasting and a tour at the Flora Springs winery. The winery, http://www.florasprings.com/, was lovely, quiet (we were the only people there) and I found that when served in such a setting, taken straight from the oak barrels, and with a good bit of explanation, that I quite like wine after all! It was so much fun to see all Kate's friends from Notre Dame, her family, get to know William's mother and sister, and to spend a weekend in San. Fran. is always a treat! I head back to Santa Fe tomorrow (Tuesday) and am excited to go exploring. From what little I've seen of the city thus far, I think I am going to love it and feel very at home there. Best of all, I'm going to get alot of work done. I am halfway through Roxana Robinson's biography of Georgia O'Keeffe (which I thought was only fitting) and will finish the rest this afternoon. It's a wonderful read and her early life was alot more complex than I imagined. It's also helping me understand a great deal more about Stieglitz and his approach to Gallery 291. It's such a treat to think only about my own work, and not about starting school, and so I'll take advantage of what I know will be a rare prospect these next few years. More later!
Pic 1: Slide Rock State Park, Sedona--so much fun!
Pic 2: Lunch at Flora Springs Winery, Napa Valley
After I dropped Steve off at the AP, I managed to miss the turn back onto Route 25 to take me back to Santa Fe (an hour's drive from ABQ) and drove around aimlessly for a bit trying to find my way. Eventually I did, hindered only by a crazy accident, and my extremely poor sense of direction. I always think that it will somehow improve or get better with age--it never does. I used to forget how to get from my house to high school back in the day. I decided to use Thursday as an unpacking and shopping day, so I found all of the local hotspots--Trader Joes, Target (on a street named Cerrillos, leading out of the city, reminding me a lot of Rt. 9 at home) and proceeded to set up my new digs. Not loving the comforter already on the bed, I found myself a more Libby choice, and stocked the pantry. I also had to get a small bookshelf at Target for all of my Maine reading materials in preparation for teaching in January, and I was lamenting the loss of Steve's presence, because I am terrible at following directions and putting things together. I managed to get it done, however, and the place is starting to look a little more homey. My neighbors, the owners of the guesthouse, are quite nice and have two very cute kids. It's just a short walk to the Plaza and to the museum--neither of which I've explored as of yet--having saved the "fun stuff" until the more practical things were done. I found a great local hangout near Trader Joes, "Cafe Santa Fe," where I will happily bring anyone who comes and visits. I found the laundrymat (I thought those days were done for me...alas)! And I found that my day passed rather quicky and I went back to the Casita and packed Kate's Bachelorette weekend in San Francisco.
The Bachelorette weekend was great fun, the highlight being a trip to Napa Valley on Saturday where we had lunch, a tasting and a tour at the Flora Springs winery. The winery, http://www.florasprings.com/, was lovely, quiet (we were the only people there) and I found that when served in such a setting, taken straight from the oak barrels, and with a good bit of explanation, that I quite like wine after all! It was so much fun to see all Kate's friends from Notre Dame, her family, get to know William's mother and sister, and to spend a weekend in San. Fran. is always a treat! I head back to Santa Fe tomorrow (Tuesday) and am excited to go exploring. From what little I've seen of the city thus far, I think I am going to love it and feel very at home there. Best of all, I'm going to get alot of work done. I am halfway through Roxana Robinson's biography of Georgia O'Keeffe (which I thought was only fitting) and will finish the rest this afternoon. It's a wonderful read and her early life was alot more complex than I imagined. It's also helping me understand a great deal more about Stieglitz and his approach to Gallery 291. It's such a treat to think only about my own work, and not about starting school, and so I'll take advantage of what I know will be a rare prospect these next few years. More later!
Pic 1: Slide Rock State Park, Sedona--so much fun!
Pic 2: Lunch at Flora Springs Winery, Napa Valley
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