Oddly, I didn't take any photos of Santa Fe Plaza after we passed through Burro Alley on our way in. It's under construction right now, and not as inviting as I imagine it is most of the time. We looked into the shops around the perimeter, but the best was the group of Native American artisans displaying their wares on blankets along one long wall.
I bought a lovely necklace from a woman named Geraldine. She seemed a little emotional as she handed it over. It's an image of a corn stalk stamped through a thin oval disk of silver. I told her that it called to me because I grew up where a lot of corn is grown and that I connected with the reverence the people here have for corn.
All the current political, economic and dietary misuses of corn aside, it's a crop that has helped people in hard scrabble times survive. My people counted on corn once, too, grinding it kernel by kernel in wooden mortars.
We lunched at a busy little restaurant, Cafe Castro. These are sopapillas. (Later, at Taos Pueblo, we'll learn that these are just like Indian frybread except that they are cut before cooking so they make puffed up pockets.) They are simply delicious, drizzled with honey from a container on the table.
The waitress grinned when I ordered my pork tamales Christmas style. I'd done my research and knew that that's how you get to try both the red chili and the green chili sauces.
The cashiers at Jackalope had told us about Cafe Castro. This is a great place to shop on a budget, and it has a really nifty history. When a local flea market closed down years ago, Darby McQuade invited the displaced vendors to relocate behind his shop. The result is a maze of vendors behind the well-stocked store.
The main store is kind of like Pier One used to be years and years ago, but with the added draw of offering the work of local artists on consignment. It's worth a look if you're in Santa Fe and have the time. I found out there's one in North Hollywood that I'll have to check out.
Back at the B&B...the neighbor's cat.
What a welcoming doorway. That's my hat on the wood. I'd decided against it on our way out.
Diver made a fire in the fireplace. Have I sold you on Dunshee's yet?
2 comments:
Thanks for the Jackalope in N.H. tip. I'll have to check it out, too.
KathyR- I'm looking forward to seeing the NoHo store myself. I doubt it will be as amazing as the original, since we stopped by one in Albuquerque later and it was more like a regular store. But given it's location,there might be some interesting consignment work.
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