frozen creek ice

today we explored santa fe. halfway down from the cabin, we found a stream and i went down to wash some rocks i picked up and wanted to bring home. i found an area where there was a thick layer of frozen ice, and i kept throwing huge rocks at it to try to crack it. i had so much fun doing that, even though my si joint was getting inflamed. it was worth it to feel like a child again.

getting down, the first stop was collected works bookstore and coffeehouse. got a matcha latte and hot cocoa for mom, and an americano for dad. i browsed around and saw "waiting for god" by simone weil.

Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

then we went to the cathedral basilica of st. francis of assisi since it was closing at 4pm. after appreciating it briefly and taking some photos, we continued exploring the town.

i like the architecture, each building having the warm, earthy orange-brown color. i learned it's made from adobe, sun-dried clay, sand, and straw. the thick walls, rounded corners, and flat roofs. since 1957, santa fe required all buildings in the historic district to follow this pueblo revival style, which makes it cohesive. this city has its very own design system. the earth tones range from light-tan to deep reddish-brown, depending on where the clay was sourced.

we went to the street market nearby. i wanted a poncho but it was 80 dollars, which seemed too expensive. i saw labubus in the market too.

we also went into a few gift shops, and i saw the iconic steer skull, which is bleached white cow skulls with long horns, a classic southwestern symbol of rugged wilde west and cowboy culture, made famous by georgia o'keeffe in the 30s in her paintings of the desert.

Steer Skull

i also spotted a lot of turquoise, which is deeply rooted in native american traditions, a deep cultural language of life protection, health, prosperity, and connection to sky water.

as the sun was going down, we went to la plazuela at la fonda hotel. i wanted to try the restaurant there, but the prefix menu that day was 200 dollars per person.

we walked to dumpling tea for dinner. i thought getting it to go would be faster, but we ended up waiting more than an hour while other people who sat down to eat left sooner. it wasn't a pleasant experience. at least the baos were good.

we got to amarillo as a midpoint for the night before we headed to dallas tomorrow.