Santa Fe 2023

 As I laid by the pool enjoying the September warmth on our last day I realized that if I lived here I would probably take on the hue of an acorn. I soaked it up knowing that I was returning to a Midwest fall. The colors can be glorious but as fall moves into winter I know I would be yearning for this come March or April.

We noticed a commitment to solar energy as we drove through the desert. In sunny climes this only makes sense. New Mexico is known as a fairly progressive, albeit somewhat poor, state. That being said, by the end of our stay I was about adobed out. It was difficult in town to discern what was  what was historical and what was not. The Governor's Palace is 17th century, the Art Museum early 20th. Yet both look as if they are contemporaries of one another. The Art Museum is built in the Pueblo Revival style, an architectural movement I was unaware of prior to this trip. In attempting to pay homage to the past the city, on occasion, succumbs to what borders on monotony. 

I have great respect for the ancient dwellings and public buildings we witnessed, in the city as well as Taos. It was illuminating to see the straw, that gave structural integrity to the venerable structures, mixed with the mud used to build them. To see the rough hewn wood beams, a simple yet effective way of holding up ceilings as well as the floors of multistory structures such as the 1000 year old Taos Pueblos. It was an impressive way of building with what was on hand and  I was intrigued with how effective those methods were at shielding people from the sometimes inhospitable climate. 

Traditions were evident. In many public buildings there were almost identical wooden buttresses at the ends of the ceiling  beams. Churches were simple as apposed to the gaudy showplaces of other house of worship I have visited.

 We witnessed the drop in temperature inside of the shops housed in the adobe homes in Taos Pueblo. We appreciated the large outdoor ovens, also created with the simple and somewhat primative yet effective adobe. 

The city of Santa Fe holds it's fair share of charm. But I am spoiled. I live in a living museum of architecture which spans the late 19th, all of the 20th and the first quarter of the 21st century. Sometimes I need a reminder of how fortunate I am.