We had been told that there was a pretty good farmers' market downtown Santa Fe, by the railyards, and even though we really didn't need a thing, we thought we'd go check it out. Ya just never know what you'll find at a market, right? Last week, in Colorado Springs, we found lots more than we bargained for (weed, right out in the open) and some really, really GOOD peaches. So, we made sure pup was set for the morning, as we weren't planning to bring her. The day promised to be really hot, and we thought there'd be a big crowd (my worst fear, and it was realized) and we were concerned for her well-being. Just figured she'd rather be home sleeping on the sofa or watching the world go by from her perch up there. Well, it WAS crowded. And it WAS hot. Not too hot for us (it's NEVER too hot for us!), but it was hot for a pup wearing a heavy fur coat.
We made our way down to the railyard, but parking was absolutely non-existent. Just like Friday, when we went to Fiesta. Traffic in Santa Fe is unbelievable. And we were there well before 10 am!! Several blocks away, we found a few empty metered spaces, but they needed an app to pay. OK, so I downloaded the app, thank you Verizon, reception was a whole lot better there than in the campground, and the app downloaded without issue. The options to pay were credit card, Google Pay, or PayPal. Well, ain't that a crock-a...poop. We have enough trouble with our credit card getting compromised at service stations, and then having to be one place long enough to get a new one, so we didn't really want to give it up. I don't use Google Pay, so PayPal sounded like a good option. I generally keep a few bucks in that account, in case I want need to purchase embroidery designs or something else online...so, ok, PayPal is the way to go. We got through all the account registration biz, and chose to pay with PayPal. Once I logged in to PayPal, I expected to be presented with the usual payment screen. Oooooh, noooo...Couldn't be that easy. The only options I had were my Visa card, an expired Mastercard, or my savings account that was associated with my PayPal account. Whaaaa??? Nooooo way was I gonna give an unknown parking app access to my savings account! And I didn't want to use my Visa, that's why we chose PayPal, right? So I backed out of the app, and we pulled out of the parking space. A few more blocks away, we found a car dealership that had a couple of empty spaces and pulled in there. For free, we hoped.
Grabbed a couple of tote bags (oh yeah, Santa Fe outlawed disposable plastic bags about 7 years ago, so when you buy groceries, you'd better bring your own bags, or be prepared to pay a buck a piece for paper ones!) and started the long trek back to the market area. It was already crowded, but the smells were enticing! There was this guy hawking his corn...sweet, sweeter and sweetest. And the sweetest was the more gooder. So he said. Yup, we got some. It wasn't the best we've had, but it was good. He was NOT the oddest individual we saw that day. We saw sequin pants, weird, lace up over the knee sandals, and people whose gender we couldn't determine. Definitely a cultural experience.
A beekeeper with his wax and honey...yum.
Lots of beautiful flowers and chili ristras.
Several vendors roasting and vending their chiles...
We ended up buying a huge bunch of radishes, both red and spicy hot white, a bunch of carrots, tomatoes of all kinds, from 4 different vendors, 2 types of cucumbers, calabash squash, a jar of apricot jam (oh, my, it's good, too!!), a quart of apple cider, a bag of hot roasted chiles, and a SEVEN DOLLAR carton of eggs. Free range, grain/bug fed chickens, and they are HUUUUGE, but still, SEVEN DOLLARS. We even had to wait 45 minutes for them to become available. Turns out, this farm has CSA customers, and only if they didn't pick up were their eggs available to the public for purchase. We ate 3 eggs this morning. Were they worth it? Ummm...yeah, probably so.
So, for people that really didn't need anything, we came away with 3 full bags of fresh organic produce and other goods. Good thing we didn't need anything! Space is short and we haven't found the money tree yet, so we were able to pass up all the artists' offerings without issue.
Remember back in April, when we went down to meet up with friends in Sarasota? Well, maybe not, and we weren't blogging back then, so maybe you don't know. But, we did. And while there, we met Kelly & her husband, Martin, and their 2 little girls. They're a really nice young couple, who were traveling around the country in their 5th wheel, homeschooling and seeing the sights. Well, they are actually from Santa Fe, and when we told them we were planning to go that way, they said we should let them know when we were in town, and they'd see if we could meet up. Well, SURPRISE! I was able to contact her through her etsy shop, RocknCountryGoods, and she remembered us! They are no longer full-timing and traveling, and they have resettled in Santa Fe, where they have family. They suggested meeting up for dinner at Upper Crust Pizza.
Tiny little pueblo place, isn't it? Well, you should see the alleyway that goes around back. Let's just say it's a good thing we weren't driving the Dodge dually we USED to have! Pretty sure we would have taken paint off something....the fenders or the walls, not sure which.
We arrived a few minutes early, so we had time to check out the church next door. Check it out! It's the oldest church structure (I'm assuming, still standing) in the USA! Circa 1610! Yes, that would be pretty darned old.
This is one of the oldest buildings in America. It rests on part of the foundation of an ancient Indian Pueblo, dating from around 1200 BC. From their website, it "was once inhabited by a tribe from the Tano speaking tribes of the northern part of the territory. Sometime around 1435 CE, this tribe abandoned their village, moving on to other sites farther south in search of water, better fields or hunting grounds." Check out that link I provided, the history is really pretty interesting. In the photo below, you'll see part of the old adobe they have left exposed (that block on the left of the building, but just left of center of the photo)
The newer part of the house has been converted to a gift shop, selling, what else, Native American art and jewelry. It was closed, so we didn't get to go in or see the other half of the home, which is now a museum. Maybe later in the week, if we can find our way back to a parking spot nearby. That's a big IF!
Across the alleyway is the side wall of the oldest church.
And back to the oldest house, is one heck of an old door & doorway.
Back inside, Martin and Dick were in line to put our order in. We don't know who the random girl is....she just popped in for a photobomb! Actually, I'm pretty sure Dick coerced her into the picture, but, noooo, it's NOT Kelly, even though that IS Martin. Kelly was around back, with their two daughters, keeping our table safe. Don't ask, sometimes, it's just too complicated even for me to understand. Quirky as the joint was, the pizza was fabulous, and the company a lot of fun. Defintely another cultural experience. Barbara & Charles - y'all would love it here.
And, as it turns out, the Pink Adobe is just across the street! Randy, why is it we should be sure to eat there???
On Friday night, we wend dancing in El Dorado, as planned, and we found out that the caller and her husband actually own a campground, just down the road, Rancheros de Santa Fe. In retrospect, it looks like that would have been a much better choice than the one we're in, but you know what they say about hindsight. This one isn't bad....if you like a gravel parking lot. There are TWO patches and one long strip of very green grass, and there are signs everywhere, NO DOGS ON THE GRASS. And there are cameras everywhere else, so puppy is not a very happy camper. She's already had one bath since being here, and she's ready for another one already. We arrived Wed afternoon, and it's only Sunday evening. Oh, but back to dancing...we found out that the caller has a second club, down in Albuquerque, The Hot Chile Steppers. They danced this afternoon, and we joined 'em. We met at a square dance, so I guess it only makes sense to spend our anniversary eve dancing, right? Lisa, the caller, was even kind enough to sing us a special song as the last dance. Awwwww, so sweet.
After the dance, the caller's husband, Tom, spent some time telling us about a whole lot of really neat places we should go and things we should see while we're in town. I didn't think there were any hot springs in the area, but, surprise, there are TWO! We checked 'em out on the internet tonight, and one of them looks pretty feasible, not to mention, affordable. The other one, a little farther away (a LOT farther away) ran $295 a night, and nope, I didn't forget to put a decimal point in there....
I never thought I'd say this, but now you are all caught up. Well, except for the Atlanta Zoo and the Firehouse Museum I wanted to share with y'all. That just might have to wait for a rainy day when I don't have any sewing to do. (and can find the device on which those pictures are currently residing) Speaking of sewing - Marie, your luggage handle wraps go out in the morning! I haven't figured out what I'm gonna do about that messed up baby beanie yet. We've looked around for a replacement, but what I've found isn't quite the same. We're not done looking, but we're almost out of options, not to mention time.
So, till next time, y'all stay safe!
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