Santa Fe Holiday

I think I could have timed this better. Who knew Santa Fe was the hot place to be on Memorial Day weekend? The hotels and restaurants are full, the shops and galleries all doing a booming business. People can’t seem to get enough turquoise jewelry, Mexican skeleton art, and things woven by genuine Indians. There’s an art fair featuring local artists down at the Santa Fe Plaza, as well as an antique car rally, so it’s quite the colorful assembly of folks milling around.

Given the chaos, of course, I had to put my personal quest on hold. I walked the streets of historic Santa Fe today, listened to the Mariachi band in the Plaza, went to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and hunted for Western-style boots for the grandkids. You’d think there’d be a lot of kids’ boots for sale in New Mexico, but no. What you do see all over are Minnetonka Moccasins, which I can buy in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where I happen to live, for half the price.

I imagine things will slow down some by tomorrow. I’m going to take one more day of sight-seeing in downtown Santa Fe, then head for the quiet of the New Mexico countryside. There must be a lot of buttes and things out there, places where a body can sit and contemplate her insignificant spot in the universe. Georgia found enlightenment. Why not me?