Playing Tourist

Surprise – Musette joined me for a few days in Santa Fe!  We had a blast. Here’s a rundown of what we did …

Musette arrived Thursday afternoon via train, to Lamy NM, just south of Santa Fe – a veeery cool way to arrive on the local scene.  Here’s a photo of the train station, which looks pretty much like it did when it was built in 1909 … you can practically see the tumbleweeds blowing by, and the music from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly playing in the background, if you’d like to whistle a few bars.

Friday we drove down to Albuquerque to visit the Clear Light outfit (which I’m always yapping about but had never been to), Musette picked up a few things and I bought their saffron and cedar bar soap which I’d never smelled, and it is fantastic.  Then we skedaddled over to 5.11 Tactical because they have a retail store there, Musette was super excited … until we got there and they’ve taken their business in a new direction, it was all clothes (as opposed to fun gear) and kind of a disappointment.  Oh, well!  Back to Santa Fe where we had a late lunch (green chile and chicken enchiladas, and nachos) at the old standby, Tomasita’s, which was delicious.

One of our many walks around the neighborhood.

Saturday morning we went to the farmer’s market down the street, always a nice stroll, and the small, charming artists’ market next to it.  Then we were off to our favorite consignment joint, Double Take, which was my go-to when I lived here in the 1990s and which has slowly expanded to take over most of the big building it’s in, with different areas for western wear, household furnishings, kids’ clothes, a more upscale/designer room, etc.  I rarely leave Double Take without something, and this time it was a fabulous long coat which made me happy.  They had a pair of the Fiorentini + Baker moto boots in Musette’s size (she has been lusting over mine) but they’re cut oddly/too narrow at the throat where you slide your foot in, so sadly that was a no-go for Musette.  We also stalked some kind of perfume/ambient spray sillage (delightful!) through the store and finally narrowed it down to a trio of young women who we (okay, initially Musette) cheerfully accosted.  Turns out it’s a triple-threat layer of Jo Malone: Orange Blossom; Wood Sage & Sea Salt; and Davana & Honeysuckle.  Let me tell you, that young woman smelled amazing.

Onward!  We swung by the local spice store, then out to the Super Walmart.  Uh, why?   Because we’re both weird and we enjoy visiting Walmart in different regions to check out the local/regional differences in stock, layout, customer base, etc.  (Here: a lot of southwestern spices and fixin’s, etc.)  We also got Coco a small soft-sided zip carrier which makes her safer and more contained in the car; her feelings about said contraption are still mixed, but we felt better with her in there, especially after she managed to climb unnoticed from the back seat into the front well on the driver’s side while Musette was driving on the highway, which was not great in the moment, but thankfully we all emerged unscathed.

Coco inspects the kiva fireplace.

Sunday was a long, leisurely breakfast with friends (hey, Carolyn!) at Cafecito, to which I had not been and it was wonderful.  Then we swung by another fun consignment place, Congeries, mostly because I like the way they stage their furnishings (it’s a huge old warehouse).  Then off to an early dinner with an old friend of mine, just outside of town, and then home and falling into bed.

Today I had to work, so Musette borrowed the car and went off and did her own thing while I slaved over the keyboard and petted/walked the dog.  We’ve taken a lot of walks and done a lot of just hanging out and chatting.  Tomorrow morning Musette is off again toward home on the train.  I wasn’t sure how all this would work out – my place is small, and Musette slept on the couch, bless her – but it turned out great as a trial run for company, and we’re already making plans for whatever the next adventure will be!