Once More...Santa Fe

Last time I had us parading down the main street in Taos. That was fun, frankly. But, time now to get us back to Santa Fe.

We headed out. It isn’t a short trip. Even if you stick to the highway -- 68 to 84 -- it is something like an hour and a half drive. Very pretty, but a bit tiring, and after our day out at the Pueblo, I must confess I was fighting fatigue a bit. Finally had to turn the car over to Martha.

Anyway, we arrived. We were staying in what’s called The El Dorado section of the town. This is a kind of suburb of Santa Fe, about 20-minute drive south of the city proper. Martha had found a Airbnb there.

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About the photos: Several today. First, The Cathedral Basilica Of St. Francis Of Assisi. You can see that it its beautiful building. Second, the statue of Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, looking rather grim. Third, Kateri Tekakwitha, a bit more cheerful. Next, an exterior shot of the house we stayed at in Santa Fe. I assume the face is the sun. And, finally, Martha lunch (“lupper”) at the the Plaza Cafe.

Oddly enough, the area has some memories for us. I had a professor at Northeastern University who moved there after he and his wife (also a professor but at another university) retired. While we lived in New Mexico, we visited them a couple of times. But, they’d missed the East Coast, and had moved to upstate New York. A little chilly for my taste, but I understand.

Anyway, we found the Airbnb, which turned out to be one room in a large house. It had its own entry, bathroom, and etc., so it wasn’t like it lacked privacy. And we were only going to be there one night, so we didn’t need more than that.

The house itself was a classic example of Pueblo Revival and Santa Fe style. I’ll post some pictures. And the area around it was breathtaking -- mesa-land, cactus, mesquite, and a terrific view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

That night, we purchased some groceries at a local store and ate a light meal in the room--our usual bread, cheese, and wine. We watched a murder mystery on Martha’s iPad, read a bit, and then went to bed.

One discovery. The room was heated by something I’d never encountered before -- ceramic plate space heaters. These are basically plates of, well, ceramic that have electricity running through ‘em. Turn the current on, and they get hot. Turn it off, and they get cold.(1)

Or that’s the idea, anyway. The ones in the room...um, er, ah...hmm. Not that effective. They were, however, very attractive. Looked like big white squares stuck to the wall. At first I thought they were art works. Then I figured what they were supposed to be. And I turned them on. And...and...we were still cold. Let’s just say that may have provided radiant heat, but they didn’t radiate far. Like about six inches. Okay, three. Or maybe two and a half.

To be fair, I’ve since seen lots of rave reviews of other ceramic heaters on the Web. So, maybe it was the brand we had. But, still, I much preferred the fireplace in Taos. If you’re going to do solid state, go mud brick, I say.

Anyway, the next morning, we got up early, had a quick breakfast, and drove into the city. We spent the day touring. Among other things, we visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis Of Assisi, which is on the Square.(2) It is a beautiful church and I’ll post some pictures. This is, by the way, the work of Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, who I mentioned before, and who is rather controversial here.(3)

One amusing thing, there is a looming black metal sculpture of the Lamy outside the church. The great churchman scowls down at passerbys, and I do wonder what he’d make of the Santa Fe of today. Even more interesting, near his statue is another, this one very modern and colorful. It is of a woman, Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint.(4) And the statue itself is by Estella Loretto, a Native American sculptor.(5) I wonder, too, what the Archbishop would feel about being in such company.

Personally, I love the statue by Estella Loretto. There is a joy in it that is rare, really, in religious art. But, I’m an odd little dude. And what do I know of such matters?

Anyway...we had lunch, or rather “lupper,” (half lunch, half supper) at the Plaza Cafe -- our go-to spot these days for lunch in the Square -- and then walked a bit more. Finally, we found a coffee shop and rested with decaf Americanos.

And, from there, it was back to the Airbnb for a another snack supper of bread and cheese. Such was our last night in Santa Fe.

But, like I said, stay tuned. We have one more day in Albuquerque.

And more importantly...

It will have bright neon, quirky accommodations, more than a little history...

And just a bit of magic.

More to come.

Footnotes

1. Here’s an example of the kind of thing I mean. This is from Herschel Infrared. Now, understand, I know nothing about this company and I am not promoting their product. I am only offering it as an example of ceramic panel space heating: https://www.herschel-infrared.com/product/comfort-portable-infrared-panel-heater/

2. The Cathedral Basilica Of St. Francis Of Assisi has its own webpage here: https://www.cbsfa.org/

3. “Jean-Baptiste Lamy,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Lamy

4. “Kateri Tekakwitha,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kateri_Tekakwitha

5. For her biography, see “Estella Loretto,” Annex Galleries, https://www.annexgalleries.com/artists/biography/5198 But, also be sure to check out her Facebook page, which has several lovely photos of her work: https://www.facebook.com/p/Estella-Loretto-Fine-Art-100066246533366/

Copyright©2026 Michael Jay Tucker

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