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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2016)
CLOSE TO HOME ‘Greetings to the sky’ Columnist David Campiche explores the arid environment of New Mexico Adobe architecture strikes an imposing con- trast to the blue skies of Santa Fe, New Mexico. This land was their land: Navajo, Ute and Hopi. The ¿ erFe &oPanFhe ParaXded here, and the $paFhe, no Pads oI the 6oXthwest. %aFN then, Native $PeriFans FlaiPed the hiJh plateaXs and deep valle\s as their hoPe. 3aleIaFed interlopers XsXrped it, sent *eroniPo and the Iew sXrvivinJ IaPilies E\ wa\ oI iron wheels FrossFoXntr\ to )lorida where Pan\ slowl\ perished. 'reaPs were shattered Ior Pan\ Jenerations. These ¿ rst people disFlaiPed ownership oI this land oI pixon, jXniper and saJeErXsh. The FonFept oI real estate jXst wasn¶t a part oI their FXltXre. Here, the *reat 6pirit provided. This land was His land, a JiIt to all. This land is hiJh and arid, EXt \oX woXld never sa\ desolate. ³6aJeErXsh À ats are liNe an oldJrowth Iorest oI the hiJh Pesa. Never Eeen toXFhed.´ These words were shared E\ an old potter Iriend, 5Xss &oEXrn. $nasa]i potter\ shards litter this Forner oI the :est. 5Xss has IoXnd hXndreds. 2Esessed with desert Folors ² oranJe, \ellow, tan and terra Fotta ² *eorJia 2¶.eeIIe painted Eoth the vast and sPall speFtrXP, and she Pade the sPall speFtrXP vast. 6he painted this larJe sprawlinJ state, New 0e[iFo. 6he praised the naNed ElXe sN\, the Fot tonIaFed FloXds. 6he loved the hXPanliNe FXrves that FXrl down the PoXntain sides and shape deep Fan\ons and waterFarved arro\os, a landsFape swollen liNe taXt desert sNin. 0\ wiIe, /aXrie, and , arrive IroP oXr &olXP Eia3aFi¿ F hoPeland. %reathe in the warP dr\ heat oI the hiJh plateaX. 6TXint throXJh waterloJJed e\eErows as the New 0e[iFo sXn Jlares down on oXr pale sNin. :e are toXrists. This land is their land. :ith so PXFh to e[plore, we pXrFhase two seats on a shXttle EXs IroP $lEXTXerTXe to 6anta )e, a Fit\ oI ,. 2Xr destination Jreets Xs liNe a warP handshaNe. 'r\ and hiJh aEove , Ieet, this historiF tradinJ post rePains Flean, FoPIortaEle and FharPinJ, Folored liNe pastel Fra\ons Frowded into a paint Eo[. $ FornXFopia oI art Jalleries hoXsed in new and reIXrEished adoEe EXildinJs spla\s Xp and down narrow TXiet streets, one oI the larJest FonFentrations oI art Jalleries in $PeriFa. )ine restaXrants are FoPPonplaFe. 6oXth west Iood deliJhts as it EXrns. This is a land oI peppers and Fhilies: Fhi potle, Pole, pasilla neJro ² red, \ellow, Jreen and pXnJent with spiF\ À avor. The\ hanJ IroP the eaves oI EXildinJs ever\where and add to the riFh loFal Folor. (arl\ sprinJ and it¶s raininJ at hoPe, in $storia Coastal Life Story by DAVID CAMPICHE 10 | April 21, 2016 | coastweekend.com Photos by Laurie Anderson High desert sage blankets the ground for miles as far as the eye can see outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. Intricately incised, hand-built red clay pottery defi es the imagination for its precision. or /onJ %eaFh, in oXr lXsh Jreen hoPeland. ,ndoPitaEle oFean waves EreaN, roar, and then pXrr. The land sFape is JreeninJ Xp. 6alPon Eerr\ shrXEs are ElossoPinJ, open inJ their palPs liNe a slowPotion pra\er. 6ea level is at oXr Ieet. The FliPate is tePperate. 2ne wonders iI 2¶.eeIIe woXld have Eeen iPpressed , sXspeFt so. $Iter all, it was 2¶.eeIIe who said, ³*ive P\ JreetinJs to the sN\ and the PoXntains and the sXn and the winds.´ 'oesn¶t that sa\ it all" /onJ EeIore the word was nXrtXred, this woPan was Fonsidered an XnFon¿ rPed IePinist. $s an artist, she led the wa\ to a Podern revolXtion in paintinJ. $s an Xnde¿ ned pantheist, 2¶.eeIIe IoXnd her devotion in the wide open spaFes oI the 6oXthwest landsFape. $ worldFlass PXseXP oI her worN is loFated in 6anta )e. $nother path¿ nder, -aPes %eard, de¿ ned $Peri Fan FXisine, proFlaiPed its distinFtions. He insisted that indiJenoXs Ioods stand Xp tall and Ee praised. 2ne oI his Iavorite destinations was the 3aFi¿ F Northwest. He loved the indiJenoXs FXisine, its reJional Jlor\. He also loved 6oXthwest Iood. $t 3asTXal¶s in 6anta )e, we devoXred Iresh Forn FaNes aFFoPpanied E\ divine Fhili de irEol salsa. :e JorJed on Farne asada porN wrapped in Eanana leaves. HoPePade saXFes and dressinJs spoNe in a 6oXthwest dialeFt that teased and thrilled the palate. 'essert oI FoI Iee iFe FreaP with espresso, shaved FhoFolate, FoFoa niEs and &hantill\ FreaP ¿ nished the repast. Need , sa\ Pore" %Xt there was Pore. 2ne oI oXr Iavorite Peals in \ears ElossoPed IroP the dediFated FheIs at the &o\ ote &aIp on :ater 6treet. The Pavtre d¶ FoXld oIIer a FoXrse in proIessionalisP and aPiFaEilit\ to Post servers aFross $PeriFa. 3assionatel\ pXt, the Peal and hospitalit\ resonated liNe -ohn &oltrane¶s ³$ /ove 6XprePe.´ $nd there was still Pore. To a larJe deJree, 3a Fi¿ F Northwest FXisine has EeFoPe a IXsion oI varied FXltXres, eaFh IeatXrinJ sXEtle EXt e[pliFit FontriEXtions. :e Eorrow IroP Pan\ riFh FXltXres. ,n that reJard, the 6oXthwest in not PXFh diIIerent. 2I FoXrse, we didn¶t see o\sters in New 0e[iFo. :e didn¶t ¿ nd wild PXshrooPs sFattered in a spiF\ risotto adaptation, a PerJer reall\, oI three FXltXres. $nd there were no hXFNleEerries, no ¿ ddlehead Ierns or waterFress. The 6oXthwest is Forn land. $nFient in Jredients perPeate reFipes. $nd the\ shoXld. &orn and Eeans and sTXash have Eeen staples here Ior eons. , EoXJht an antiTXe silver EraFelet with JreentXr TXoise stones. , plaFed it on P\ riJht wrist. 2n the leIt rePained an old Iriend: a Haida EraFelet Farved with s\PEols oI Niller whales. Native people oI these two distinFt lands oIIer art that speaNs to leJend, to spirit, and to P\ths. $nd Pa\Ee to a Eit oI PaJiF. %oth FXl tXres revere their anFestors. The dead speaN to theP as iI the\ were alive and retired to the ne[t rooP. $n Xnde¿ naEle presenFe perPeates these two land sFapes and stroNes oXr soXls. 3ride in landsFape Frosses all FXltXral Earriers. This land is oXr land. This land is \oXrs. ³0eta &X\a 2\asin,´ sa\ the 6ioX[ in JreetinJ and invitation. :e are one people. 9isit the 6oXthwest and reJale. 5etXrn hoPe and ePEraFe old Iriends: oFean and river, pristine sand\ EeaFhes, snowFapped PoXntains and lXsh Iorests. 3raise Ee. My wife, Laurie, and I arrive from our Columbia-Pacifi c homeland. Breathe in the warm dry heat of the high plateau. Squint through water-logged eyebrows as the New Mexico sun glares down on our pale skin. We are tourists.