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‘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.