Several people have asked for some interior photos -- we think they may want to be certain that "Santa Fe Pueblo" does not include dirt floors and a privy around back! Hmmm, this might be smart to check out before anyone volunteers a visit and short home stay in the City Different.
We will try to take a tour beginning in the living room, then working toward the dining area and entry hall, then jumping to the guest room (potential visitors take note) and ending with the master bedroom. You will be aware that we skipped the kitchen/den area. This is not because the fire pit had gone out or resulting from spending too much time hauling water from the stream. Yes, this is sarcasm. Several of you seem to think that Santa Fe is in the wilderness. We are saving the kitchen and den for the next post because we have too many photos already
These three shots are looking south at the fireplace (obviously). You will see lots of Kathy's art work around the house -- it is cool to have walls that can take on her bigger pieces.
Jackson, by the way, is doing wonderfully well. We did have our first fire on Wednesday of last week. For those of you still thinking we moved to Arizona, altitude is everything. We had our first frost on Wednesday morning. It snowed in the mountains about Santa Fe and as of yesterday, Monday, the snow still capped the higher peaks. On the other hand, the daytime temps have returned to more reasonable September levels and yesterday was brilliantly sunny with a high of 81.Still, the fire felt wonderful.
In this shot Craig moved to the west side of the fireplace and looked back at the living room facing a bit north of east. (All of you geography freaks are going to love puzzling out the actual directions.
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)In the next blog I'll try to remember to move to the other side of the living room and shoot toward the west. Since the sun was just peaking under the portal roof while taking these it was impossible to get a decent shot while looking west.
Staying in the same place as the previous shot Craig turned to his left so that he was shooting toward the north. You will see that the living room and dining room are sort of part of the larger more formal common area. Just to the left of Kathy (as you are facing her) is the beginning of the entry hall. To the left of that is the beginning of the kitchen and den that you will see more of in the next blog.
This is the entry hall
Now Craig is standing in the kitchen/den and again looking south. To the right of this photo are a series of French doors that empty out onto the portal which covers the west side of the house.
This is the guest room. Yes, you could find this comfortable for a short visit!
This is the master bedroom. We wanted to be certain that the breezes coming up the mountain would cool the bedroom. Yikes! Even during the heat of early August (nineties during the day) we needed two blankets by early morning. Mountain desert weather is really interesting.
Outside of the master bedroom is a small courtyard with a small fish pond. Kathy had the idea to take some of the scrap beam material and create this bench. At night the water splashing into the pond is better than Tylenol PM. Instant sleep!
Now that wasn't so bad, was it? Obviously we are thrilled with the house. Sometime in the next few days we will try to add the kitchen and den. In the meantime, in Sunday we took Kathy's new Jeep up into the Jemez mountains around Los Alamos. It is difficult to describe but we wandered into a burn area from probably five or six years ago. Instead of desolate wasteland we found life everywhere. Once we got off the road and down a logging trail into the Santa Fe National Forest there were enormous view lines looking back toward Santa Fe. A few Ponderosa Pines had survived and thousands of baby pines were beginning to take root. Scrub oak and Aspen were everywhere and were just beginning to turn colors (Autumn seems to come a bit early here!). A type of sage brush called Chamissa (no idea how to spell it) stands about three to four feet high and is now flowering in incredible yellows that don't look real. We had just passed out of the sunflower season (different kind of sunflowers from back east, and they grow wild on the side of the roads by the tens of thousands) and are now into some sort of small purple daisy and these are everywhere. So standing in this park we felt absolutely alone and couldn't stop looking at the colors and the immense views. It was not only the altitude that took our breath away.
Now that wasn't so bad, was it? Obviously we are thrilled with the house. Sometime in the next few days we will try to add the kitchen and den. In the meantime, in Sunday we took Kathy's new Jeep up into the Jemez mountains around Los Alamos. It is difficult to describe but we wandered into a burn area from probably five or six years ago. Instead of desolate wasteland we found life everywhere. Once we got off the road and down a logging trail into the Santa Fe National Forest there were enormous view lines looking back toward Santa Fe. A few Ponderosa Pines had survived and thousands of baby pines were beginning to take root. Scrub oak and Aspen were everywhere and were just beginning to turn colors (Autumn seems to come a bit early here!). A type of sage brush called Chamissa (no idea how to spell it) stands about three to four feet high and is now flowering in incredible yellows that don't look real. We had just passed out of the sunflower season (different kind of sunflowers from back east, and they grow wild on the side of the roads by the tens of thousands) and are now into some sort of small purple daisy and these are everywhere. So standing in this park we felt absolutely alone and couldn't stop looking at the colors and the immense views. It was not only the altitude that took our breath away.
Thanks for your patience. We know this blog is sort of "happens when it happens". Maybe we are falling into the Manana lifestyle. Maybe we are just too selfish because there is so much we want to do every day. We miss you all.
