US Land Logs 2, Year 4: Watching Ziggy Grow
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2009
Weather: Partly Cloudy Day; 60 degrees F; Windy
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico

It is truly hard for us to believe that we have been back in the USA for over a week now. We have been incredibly busy and have vowed to slow down, make contact with friends both in this country and back in Southeast Asia, and just enjoy our time here in New Mexico. But we have certainly enjoyed watching Ziggy grow this week. He changes a little everyday. He is an amazingly good baby, fussing only when he is hungry or needs a diaper changed. He has worked all week to suck his thumb and he has been successful. Justin and Jo are both totally smitten with him as well as both sets of grandparents.

We arrived in Santa Fe when it was freezing and snowing, but that quickly went away and most days are sunny with temps in the upper 60’s, sometimes moving into the lower 70’s. Santa Fe is a high-desert town sitting 7,000 miles above sea level and we have actually been having some difficulty adjusting to that. When we walk long distances or work hard in Justin and Jo’s backyard, we wear out rather quickly. Maybe we are just feeling the stress of age, but since we could work long days in the 90+ degree heat in Thailand without wearing out like this, we are thinking it is the altitude.

Santa Fe is a picturesque little downtown with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains rising up steeply in the background to their snow-capped tops. Most of the buildings and homes in town are built of adobe or a modern version of adobe. The architecture is a mix of Pueblo and Pueblo-influenced Spanish buildings. The one thing it lacks is an ocean, but there is a tiny little river that runs through town and today we went with Justin, Jo, and Ziggy, and Jo’s parents for a delightful picnic lunch by the river in downtown Santa Fe. After lunch, we walked into the downtown area. We first visited the gallery where Jo’s art is on display at the Arte Bella gallery. We then walked into the heart of downtown where Justin used his newly acquired street performer’s license to entertain us with his guitar music in the square. Ziggy was quite a champ through all of this. He is quite adaptable.

Justin and Jo live within walking distance of the downtown area in a lovely neighborhood. Everyone keeps their adobe painted and their yards landscaped. We have watched the spring bloom of tulips and flowering trees and bushes. Lilac is even beginning to bloom here. So we are really enjoying spring in the desert. We are also enjoying Santa Fe’s great bus transportation system. We have used it extensively this past week searching for a few pieces of furniture for Justin, Jo, and Ziggy. We searched all the thrift stores and came up with a great little dining table with four chairs and a 6-drawer chest for Ziggy’s clothes that also serves as his changing table. In doing this, we have become very familiar with the 8 miles just south of town. When not shopping, we have been working in Justin and Jo’s backyard to dog-proof the garden areas. Justin and Jo have a big dog named Alfie who loves to dig holes in the garden and a smaller dog named Lulu who just likes to eat baby clothes. So we are working on both fronts to dog-proof Ziggy’s clothes and the garden.

Last night we went out to dinner with friends from Concord, New Hampshire, Alice and Houston Davis. The first winter we lived aboard our boat in Boston we actually spent four nights a week in Concord house sitting Alice and Houston’s home. They had just retired and moved to Santa Fe and wanted someone in the house until they put it on the market. They live in a beautiful spot just northwest of downtown. It was great seeing friends from back home and we plan to see them again before we head east.

So at the end of one week, we are quite nicely settled into life in Santa Fe. We love our little casita. It is very close to Justin and Jo’s, so we get to visit them and Ziggy everyday. This next week we will continue gardening work and possibly do some local travel by bus and train. We are getting to know Jo’s parents and on Wednesday, her sister arrives. We look forward to meeting Katherine, just hanging out with family, and continuing to watch Ziggy grow.

090425 New Mexico–Watching Ziggy Grow