Journeys

A gem hidden in plain sight

As we are wont to do, we motored along high- & by-ways out of the city, watching for whatever might strike our fancy. In a country heavily populated with trading posts, a sign for the Nambé Trading Post caught my attention more than most, or was it just that the day was young when I spotted it?

We took the turn, enjoying the serenity of a tree-shaded narrow road winding past vine-covered fences. A sign at a small opening to one side declared we had reached our destination, but unfortunately, we arrived on a day when the place was not open.

Disappointing; however, the good news was that we would be in the Santa Fe area long enough to return at a more opportune time, and return we did.

Arriving even before stated business hours, the proprietor, Jennifer Jesse Smith, a collected jewelry designer & silversmith, graciously invited us inside, where we were immediately enveloped in the atmosphere of quiet charm, of antiquity, of a sense of stepping back into a time when life's pace allowed for traditional customs, creativity and quality handwork to be passed from one generation to the next.

A 75-year-old enterprise, it had fallen on hard times until Jennifer's partnership with her mother, Cathy Smith, breathed life back into the historic destination. Our host was forthcoming about all aspects of the endeavor, charming us with her soft-spoken grace as we perused the eclectic collection of native & western items, all beautifully displayed.

Items on display and for sale included "Navajo weavings – antique and contemporary, pueblo pottery, Zuni katsinas, and old pawn jewelry, as well as fine jewelry, paintings & micaceous cookware by local artists working in traditional styles. Moccasins, craft supplies, antique Venetian seed beads and buckskin are available as well," we are informed by their website.

In 2019, the trading post was voted by Condé Nast Traveler as one of Santa Fe's top seven shopping experiences, quite an accolade in light of the huge number of galleries, shops, trading posts, museums and the like for which the city is known . . . and a top-awarded woman-owned business, as well.

But wait . . .

"Trading post" was what drew me . . . and we nearly missed the other part that far surpassed any notion I might have harbored about what "A museum of western film & costume" entailed, that being the second part of the place's name. Didn't do a thing for me in the beginning, but conversation with Jennifer at last caught my attention.

We opted for the nominally-priced audio tour of the collection in a separate area of the store, and I was hooked immediately upon stepping through that door.

What lay beyond were multiple "stations" of displays from some of the more than 40 western movies and television series that Cathy, with her Lakota background, has consulted on, and created the costuming for - authentic and true to the historic realities, personalities and traditions portrayed in each film.

Each display was artfully curated with costumes, film props, original scripts and more. The audio narrated by Cathy herself explained details of what we were seeing, how each aspect was created in keeping with the historic tradition, and the meaning behind the reality.

The museum's 15 selections are from iconic western films & television series "chosen for their authenticity and historical accuracy", including Dances with Wolves, Geronimo, Longmire, and Son of the Morning Star, for which Cathy was awarded an Emmy for Costume Design - the first and only time that Native American costumes have won an Academy Award. The Emmy is on display there.

Native American costume authenticity, new to film making, is enabled by research of historic photos, drawings & descriptions.

Jennifer, who. works as stylist and more on the movies as well as Cathy, kindly allowed me to take a few photos to illustrate the types of displays the museum offers. Learning the details about what we were seeing was fascinating!

I will not go on at more length despite my enthusiasm for the place, but I highly encourage exploration of their website: https://www.nambetradingpost.com/, and Cathy's website: https://www.cathyasmith.com/, and more importantly, do not miss a stop there when in the Santa Fe area. It was a highlight of our visit!

And who can resist . . .

. . . waterfalls? Not I, and so our return to the Nambé region also allowed us to go to the appropriately named lake and waterfalls. A tribal-owned recreation area, we agreeably paid our admission fee and set off on the first of two trails to the waterfalls.

An overlook (that should have been my first clue) trail allowed us to see the top two of three cascades descending steeply over the cliff, but not before we ascended a continuous steep climb. Foremost in my mind was how the necessary descent was going to hurt my greatly-stressed leg muscles. To my great relief, sufficient time had passed to allow the pain to subside.

The stream's downward drop is interrupted by a couple of perched pools on mossy boulders wedged in the crevice where they fell.

The climb took us to distant views and wonderful scenery.

After we navigated our downward trek with thunder-rumbling threatening skies overhead, we set off on the cooler hike to the lower fall of the Rio Nambé. "You will get wet," we were advised by the ranger. Somehow, that meant there would be some creek crossing on rocks and maybe some refreshing spray from proximity to the waterfall, in my mind.

The reality was that the bulk of the way was wading upstream in the midst of the river's varying depths shortly after leaving behind the treed banks where the river is leveled out.

The water's cool temperature was indeed refreshing as we made our way upstream between house-size boulders in the canyon's depths.

Approaching the lower fall, it was interesting to see water flowing out of holes in the canyon walls.

The lowest waterfall is far less dramatic, but the only one accessible as it empties into an inviting pool.

A high mountain hike . . .

. . . was our goal for another day when we drove up into the Santa Fe Mountains, part of the Sangre de Cristo range.

We set off far up the mountain at over 10,000 feet. Evidently, we had become somewhat acclimated to higher elevations since we were at Red River, because the exertions did not rob us of breath as it did then.

The dense mixed forest was beautiful, and seemed very healthy in some areas, but other sections were filled with dead trees.

The trail is a cross-country ski route once the winter sets in.

Storms wandered across the distant landscape, escalating into a whing-ding of a rain in Santa Fe that night.

One more lunch at Chimayo . . .

. . . as we bid adios to the spicy New Mexican cuisine and the charming atmosphere there.

Friends, food & art . . .

We were fortunate to have another visit with Allison & Walt before we departed for home, and happily, the time included excellent fare at the Argentinian restaurant just across the way from their studio/home. The hours fly by while we're in conversation with them who seem more like forever friends than newly-found folks.

As we left, I had a lovely painting done by Allison tucked safely under my arm - an exquisite addition to our home. It evokes a peaceful sense of walking down that quiet shaded street - sigh!

Lewis & home . . .

Santa Fe gifted us with a rainbow on our final evening there.

A lunch stop in Joseph City to see Lewis was so brief that I even forgot to snap a pic, but good to have a bit of time with him.

And always, the relief is palpable at arriving home with the familiarity of our surroundings - friends & neighbors nearby - and our gardens welcoming us back, well, except for that one huge tomato plant that had blown over in a storm. With quite a bit of finagling, we righted it and we were rewarded with a very nice harvest for the day.