Diversity of art, pinyon pines add to highlights
As I followed them down an allwhite hallway (accessed by opening a refrigerator door and walking through the secret doorway) where a robotic male voice repeated, “You are OK,” it occurred to me my boys would have stayed at Meow Wolf for days if left to their own devices. Under the direction of their parents, however, they relocated to the “magical mile” of Canyon Road, where more than 100 galleries, art studios and sculpture gardens occupy adobe buildings lining the narrow street. Here the diversity of art by established and emerging artists was profound. Along with gourmet restaurants, cafés and a few boutiques, we discovered a vibrant sanctuary that pleased all the senses. There were other trip highlights. A trail run on the city’s Dale Ball trail network through the pinyon pines afforded my husband and me long views of the unique northern New Mexico landscape — a mosaic of yucca and cactus, juniper and pinyon pines. I experienced my first Japanese shiatsu massage and a private hot tub with my family and friends at Ten Thousand Waves Spa, emerging more relaxed than I had been in a year. In the end, the only thing I did not do in Santa Fe that had been high on my list was commune with Julia Staab. She eluded me the entire time — which, according to her great-great-granddaughter, was no surprise. Ghosts, it turns out, do not like to be summoned. Still, the experience of visiting Santa Fe so entranced me that I’ve already planned a return trip this fall. Julia’s ghost may not have shown herself to me, but the spirit of her adopted home most certainly did, and I remain possessed.