AND THEN THERE WERE TWO...The Pendleton Bags, and a Wintry Glimpse at the Inspirational Town of SANTA FE, NM on "TRAVEL TUESDAY"...

And then there were TWO!  Revisiting the Pendleton Bag post from last summer, where my Mom and I purchased a mighty wool blanket in Santa Fe, solely for selfish fashion purposes.

Summoning up courage to take scissors to it took quite some time - hers came first...

Mine was finished during the past two weeks - two beautiful bags from one lovely, lovely blanket.  The Mexican silver pins belonged to my great-grandmother, and were destined for this - no longer relegated to the dark, top drawer of the dresser.  The blanket turned out to be such a great investment, we did it AGAIN, this January...ahhhh, January.  I know my friends in the Midwest and on the east coast cringe at the thought, but I wish it was back, already!  We are high eighties, with scorpions galore (including the one in the house last night - they go underground when the temps drop, and I don't see them for a few glorious months).  I hate scorpions!  With a passion!  

ALWAYS an inspiration, Santa Fe in the winter is quiet and beautiful - definitely the "off" tourist season.  We popped into town for three days, met by below freezing temps but no snow (the trip back did provide freezing fog, however).  This is the breathtaking Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, in the heart of old town.

Daytime was a little crisp, but it's quite a different experience walking the town without droves of tourists to contend with - not that we don't consider ourselves well within that definition.  It's just a "different", relaxing atmosphere - and FAR cooler than the beautiful, but beastly hot summer months.  You can also find lodging at off-peak rates in the winter months, which is an added plus.

Mariachi Buenaventura - always a fun drawing point for one of our local haunts (Tomasita's).  The all-female Mariachi group performs on Tuesday evenings.  The music is as wonderful as the musically gifted girls are beautiful.

A walk through the deserted streets on our way to dinner provided a far different look from daytime, for a favorite shop - the one where the newest Pendleton was purchased (a stunning grey and white one with red crosses...scissors are almost ready to fly on that one, now that the nerves are out of the way with the first two bags).  This window display - beautiful and ominous at the same time - belies the rest of the Native American treasures housed within.  This is a DEFINITE must-see - THE RAINBOW MAN on Palace Avenue.

Which led us to this dark "alleyway" next door, through which we wandered to our newest culinary discovery in town - one we have avoided in the past, for fear of it being more of a "touristy" spot (we tend to frequent the "locals" eating spots outside of town, for the more authentic stuff - OK, we're looking for the hot stuff).  We couldn't have been more wrong, all these years...

And, I hesitate to let the cat out of the bag (though I realize we were probably the last people to know about this joint, sadly), for fear of dining overload leading to us not being able to get a seat, but it's FABULOUS!!! - all the way around.  THE SHED has been cooking up incredible New Mexican meals since 1953.  Situated in a brightly painted hacienda that dates to 1692 - outstanding traditional dishes featuring Hatch, NM green chilies, blue corn tortillas, and a surprising twist in french garlic bread to sop up all the goodness.

Santa Fe in winter - a definite must see...from beauty and the beast, margaritas and fabulous regional cuisine...and bag inspiration - leading to MORE bags.  It's a hot town, even in the cold!