Vintage Cars on the Plaza, 2011

Among the reasons I got home late last night was Santa Fe Vintage Car Club's annual Cruise Night on the Plaza.



Because I was already late, only time for another one of those running continuous photo movies. Anyone else as amused as I am by these?

Favorites include the Saab Sonnet, the (not really vintage) Aston DB9, and that Charger again.

The Due Return

Saturday — finally, would've missed it if the exhibit hadn't gotten extended — to the The Due Return, a production of the local arts collective Meow Wolf at the Muñoz Waxman Gallery.

Open 'til 10:00! Madness! What's open 'til 10:00 in Santa Fe?

"An inter-dimensional ship has settled on an alien landscape. Once a seafaring vessel, it now bares [sic] the marks of its previous voyages; a hodgepodge of transport devices and retro-fitted technologies."

With a pitch that sounds like it could be a booth at Comic-Con and a having dominated a first-of-its-kind fundraiser, I was dubious. The phrase "self-indulgent" came to mind, and this is from a guy who loses money printing his own comics about flying spies.

There was due to be a performance that evening, but we weren't necessarily planning around that. Really, had no idea what to expect.



It defies easy explanation. It's boat, really. I mean, it's not whole, it can't float, but there's a two-level boat built in this space. You can walk into it, climb up and down and explore its various rooms. And it's just the backdrop for the display of all kinds of artifacts. Set in a space with adobe caves constructed around, and odd creatures surrounding.



When we arrived 'round 8:00, Round Mountain had already started their performance. The duo's music gave us a Great Big Sea meets Devotchka kind of vibe and was a great accompaniment to exploring the nooks and crannies of the ship. On the top deck, there was quite a crowd.



We hung out there for more than an hour, stopping to listen to the band, back down to wander through the ship and the rest of the installation. To take photos.



I counted well over 100 people there. Plenty of of all ages listening to the band, art patrons also not knowing what to expect, teenagers hanging out (looking to me like that's how they'd been spending their summer nights, at the gallery), kids scrambling all over the boat, high school friends catching up. The Due Return is an accomplishment, even more impressive for the crowd and the atmosphere it creates.

Worst-Dressed?

Photo by Gary from their recent visit; you be the judge if this relates to the post's title at all

This past week, Santa Fe was named the 16th worst-dressed city in America by GQ. Predictably, this being New Mexico, the news has been greeted … well, by not much, really. Mostly I'm just offended that the writeups aren't funnier and the photos rarely illustrate the point.

Santa Fe Style is a cliché, and playing off cities' stereotypes is easy and harmless. Sure, we got more cowboy boots and hats, bolo ties, long flowy outfits, turquoise, and big silver belts than most, but from where I sit, it's mostly kind of gear-y like Boulder, as well as plenty of dudes in brown flip-flops. Near my office, a good number of gray suits, and lots of tourists to skew the results. Last night at an art event* — on the lookout, thinking about this post — most of what was worn really could have been found anywhere; the teens, especially.

But at least we're not Boston.

* Working on that post next

The Post-Dinner Ritual

For some reason, it's not as important after breakfast. Hey, there hasn't been a dog post in, like, forever.

New Shelves, Completed

Since Mon was getting some good photos for Jim's Web site, here are the finished shelves:


Click for much larger; seemed a shame to waste all that high-res Photoshop work.

And for the truly bored curious Raph, here's how it's arranged; left to right, top to bottom:

• McSweeneys 4, 6, 7, 10, 13–19 (2 is on the signed shelf; unsure what happened to the rest); wedding pottery from Kevin and Amy, all relocated from the living room, making space for a couple Lydias
  
• painting Joey gave us as thanks for a drafting table years ago
  
• Emigre 16–32
  
• gardening books; tin of seeds
  
• home decorating/repair books
  
• assorted fiction
  
• turned wood bowl from Ange + Gary; two pottery bowls made by my grandfather
  
• the looted art library; reproduction Eastern European icon
  
• assorted travel books; Drac-in-a-Box
  
• to-read shelf
  
• trade paperbacks
  
• trade paperbacks
  
• trade paperbacks
  
• trade paperbacks
  
• trade paperbacks
  
• trade paperbacks with room for expansion; Spinney and Critter
  
• trade paperbacks
  
• oversized comics
  
• paperback books, mostly guilty pleasures

It's best not to look too closely at what's behind the doors, but at least one is collectible magazines.

Another view here; and since she was doing all the staging and rephotographing, a new one of the table Jim made a couple years back