When I first saw the little adobe house, I was sold. I had been living in a neighborhood in town for about a year; I had a roommate and was less than thrilled about the situation.
I pulled up to the little house in La Cienega and immediately wondered, "Where's the main house?" In Santa Fe, small houses, called casitas, are usually built in close proximity to a larger house. This little casita, however, was wonderfully private with its own fenced yard and screened by large elms from the nearest neighbors.
I loved the location mainly because of the trees - huge elms and cottonwoods shaded the house. Large trees are a special occurrence in Santa Fe county; most of the land is covered with a pinon/juniper scrub forest. The high bedroom windows showed tree trunks and foliage, making the place seem like it was up in the treetops. In contrast, the living room looked out on a rocky hill covered in cholla cactus. As cute as it was, its age was evident in the odd placement of appliances - my water heater was a conspicuous presence in the tiny kitchen. The floors all had terrain; I don't think there was a ninety-degree angle in the whole place. Regardless, I was in love with the odd little place and its beautiful/shabby neighborhood.
Next up: Meet the neighbors.
