A muggle returns from Santa Fe

I found Diagon Alley. It's at Trader Joe's in Santa Fe. People from all over the wizarding world were shopping under signs like, "Trader Joe's Brings You the Best of the Known Worlds in Case You Don't Have Time to Circumnavigate the Galaxy Before Dinner." Long furry robes and bright hats bumped shoulders with triangular crystals. I didn't actually see any wands or pumpkin juice, but we bought dried dragon fruit. It tastes like sesame seeds, actually, but it turns your tongue bright purple. We also bought a heather plant for my grandma for Christmas. I see why Marian likes Trader Joe's. It's pretty fun, despite it's...peculiarities.

Our absence from the Muggle world didn't end there. Next we went to buy Christmas desserts at the Chocolate Maven, over near the Candyman music store and the old Furrow's. It's down an old alley, and the parking spaces are all too narrow. You go in at the side of an old warehouse and are immediately presented with a wall covered with sugar-sparkling snowflake cookies ($3.75 each). A waiter asked if we wanted to be seated; we weren't sure we were there for lunch, but decided maybe we were, especially because they listed a quiche of the day. So we climbed up a steep narrow spiral staircase to the second floor, and--in the middle of these flowered curtains and Christmas lights--there was a cauldron bubbling merrily away. About three feet of turquoise-glazed pottery on a curly metal stand sat in middle of the loft, apparently being a fountain. I thought of Macbeth; it would have been just the thing for my poor props mistress! Do you remember Rosie from Spiderman 2? Doc Ock's wife? Well, she was there too, sitting in the corner. And the quiche was good. But we didn't find any desserts.

Happily, I fit right in that day. I did my hair elvish-style. I'm not making this up.

The day went back to normal after that. We bought the soror a camo guitar strap at the Candyman, went to Target, and visited the import store and Borders. (Happiness!) Oh, and Megan, we found CP Shades! It is right next to Borders. We went through the little mall thingy. I don't think we'd ever done that before.

That was about it. We went home after that and got there just before my grandparents. Christmas then began. :-)