May 25 -- A Day on A Desert Two-Lane

After a week of traveling we begin our journey home -- this time through the desert. We're the only car on the two-lane dodging road runners and lizards and listening to Willy Nelson sing Poncho & Lefty. I remember singing this same song with my friends Billie and Willy on the desert in Southern California -- ah, sweet memories.

I look out at the wide open spaces. On the surface it seems quiet and dead. But the desert is full of life if one chooses to look. The open spaces of the desert are some of our favorite places. To be able to see for miles with mountains in the distance. Space, ah so much of it. One can breath! I take a deep breath.

The Saguaros are blooming. This is the first time I've been here late enough in spring to see their flowers.

We pass skeletal remains of homes. Places people have lived at one time. I wonder who they were and why they left their homes to become victims of the elements?

I'm reminded of lyrics from a Kate Wolf song, Carolina Pines. The setting is different but it could be anywhere.

Just an old house with a roof fallin' in

Standin' at the edge of the field

Watchin' the crops grow as it's always done before

Nobody lives here anymore

The sun's goin' down in the Carolina pines

I'm a long way from home and I miss that love of mine

Broken windows, empty doors

Nobody lives here anymore

Old memories come whistlin like the wind,

Through the walls and the cracked window panes

The grass is growin high, round the kitchen door

Nobody lives here anymore

Once there were children and a few hired hands

Hard workin' woman and a bone tired man

And now that old sun steels across the dusty floors

Nobody lives here anymore

We pass a lone combine parked along side the road. We wonder why -- no agriculture can be seen anywhere -- only dusty desert covered with creosote bushes and cactus. But miles down the road we cross irrigation canals and once again we find ourselves driving through lush green fields and fruit trees. Such a stark contrast to the desert.

We enter a big valley where multiple dust devils spiral and dip in the wind playing chase in the distance. Closer to the road are Oleander bushes, Bougainvillea and white plumes stand tall from Yucca plants. What beauty and variety this day has given us.

May 20 -- Crown Point Navajo Rug Auction

Our stay in Santa Fe had come to an end. We dropped off the dogs to their respective caregivers and traveled north into Navajo country – our destination -- a Navajo rug auction at Crown Point Elementary School. Here every month Navajo women line up with their hand woven rugs waiting to check them in. After check-in the rugs are folded on tables where shoppers have two hours to find their favorites. It didn’t take me long to get caught up in the excitement. With pencil and paper in hand I soon had a my list.

The stimulation was almost too much so we stepped outside to enjoy an authentic Navajo Taco and then back to the excitement of the waiting crowd in the school gymnasium. At exactly 7 pm, with all the rugs piled high on the stage, the auctioneer began. It moved quickly and before we knew it, three hours had passed. I finally bid on and purchased one of the last small rugs for a souvenir.

As we stood in line to pay for our rugs, the Navajo women waited on the other side of the gymnasium to receive their well deserved money. What a great evening! We enjoyed seeing beautiful rugs, met people from all over the U.S., and got caught up in the excitement of the “how high will it go” moments. The highest rug went for over $2000 and the lowest $20. Of course these prices were lower that wholesale prices.

May 19 Jeep Trail Adventures in Our Volvo

We were nearing the end of our stay in Santa Fe and decided to do a day trip with the dogs. In our past trips to Northern New Mexico, we've explored areas northeast and northwest of Santa Fe. But this time we headed off to the Bandelier Mountains southwest of Santa Fe. As we left the lower elevations and climbed to higher altitudes, the views were breathtaking. Photos help tell the story but are never as good as actually being there.

We started out on the Jemez Mountain Trail. We drove through Las Alamos where World War II's secret Manhattan Project created the first atomic bomb and is still a national lab. We were surprised at how large it was. I must admit, I'd just as soon move on to higher ground. The dogs were on my side.

We continued on and discovered the trail to the lookout for the Valle Grande area which is one of the world's largest collapsed crater of a three-million-year-old volcano. Unfortunately the trail is closed to dogs so we veered off the main road and drove higher towards the ski area.

Always looking for an adventure "off the beaten path" Carl suggested we take a Forest Service road. It looks passable on our map. The gate is open with warnings: High clearance vehicle recommended and Beware of driving on wet roads. Do you suppose our Volvo station wagon is high enough? And were they calling for thunderstorms?

We stopped several times in open meadows to let the dogs run. Briar is a hunter and wanted to sniff at every shrub and hollow tree. Isha just wanted to run and play.

The deep woods jeep trail opened on one side to a view of the natural formations of the crater. I gasp as every new vista is even more amazing than the one before. We stop often and I did my best to capture the beauty with my camera lens. We drove, stopped, looked, photographed some more and let the dogs enjoy the forest. Time passed quickly and we realized we must keep moving to ensure not spending the night in this deep forest. We have no idea what the trail will be like as we descend.

Descending became increasingly challenging. Several times Carl stopped the car and walked ahead to determine the best sections of the road to traverse. The good news was, we didn't scrape the bottom. After what seemed like hours of very rocky and bumpy road upwards, we reached the top. Rounding the corner my heart is in my throat as I see a cliff drop-off just inches from my side of the car with the most incredible view of the entire day lying before me. There as if in a painting is a large valley with mountains in the distance. A river meanders through it. But all I can think of is not sliding off the edge. As we creep a little further towards safety and the downward trail, I realized I missed the opportunity for the best photo of the day. But there's no way I'm going back up there! At this point I think I've had about as much excitement as I can stand!

But it's not over yet. We twisted and turned through the many switchbacks and finally made it to the bottom and the large valley and same river we had seen from the top. And there was no bridge! For a moment I was sure we'd have to drive back the way we had come. But Carl found a fallen branch and tested the water for depth in several spots. He got a running start and we soon found ourselves on the other side with the only damages being a very dirty car and an almost empty tank of gas.

No Internet Hot Spot Here On The Desert

I had no idea we would be unable to access Internet for such a long time. My apologies for the delay in postings. Luckily I had enough intermittent connections to deal with most of my emails.

I promise to continue where I left off very soon. Please stay tuned.

Art Wear with "Heart"

After visiting some shops in Santa Fe, I must admit -- I felt dissatisfied. I was seeking stores that carry one of kind or limited edition clothing by designers and artisans who take pride in producing quality handmade wearable art. Most of the stores I found are now carrying mostly clothing that has been imported and manufactured with an artsy look. These items still carry a high price tag in spite of the lesser quality. To me, they lack "heart." As an example -- people shopping for fine art wouldn't dream of shopping in a gallery where prints were passed off as originals! I did see some exceptions, such as Santa Fe Weaving Gallery, and I certainly didn't visit every boutique in Santa Fe.

Over the years, I've been tempted to turn my designs over to manufacture. This would take away the satisfaction I find in making each item unique and hand crafted. The artist in me is excited by design and creation, but my roots in craft still keep me conneced to the loom and my studio.


It's seems our culture has become more focused on quantity rather than quality. Rather than collecting because of understanding and appreciation of craft, we are focused on "everyday low prices." Where do we go from here? Time will only tell.

And now I get off my soap box as you breath a sigh of relief!

Flowers, Dogs and Birds

I'm sitting outside of a coffee shop where it's cold and breezy trying to get some work done on the internet before Carl returns from the grocery store. This hot spot is really slow! I hope it works!

Every morning a new flower has opened it’s face to the world. The hummingbirds are here but wary of us. They visit their feeder when we don’t appear to be around. We see one perching on a tree in the distance. We think they may have a nest there. The dogs wake us up at dawn so with our coffee mugs we enjoy the early mornings and exploring this secluded habitat. I’ve found my perfect spot in the morning sunshine in which to do my yoga. A breeze blows and the windchimes sing. The animals mostly have adjusted to us. But I’ve decided to keep my distance from Taki the parrot who bit my finger enough to draw blood. She favors Carl and enjoys sitting on his shoulder.

Meet Some of the animals

Yesterday we spent the morning in Santa Fe. Carl enjoyed the library while I browsed through the stores and admired the Indian jewelry in the square. It was almost too much to take in.

I must go for now. Hopefully I'll be able to post again before we leave this wonderful place.

Escaping Denver

Enjoying my cup of French press coffee from a hand made French pottery mug and listening to French Café music CD complements of our host. And no, we're not in France, we are in Santa Fe.

We left Denver very early Thursday—unusually early for us. The sun had just come up as the first shift rushed to work. We headed south on the I-25 corridor listening to tunes, NPR’s All Things Considered, and then tunes again. We passed through Colorado springs then Pueblo. The Sangre de Cristo mountains to our west were beautifully covered with snow. I snapped a quick picture at a rest stop. Along the roadside were drifts of color – purple and yellow early spring wildflowers. Further south above the picturesque and sleepy town of Trinidad, Colorado, is a mesa. Carl says every time he passes that mesa he wants to climb it. So we made a note to some day return to camp, hike and explore the area. We crossed Raton Pass into New Mexico and everything looked suddenly different. I am always shocked how quickly the terrain shifts. Here are wind blown yellow grasses and small clumps of Cholla cactus speckled throughout the wide open pastures. Far away in the background are snow capped mountains. In all the muted tones of nature, a sudden speck of orange. An engine of a very long train – almost lost to our view. And wildlife – There were hundreds of antelope, a herd of goats, a group of buffalo and cows with long horns and cows without horns.

We stopped in Las Vegas, New Mexico for lunch at Charlie’s Bakery for the best Mexican food ever! Well, at least in Las Vegas.

After arriving in Santa Fe, we met our new animal friends and moved into the house where we’ll stay for a week taking care of things. I’ll have more about that later with pictures so stay tuned.

What's On the Horizon Now?

Music de jour -- All The Roadrunning by Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris from album of the same name.

With us, you never know what we'll be up to next or where w'll be headed. In fact, we usually don't know until the last minute. We're not like most people with a yearly calendar full of plans. We're always open to opportunities and ideas and can be ready at a moment's notice for any adventure that catches our fancy. That's one thing I love about Carl. We're so much alike --both Virgos and INFP's if you know about Myers Briggs. Being stuck in a car together for long road trips is one of the things we do best!

We're headed out on another road trip this week -- a mix of business and pleasure and hopefully a lot of new experiences. It all started with an idea to travel to southern Arizona before it gets too hot (for some people it already is)! Then a friend mentioned her friend in Santa Fe needs someone to house sit and watch her animals for a week. Now we've traveled around Santa Fe proper many times before, but have never "done" Santa Fe. Of course I jumped at this opportunity. Long story short -- we signed up for the job! So yes, we'll be leaving Thursday and putting my studio work here on hold. I'm hoping to meet lots of really cool people, have new experiences and be inspired with lots of new ideas before I return. Right now I have too much to do to get real excited but I'm sure it will kick in Thursday when the car is packed and we're off and headed down Interstate 25.

Cinco de Mayo

Last night was Sci-Fi night. Carl and I ate unhealthy nachos and drank cheap Mexican beer in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We could have gone out and joined the masses of people celebrating -- there was First Friday Art Walk in the Santa Fe district not far away, and any number of other activities we could have done but earlier in the day a cold front came through with rain and we decided to enjoy the warmth of our home instead.

Since I last posted I've been busy shipping and receiving shipments. I finished weaving the green ribbon warp. The blue dupioni silk fabric I had planned to sew with it was too purple-blue. It was a great color and I hated to see it go, but I overdyed it with yellow using the "unscientific" method of guessing at proportions. First I dyed a small swatch which actually turned out a great khaki green. But for the final dye bath I went with less yellow dye. It took the edge off the purplish part. Now the fabric is more of a denim blue -- not as exciting or exactly what I was going for, but it will work perfectly well. Things do have a way of working themselves out -- well most of the time anyway.

Final Dyed Dupiani Fabric

In between the studio/office work I've managed to move my plants from my solar room out into my carport to begin the adjustment process for summertime outside. We put the covers on the sky lights several weeks ago but even with the windows all covered, it's still quite hot out there on a sunny day. I moved my glass-topped table and chairs out into the back garden as well. All that's left in my sun room is my wicker chair and an empty plant shelf and a very dirty tile floor from the dead leaves that were hiding behind my plants. I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

I've also spent some time weeding in the garden. It's amazing how hardy these weeds are here in the West. Roots grow deep and strong so it's a constant battle to keep the beds clean.

May Day

Today is May Day. This day takes me back to school days, May pole dances and spring parties. I'm listening to Celtic music - Against the Wind by Maire Brennan from the album Celtic Circle, Vol. 2, in honor of this ancient holiday.

I'm back on track in my studio. I've dressed the loom with a ribbon warp and will weave it off today. I'm also working on a silk and ribbon vest in my sewing area. I get bored rather quickly with one project so it's always good to have more than one thing in the works.