Have not done any knuckle-busting at the house for a few days but today, after many early-morning gallery chores I took the paintings back into Taos, stopping in at Pierre Delattre's new gallery down there. He used to be exactly the next house over from our new place but after 8 years decided to move his gallery down to Taos, near where his wife has hers. We had a pleasant chat and it was good to see him looking so relaxed. After home & lunch I went by the new place for a bit of sledge-hammer action. The task was the wall presently making two unpleasant rooms out of our intended awesome-to-be master suite.

Now taking down a wall made of sheetrock is not too big a deal. It's dusty, hard work, but one does not require a sledge hammer. Plaster walls, I should say "Quickrete, a form of concrete, because that is what they use here and they call it "plaster" is hella hard, hella heavy, and doesn't really resemble plaster in any form. I busted through that wall using a 10 or 12 pound sledge hammer that felt like it weighed 40--one little hole at a time. I was going to work on the wall for an hour or so but three and a half hours later I finished up with the help of my husband ‘cause that was a bit much even for Ms. Debbie Does Demolition. We took down the framing with the studs which were actual, full-sized, rough-cut 2" x 4"s. It is now one room. And wow is there a lot more light in there!

This is the framing--the last thing we took down. There's a trick. First you knock the spacers out with a hammer (usually from top down), then you hammer sideways at the top of the stud. They are toenailed in, so they knock right out. Once it is loose at the top you put the hammer away, grab it by hand and twist it. Comes out like melted butter.

We're considering going with radiant heat in the floors—it comes recommended highly from those folks up here who have it. We could eliminate those ghastly gas heaters, still put a couple of kivas in, more for atmosphere than for heat, reduce our carbon footprint, our heating bill, our wood consumption, and still retain that cozy southwestern charm and sit before the fire on a cold winter's night.

I gathered up a copy of that 1982 Survey and an advance copy of our Warranty Deed for the septic man. He picked those up today, will be picking up our permit tomorrow. Tomorrow is in-studio day for me—at least until mid afternoon. Leonardo will begin tackling that huge pile out back and making dump/recycle runs. He said one of our neighbors who offered his services at $8 per hour is starting to look like a go!

We had a couple delightful gallery visitors today. A couple white-haired ladies who came knocking during our deluge today—it's been hot and dry for maybe two weeks now but today we woke up to cool, overcast and cloudy autumn weather, and by early afternoon it looked like we were going to need Noah's ark.

A rainstorm moving up from the valley, taken from the front gate at the new place.

We weren't open, but they caught me between Taos and the house so of course I invited them in. They loved everything, signed up for the mailing list, and promised to tell their friends in Georgia about the museum show.

Ab Fab Opening
Posted on September 15, 2007

We had a fabulous opening last night for Auspicious Autumn. Just about everyone we know from Truchas was here plus a couple of new folks we just met. All the drink was drunk and all the sustenance was sustained.

I had to go into town to get documents from the county yesterday afternoon (and had to wait and wait, of course) then on to Taos to pick up the paintings from the digital studio for the show. (Have to take them back Monday so we can proof against prints) so was a bit late opening the opening. People were waiting at the door! Lucky for me Therese's gallery was open too, so they went over there first.

Today we're a party waiting to happen. Usually we don't get anyone from out of town, if so only one, so unless our friends from Taos show up this evening I don't know that there'll be any attendees. Normally I only do one opening but since Therese was opening her gallery for the first time this year we thought we'd do a big blow-out. But....she did not get her postcards done in time! Ah well, if no one comes by then it's picnic fare!

Autumn is here
Posted on September 12, 2007

Autumn is in the air! It's a nice, sunny day, but cool. The crisp is definitely here in the morning and evening. Even the newscasters are wearing turtlenecks. I must find—no, MAKE—time for winter shopping. It will be a major endeavor as basically I have NO winter clothing whatsoever and I will need MAJOR winter clothing. One day it was summer, three days later it is autumn, in two weeks it's fall, and I'd better have long johns and down vest by October!

Went into towns today, both Taos, to drop off a few more paintings for prints before the High Road Tour, and then down to Santa Fe for supplies, etc. Yes we prefer Taos, but it is small (one reason why we like it) but when hardware store, art store, grocery does not carry our standards, oh well. Another 65 or a hundred miles is nothing out here. If you can make it there and back in a day, that is. We logged 160 miles, not counting driving around in towns and that translates into about 4-1/2 to 5 hours driving time plus about 7 stores shopping trips (and I don't even want to think how many hundred dollars)--and that's all in the average of our week to ten-days to two-weeks trip into town.

Picked up the new trim color for the house. Leonardo loves this one but I am completely not convinced. It looked like it was heading toward a domestic dispute so I stood down. Well, we'll just paint it on and we'll see. There's far more to worry about than that. In any case, I agre with him on the point that it is better than the orange that we both agreed on and then both agreed it would not work. This is a sage-y green. I'm totally OK with that, but this is SO subdued. I wanted something with a bit more zing. The same basic color, just a tad bit brighter is all. Or purple. Purple would so rock.

Our gate is finally arriving tomorrow. Two ten-foot gates, to be exact, as our driveway is 20 feet wide. And we'll have to get a roll or two of horse fence because the cattle wander over from the neighbor's unfenced place. The goal is to keep the horses and cattle out (who are free-ranging by land-grant law) off our property so that we can grow roses and garden and anything else without them all trampling and eating and spontaneously fertilizing said flora. We thought we were good with the gate until I was up on the tall ladder painting the house when I saw over the roof--six of them just amble through where the back fence had been.

Yeah. Not only the joys of home-ownership, but the joys of home-owner-fixer-upper-ship. You just have no idea the full extent of your task until you fix one thing and discover five other, related disasters. Hey! I'm a quick learner! We're still happy we did this! And I'm hella handy with the WonderBar (a mini-crowbar with a nice flat edge that gets under just about anything, and a hook on the other end that puts hammers to shame whilst pulling out the smallest nail, even one with the head shaved off.)

Sweet Freedom!
Posted on September 10, 2007

It feels great to be back in the studio! So much to catch up on! I am finishing the installation of the Auspicious Autumn show today and fighting with adobe walls that only bend nails. I've come up with a work around on this one wall.

Then I'll get down to the PO and get these exhibition announcements in the mail, pack up the last show, go have a look at "Bertha" the trout carving that we'll be painting for Hooked on Art, and then see if I can get behind a paintbrush today.

Late yesterday afternoon a whole group of us artists/gallerists along County Road 75 caravaned up to the mountain and had a BBQ cookout and a bonfire and a few beers. Played a game of wiffle-ball—it was way too much fun! Good ju-ju amongst this group.

I got my life back!
Posted on September 9, 2007

I'm not going back to the leather place.

I'm keeping my eyes open for something else.

I ranted and raved about this job I took over on Shoutpost but don't feel like posting it all here. Let's just say it was like working for another Nathan Hammer from Marble and Tile and god only knows there is room for only one of those in a lifetime. Being yelled at and berated my second day on the job? "Oh, that's just how Arthur is" doesn't fly with me. He can "just be like that" until he's out of business or old and lonely for all I care. I won't put up with it. The sorry part is you know I was better at the task on my first day than most people were after weeks.

I thought the job would be kind of fun, learn to work with leather, casual atmosphere. I just might be buying blazer & slacks and going back into professional gigs. Because it seems that the less they pay you the harder you are worked and the worse you are treated. So much for a 'kick-back' cool, craftsman-sort of arrangement. Hell, I'll get my real estate license.

OK, I said I wasn't going to rant. I'm just steaming, here, still.

Paintings in a movie
Posted on September 8, 2007

I just sent off 9 paintings this morning. They will appear in the film "Five Dollars a Day" starring Christopher Walken and Sharon Stone. They will be in a scene shot in the mansion of Christopher Walken's characters friend, during a fund-raiser.

We don't know the release date yet but keep your eyes open!

Day 3
Posted on September 3, 2007

Today we finished taking all the drop ceiling tiles down and got a lot of the firring strips and spacers down. It's looking great up there—but we ache. We hurt. We are sore and abused.

This afternoon we ran down into Santa Fe to take a look at some oak flooring—we found an entire room of just exactly what we need to fix that hole in the floor in the corner. Same wood, same color, same size. We just have to pull it up. Sigh. We also got some KILLER antique and handmade doors for the place! A rich person in Santa Fe is remodeling their house and their trash is our treasures! No-- really—this stuff is NICE—I'm curious as to what they're replacing it with.

We'll go get the flooring on Wednesday. Tomorrow I have to try to get a whole bunch of people on the phone, try to get the electricity turned on, begin soliciting bids for the septic system, contact the gas people to come up and look at the (admittedly ugly) situation and tell us what has to happen to get the gas flowing from the (probably new) tank into the house, and inspect the heaters to see if they are even viable or if we must replace.

Then Wednesday the flooring/doors. And Thursday, begin a new job. Why, oh why did I say Thursday and not next Tuesday? Because they asked me for last Friday and I felt a lot like you do when you are driving along at a pleasant pace and some big truck gets behind you and menaces you to pull over because they aren't allowed to pass. Thats why. And one of these days I will learn to just say "I'd love to join you but I can't begin for another three months because I actually have a life." Or whatever. Honestly. I should have given myself a few more days.

When it rains it pours. When your wishes all come true at the same time you are not allowed to complain.

Now, about finishing up that Tehachapi painting.....the press releases...the laundry....the dust in the corners....

The Other Lumber Company
Posted on September 2, 2007

I should probably explain about The Other Lumber Company. There might be one or two people reading this blog that know about it but it will shed great light for others.

Back in my early to mid-20's five of us, myself included, launched The Other Lumber Company in Rickreall, Oregon. We managed to survive for a few years. We dismantled houses. Mostly old, old houses. We did not tear them down. We dismantled them carefully, piece by piece, de-nailed and trimmed the lumber and re-sold it in our lumberyard.

We also sold fixtures, hardware, windows, doors, glass doorknobs. Antique mouldings, most of which had long ceased to be milled, were a particularly good source of income for us.

I have been involved in every aspect of house dismantling from tearing off the roof, to pushing down walls (a chainsaw or sawzall is required first!), removing plumbing and electrical fixtures, gently, oh so gently prying up tongue-and-goove hardwood flooring (it is inclined to splinter), and yes, taking sledge hammers to those unsalvageable bits.

So I know just how to get wood paneling off without wrecking parts of the wall or door jamb that one is inclined to save. I can sort out which wall is weight bearing and which can come down with no worries.

We even got written up in the newspaper a couple times—once in the Sunday edition with a full half-page photo of all of us in our lumberyard. I still have that. I saw it not too long ago—if I run across it again I'll scan and post.

So there you see, I'm not just making this up. I actually do know how to rip, plan, and re-birth a house.

And there is really nothing quite so satisfying as taking a sledge hammer to a wall or a wonder-bar to a ceiling.

Do scroll down--I posted twice this evening--and see what we've accomplished already at the Pieterse Palace!

Vigas Everywhere
Posted on September 2, 2007

I ripped out three rooms worth of drop ceilings today and tore holes in the front/gallery room and the kitchen ceilings. There are vigas everywhere!! The entire house is original adobe, most likely over a hundred years old. The adobe is the old, traditional kind, with straw mixed in. The only thing added on was the garage—which will be Leonardo's workshop.

Tomorrow I'll finish taking down the ceilings in the front room and kitchen and remove the firring strips—the 1" x 4" boards nailed to the underside of the vigas that the drop ceilings were attached to.

We have agreed that the front bedroom will be our office(s), the second and third bedrooms will become the master suite. We'll knock out most of the wall separating them and put in a large arched opening between the 2. That'll be our bedroom and kick-back room. Sofa, TV. We'll have double doors in the archway (or curtain) to separate the spaces when we wish.

The hallway is useless space—we're extending the bathroom out past the one bedroom door we're eliminating from the master suite. On the outer hallway wall we're knocking another hole and putting in another arched opening. Cause the wood stove was in the hallway! Duh. So we'll put the woodstove in the same spot (cause that's where the existing stovepipe is) but we'll turn it around to face into the gallery and it will live in that arched opening. That'll facilitate the heat/air flow through the whole house, and be a lot prettier and let a lot more light back there. What was once the hallway's back wall will become another place for showcasing artwork.

The door we're keeping for the master suite will be widened and shaped--yep, another archway. We will hand-build a double-door that is split down the middle as our entrance to that room. Oh yeah, so 'southwesty.'

In the nasty bathroom ALL fixtures will be replaced. We'll knock out a weird little storage closet at the foot of the existing tub which, once said tub is removed, will allow room for the new (old) clawfoot tub.

Leonardo pulled up a bunch of icky carpet today and found an oak floor underneath in the front/gallery room. Well, except for the 4' x 8' plywood patch in the corner. Grandpa Del told us that the former owners had torn up the floor to burn in the wood stove. Sounds crazy, but both the former owner and his brother, who owned the place next door, died of drug overdoses. So there you have it. Maybe that sort of thing makes sense when you're high. We've found someone in Santa Fe renovating their house and they have oak floor to spare. So we're running down to take a look tomorrow. In any case, that corner is a prime spot for a kiva fireplace—so we could brick in that area.

A kiva fireplace will also go into the master suite.

I just love this stuff. I could SO be a house flipper.

New Place
Posted on September 1, 2007

Vigas are a traditional way of making a roof support for an adobe. They are logs placed about every 2 feet across a room—usually sticking out through the wall. See my gallerypage on trishbooth.com—you'll see paintings of some of those Viga ends. Latillas are placed on top of the Vigas, forming the ceiling. Latillas are smaller poles, usually aspen or cedar that are laid over the vigas. In the case of cedar they are sometimes split down the middle and placed flat side down. Google Vigas and click on "images" and you'll get many examples.

We will be restoring our vigas if necessary--usually just a scraping to get the grungy bits off.

We have one roof leak that we know of that will necessitate replacing some rotten boards—but remember—this place has been standing empty for five years or more—in severe hot, cold, and thunderstorms.

Once we finally move us and the gallery into the place we will give this one up. So if anyone wants a really cute little adobe in Truchas....

This morning we're going into ABQ for the house-heating wood stove (as opposed to wood cook stove that we already have) and this afternoon I will see what is underneath a few other room's ceilings...

Clawfoot Tub
Posted on August 31, 2007

We closed on the house. Much last minute running around, no help that both cell phone and house phone conked out. Figures. Many trips up and down the mountain. Last minute documentation. Frantic, frantic two days.

Who cares? WE CLOSED, the loan was funded, we have the key! I've already started tearing out the drop ceiling in the front bedroom, which will be our library/offices and guess what is underneath? VIGAS!! Yes, yes, yes! Tomorrow I'm tearing holes in the ceilings of the other 2 bedrooms and the front room--which will be the gallery--I'm pretty sure there'll be vigas in the front room at least and a good chance they'll be in the bedrooms too. We are, of course, keeping the vigas visible.

All that deconstruction experience from The Other Lumber Company of many long years ago is coming in handy! I just love tearing stuff apart!

Clawfoot Tub
Posted on August 28, 2007

OK, I just made a deal to trade a small painting for a clawfoot tub (with feet) in great condition-- not only that, it will be delivered here from California. Yay! The bathroom remodel is beginning to take shape. I suppose next I'll have to have a look at the sink in there and decide what we want. Either a nice pedestal or one of those mexican sinks with the artwork/glazing inside the basin. Depending on how much we expand it, maybe 2 sinks, a his & hers, not that that is really necessary. Husband is sitting outside studying his "do it yourself plumbing" book.

This afternoon I am "trying out" at the leather place down the hill. Of course I will be good at everything they need but it is stressful anyhow. You know, like test day. Everyone will be watching everything I do and I'll be doing everything for the first time. Ugh.

House news, new painting
Posted on August 27, 2007

Everything online is broken! Shoutpost is broken, tBlog (where some of my bloggies have moved to) is not working for me either. My counter on this site is broken (I really didn't break the terms and conditions!) My Mom called me up today because from her machine it appears that my MySpace Profile is broken. The planets must not be aligned correctly for techie stuff today.

House news. We got our last piece of paper in this morning...we are supposed to close this week. By Wednesday even--it's that business with the appraisal being OK, then not OK, and now OK again. We just need one more signature from the powers that be that says it is actually OK after all. So close! We are just so close!

Tomorrow afternoon I am supposed to go "try out" for a couple hours or three at the leather place. Now you know what will happen. As soon as I get down there to give it a go our RE broker will call and tell me to get to the title company that we are closing! Well--if that's what it takes then that's what it takes!

In the meantime it's a painting factory in here as crunch time cometh. So here's the newest painting. Actually it's not really the newest, I just hadn't gotten 'round to photographing it. It's fairly new though. I'm not sure what I'm calling it. For now it's West Oakland Palms.

I'm doing another one just like this but that has the black, iron fence across the lower right corner. I couldn't decide which I thought would be best so I'll do one of each. The one I like best may become a 48" x 48" or a 36" x 36" painting. This one is 20" square.

Photo Saturday!!
Posted on August 18, 2007

Here it is!!! Monument Valley, the latest finished painting! I keep thinking this was on our honeymoon but we went to Puerto Vallarta on our honeymoon. Oh, well, every place I go with my husband is a honeymoon! We did have an awesome camping spot here, though. Yes, you can camp out overlooking these magnificent mesas. If you haven't been you've gotta go.

Here's the beginning of a flash flood. You notice it is not currently raining? The rain is from somewhere up in the hills and running down through the arroyo to the right (out of picture.) I have not seen many culverts here but many signs proclaiming "Watch out for Water." When it's raining anywhere you have to watch out everywhere.

And the lovely aftermath of a rainstorm. This is blurry because the "town terrorist" drove by and actually spoke to me! Startled me! Asking if I got a picture of the rainbow. This guy is from an old Spanish, land grant family and gives anglos (ugh, according to local custom I fall into that awful category) a hard time. So, having him speak to me is....uh, a good sign?

Evening sky, jet trails, coyote fence. New Mexico is many things but the sky is a wispy, ephemeral treasure. This is first in a few ethereal, atmospheric scenes.

Montana may be the Big Sky Country but we are most certainly The Land of Enchantment.

You can see and feel the magic all around you all day, everyday.

Back to earth. Here are all these little canvases I mentioned a few days or a week ago. Guess it's time to spring about the new art/marketing idea. See those tiny 5" x 7" canvases? They're "Details." They are actually full-size details from my paintings. They are original paintings in and of themselves, as--in the size they are in--they are separate from the "Mother" painting and are unique compositions in and of themselves.

I hope people who love my work but can't afford it may be able to afford a "Detail" as well as a print--giving them an actual painting, however small, as well as an image of the entire original-- for a fraction of the price of a full-size painting.

The netting you see on the painting in the background is necessary because...for some strange reason, these little gnats are attracted to the wet paint. If I don't cover them with bridal netting from JoAnn Fabric I have to tweeze out dozens of gnats--which stick in the paint. They leave their wings and guts. They mess everything up and not only are they dead but I have to repaint. Which can cause a temper tantrum in a human. Everyone is safer this way.

Yes, this is going to Dog in Car. Although out here it's more like Dog ON Car.

Last, and maybe least, here is that cast-iron utensil rack I got off eBay to go with the antique stoves in the new Ghost Pony Ranchito Gallery and Cafe. Joking!! No! We're not going to open a cafe. Though I'd enjoy it, certainly. But I've got to paint! So we'll let the folks at the corner take care of that. We may offer ice-tea and lemonade for free out under the trees in front, though.

It's a small, small world
Posted on August 14, 2007

I submitted my portfolio to the Art in Embassies program, a division of the US State Department. They are considering my work to be sent to an embassy in Namibia. Cool. That would make me an internationally-exhibited artist. Here's the funny part. The woman I'm working with at the State Department has a cousin who is married to one of the curators I'm working with at the Booth Western Art Museum for the exhibition I'll be in there.

How funny is that?

Of course, the painting Art in Embassies wanted is one that is going to the Booth so they have to take a look at what's available and get back to me. Hopefully they will like something else!

If you go to their web site here you can click on Art exhibitions, scroll down to Windhoek, then click search and see what they've chosen so far. You can see how my work would fit right in!

Been Lazy with the HTML
Posted on August 13, 2007

I admit it. The Shoutpost blog has everything all set up--you don't have to code HTML, blah, blah. Sometimes it's just nice & quick. But I promised an archive. OK, I'll get the missing bits over here soon, and in the meantime thought I should write something for the loyal Trishtown visitors. And you are out there, I see the counter counting.

Well, if you've been over there you know I had an embarrasing moment in town today, I'm close to finishing another necklace, that a(nother) lender contacted me today with regard to the house, and I believe I have good pictures to share with you should I dain to download. That's a fair summary.

Oh, and the 2 dead birds from the cats. Sigh. They're cats. Can't change that. And don't think they don't get fed inside! They were a bit pudgy when we moved here and they're actually losing weight, I believe it's because they are preferring some wild meals to the high-fat processed stuff that they like from the store. Missy goes through at least five or six BIG grasshoppers a day, nevermind what else she catches. But, of course, that's only in summertime. Don't know that they'll find much in the snow. And baby season is over, so hopefully no more rabbits or voles for now.

I received my lovely "Western-style" belt buckle from my eBay vendor today, all the way from Australia--even though it was actually made in USA, not Taiwan. It's a relief casting in probably pewter? of two running horses with woodsy detail behind. It's actually quite nice, not just one of those shiny engraved things--this had quite a bit of craftsmanship behind it. There are little "plaques" on the back speaking about the spirit of the horse, and just what else I can't make out now, the light is inadequate--But just the thing for the owner of the Ghost Pony Gallery, right? I'm an average sized-person--5' 5"-- something like that. This is HEAVY!! If I make a fist and put this buckle up in front of my fist it completely covers my fist. Hey!! So if I start wearing this around I can skip the weight-lifting? I will have to find a new belt as this buckles opposite the direction I am used to and uses one hole instead of two. Oh! My beloved (albeit worn out) old belt. Is it that same thing about men's and women's shirts buttoning from opposite sides? Men buckle their belts differently too? How useless is that custom?

Another eBay treasure is a set of cast-iron utensils, hanging from a cast-iron ROCKING HORSE rack. OK, pony rack. Unfortunately, this was made in Taiwan. But that's stamped on the back, it looks OK --although it is really much smaller than I expected--I was expecting an actual antique, not a cheap reproduction, but whatever. It'll be OK on the wall, and once I find the actual, real thing, it can go back on eBay. The pony is nice though.

My other eBay indulgences recently include an actual antique cast-iron iron (if you have a wood cookstove then you absolutely have to have one of these, no?) And an old, ornate "match safe" a device that hangs on the wall & keeps your stick matches safe from the sparks of the stove yet within convenient reach.

Yes, I would live in an antique house if I had the chance but I'd still sneak in electricity and a dishwasher and a DVD/TV. Oh, and most absolutely, definitely, phone & hi-speed internet. But other than that. I do like the old-fashioned stuff. Plus--it'll be a huge crowd-pleaser for any gallery visitors that get past the gallery in the new place---OMG I cannot wait to separate my living space/working space/gallery space. Right now they are all one and the same and it's really beginning to bug me bigtime.

All righty compadres, enough rambling for this evening. I forgot to go look at the meteor shower last night-- was in a bit of a funk and buried myself in crime shows on TV. Hope there are a few stray comets and asteroids and whatever out there for me tonight.

Oh yeah, may as well post photos of the eBay treasures, too. OK. Give me a day or so, I'll post up what's come so far. Still waiting on a couple items.

Both Stoves!
Posted on August ?, 2007

OK, here is the first stove I won on eBay. This is a 1931 coal burning cookstove. I imagine you can burn wood in it as well as one must start a wood fire in order to get the coal fire burning. A lot light lighting briquettes on the BBQ.

And here is the gas stove, circa 1920s. Why 2 stoves? In the summertime it's much too warm to have to build a fire for everything you want to cook. In the winter the cookstove does double-duty cooking & heating and in the summer it can hold vases of flowers, the rising sourdough, and the butter churn. I'll post the butter churn pic as soon as I win it!

Earlier today I posted on Shoutpost:
Big long sigh. I want to buy stuff for the house. Leonardo wants to pack and get on the road for that stove. I've got massive amounts of"in progress" paintings in the studio and have several more to begin and finish within not all that long of time—five or six weeks. (I've got 8 in progress right now!)

No call yet on when closing will be. It's Wednesday already! All we're waiting on is the Improvement Report—once again, I must remind myself that we are on New Mexi-time although that doesn't make it any easier. Why can't people just DO stuff around here? It's like they think they have FOREVER left to their lives. I know, I've got to chill.

Yesterday I proved to myself once again that I am the Queen of securing my desired items on eBay. I won everything I had my eye on. The gas stove is over today and we want it but it's hard to know the pickup schedule (this one's in Nebraska) without having closed on the house yet! Auugghhhh! Do I win this one or let it go and hope for another down the line? They do come up from time to time.

Busy, Busy, All Sorts of Stuff
Posted on July 30, 2007

All righty then. I'll archive the blog every couple weeks to keep it loading-friendly for those folks with slower connections. We've got a couple days to catch up on.

Sunday we went into Santa Fe for the Spanish Market. Only artisans of Hispanic descent are allowed to show their wares. It was heavy on carved wood saints, by Santeros, as expected. But there were only a couple artisans that moved us to admire their work, most of it was pretty much the same, just done by someone different. Lots of tinwork, again, not much more than one or two that took a different twist and made it their own. And lots of weaving which we just weren't much interested in. I was surprised that there was a complete and utter lack of leatherwork. Not one single booth had any leather goods whatsoever! And only one booth with ironwork or blacksmithing. I did find a couple things I liked but they were the same prices I sell my work for so of course we could not afford them! Ah, the irony.

Today I got up and opened the gallery, churlishly skipping a shower because I did not feel like getting wet. My husband drove down to get the mail--I am completely expecting my "down payment" check in the mail this day. He came back, saying, nothing, nothing at all (he's expecting checks as well) and we sighed and carried on. About half an hour later, quite beside himself, he comes over and hands me an envelope from J. P. Morgan. He'd not only sort of overlooked it, he'd misplaced it as well! Well good thing he found it (it could have ended up anywhere or in a black hole) but all's well that ends well I say (at least for the most part I say that!)

So then it was--close the gallery--for we must go into town and put those many, many thousand dollars into the bank, (oh, and I did take a shower after all!) and since we were going to be in town I gathered all the documents required to register my motorcycle and get my New Mexico plate. I convinced the bank I need to get this check cleared yesterday and they promised me my funds by tomorrow, which is great as we do not expect to close until at least Wednesday. Then on to MVD as it's called here. It was packed! So we took a number and went out to lunch. Upon returning I had to wait another half-hour or so but that was not so bad. On the way home, though, we ran into our afternoon monsoon and got pretty wet on the way up the mountain (on our motorcycles). So, here we are, in front of the warming, drying fire in the fireplace, yes, on July 30. Hey. It's Truchas.

Follows are some Phunday Photos for your enjoyment:

I keep talking about these storms we get in the afternoon. Now we only get hail once or twice a month, though the rain can pound as well. This one rolled in Thursday afternoon last week, 4 days ago.

This is the hail and the rain running off down our driveway. This is ONE tire track in our driveway. And it's not much of a slope to speak of. More level than sloping, but just enough...

Another view. See the size of the pellets? We get severe storm alerts for nickel sized hail--mostly a bit more south and east of here, thank goodness. This stuff shredded the plants we had growing out front!

OK, this is the last storm picture. This is the hail that was left four hours after the storm moved on. This is July, remember!

Here's a full moon pic I took a couple days later, through calm and serene evening skies.

The Girls! Cattle, horses, and any other farm animal that cares to are allowed to roam freely on the Land Grant.

I don't know her real name, or if she has one, but doesn't she look a lot like Bessie to you?

I called this one Molly. So I'm Irish. It's showing?