To See The Tree

 I negotiated myself a two-night stay in the l-shaped Casita in order to watch the US Capitol Christmas tree come through, which they asked me to design the ornament for:

The parks requirements were that it be no larger than 12 in and waterproof. The theme was "Seven Rivers (the forest from whence the tree came), Many People, One tree." So I decided that the rivers of stone or sand or bentonite that make up the teepees where the many colorful Rivers, the petroglyphs of the people that live here were the many People, and the centerpiece with our cougar petroglyph logo is One (petrified) Tree! 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

From my understanding even the supervisor was pretty excited about it but they did have a few requests. They did specify it be sparkly. I used reflective beads that you put on roadways so that when the light hit it it was going to jump off the tree when people took photographs.

But there was a request for glittery so I brought down with me extra glitter paint in a violet and green tone and outlined all of the petroglyphs which are hard to see in photographs so they're not worth taking more.

As usual my colleague and I made the trip very safely and arrived around 11:00. I know I'm a very weird girl and I have strange things that make me happy but staying here is one. And getting a magnet that I can wear around and look like I'm part of the park is the other.

I had a very sad revelation. I am old. 4 years ago when I lived here I was in better shape had not sat on my butt during a 2-year pandemic and even then I was not the world's greatest hiker. After a 3-hour car trip with no stops, (I had a really great audiobook that let me drive straight through. I finally figured out how to download from my library so I listen to Desert Solitaire about a guy staying in arches National monument be moaning his knowledge that it would soon be developed in the 1960s 😥) when I picked up the ornament to do some touch-up I realized my hand was somewhat shaky, my knees were not working properly and my back hurt. Sleeping on memory foam is not good for me. I have a big butt. I admit it right now I need something that supports the arch in my back and memory foam, as the commercial says remembers things and seems grumpier than it should!

There have been many changes on the inside here. Number 77 used to be the spillover Casita I believe. The last time I was here they were working on my old AIR cabin, so I believe now the Artist in Residence were housed over here. Wisely they split the queen size bed into two twins. Instead of having a massively bizarre fold-out bed you just had extra sleeping space in case you had a guest. I checked all the screens, as the last time I stayed here my cat decided it wanted to escape through one. The three screens that were ugly that I took out of the windows because the frames were falling apart are now no longer even available to me. But the ones that were in the windows were in excellent shape. First thing I did when I got in here was open up the window and Thingy jumped right up.

We are here typing on the morning of my second day - well, after my first night - and as I'm looking out just after the sunrise, over my cute little car I noticed a solitary jogger. There are brave people here! She was lean and young looking and obviously worked in the Painted Desert area and was taking advantage of the amazing opportunity she had living here in the park. I will update you all as the day progresses but I just wanted you to know how happy I was to be home again.

Brief Return

 Hello again.

I did a really swift trip up this year as it began to warm up and I raced through a day. I missed my sunsets and tried to linger in Blue Mesa as long as I could but it was not the same as staying INSIDE the park.

 

I saw new stuff.  Well some the same, but new perspectives.  This last one was a great new display in PDI of the room where a Harvey Girl stayed when she worked here!My pal Hallie was doing demos on the edge of the Crystal Forest describing the "rocks"... fossils, petrified wood and even pottery that are everywhere!.

I stayed in Holbrook for two nights and ALMOST found myself in the park a bit later than I expected. 

My new (well very used but pretty and two year old) Kia had a fuel indicator saying I had precisely enough gas to get me to Holbrook IF I were not inside the park.  I shiver at the though of running out of gas on the freeway!!! BUT the pumps on the north side were self serve and still open.  This was one of the most exciting things about the return visit.  I am not as thrilled that civilization is so easy to find, and my cell service was till highly problematic but that gas station saved my night!

Thingy came. He stayed in the room: 

On to the Real World.

A little note as it ends (again) and I hope I get to post such things regularly!
I tried to make my stay valuable to the Park.  I am a dogged advocate and supporter of the NPS.  I had a great chat with Suzie and Steve as they departed this morning as well.
Not sure if there is any way I would have the resources to donate more time to them, but I want to look into the Park Volunteers!  These are the backbone of the place.  So much of the park is run on nothing but love and good will.
I came home with over 3000 photos and have hundreds of ideas in my head how to use them.
There is no telling what the donation will be but I hope to spend a few days in October delivering it on my trip to Denver.

I am not as bottomed out as I was before, even though the morning was a bust.
I tried to see the new babies at the tree on the south exit but they did such a great job of camouflaging their condo, that I could hear the babies yelling, saw one of them dive in for breakfast feeding but could barely see a nose a couple of times and NOTHING else.

I guess when I get back they will be hovering over me, hopefully giving a little guidance.

So I will take the advice of the sign below and STOP and let it all sink in.

YES I will update.

There may even be a chance to participate in Holbrook Wild West Days in July.   Doubt it could be as hot as here, and I really miss the wind already.

....."She's Back!"

Yup.
I got recruited to help at the PeFo booth at Route 66 Days on Saturday in Holbrook!
Bringing rocks, although I just found out the early breakfast is sponsored by Hashknife Posse.  Not precisely the same guys I know, but .... Just rocks....

Got out a little later than expected and I will be only posting photos from the phone, because I forgot the loader for the camera card.  May take a while.. but GREAT FUN ALREADY!!

The other casita is at an angle.  The kitchen is bigger and the view out the door is pretty spectacular.   I  No protective wall and top to bottom view of that hill (the one the deer were wandering) and only the neighbor and road are hidden from view!
I immediately re-arranged it.
I was not facing the sunrise when I woke.  The cat might have been confused.  I can look at walls at home.  I moved the desk against the wall and maybe shoved the bed a bit into the corner, but makes the room very spacious.

I also met my neighbor.  I told her I had valued my solitude and she was welcome to talk the me, but I would let her be, so she could have it all to herself.... then proceeded to move furniture, drop things, talk to the cat and pretty much be noisy.  I just realized I talk to myself ALL THE TIME!

The bathroom is even cool!  It has a smaller tub and the same size water heater, so I am able to fill it warm!  Not that I am as excited about a HOT bath, as the casita had windows open and was 86 when I got there!  I know the nights are cooler.  That is what I am most looking forward to:  Silence and dark.  Wind blows most days and it is calmer at night... or it was when I was here!

Ran across the street for my ice cream and then I had to head over here (yes, the old visitor center) to find out what I am doing tomorrow.  The rumor is to meet at the Adamana exit at 7:30.  I CAN SO DO THAT!

Wanna know the best of the best of it all???

There was a Tony Hillerman book in the desk for me!!! I may be too tired to read, and THIS time I know what to do with all my spare time, but JUST FOR ME!!!
I am in heaven for a few more days...

********
Since there's no Wi-fi anyway, and data is a bit more reliable in the Casita and Wi-Fi at The Visitor Center, (where I saw a moth that was easily four inches wide)

I have a few updates in the first evening.

Is though the thing has found the outdoors very entertaining. He managed to squeeze through a rip in the screen. This one is not nearly as well put together as the other one. So I noticed out of the corner of my eye he was in the window and then kind of not in the window. Never quite figured out where he went but it was in the other room and I had gone outside to watch the Sun go down. When I went in I couldn't find him, and that's when I noticed that although it was somewhat small, there was a tear in my screen with lots of fur around it. No cat. I found him on the other side of the house. I had been outside the whole time. He just didn't come around that side.

I was rewarded with a pretty spectacular Sunset, which I usually get! However this one was from the other side of the building. And I was lucky to have witnessed my second full moon! This is it rising over the old place...

Back to the Hell of the City

Not much pretty to post, but as it is only my second full day here, I have a couple of updates.

My computer only malfunctions at home.

On my short day back home mid-May, I must have spent a couple of hours frustratingly trying to get my desktop to not boot, run and turn itself off and on again after about 3-10 minutes.
I blew it with my hair dryer (hot off), I took a very soft brush and tried to find hidden dust bunnies.  The interior fan was known to literally stick.  I opened the side and gave it some help so I assumed old parts, dust and oncoming heat might be part of it.  I finally gave up.
When I got home on Thursday, I had no stamina.  I called ABC computer repair in Tempe.  They took it in and of course it ran like a TOP!  Two days and I asked them to replace the sticky fan ($15 and the $40 one obligatory hour fee seemed great!)  Data Drs. cost something like $200+ and it did the SAME thing and they replaced NOTHING.  I know it was hardware, they kept checking software.

Well, I got it home yesterday and it did it again.  3 times!  We all seem to think it must have something to do with the house, but I have never figured why everything else in the house works consistently but not the computer.... MONTHS at a time and then it hates me.

MY opinion was still monster dust bunnies.
And this time I think I saw one blow INTO the power source.
They say it is not reasonable to pull the power unit  apart to clean.  I do understand why, but I think the bunny is JAMMING, not burning out the fan.  Moving it to the shop would jostle it out and bringing it home, it may migrate back... ok, it is the stuff of dreams but....
So when it failed again, I called.  It was Friday and I could not tolerate one more day on the tiny computer.  As you can tell, my thoughts flow freely when the keyboard is willing!

At any rate...my solution was a small fan.  It was to keep it cool and circulating.  For some odd reason, after about 14 hours now, it is still working....
So.....

I hope to go into the blog and edit my typos, expand on things and possibly even add some better photos that I could not edit from the tiny laptop.

Both of us are NOT happy.
I have been doing paperwork and balancing budgets and such so it is depressing but, I believe I am nearly done. That means I should actually unpack the car and bring the cat's cage in.... I want to run off with him, but the trip ANYWHERE is so hot, I should stay home and regroup.

As far as the Park is concerned and my participation in the blog.. More to come!
As I am no longer a public commodity, as part of the park itself, I can swivel my thoughts to making a bit more money off of all this inspiration in my head .. and camera!

Route 66 Days in Holbrook has a table for PEFO and I am going to firm up my participation by Monday so Kip can plan on me!  I will be trying like mad to do a few more animals from the actual park and maybe some 66 sights... not sure how,. but it will be fun, and make more rock transfers.
I have a wealth of legal scrap rocks here.  There is a tiny cache I got on the road to Holbrook that will be labeled as such, but t is setting up the office, the digital editing programs, scanning finished art etc to get started for a bunch of goodies by next weekend.
I will update you on the donation to the park as well.
There is nothing very beautiful around here to photograph, so I will try to send progress shots as I go....
Your PEFO AIR!
dj*

DAWN! And Why You Should NOT Be Happy To Sleep In.

I figured it out.
Last night I was so exhausted that I pretty much shoved anything smaller than a boot into a closet.  I tried to sleep about 8, as I was falling asleep listening to podcasts and had a really good 7 or more hours of drawing in public to put toward my "debt" to the Park for this gift.
So, when 3:30 came around and the stars were still up, I threw some food at the cat and all was well.
What was odd was that there was no 4:30 wake up.
I saw the sky dark blue and lightening at the bottom through the window and took a few photos of the low clouds that were actually starting a sunrise.

As I called out, no answer from the cat.
Of course he would not have dropped dead but this was really wrong! He depends on trying to wake me up for his entertainment.  When I am up, and there is sun on the bed... he can sleep again.





So... I track him down.

He is transfixed at the door window panes.  He normally looks up and to the left to see the next of my House Finches, but this was the other direction.

Over the wall I see some brown moving and think it may be a coyote or something so I turned around and grabbed the camera.




Nope.

It was a gang of young elegant Mule Deer!!



The first shots were before the sun was up but I counted first two, then three and I got about 170 photos, but this was the shot of the morning.  Here they are with the young family from the nest above the door, so it is three of the deer and two birdies!

RIGHT over the wall around the patio.  That is the roof of the casita and I did not dare go out for fear of disturbing them.

This is how close.
Yeah, I had to shoot through the screen, but you can see the corner of the fridge out the north kitchen window:

I watched until they disappeared in the direction of the road with a panorama of the Painted Desert with 15 minutes of sunrise twilight.

NOW the magic happens.
NOW I wake up when he says to!

I took my run into Holbrook and it is a bit before 11 at the beautiful patio of my tolerant McDonalds, with reliable wifi and the ability to reload podcasts and even listening to some tv on the headset!

LIFE IS SO PERFECT HERE!!!

Zombie Returns to Where She Belongs... for now.

I did an awful lot in what seemed like absolutely no time! From the Park, the trip home was not a waste:

I brought my own sheets so the loaners were cleaned and folded for the next tenant.  Took the rugs (Thing had some furball issues... and they were obviously not part of the general clean up) to destroy my home washer... and indeed they tried!  So the floor looks all pretty.

I had a hard time rounding things up to leave, as the cat still woke me for sunrise but I was running on 4 hours sleep today.  Only forgot the laundry soap and never got the RUBBER CEMENT so my my birdie will be finished when I get home.

I just kept throwing things in the car.

I traded out most of my paper art samples and brought a few more of my rock repros.  (Like I said... there is still Yellow Horse...)

But when I hit the road about 8, I was physically running on empty.

Nearly got dozey on 377, the last third of the trip and my favorite part of the drive. High chapparral, lots of shrubs and flat.  I started smiling again as I turned on 40 out of Holbrook.

I have a grocery list I gave up on.  I rolled in, and wanted nothing but to sleep.  It felt like a wave of peace and energy poured over me

I am going to try to be more visible.   

I had talked to a weaver and bead stringer named Jane who was up for me doing her portrait.  She was in PDI today, so I made myself walk over with camera and got a couple of good shots.

I determined to pull out my newly tidied-up pastels and see if I can remember how they work.   I am pretty sure I do not... 

I sat on the patio, put the thing in the cage and enjoyed the COOLNESS.  No wind, and just brisk enough to NOT be Phoenix!! I drew and dozed.  

Here is my start on Jane.  I am planning to see if I can do a watercolor under pastel.  I have not done it for a portrait for years.  I also know I will kick myself with the amazing necklace she was wearing.

My boyfriend says he is ready to see more art and less travelogues.  We shall try!!

First Event is on the Schedule - May 12

Holbrook, the little metropolis on the edge of the park, has wonderful arts events featuring the Artists in Residence at their historic Train Depot!

The Park cosponsors the Holbrook Art Series featuring the monthly artist in residence and give a great way to see what the Park is doing and help me with promoting my art.

I am planning a demonstration of my Tin Cup style.

I did a lot of the Pony Express historical re-enactors from the area a few years ago.  I figure showing my pieces and explaining my technique would be a great way to make a new PeFo related piece and interact with the community!  I will post the images when we get going.