Back again!

In October every year I head to Denver to help my brother out, babysitting his aged pets while they have an anniversary trip to Mexico.  (Due to a simple but tragic mis-reading of my schedule, I was ORIGINALLY assigned this month for my AIR, so I wondered if there were any gaps in the schedule that I might come back and do a little token residing) This year it snowed his first day out and I forgot about what I will return to ...Phoenix HEAT!
The trip down was via Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado and last time I went up that route a couple of years ago I was crying on the way down.  The beetle kill was so awful.  This time I left early in the long shadows of morning, to the west, so the sun did not blind me and NO TRUCKS stressed me out!  I really enjoyed it!  Then back through the mountains and on to the familiar flat Rez land on the way back to Arizona.
Kip did arrange a three night recovery for me, from the 12 hour trip.  I feel it a lot more coming home than driving up. Probably the depression of coming back to boring old home....
In to the Park, I was eyeball burned and aware that it was no longer Spring.  The deep autumn in the park brings rusts and gold to the rolling flat grasslands.  And the air was softer, whiter.  I found there was a lot of "controlled" burning going on in the area.  It was seriously changing the nature of the place.
Once I located my key and was settled in to cabin 77, the L-shaped one, I met my neighbors, a water colorist and her husband from Tubac.  They had arrived the night before and I gave them my brief park rundown. They also made me feel guilty that I was not up to the task of this place.... Relived that an artist was in the park to contribute to the experience, but again, not sure where I fit..
I had been turned down for another residency (and I should have held off for next year, as I an already hoarding the days I can talk someone in to giving me precious hours here) but I had thought I might work on a sample of my project if I can apply it to another park... I have my eyes set on Mesa Verde as I had a short email chat with someone there and they MAY allow the cat! 
I wanted to do what I do best - humans.  The project, which really was an offshoot of the ill-fated model release I never ended up using, was to meet and immortalize at least one visitor a day, probably from another country, with a brief interview and a lot of photos.  To show how really valuable the park is to US.  The humans who revitalize ourselves, who often only get to experience actual nature in these parks. 
Now with the impending doubling of fees, I think it is even more necessary to show that access by EVERYONE is necessary!  We own these places and we need them to STAY human.

I packed for Denver and found myself lacking some necessities for the Park.  I have all (oh, I am nearing another good 500 if not more photos from the Denver Zoo and Rocky Mountain Arsenal wildlife snapshots) my photos in the camera, but forgot to bring the card reader for to put them into the computer to use when I am connected by wifi in the few areas of the park that I can connect!
I did learn that my phone can transfer a few photos, so we are lacking the beautiful shots and back to being a tourist!!!
Here is the Thing, settling in at his home away from home:

I left for about an hour and came home to tail-less corpse of a three inch lizard that he had already murdered.  

I understand there is a small chewing creature next door, and as this is our third stay, I am grateful that my traveling companion has earned his keep... of course the lizards are NOT an issue, but he is always on patrol!

....."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...

Quest for Nail Clippers,

Okay, tonight is the full moon...Unfortunately, even with clouds that let me sleep thorough the sun searing in, the cat began his wake up call at 4!!  He may sleep in the bathroom if this is not going to calm down.  Should have known. Also should have brought nail clippers.  My Swiss Army scissors just don't hack it.  He was so sweet yesterday it was amazing!

Second try at the day, I got up and began sketching Jorge, my favorite (today...) ranger in the entry box! I am just going to do a nice watercolor and set up anywhere out of the wind.  That is what I am inspired by.

Trying to post my blog over at PDVC, I brought a minimal bunch of stuff and it is always too much.  JUST a bit of cash and the laptop.  Had a "trip" on the patio, looking for better signal out of the sun and took a header.  In my brain, as I fell, I was trying to figure out how to not crash the computer, but how do I not do serious injury.. couple of faster and faster missteps and down we went.  Not hurt but fearful of damage to my little toy link to the outside world, it landed as a teepee butt up and scratched its edges.  I pushed the framework back and heard little clicks and the screen was still working so I had hope.
It seriously had a migraine, but I just kept rebooting (... when in doubt, just reboot) and it seems to have a lingering stick when looking for my files, but IT WORKS!!!
NOW I have a reason for aches and pains!  Double win!

Discovered Kip had gone south as I was up there.  My knees are a bit shaky and my head bounced a bit, not on the ground, just from the jostle.  Feeling old I decided to hit the sheets for a little while then give it a try... and I HEARD THUNDER!  READY for the rain and all the color that comes with it! Set up so I could see and started painting in the kitchen in the natural light.  Forgot the nap and was all set...

....and it stopped.  Well, perhaps tomorrow.  It smelled so amazing!

I decided one more jaunt down around closing to see if Dennis was right again.  He was. Found ONE solitary but amazing set of progs!... here is how dedicated I am (and have better vision than I thought)  This is the scenery in low 5 ish light....where the guy was:


I mostly don't like how my camera does not have a viewfinder, but I can sure use these grainy enlargements at like 85x zoom!

I ran out of the park to see if I could get some nail clippers for the cat, found the tourist trap just outside the south entry closes at 5.  But if you want to bring home your own rock, it is MUCH cheaper than the fine for pilfering from the park.  Actually there were some BEAUTIFUL rocks in the mortar of the shop with the concrete teepees and way better karma than from the park!

I came back to the visitor center and met a kid practically born in the park. She was running the shop and we hit it of great.  Really fine artist in her own right and we both loved the park for the things and the people who make it go.

While I wi-fied, I here is the view of the ceiling:

And the observation room where I was painting on Friday.

If the cat lets, me, I feel like it will  be an early evening.  If not, more to do on Jorge.
 The trip home had some stupendous tonal images.  A sunset without color over scenery of grays and brown.   Garish in the minimalism.
IF I paint scenery, that will be the stuff.

I also got the two tourist books that they all have recommended and if it is nasty tomorrow, we will try laundry and more wet photos and painting,  probably a day doing this and watching this on the bed:

 By the way... no nail clippers without a trip to Holbrook.

Getting Oriented.

There is something about having a REAL WINDOW SILL for a cat to settle in for the day, that makes this Thing, so much more cat-like.  Although he was still a total pain the first night and was banished for a few hours in the night (his plaintive cries did touch my heart..) he eventually actually curled up next to me and we slept.   Not really what you would call a long night (I did too much straining and stretching packing and the car ride whacked out my hips so I was up and down.  I even spent a while watching what I figure in the morning to be reflections from the OTHER window of the road out east. I thought it must be campers but they were  spookily nearby.  Ha.  I think this may explain the haunting across the road... reflections.

Before the sun actually came up (maybe about 5) a yellow orange glow fills the cloudless sky in the east.  Startling colors.  Not soft gentle pinks one is used to... but not enough to rouse me.  THAT happened a little over an hour later when the sun BLAZED in on my eyelids.  Once up and over the sill of the window, it was a perfect alarm.  I adjusted the center panel in the blinds to block the earliest rays and found myself brewing a pot of Mr. Coffee to load into my travel mug and see if I could play alone on the Painted Desert Inn patio and start loading the blog.

In the morning I realized the wifi was a phantom to chase, not a real thing available to me near home.  The PDI has a transmitter that only temps, not rewards wifi seakers.  But the walk across the Park Road was worth it.  Long before the the tourists and rangers showed, it was a chilly but not cold start of a day.  I found some amorous birds enjoying the shortening shadows with me as I slowed down again to sip my coffee and enjoy the view.  Every morning and evening, it is going to be different.  I am sure the  possibilities will overwhelm me.  I am going to try to just WATCH.

The actual environs around my place are pretty nifty. 

Aside from the greeting I got from a The landscape is full of blooming yucca. I  remember Mom valuing the pods for crafts etc.  

I also thought there was a scattering of actual litter.  White flowers individually stood boldly against the dusty, scruffy landscape. 

I wandered on the hill above the casita and got lots of little things... 

There were little jewels of rocks and shrubs.  I picked up two stray bits of petrified rock to admire in the cottage during my stay.
I saw a huge footprint of a wild beast.. fearing Coyotes or worse, I realize in a dog friendly park, Just good old Rover leaves his traces...
I met a Tarantula Wasp, and the little lizard (who I hope is not the one later in this tale..)

Late morning I went to the visitor center and scouted the wifi and laundry and loaded yesterday's blog. Kip was going to be at PVI all afternoon and I said I would bring the spare car magnet for visitors... Then I went off to see the museum in the ACTUAL Petrified part of the forest.

I had chatted with a cute woman from England who said her whole reason for being here was a discovery of Route 66.  

I am still working on  my theme of visitors, but it was initially following the ravens... all of whom have abandoned me so far. Packing up pencils as if I would do anything besides photograph, I filled up the card with the same amazing views as a year ago....then suddenly near Puerco Ruin, they found me.

My first painting will definitely be him, as he perched atop the silver vent on the restrooms, the 1/4 moon faint behind him in the bright day....

I met four lovely poodles on their way home from a club meeting in St. Louis.  They may be the second in my series.

A LONG eye-burning windswept trip through the park, found me exhausted but I managed to roll into the parking lot before the PDI shut and I walked the sign over to Kip.  I met my fellow artist, attempting to capture the vista across the street!  I am too daunted for that!

When I came back, the cat was looking intently at something....

It was a mortally wounded lizard who did not seem too excited to leave or to stay.   

After brushing him out the side door, I felt pretty sad.  

I had found a tiny broken egg this morning on the patio from the nest directly above my door and a petrified smaller lizard body.  

It is all natural, but it all made me sad.

We Have Arrived!

A really uneventful trip but late start, made me too anxious to just get there so I bypassed the trip into Holbrook, figuring a spare (they made it wrong..) SuperSonic Breakfast Burrito from Payson would make my dinner, with breakfast bars, coffee and sustenance to keep me from starving for a few days, I would be fine!  We got the key and used the cabin-provided sheets and such (I brought my own... too small...ugh) I made my own "Decorator Showcase"of a nest, complete with deep windows for cat viewing of the world!

Being a recently ingrained slug of a couch potato, I knew I was not fit, but seemed to pull a hip out of whack and 4 hours behind the wheel was not helping.  I arrived stiff and getting sorer.  "What a wonderful testament to how fun the park is for the handicapped" I thought as I finished loading in to my new home..... Dragging and whiny, I did take a walk across the main park road to the Painted Desert Inn RIGHT at closing. and wandered off into my own little reverie thinking of the FIRST wave of romance the park had inspired......

I circled the perimeter and looked out on to the Painted Desert as the shadows were lengthening.....

I began feeling the peace and calm.  

Returning to the casita, as it got dark, I tossed and turned and argued a little with the cat, but turned off the internet, read a bit of the journal of previous tenants in this historic structure and decided my task was to explore the wonders of actual silence....

Getting Real

I spent the day finalizing lists.
Today we needed to be sure meds were ordered and plentiful in case of emergencies.  Appointments that need done before I go are in line to get done.
Finally, we needed a micro chip and rabies shot.  No telling what sort of visitors may sneak in.
Thing here, is an indoor only kind of a guy, but since we are in the middle of nowhere, If lost, when found, I want him back!  So he was told NO HARNESS.
This is odd.  I tend to grab him by his handle when he is making trouble, but the vet fears he will rub the little "beacon" out if the harness hits it wrong.   So he is NUDE for a few days.

Here he recovers in his travel home, while I work in the office.  He is fine elsewhere in the house but in my studio, if I leave, paint water ends up on the floor and who KNOWS what damage he could do to an oil palette.   

Next to tuning up the poor sad travel machine and vision check for me before departure next week.

More to come.