One More Sunrise To Go...

This is not very entertaining to you all, but this is sort of the symbol of my stay. It's a long neck rope with Mesa Verde written on it. Kip says it was the first job he had with the parks. At the end are the two keys: one to the Casita, and one to the gates to get out or in after dark. It is in my door lock all the time or around my neck when I leave. It is very important they put the fear of God into you about this device. Most of the doors have automatic latches so once you are out there you are there. If I were to forget my keys and forget to unlock it in the middle of the night there's nobody here to help me. 

I am locked in.

 I love it that way... And all this ends when May does.

I have some demos all planned for today and started packing - what goes home dirty, what has to be washed before I leave, etcetera. I am going to see if I can make arrangements to depart at dawn's early crack on the 1st so that I may have a trip away from the Sun. It was awful going home, but much easier leaving very early and getting in mid-day.

I believe I heard Kip say that the new artist will be coming on an airplane around 1 that gives me the morning plus four hours drive from Phoenix... Unless it is Flagstaff... still, I can be home by the time she gets here if I did it right...so I would have time to put everything in order take one quick walk and be gone... But where to turn in keys.

Demoed at PDI in spite of myself.  I met a new ranger.  ACTUAL Ranger.  Cute as all get out.  Full of enthusiasm. I found she started as volunteer at 18. (I actually met her over the weekend as her parents were dropping her off) Things change greatly this week.  

It seems the"seasonals" and interns area all starting work. 

MANY activities on the agenda for June... waaa.  BUT I had such perfect weather, my kitty will never be the same.  I will wallow more tomorrow..

DRAT!  The month of June is way more action packed!  Look, I even spotted the horses coming back into the park for the Summer!

BUT if I have to go  out on a sunset, this was pretty spectacular:

Demo Day for Holiday Weekend, pt1

I had it explained that this weekend is not going to be all that I figured.
It seems as though Tuesday will probably be the big day.  That is when kids are all out of school and families begin long vacations. This is the kind of place that usually is your first stop on a prolonged travel. Although this is a long weekend that would allow slightly longer trips, the Big Crush will probably not be for a few days. Kind of makes no sense but these people know more than me.

It was not what you would call either profitable nor productive, but I did get some entertaining interest from a couple from Germany who thought they might want a portrait. The logistics have yet to be determined, but the desire was there! It's a little like what they say about golf: any day golfing is better than whatever the heck the opposite is. And this is so much better than what the opposite is.
So this is the summary of the whole day:

The top is a partial piece from the morning visitors, two mule deer. The bottom 2 are transfer demos. You can see, why this process is not exactly straightforward....
The top one you can see is after touch up. It initially had no beak, no tail and a chunk of its back was gone, but I went in with my tiny little brush and repaired him.
The bottom shows how it looks when I peel the paper off...ugh
My posts of late have not been quite as lavish, as I have actually been able to avoid going into the visitor's centers for Wi-Fi! Do we call this a victory that I have given up on my little computer? Or do we just call it too lazy to drive the extra 15 minutes up to an hour?
I ended the day with a run down to the teepees for Sunset. I never had managed to do that.

It was definitely worth it. Photos were in the real camera, however and I'm not sure if any one sums it up. But it was quite spectacular.

Science Experiments

Having plenty of enthusiasm for finishing #43, I tried a seemingly elegant way to stabilize my sandstone from parts up and down route 66 and 180, Dismal failure.. so I spent the AM scrubbing off the "transparent" surface, and went for a simple fixative to see what would happen.  I prepped some up to demo my transfer method during the long weekend.  

Then went hunting reference for paintings... rocks or paper?  My hyper kicked in... Below are the rocks in progress and my experiment on paper for a painting... ONE of hundreds I have in mind.  NEVER make a dent in 6 days.

I have a beautiful idea for the scene of the four deer I caught on camera last week from the casita.  The stripes are the first round of dawn out here.  Very often cloudless and there is an amazing transfer of color from dark at the top and gold at the bottom.  So that is coming...
Here is a drawing for the big piece I think may wait, as the experiment above is so perfect for another, more intimate but similar piece...

As a reward for all the work... and how I felt I had wasted a really BEAUTIFUL day, I walked across to find the WiFi working like a champ at PDI!  

While typing, four more unfinished projects hit me.... back across and hopefully, to the PDVC to get a couple of prints made for my rocks of the ground squirrel and ram....

I can paint when I get home, but I really sort of hate it when my brain goes into overdrive here!  I can paint in the dark... the scene from the patio is perfect!  The weather is PERFECT...

Does NO ONE want to adopt a permanent Artist In Residence to live and work for them?  Somewhere that you can open your windows from June through September???

*****

Forgot this... Up way too late, nearly counted on tomorrow, the first experiment was successful.

Big Party!

I decided I would be seen.
I loaded my rocks and goodies and walked over to see the doings at PDI.   The day was warm (they started calling it hot) and morning had no wind so I set up on the outside patio.  With lots of rocks holding things down, I had no problems.


It was such fun!  I met an actual person FROM Central City Co.  Nobody actually is from there!  We talked about the good old days before casinos!  There were Chinese, German and possibly Belgian folk and unusually a few non-English speakers, but lots of Coloradoans.  Felt like old home week.

I finished my little ground squirrel pretty quick.  Smaller than usual pieces because the big rocks are still at home.  OR in the suitcase all wrapped and tagged and unsold!

I even made a lot of progress on good old #43!
Although I was not there a long time, I was pretty tired out.  The early mornings are not for me.  I got up again, a bit too late to make it to my deadline on Friday but I keep trying.





The dust and wind finally did me in at the PDI, but I went home and with a dinner party pending, found I was actively doing a LOT of stuff and nearly didn't get there in time.  MOSTLY because the internet was a total pain all day.




I met up with Suzy and Steve, and Jim and Annie and a couple visiting Suzy and Steve and a neighbor in the park at the mobile home of my favorite ViP Dennis and his ViP wife,  Jo Lynne.

They fed us.  
MY oh, my did they feed us!! Steak and mushrooms with onions, big salad and baked potatoes!  We fought the wind, but honestly, I am pretty immune to the wind.  Perhaps the picture of my hair expanding around me, and ending in my meal could be disconcerting to the observer, but for some reason, it seems like the park, playing and hugging me... seriously, I feel embraced.


I was excited to bring the cookies my client had donated to the trip that I PROMISED I would save for pot-luck donation and not snarf all by myself!  We adjourned in to their luxury land yacht (which reminded me so much of my Mom and her husband, Tom's traveling home) and chatted until after 8!  Great company and elegant hosts!

My hostess gift was a small print (perfect for decor on the road) of the drawing I made the night before.

PROBABLY part of why I am not doing mornings so well.

Jane - Demo at PDI

I got it started last night, and put the watercolor under-painting on this morning. It kind of looked cool! So I figured it would make a great pastel and around 7:30, I realized I'd have to start putting it together to demonstrate.
I drove across and saw Jane pulling in, because I had taken the photographs of her last night I was able to use them for reference but have the luxury of having my model sit, there so people really enjoyed watching it here's a few progress shots:

I got to set up in front of the observation window and she was off to the right making beads it was kind of a perfect spot to be. I also had some of my rocks and some pieces showing other pastels that I made and on the end was the display of all of the actual artwork that I've done so far.

This was how it looked when I started over there. I thought it was a pretty good watercolor which was a big mistake because when you make pastels over watercolor you want the water colors to pretty much cover the paper and be darker than the final colors. It was such a good watercolor..... That I kind of goofed it up.

And this is a few hours down the road.  I did not have any trouble working and chatting.  LOTS of nice folks and interest in my work.

I even scored ANOTHER FREE ICE CREAM from the ranger.


Do I look that hungry.?.. NOT!

 And here is how she looked at 5, when I closed out.

I am not unhappy, but I would not tackle the beautiful and intricate necklace in front of people. I told them I did not want them to hear me swear. I am not unhappy.... I think I just said that.

Forgive me folks I am ridiculously exhausted. I had to eat, and just remembered that I didn't go to the store on my way home. So it was spaghetti and sauce. I have a can of fruit cocktail that I think will be dessert.

Of all days, the wi-fi at PDI was exceptional. After I have recovered I will go over and see if I can edit this on my computer. 

****Well, I got here. Decent wi-fi and forgot to charge the laptop!!!  It is marginally better and I hope the wifi holds for my mail.

Tomorrow the plan is sustenance!  Much as I am not all that cool on driving to town, I must get a few bits of something to fill the coffers for a week.  HOWEVER I did get invited to a little pot lucky thing that some of the resident volunteers are doing for us artistic types on Wednesday.  I am not sure if I can carry on normal conversation with humans for a whole evening but I promise I will spend two days trying to remember how it is done!

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!!

Demonstrating at the Painted Desert Inn

Cat and I have a rhythm.  Sun is about to come up, he digs me out of the covers.  I grab a hand full of food and throw it in his bowl in the bathroom and lock him in.  I got to sleep nicely until 5:30.

Had loaded all of the rocks in the car the night before and cleaned up and when out about 9.


It was a cute little display and it was SOOoooooOOOO windy!

The people who came in and braved the blow were (as always) great.

I showed how I put the laser print on the rock for the repros and just enjoyed the people.











Much chatting and I worked on a smallish... 4x4" painting of good old 43.



He is the ONLY bighorn I hear about in the park.  He was spotted earlier this year, but I have a shot from last year's journey.



Got the bulk of the bighorn to show.  Odd rock but turned out rather well if I say so myself.









Took down about 3:30.  Always an ordeal!  Got the car loaded between gusts and felt rather satisfied for the day.

With specific projects out of my head, I have a couple of ideas for the week... OR NOT and after I upload this at the PDVC,  I might start a few new projects.


But it has been kind of fun actually getting to bed early!  Not that I expect it with a whole day out of the house....

Out of the Park and in to Holbrook! Demo Day

I had such plans!
Last night I set out to prep the paper and sketch out my piece for the demo.
I inventoried and priced all of my rocks.  Who knew my biggest moral issue here would be the amazing amount of perfect flakes of flagstone/sandstone right out my door!!! I brought about 10 blank pieces and feel GUILTY!  I swear, they are mine and getting them from patio projects and quarry stores in Denver, make for such boring stories, that I might go wandering roadsides on my way home from the Holbrook area. Not much of a visual day, again. I do find it is harder to document a day of work than a day of just BEING here!

I figured a day in town was due.  Made a couple of lists (and lost and found them  many times) and figured Safeway and an hour of McD's so meeting up at 4 at the depot would mean leaving around 1:30 to have two hours or so to play.

I took the first business 40 in to town.  I realized I had not left the park for 8 days! Having become a can and jar pro, I also seem to be eating three meals a day and not feeling hungry.  I have found I may be experiencing actual dehydration, as the wind will suck the moisture out of every cell.  Not at all a bad price to pay.
I found a dollar store in the way in!  I needed TP and laundry soap in small amounts so it was perfect.  I even got my mac and cheese, canned tuna and could leave three bags in the car for the demo.  Never made it to Safeway, headed right to McDonalds, where I was able to post the blog from yesterday and download a ton of podcasts before they started looking oddly at me.





I gassed up and drove to the depot.

I found the part of town that had been referred to as the "old Skid row".....hmmm!  This door was the perfect example of the neighborhood.


Old buildings with lots of rocks and an even more interesting building behind the depot.  I did a bit of snapping and got a feeling for what is pretty cool about Holbrook... and how a lot of it is not even doing business anymore.

The depot was a bit dusty and I wore my only snazzy outfit...which was black pants (ugh) and three nice display tables.

As I was waiting for my hoards of visitors,  I realized all the care I had spent on brewing a bunch of grounds to demo my coffee stain, had eclipsed the simple packing of CHARCOAL PENCILS!! I forgot the medium for the demo drawing.

But I had a lot of fun walking people through the display as they recognized my Pony Express guys by different names than I had them identified by! (!!!)







Two hours and a lot of nice people, I loaded up as fast as possible, as it was my first night after the gates closed..... Spooky!

It was past twilight as I went to negotiate (AND FIND THE POST WHERE I ENTER IT) the gate code.  I am so cool.  I have a small flashlight on my rope of keys, so I entered it, and it didn't turn green, but I drove up and sat at the gate......nothing....
When I went back to try again, I saw a truck pushing buttons and the gate opened.  I waited for him to go past and pulled beside him.  He saw my AiR car magnet and figured it was normal state for a visiting artiste' . As I drove up to the gate I had a key for, the side I was facing was, indeed shut, but the outbound side was open.  I am such a wus.  I immediately began wondering what escaped criminals were doing just what I did!!! (next day I had it explained that the "sweep" every evening started at 7:30, and they began by closing them out, and chasing them down to the main entry.

IT WAS DARK when I got home.  My litte light was great and I got groceries and computer and a couple of bags of art supplies in the house with the flashlight in my mouth!!

NOT keen on after-hours travel.

But I felt so bad, I located the pencils (in the DESK DRAWER!!) and worked on the un-started demo!

Prepping

Friday is our demonstration at the Holbrook Historic Train Depot.

I got up very early and came into the PDVC to find a great connection, uploaded yesterday's blog and actually found I could download some podcasts!

Amazing.  Then I pulled out my watercolors, as the day was barely chilly and I could paint with my jacket on.

I got most of my birdy done but need some masking liquid to do right by the background, so I am putting it away.   But the people were great!

I met the couple who had parked in PDI for two nights while they camped.  I was worried.  Rarely do cars stay there with camping permits more than a day and the weather was pretty wet.  They were brave and skilled and having a great time!


I met a gentleman who was enamored of the feeling of the place.  He had a lovely boxer and took my card.  Thought my pet portraits were a GREAT bargain!!!



And I met my model for the demo tomorrow.  She said she was tired of being"from Pennsylvania"

 her white hair was tied up in a Navajo knot and you could feel the yearning for the desert.
I spent the better part of the afternoon throwing coffee grounds around.  I got the pencil lines started for the event.


Tomorrow I will be doing a bit of McDonald's while I try to update myself for a couple of hours before we all meet at 4.  I am hoping this time to have the actual list ready and buy what is on it!  Lots of cans, as I will be having to leave it in the car for a few hours during the demo or come back to the park late... oooOOOoo... Nope.  Not into it.




Tonight is inventorying the various things I will have on the display.  Also prep for the weekend.  I need a little practice on my decals!

And the sunsets (they are everywhere!!!) were quite lovely...

Day was perfect,  BUT cat needed to be in the bathroom.  Oh well, he can't be perfect all the time!

Time and Place

A little less bright and although the cat still believes in 5:30, by working later last night, he was a little more cooperative when bed rolled around so we slept the whole night!

The clouds were billowing and today promised real weather.  At different times it was bright and sunny, then gray again. The weather over the PD was long black and blue or soft white right from the edge!  And real rain.


I headed to the compound for the blog posting and had a very hard time resisting the smell of the Navajo tacos.  I started in the cafe, but there was no consistent service.  My friend Suzy, the girl who is everywhere, suggested the conference room in the offices.  Such a joy!  Just sitting at a table in a chair... I mean it was no McDonalds but much faster and no falling on my face or bouncing from signal to signal.  A definite possibility leaving longer time to myself!
From there I had a weird idea that the birds might be hanging out where more people drop food.  So I aimlessly wandered and found this sign... how could I resist!






Then this...



And this.

Behind the walk way is a row of offices with great big windows for eavesdropping on hard work.
I had a really nice chat with Cathy from the Paleo labs. She was one of the women who was carrying the plastered fossils yesterday and showed me the breaker box. I told her she could not miss my demo in Holbrook on Friday and should find me on Saturday and Sunday in the PDI.  We discussed the dangers of carting in my Flagstone blanks!  I mean it is precisely like the rocks just flaking off my wall outside!  No pilfering allowed! So when I do my demos, I might just put an ink disclaimer on the side so I can explain how these were from scraps and construction left overs in Denver and Phoenix and no IN SITU rocks were harmed in their construction.

I headed home and snapped this shot standing by my car and over the top.  Such an amazing gift to be here!!!

Went in, and promptly curled up for a sleepy, napping mid-day. And the Thing and I did some epic napping! In and out until almost 3.  The head was just low enough to need a cover to curl up under and the dark sky trickled down... not poured.  Over the canyon edge the Desert was cloudy white.  Tourists poured in, as it was one of the great view points without wet, but we caught up on the nights without sleep.  I have a piece of a little bird sketched and ready so I didn't feel guilty.  Just warm and cozy.

About closing time, the weather broke and the land was visible again. I could not resist a pre-sunset drive into the teepees.
This sight made me beam!

 Every car is stopped in its tracks gasping at the amazing scenes revealed by wet earth and migrating clouds!  I pulled over in the main teepee pullout, behind three or four cars and we would point back and forth across the road pointing how beautiful the changes were while watching the other.

I stood in ONE SPOT for about 10 minutes.  Just snapped as things changed.  I know I took over 13 shots but these groups explain what I cannot show, or actually paint.

The land is less for 2 dimensional art than dance or theater.  This is scenery that needs the element of time to understand how the eroding piles of basically colored mud, change from viewpoint and clouds and moisture.  To stop at a single scene does not do it justice.  I have found myself stopping dead on a turn I have gone over maybe 10 times already, too narrow to pull over, and seeing if I can snap a shot only to get home to see... well a scene.  It is the wonder of a mound of white and read suddenly exploding behind a wall of purple.

I have three weeks to load these moments of wonder into my head.


I raced home and worked on my bird picture.

This is something that I CAN do.
My art is about capturing a moment in time.
Small moments, these I can do, but the scenery is to monumental for me.!

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.

Productive Doesn't Look Productive

Last night, sitting with my computer on my lap, updating posts jumped on the PD wifi I was so excited - did so much!
But when I looked through my photos... I was working, not snapping.  No photos today of the Petrified Forest Museum, or gift shop.  I felt very much at home down south.  Aside from the hour round trip, and high gas prices in here, the drive would be the main order of business every day!

So, morning....
NOW he is my hairdresser!  Last night I took a nice bath (the heater only warms exactly half of that seductively big tub...waaa) and I guess the cat belives that clawing my hair will get me up faster.  Grrrrr.  Again, as dawn turns the sky red, he is letting me know it is time to rise and shine.  Like Tom, in Glass Menagerie, I am not thrilled.  But it was fine.
I did see a jack, but the photo was horrible and he left.... so here is one of our morning bunnies instead:



Officially the sun rose at 5:30 and my great plans of getting to the RFM early and setting up for 8 when they opened WOULD have been OK, but Steve, the guy on duty, got their plenty early and left the doors open.  So in came the tourists.  And if you know me, I don't shut up...
First exciting meet was the Lees...two Korean women, one of whom was an artist.  I LOVE MEETING PEOPLE!  I had just set up and they were great to talk to.  I am going to have to have that clip board tied around my neck! I keep forgetting to take the pictures!
I next met a wonderful woman from Utah that took my PET card and seriously wanted my contact info... (fingers crossed).

Challenging myself is one thing, and I sort of proved I could DO art (I have horrible blank canvas terrors if I am not backed up with pieces getting ready or finished on the easel for other people.  I have NO idea which of the millions of ideas in my head will capture the fancy of others and keep a roof over my head.)
Were the cholla not so mind numbing, I had a great day.  Painting is so automatic and Steve was a good guy who was really lonesome having lost his 3 pound chihuahua only 6 months ago.  He had great tales to tell about his brother and the agate magnate!  How ingenuity and seeing the bigger picture parlayed him into definitely one of the richest men in Holbrook if not THE.  I loved the story of how he watched a guy gutting some old buildings and after the workers left found pounds of old Wells Fargo stored ledgers and checks!  After a few donations for history, old cancelled checks were going for at least $20 a shot and he had a DUMPSTER full.  I would loved to have a few ledger pages for toned backgrounds.
One mans trash...(again, no photo, but HE will be a colorful character in the series...)

The wind picked up good at about noon. I really wanted everything in the car, so I didn't risk it blowing away... but I totally forgot about the wifi.... what wifi!  It was on and it worked.  Stayed after loading the car, as I didn't want artwork sailing down the road, to catch up... not much I really needed to know.
Came home and made lunch from the bran flakes left by a previous AiR (thank you)  and my milk from the store and set to work trying to get  finished of this painting. Listened to NPR, until my eyes got blurry, then drove over with camera about 5 to see the cloud shadows.  MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE A PLEDGE NO MORE PD PIX.  I am daunted and it is not helping.

But I took the computer and drove over to sit in the parking lot for a little while to post the sunset in the blog.
Came home and, having taken out the contact lens and going sans correction, worked some more on it.  Pretty much grass and grass and grass...much like fur I guess
DID see a really fleeting rainbow!  Pale but spectacular.

With tomorrow's wake up call, I tried an early to bed.  ha.
I learned that the cat is obsessed with the moon or changes in the clouds.  He has tried to climb into the window overhead a few times, so I closed the curtains.  Now he is chasing moths.
BUT before we turned the lights out, I will say I have something that can be put away for a while with some satisfaction:

Seriously, Getting Organized.

Woke up a little shaky but better than the day before.  I really was not able to BE HERE!  But I woke up to see the great view again and it got me going.

I had a project.  I decided it was out in the public time, so in spite of having a boatload of photos and design ideas, I took the 45- hour (I dawdle) drive to the Petrified Forest Museum to scout it out.  And I had heard there might be ice cream....

Okay, it was not as I expected.  A really nice Ortega concession and I spoke with April (probably wrong, as my new hobby is amnesia..) and am going to contact the Museum Assn to see if they like any of my more trinkety things for sale.  To my great disappointment, it was a cooler with bars in it.  I know if I were a family on the road, that would be plenty, but I was hoping for soda fountain etc...

At the end of the road is the museum.  This was cool.
They have great little exhibits explaining the paleontology and all the great petrified wood and the gang recognized me from the other end of the park!   We figured what and where the best set up would be and (as I mantra is "Never look like a dummy at a demo."  I took a lot of shots and decided, as much as plants are not any more cool than landscapes, I got a nice little grouping off a cholla and yucca and some stumps.   Voila:







I then headed down the road to see if I could spot the happy couple, as the PEFO FB page said there was a nesting family of ravens in the ONLY tree at the South Entrance.....
There was.  Nothing much to show... yet!

I actually went home energized! 

Tonight I will work on the design and sketch the composition so SATURDAY will be a full fledged demo.  The evening was even more excited, by the promise of WEATHER!!! I could not wait for the moving shadows of clouds on the scenery and possibility of rain to change the colors so dramatically.

Above is from when the clouds rolled in....  I thought you might want to see my neighbor across the road when the real clouds start at evening color:

And down the road, just a bit later...

I know, you all want to see the desert, but it changes second by second....

Plenty more of those to come too.