Santa Fe Highlights - Day 1

It was a whirlwind trip to Santa Fe that left me recharged, reinspired, and ready to dive back into my life.


I drove from Phoenix to Santa Fe with a stop in Albuquerque for dinner at the Duran Central Pharmacy lunch counter. They are famous for their chicken enchiladas with green chili sauce. It was very good. There were two bug-a-boos on that first day. My camera battery died just outside of Phoenix, which meant I couldn't take any more picture en route. (I had the charger in my luggage and remedied the situation that night.) Second, my air conditioner stopped working just outside Albuquerque. The entire day I chased thunderstorms, so the temperature ranged from about 68 to 98 depending on the storms around me. I had the air off and on throughout the day. I rode the rest of the evening in the humid heat without any relief. It still wasn't as bad as driving any summer day in Phoenix without air, so I am not complaining. I got myself checked at the hotel and located the local Toyota dealership for a visit the next morning.


The first day started early with a trip to the Toyota dealership. I didn't have an appointment, but the service adviser was great and someone assessed my problem right away. It was an easy fix, and I was off sightseeing within an hour. (By the way, the Frommer's guide didn't mention the service waiting room but it was quite comfortable!)


The Plaza was only about 2 miles from the Toyota dealer, so I was there quickly. I found the public parking lot on Water street, and hit a few shops as I walked around the block to the Plaza. I arrived just before a tour started, so I impulsively decided to join the tour.


The tour covered the visitor highlights of town and we spent considerable time on Canyon Road viewing the galleries (at a distance) and seeing public sculptures. We also learned some of the history, got recommendations for restaurants and shops, and saw a great deal of the town's charm. I sat on the outside and snapped pictures as we drove. They didn't all turn out, as you might imagine, but I did capture a lot of the highlights this way.


After the tour, I grabbed lunch from a street vendor on the Plaza and copped a squat under the trees and did some serious people watching while I ate. After lunch, I sat with my travel journal, my GPS, and my web-enabled cell phone to plot out which shops I had to visit. I used my cell phone to post pictures on Flickr and messages about my activities on Twitter so my friends and family could follow my adventure. I must say, I felt like a total geek using all of that technology sitting on a grassy plaza in front of the oldest building in the United States.


The afternoon went by quickly. I found a great stamp store and not only had a great conversation there, but bought two fab stamps. I visited about 20 shops in a very short time and by the end of the afternoon, I was ready for a great dinner. I selected The Shed because it was highly recommended and was in walking distance.


I spent the rest of the daylight exploring Canyon Road on my own. Most of the galleries were closed, but since I was only looking, that didn't bother me. The buildings and landscaping were inspiring on their own, and I took many pictures of doorways and courtyards without seeing any of the art inside.


Don't miss the rest of my journey on day 2, day 3 and day 4.

Santa Fe Highlights - Day 2

The second day, my goal was to visit Bandelier National Monument and the science museums of Los Alamos. They are about 40 miles north of Santa Fe, but because of the rolling hills and winding roads, it's about an hour drive.


I love Bandelier. It is my favorite of the national parks and monuments. My goal was to visit Alcove House, a ceremonial cave 140 feet up the side of a cliff. In the cave is a kiva, an underground ceremony chamber. I've been there before, and the place is magical. The day was hot, about 88 and humid. Between the weather, the hot sun, and being at 6,000 feet, the walk was more tiring than I expected. I shorten my visit by excluding the walk through the cliff dwellings and went straight for the climb.


This section of the park has some shady areas with Ponderosa pines, but is mostly open spaces next to the cliff. This is typical of the scenery along the path. Eventually, I reached the base of the cliff and braced for the climb ahead of me. This is the first of three ladders and a series of steep steps to the top. (This is the shortest ladder, also.)


The climb was hard, and at one point, I asked myself if my plan was smart. But I was determined, and I felt tired but not overly strained, so I kept climbing up and up and up. When I reached the top, I admit that I flopped down in the shade on my back to rest for about 15 minutes. It was cool, and there was a great breeze. When I arrived, there were a few other people up there, but they soon left and I had the space to myself. I only wished I could have taken better advantage of the silence because it didn't last.


For the next 45 minutes or so, the place filled up with people. At one point, there were more than 30 people in the very small space. I ended up taking lots of group pictures for people, which I always enjoy. The most amazing sight of the day was a young man who emerged from the top of the last ladder wearing clubbing clothes: a print shirt, a black tie, tight black jeans, and black dress boots. He was my hero! He not only made the climb, but he did it in style. After resting for a bit, I realized that I should be leaving while I was feeling strong again instead of waiting for the crowd to thin out. The climb down was much easier than up because gravity was on my side. It's a bit scarier to step backwards onto a ladder, but I was up for that challenge, too.


By the time I reached terra firma again, I was nearly out of water and the rubber bands I call my legs were grateful that the walk back was downhill. I stopped to rest a few times in the shade, feeling a sunburn starting on my face and shoulders. When I reached the edge of the picnic grounds, I stopped at the well and drank a lot of water. I also soaked my head in the cold water to cool off. I was a sight, I'm sure, but I was so glad I made the trip and proud that I had made it.


The day was slipping away from me, so I edited my itinerary and had to leave out the trip to the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos. I didn't want to miss The Black Hole, a surplus shop filled with items from Los Alamos National Labs, including items from the Manhattan Project and other top secret projects conducted at that facility. Fortunately, a storm was rolling in and I could avoid any further sunburn. Armed with my GPS and travel journal, I found my way to the shop even through road construction in town.


The shop did not disappoint me. Inside, I found the most amazing collection of useful and useless electronic and other waste I could imagine. Used motherboards, capacitors, transistor, relays, typewriters, pressure gauges, door hinges, broken office equipment, power cords -- aisle after aisle of more crap than you can imagine. If you don't believe me, here is one view I encountered.


I bought a few items I plan to use in my art. I grabbed a quick sandwich at a local grocery store deli and ate it in a city park outside the town's library. Then, I headed back to Santa Fe, dodging more thunderstorms through the amazing desert scenery.


Don't miss the rest of my journey on day 3 and day 4.

Santa Fe Highlights - Day 3

The big event for the third and final day was the Tesuque Pueblo Flea Market. This is unlike any flea market you have ever visited. The vendors bring goods from all over the world. There is no junk here, no resale/garage sale merchandise.


From this inauspicious entrance lies one of the five best flea markets in the world. There is no entrance fee, and no cameras are allowed, so I don't have pictures of the inside. I do have pictures of the many treasures I picked up.


Clockwise, starting from the left: a hand carved angel, a collage, two cards with additional collage images, a blue and purple fabric pouch from Guatemala (my new camera bag), a piece of religious folk art from Ethiopia, the stamp (from the Santa Fe stamp store and not the flea market), fabric stamp from India, shivalingam stone from Laos, tin assemblage (Love is the Key), a fabric pouch from Guatemala, a blue glass door knob. They are all resting on a piece of kuba cloth. I bought a few other things, but these are the highlights.

I spent time talking with several vendors, including a man from Syria selling rugs who talked to me about Islam, a vendor selling wall embroidery panels from Peru, a woman selling textiles from Guatemala, a man from South Africa selling kuba cloth and sculptures, a man from Ethiopia selling religious folk art, a man from Gilbert, Arizona selling rocks (a weakness of mine), and lots of southwestern jewelry vendors.

I spent much more time at the market than I planned, so I had to eliminate the road trip to Taos I had planned for the afternoon. Instead, I returned to the Plaza to hit a few more shops and find a delicious dinner.


I was walking past the Inn of the Anasazi and noticed their outdoor patio was adorable. I figured it was expensive (it was) but decided to eat there anyway. I had a luxurious time sitting there in the late afternoon, enjoying the best chicken quesidilla ever with a spicy mango margarita.

When I was ready to leave, something really amazing unfolded. I was waiting for my check when a woman was seated at the next table. She had wanted a table in the shade, but the only ones left were in the sun. My table was in the shade, so I spoke to her and invited her to join me at my table because I was leaving. She accepted. In the few minutes between her joining me and my check arriving, we discovered that we do the same kind of work in two different cities. The coincidences only got better from there. I ended up spending the rest of the evening with my new friend, Marlowe. She went with me to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum and then we sat in a Starbucks until they kicked us out, gabbing the whole time.

I ended my evening by packing for my return trip and scheduling a few stops for the drive home.

Don't miss the rest of my journey on day 4.

Santa Fe Highlights - Day 4 (Wrapup)

The last day of my vacation was the drive home to Phoenix. I had planned to get an early start so I could arrive in Albuquerque at a shop called Papers! when they opened at 9 am. However, things didn't go exactly as planned and I got a later start.

The drive to Albuquerque takes about an hour. I stopped to refill the gas tank and my cooler (filled with healthy snacks for the road) and then arrived at the shop at 10:25. Imagine my total surprise when the shop was closed, and the sign said that they open at 10:30 on Saturday! Talk about great timing.

The shop is very nice. They have the large sheets of paper like The Paper Studio, and lots of paper related items like postcards, notecards, and other items that appear to younger shoppers. (They are located next to the University of New Mexico.) I was the first person in the shop, but within minutes, it was FULL.


The trip home was uneventful. I didn't stop along the way to take pictures, even though I had wanted to get some in Holbook. It just seemed like a good idea to get home at that point. The drive is really lovely, as you can see from these pictures snapped while driving. I've mastered the art of pointing the camera and shooting through the windshield without framing the shot. Some turn out good, others, not so good, but it's the best I can do while traveling alone.



The travel journal worked out so much better than I even expected. I love the new forms I created. At the start of each trip segment, I pulled out the forms for the places I wanted to visit and placed them in the clipboard on the front. That way, they were ready for me to glance through as I was deciding my itinerary on the go. It also made it super easy to fill in the forms for the places I visited. I was seen in more than one restaurant and other locations filling in the forms on my travel journal. It made deciding where to go a lot of fun, and gives me a record of things I definitely want to do again (and those that I will skip). Each night, I would re-read the completed forms, and I must admit, I had already forgotten some of the details I recorded in the moment. Maybe it's my age, or maybe it's just a good idea to take notes as I go. My next trip will be much better because of these forms.

The journal took a lot of use and abuse, and held up very well. I did find that the front cover needs to be reglued (the side at the honeycomb). Otherwise, it survived the trip without incident.

I took over 450 pictures with my new camera, and about 50 pictures with my cell phone. Many of the cell phone pictures went straight to Flickr. I'm working at editing the camera pictures and getting them posted as well. It may take another week to get through them all. The good news is that my camera's memory card holds about 1,000 pictures based on how full it got on this trip. That's a lot to cull down to add to the travel journal, eh?

With all of this writing, I haven't started to talk about the inner journey of my trip, the things I found on my mind, the dream images that haunted me, or the new ideas for who I want to be and what kind of work I want to do. Perhaps those thoughts will flow out later.

Santa Fe Destination Forms

I've finished the Santa Fe Travel Journal and it is ready to hit the road with me. Yesterday, I printed out the destination forms, one each for places to eat, museums/parks, and shopping spots. I spent some quality time pouring over my new travel guide to select the possible destinations, filled out the appropriate form, and add the location to my GPS favorites. From that standpoint, I'm ready to leave!


One thing that surprised me was the number of forms I needed. To start out, I printed 10 of each form. I'm only going to have three days in Santa Fe, so I thought that would be more than enough. I ended up printing more of each form! I realized that I was filling out forms for all of the possibilities, the places I would like to see, and not just the ones I've decided to see. That rather fits my personality. I like the idea of having a pool of places to choose from, and will make my choices depending on my mood, the distance to the place, and how my trip is going. For example, on the third day, if I have eaten nothing but excellent Mexican/southwestern cuisine, I might be more in the mood for the cute French bistro.

As a result, I ended up using all of the envelopes that make up the honeycomb for the forms. I have one for each type of destination, and one with the remaining blank forms that I can use for places I discover en route. I'm taking my red Sharpie along. The red stands out nicely from the paper and matches the journal. I might even pick up another one to stash in the glove box, just in case.

I had planned to distress the edges and bind them with a book ring. But once I saw the quantity of forms, I decided not to distress and realized that having so many book rings would add bulk. The forms fit perfectly into the envelopes. They are filed away safely, and they will be easy to go through, also.

I found a few tweaks to make to the forms as I started filling them out. I didn't take the time to make them now, but will make all of my improvements when I get back. I'm sure I will have more ideas after I've filled them out completely.

I'm very excited. Not only do I have this cute travel journal for the trip, but the forms help me to feel very prepared to cherry pick the best destinations while I wander. And I'll have a record of the shop names and addresses, the meals I ate, and the sights to use on my next trip or to share with people who ask me for a recommendation.

Lightening Strikes

I'm so excited that I have to post again here. I've just spent the first part of my evening reviewing a travel guide to make a list of the places to see, shops, and restaurants I want to visit on my trip. Unable to sleep (that's another story), I began mapping out form I could make to organize and record that basics for these destinations that would allow me to journal about them and add photos later (for the ones I really visit). I had the idea of printing a basic information collection form on tags that would allow me the room to hand write my notes, bind them with a book ring, and then pull them out when I arrive.

The tag idea had two limitations. First, the tags I was imagining were too small for the generous envelopes that make up the honeycomb book. The ribbons will hold loose items, but only if they approximately fit the slots. Second, the tags didn't have enough room to paste in the info from the travel guide and a photo. So I was rethinking what I wanted.

Then I had a brain storm and lightening struck!

I just spent the last 2 hours designing three forms (restaurants, shops, galleries/parks) that organize the relevant information about each. The restaurant form even collects information about which meals they serve and recommendations of must-try menu items. They all collect information about what I would do differently if I returned in the future as part of the journaling.

I've just printed out the drafts, and after I make some tweeks, I'll be printing out multiple copies of each form on plain cardstock, distressing the edges, punching a binding hole, and slipping them into one of the honeycombs. I'll spend some time with the travel guide before I leave to fill them out.

I'm so excited to have a challenge and find a solution in time to take the journal with me on the trip! Now that lightening has struck, maybe I can win the lottery, too.

Depth of Experience

On Friday, I once again treated myself to a wonderful Carol Wingert class at Scrapbooks, Etc. This time, we made Carol's Dos-a-dos travel journal, a project she has taught a couple other times this summer. It's a fun red and black multiple part book. The front is an envelope/honeycomb book assembled with envelopes between the front and back covers. And the back is a another book, one with a sewn signature that opens from the back. When you look down from the top, the two books (joined at the back) make a Z shape.


I made a few changes to the covers. Carol used the same two papers on each front cover, and I used one paper on one cover and the other paper on the other cover. Inspired by classmate Marissa, I overstamped both papers with the assortment of travel stamps Carol provided. I love the way this adds another layer of interest to the covers. Oh, and don't miss the fun clipboard on the front cover (see Carol's picture).


In this picture of the back book cover, the paper background is tan and it has a swirling floral pattern. The word "travel" in the upper right corner (under the bird) is stamped, so are the names of the days of the week below that.

I nearly finished the embellishments in the class, and I'm working on this today because I am taking it with me next week to Santa Fe. I've decided that I need a change of scenery and since I visited the ocean in February, I'm heading for the high desert. I've been to Santa Fe more than a dozen times before, but it's been at least 10 years since my last trip. I'm very excited to visit all of my old favorites and discover some new ones.

I've actually had some difficulty deciding to take this trip. As I figured up the cost, I realized the fun things I could buy with the money and stay home. I have always been that practical about money, but in the past, I found it very easy to justify buying experiences over objects. It's only been the last 10 years or so that I've been more focused on having something to show for my expenditures. I'm not sure where that came from, but now that I see it clearly, I recognize it is a weed in my garden and I know it has been choking my growth a bit.

From my youth, I've been a person who wanted to experience as much of the world and as many different ways of living as I could fit into my life. I have always valued quality over quantity, and so I've avoided having the same experiences over and over (quantity). I've also chosen to avoid the path of the crowd, so I'm not a fan of shopping malls and I don't see all of the popular movies and listen to the hit radio stations. I seek out other things, art house and independent movies, world music, small import shops over big box retail, and documentaries on TV rather than prime-time series. I feel this gives me a richer life, and more texture in my thoughts than what is available through the mass consciousness. I haven't seen a single Seinfeld episode (and hence miss the references to that experience in the collective consciousness), but I know more than a little bit about art history and I've seen landscapes from most of the countries of the world (through photographs). I've experienced the prayer practices of several faiths, and love to chat with people from other places about their homelands.

It's not the life that most people want, but for me, it feeds my thinking and feeling, and nurtures my writing and my art.

Life Collage in Progress

The last few weeks have been more challenging that I would have guessed. My day job has been quite unpredictable, with a couple of large, rush projects turning off and on like a strobe light. Now, it seems that I have an unplanned vacation between now and the first week of August. What to do with myself?

I've decided to rework my home office. It's time for a thorough cleaning and reorganization of all of my business materials and paperwork. There are more fun things I can think to do with my time, but no project that will provide so much benefit to my life. I work from my home, and have been a self-employed writer for just over 13 years. By reworking my office, I lay a foundation so my working life runs smoothly, and I facilitate my writing muse. Since writing pays the bills, this will make everything in my life easier.

I love my daily life, and I work hard to keep it that way. I'm always trying new things, tools, techniques, strategies, fresh ideas, and anything I can imagine to tweak my life. I've lived with the mantra "How can I improve my quality of life and spend less?" for almost two decades. The latest improvements to my daily life have been: taking at least one art class a month, scheduling time in the studio, Twitter, and spending time with the new people I've encountered. This week, I'm getting ready to interview a housekeeper, someone who can help me keep things running smoother in two visits a month. It's an idea I'm willing to try, and I'm hoping it will accomplish two things: 1. A tidier house will shift the energy of my house which will free my mind up to explore new ideas and projects, and 2. I will spend less time cleaning and more time making art.

Those of you following my blog see me exploring the memory art/mixed media world, but what I've not shared are my short term goals for this exploration. I have a few ideas for items I'd like to make and sell locally. In years past and in another medium, I sold items in a local gallery and that was great fun. It was the first time in my life I felt like an artist (instead of just as a writer). My new project ideas actually combine words and images and memory art and I'm working at building the foundational skills I need to make the prototypes. I'm experimenting with paper strength, adhesives, embellishments, and layouts. But I'm also working to find a balance between me telling a story and providing a platform for someone else to tell their story. I've been looking for companies to make make customized stamps for me, and visualizing production lines for photo images and custom paper for book pages.

It's all been great fun. Now, I'm watching the pieces of the puzzle manifest in my studio (and life) and loving the anticipation of watching them come together. I hope that in 6 months, the projects I'm just making references about now will be full-blown items on my worktable ready to be delivered to the marketplace. One day I will be able to post pictures and announce how my dreams and desire have bloomed into reality around me. Until then, I'm very happy to keep dreaming my dream, trying new ideas, watching my progress, and loving the anticipation of reaching my dream.

Project Update: Guitar Hero

I have spent several precious hours tonight in the studio. After a little bit of picking up, I pulled out the Guitar Hero project and continued where I left off. [This is an accordian/exploding book.]I believe I have about 70% of the pictures cut and temporarily attached in their final locations. I have pictures on the front and back, when I had only planned to cover the front. But as I went through the pictures, I found people who were missing from the existing photos, and I wanted to make sure the project documents Kyle's special night. So I expanded to the back.

I used the Tim Holtz distress inks in Scattered Straw, Aged Mahogany, and Milled Lavender, but very little of the lavender. I've inked some tags, some metal rimmed tags, and some cardstock pieces for journaling. I used a combination of round and square stamps on the tags and attached them with eyelets in an old gold color. I used black craft foam cut into strips to raise up some photos so I can add journalling behind some of the pictures. I'm about half way through attaching the photos and embellishing the front.

It's always fun watching a project come together. I was tempted to take some pictures at this phase, but I have learned that at night there isn't enough light in the studio for good pictures. The flash overpowers things. I will have to wait for morning to take photos.

[Note: Here is a picture taken early Sunday morning. The lighting is not great, but it gives you an idea of how the project is falling together. If you look closely, you can see tabs behind some the pictures, and a tag behind one.]

I have researched options for having pictures taken of this project to add to my portfolio. Unfortunately, the photographers I contacted are all quite expensive, so I'm not taking that route. I've decided that I will learn how to set up the lighting and learn how to take the photos myself. I'm sure I will have to invest in some diffusers and lighting equipment. If anyone reading this has already traveled this road, I'd appreciate any tips and suggestions you can offer.