Spring and Summer Trips, and Life in Between: NYC and the Southwest

Four Months Since My Last Blog Post

It didn't seem like an eventful spring and summer while it was happening, because there was this long chunk of time when it was always hot and I was always in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, trying to stay cool in my Class A motorhome.  But looking back since I last blogged in April, there have been some great trips and a lot accomplished. 

TRIP #1:  New York City!

 As seen from the (free!) Staten Island Ferry

I went to New York City in April.  This was kind of on a whim.  I am always monitoring air fares to favorite destinations, so when a $225 round-trip ticket came up, I grabbed it.  When I first made my reservations, I intended to spend the entire two weeks in a modestly priced hotel.  But then friends thought up a plan for me to take care of their cat while they traveled, so that saved me six nights' lodging.  Wonderful!  

 I spent a lot of time sketching in museums...

 ...gardens...

 ...and parks.

This was my best ever trip to New York.  I have always gone with family or friends.  This time I was completely free to make a schedule that suited me, and I learned a lot.  For one thing, while it's wonderful that there are some nights you can get into museums free, my evening energy level didn't allow me to really enjoy the museums late into the evening when they were really crowded.  I did better ponying up the $18 or $25 admission and enjoying museums at a leisurely pace during the day.  Also, I really enjoyed just being...in parks, over coffee, that kind of thing. Not always on my way somewhere.  I sketched a lot.   

Being in the studio audience was a blast!

I got to see lots of great entertainment--plays, musicals, ballet and more--mostly due to my friend Marcy's great knowledge of how to get reasonably priced tickets.  We had fun!  One of the most exciting times was when we were in the audience for Stephen Colbert.  We also played Scrabble on the roof of her building, ate good food, and just enjoyed spending time together.  

 Rooftop view of the Empire State Building, as lit on the evening of the New York Primary

After I got back from NYC, it was a busy time at Sun Gallery in May.  I was open for two weekends in a row, first for the town's annual Fiesta and then for Second Saturday Art Hop weekend, and I had my best month so far financially at the gallery.  We had a very fun chicken art show during May, with lots of participation by friends old and new, near and far.

Trip Number 2:  White Sands, Alamogordo, Roswell, etc.

In early May, my son Sly and his dog Jimi came to visit me, driving from Seattle to Truth or Consequences.  It was a great time.  We spent some of Sly's visit in TorC and some on the road in Solveig, my little Toyota Dolphin motorhome.  We left my cat Sonja at home with Steve, and we dropped the dinette table down to make a bed for Sly and Jimi.  We traveled to parts of New Mexico I hadn't seen before, heading east out of Las Cruces, where we spent a night at the awesome Aguirre Springs BLM campground.  The next day, we visited White Sands National Monument and the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, both wonderful places to stop.  

Sly and Jimi on the boardwalk nature trail at White Sands

We hit White Sands early, because by about noon, it was quite hot, even in early May.  By contrast, we spent the night a few miles up the road at a Forest Service campground just outside Cloudcroft, where it was very cold (and around 10,000 feet elevation).  

We drove to Roswell, where we saw all of the hokey-but-maybe-believable alien stuff and bought a few souvenirs.  Somewhere along this trip, we also stopped at Three Rivers Petroglyph National Recreation Site, and that was pretty cool.  Sly's visit went by really quickly.  He discovered the usefulness of freecampsites.net in his travels, paying nothing for his overnights all the way down from Seattle and back up again. 

 Evidently my Dolphin qualifies

Trip #3:  Deming, the Gila, Mogollon Rim, Safford

Dropping Steve at the train depot...um, train hut in Deming, New Mexico

Late in May, Steve was headed to Texas to visit his sister and family.  I loaded up Solveig (cat, canvases, paints, food, etc.) and drove Steve to Deming, New Mexico, to catch the train.  Then I headed north up past Silver City to Highway 180, along the western side of the Gila National Forest, camping at a few free campsites along the way.  I headed up towards the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona, traveling west on Highway 260.  I'd discovered on a trip last fall that Payson, Arizona, has a lot of great charity thrift stores, some kind of upscale ones and some more affordable.  So it's a nice destination for me to do some buying for my gallery.  

 A roaring fire at my free campsite off FR300

About 7 miles west of Heber, Arizona, on Highway 260, there's a road heading south marked Black Canyon Lake.  It is Forest Road 300, and there are lots of other roads that shoot off from it into various directions throughout the Forest (Sitgreaves, I think).  Which translates to almost limitless boondocking opportunities. When I arrived, it was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, yet I found an established campsite with fire ring, far from any neighbors. My site was almost on the very edge of the Mogollon Rim, and I could see for many miles.  Beautiful.  Also, there was plentiful free firewood, because there'd been some logging in the area.

One of several nice private soaking rooms at Essence of Tranquility

From FR300, I headed west to Payson and did my shopping, overnighting at Walmart.  Afterwards I realized it might have been more pleasant to stay at the local casino just out of town, but I'll save that option for another time.  I headed south to spend a few nights at Essence of Tranquility spa in Safford, Arizona.  You can camp there with a tent or a very small RV.  I managed to mangle a tree and my roof by not paying attention to how tight things are in their little camp area.  But once in place, it was all magic.  I stayed three nights for a grand total of $45 plus tax, and I soaked in private tubs whenever I wanted to.  I also used the communal kitchen area and the wifi.  It was a wonderful respite, one I hope to share with Steve sometime.  Midweek is best, and so are the shoulder seasons.  

 "Petroglyph Tarot Card The World XXI" painted while I was at the spa

I had an adventure on the way to Safford that involved needing oil out in the middle of an Indian reservation, a problem solved by buying a guy named Rocky a case of beer.  However, I have no pictures, so I guess it didn't really happen.

 Overnighting at a New Mexico rest stop, where it is okay to stay for up to 24 hours and they have covered picnic tables

After my spa stay, I headed back down to pick up Steve in Deming.  I overnighted at an I-10 rest stop near the Continental Divide, and that was a pretty good place to relax.  Traffic noise, of course, but I have earplugs.  Some of the New Mexico rest stops have nice little ramadas with picnic tables.  I got comfortable and painted while I was there.  The next day, Steve's train was very late, so we ended up getting a motel room for the night where I could relax until it was time to go get him around midnight.

Then it was back to TorC, where I had the gallery open for the June Second Saturday Art Hop weekend.  It was a bust!  For the first time, I didn't make the rent (or any of the other expenses).  I didn't panic, though.  I turned on the eBay machine.  It was the perfect way to spend the hottest part of the summer.  We had high 90s to low 100s for many weeks.  It seemed like an eternity.  

"Too Hot for the Sun" was inspired by this summer's weather

For several months, I would spend some of the morning, before it got very hot, down at the gallery picking out and photographing inventory that looked good for selling online.  And then I'd spend the afternoon at home in the Beluga (my Class A), with the A/C blasting, listing stuff for sale.  It worked really well, and it's helping me pay off some of my past travels before I make the next big trip.

Steve is rockin' that alien shirt at the Mineral Museum in Socorro

During this summer, we've made some attempts to alleviate the boredom (not much happens in TorC in the summer!) by taking a few trips closer to home.  We went to Las Cruces to shop and stay overnight for my birthday in June, and to Socorro to have lunch and visit the Mineral Museum at New Mexico Tech for Steve's birthday in July.  

 Up early in the morning to bake a pear-chocolate clafoutis for a French country summer dinner party

We have also been enjoying dinner parties with an international flair with friends throughout the summer.  We bought amenities to enjoy the summer--an additional A/C unit, patio furniture, a nice grill. When it would finally get cool in the evening, I worked on dish gardens which sold like hot cakes at my gallery.

One of my little gardens, featuring found items and prayer flags I made

 These mosaic teardrop trailer bird houses have been very popular this spring and summer, too

I also did some painting and became a member of the Sierra County Arts Council.  We're working on some exciting events for the fall and winter.  And, of course, I was open at the gallery for the July and August Art Hop weekends, which fortunately went better than June.

 Trip #4: Pie Town, and the Mogollon Rim again

Sonja's enthusiasm for travel--you can see it in her eyes

When the hot spell was finally starting to break, Steve, the cat, and I got outta town.  We headed north on I-25 and west on Highway 60 past the Very Large Array, spending the night at the free campground in Pie Town, New Mexico.  There are no services there, but it's fine boondocking.  

 Free dry camping at the town park in Pie Town--there is also BLM land immediately behind the park if you need longer-term parking

Then we continued west to Arizona, picking up Highway 260 and heading for Payson so I could shop again.  We stopped for three days, though, at Christopher Creek Campground in the Tonto National Forest, about 20 miles east of Payson.  It's a  nice little campground, with two loops of campsites, one on either side of the creek.  It got rather full of loud campers on the weekend, so we headed into Payson to shop.  

 Christopher Creek was low during our visit, but sometimes you can wade, swim and fish

What I thought was a bugling elk turned out to be only this attitudinal cow

We had intended to spend the night at the casino, but it was the annual Payson Rodeo two weekends ago when we were there.  So it was crowded and loud, and we headed back east on Highway 260, stopping overnight at my new favorite boondocking place, Forest Road 300 near Heber.  Even though we didn't get such a unique campsite this time, Steve loved this place as much as I did.  I think there will be a lot more boondocking in our future.  

 Steve enjoying a quiet evening boondocking in the National Forest, while I peek in windows and take people's pictures

 Horses that were grazing just outside the rig while I did my morning meditation

On the way home, we stopped one more night at a rest stop along Highway 60, just a few miles east of the Arizona-New Mexico border.  I didn't need ear plugs at this one, since it's a much quieter highway. We'd landed at this rest stop because a much-loved Forest Service campground in Lakeside, Arizona, has unfortunately been permanently closed since we last stayed there.  No explanation, but we're guessing that property just became too valuable for campground use, once the town grew up around it.   

Highway 60 rest stop about 8 miles east of AZ-NM border

 Art completed at that rest stop

We got back home last week, and I got a lot of things done around home and the gallery so I could get back out camping again one more time before I open the gallery in September.  I'm currently enjoying a solo trip (well, I had to bring the cat) out at Elephant Butte State Park, dry camping on an overlook above the Rio Grande.

Perched above the Rio Grande, north of the lake

Just after sunrise this morning

What's Next?

I'd thought of spending the summer other ways--heading north to the Midwest, possibly changing out RV's to have more power for long trips--and I'm glad that I stayed closer to home.  Steve and I will be making that trip to the Midwest together next year, getting an earlier start than we might have if we'd gone this year, so hopefully having less hot weather to deal with.  Also, we've got a trip to Thailand coming up this fall.  If I'd traveled all summer, I wouldn't have been able to say "yes" when the right air fare to Bangkok finally showed up, after looking for a long time.

I have furniture for the new apartment stacked up in back of my gallery.  It is helpful to be able to go shopping in my own store!

The biggest thing coming up in the near future is a move into senior housing in Truth or Consequences.  Steve has indicated a desire to have less work to do than is involved with living in RVs.  In our new apartment, we'll be able to call Maintenance when something goes wrong.  We're on a waiting list, and don't know when we'll move, but hope it will be before our trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in October.

I also have some themed art shows coming up at Sun Gallery, but I'll keep that for the next blog post.  Ciao for now!               

Make that Cow for Now...

     

More Fantasy Road Sign Paintings, and a Change in Plans

 Dog Park, 14 x 18 inches, acrylic on canvas

When we left Truth or Consequences, NM, about six weeks ago, the plan was to be gone all summer.  And, less than a week ago, I wrote a blog post in which I was pretty excited about finding a couple more places to stay up here in the White Mountains of northern Arizona.

Well.  Stuff happens.  I got a call from the used car lot in TorC where I'd consigned my old Toyota Dolphin motorhome, and they were going out of business.  So my friend Brian Many Wheels went to pick up the Guppy and took it to another friend's house for storage.

I debated whether to cut our travels short and go back to sell the Guppy.  Then a potential buyer popped up--her family has previously owned Dolphins, and they want to take a look at mine.  So it seemed like a good idea to head back that way and see if this can happen.  If not this particular party, then we can do try Craigslist.  Either way, I will hopefully have some money to put towards paying off my new rig.

Now I'll be able to deliver my fantasy road sign series of paintings in person to Grapes Gallery in TorC, rather than mailing it.  And I can keep working on this series right up until the work gets hung next Thursday.  I have new ideas all the time, and friends have been contributing ideas, too!

Expect Delays, 11 x 14 inches, acrylic on canvas.  SOLD

I've been posting pictures of the paintings on FaceBook as I finish them, and three have sold already.  Two of these will be hung in the gallery with NFS or Sold signs next to them.  What fun it is to paint these weird things from my imagination and have them be so appreciated!

Right after I posted my last blog entry, I had the pleasure of a visit by Roxanne, who was passing through the area on her way to see her cousins in Flagstaff.  The visit was short, but sweet.  We took a little spin around the Lakeside-Pinetop area to look at various campgrounds where Roxanne could stay in the Spud, and I really enjoyed seeing Scott Reservoir, which is off the bus route that I've been pretty much limited to recently.  

Steve and I are driving back to TorC on Sunday.  So we're doing a few special things these last few days up here--dinner at Red Devil Pizza tonight, and I'm been asked to be the speaker at an AA meeting tomorrow.  Now that the decision has been made to head back to TorC, I'm excited about it and am looking forward to seeing my friends and returning to my activities there.     

Movin' on Up: Pinetop, Arizona

 Double rainbow over the RV Sites at Blue Mountain Motel & Cabins

In my last blog post, we were staying at the National Forest Service campground in Lakeside, Arizona, a few miles south of Show Low on Hwy 260.  But we were having problems.  We'd been counting on using our generator to run the air conditioning once in a while if necessary and to keep our batteries full.  When we tried the generator, it smelled like something was burning.  We tried getting by with the small solar panel we'd brought with us, and that just wasn't enough.  The afternoons were very hot, and there wasn't enough power for me to sell on eBay.

So I called around to find someplace we could stay that had full hook-ups.  Boy, that's hard to find in this area!  Most RVers that come to the Show Low/Lakeside-Pinetop area stay for the entire summer.  A lot of RV parks only accept reservations for the whole season, and some of those are very selective:  No RVs that are more than 10 years old, or even 5 years!  

Fortunately, we'd met somebody local who recommended Blue Ridge Motel & Cabins, which also has RV spaces.  They are pretty much booked up for the summer, too, but they happened to have one space available for a month, so we took it.  The price was right--$295 per month, which includes electricity.  We moved as soon as the site opened up and have been here about a week-and-a-half so far.

We're parked very close to our neighbors, but fortunately we have quiet folks on both sides.  We like the resort.  The owners are a nice family, and they keep the place very family-friendly, so there isn't any conspicuous consumption of alcohol or anything else.  Most days the only noise I hear from other people is the happy sound of kids playing.

We're also more comfortable temperature-wise than we were in Lakeside.  We're just a little bit higher in elevation, and we are on the front edge of Blue Ridge, where we get some nice breeze.    

We're still right off of Hwy 260, so we can still take the bus, which is handy for us, since we opted not to tow a car this summer.  We've been able to take the bus to the Post Office, to various grocery stores, and to take care of some business.  Since the bus runs on a circular route that takes about an hour, there's often quite a bit of wait time, but that's okay.  I just bring a book and find myself a cup of coffee.       

 A great almond croissant and cup of coffee at "Baked in Pinetop"

Some of my readers who have been with me since the beginning of my travels in 2011 might remember that, when I started out on the West Coast, I reviewed all of the almond croissants that I found along the way.  I ate them in several places in California, but then after I took a left turn and headed through the Southwest, almond croissants became very hard to find!  So I was sure delighted to find a really good one the other day at a little shop called "Baked in Pinetop."  It had just the right amount of almond paste inside--enough to taste really good and to be moist inside, but not so much to affect the lightness of the pastry on the outside.  I'll definitely be going back there again before I leave this area.

While we have hookups and fairly reliable Internet, I'm working on two goals:  To make some money on eBay and to get some paintings done.  I've started work on a new series of paintings inspired by my travels.  They're based on road signs and they are fantasy "what if" situations. 

 "Watch for Tie Dye Cows on Road"

16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas

Lucky for me, right after I started working on these new paintings, I got a call from Grapes Gallery in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, asking me for some new work.  So I hope to get five or six paintings done within the next several weeks, and I'll mail them to the gallery in time for the July Second Saturday Art Hop.  

Also lucky for me, my friend Bridget immediately bought the tie dye cow picture!  I mailed it to her yesterday at her little ranch in Guadalupita, New Mexico.

Okey Dokey Smokey

16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas

Steve had some sad news right after we moved here to Blue Ridge.  His friend Bob, with whom we'd stayed a few weeks earlier near Ramah, New Mexico, died of a heart attack.  We had just put the money down on our month here at the resort, and we decided not to go back.  Fortunately, Bob and Nancy's grown kids, as well as other family, friends and neighbors, will all be gathering tomorrow to celebrate Bob's life.  I'm glad Steve got one last chance to hang out with Bob.

We'll be here another two-and-a-half weeks, and then we'll head a little ways west, maybe to Overgaard.  We'll probably find ourselves another place to roost for a while in the White Mountains.  It's nice and cool here in the mornings and evenings, and it rarely gets hot enough for us to need the A/C in the afternoon.  There doesn't seem to be much reason to move very far or very fast.      

Mixed Media and Chicken Soup

When I posted a blog last week, I mentioned my concern about getting enough artwork produced for an upcoming local artists show at my landlord's gallery for the October Second Saturday Art Hop.  I don't think I need to be concerned about coming up with enough work.  I still have almost three weeks to go, and I'm really enjoying being very productive, both at making artwork and in other arenas of my life.

The diptych above is called "Freak Flag," and I made it on two discarded shelves that I found at the thrift store.  I used scarves that hadn't sold on eBay to make the blue field and the stripes with their paisley overlay, and then I did a bunch of painting using acrylics.  A final touch which is difficult to see in the photo is that there are red glass gems that really draw the eye to the non-stripe elements.  It is a fun piece--not my best work, but someone is going to love it and take it home.  I will probably wait to show this one in November at the Trash Bash show that will feature recycled artwork.  

 For the October show, I'm mostly creating works on canvas that combine fabric and acrylic painting.  The one shown here is called "Swirl," and it's an extension of all of the mandalas I've been drawing by hand for the past six months or so.  Basically I'm just taking the mandala drawing into another medium.  This one was fun to paint, but a little more precise work than I usually enjoy.  I like the sense of being able to slap paint on something, without having to be too exacting about it.  

This one, called "Wild Thing," is a little more my style.  Yes, it's a painted mandala with fabric elements, but it's more haphazard.  This one was really, really fun to make, and I think the end result shows that.

Here's another mixed media picture that I completed yesterday.  This one has some floral scarf pieces overlaid with those leaf-type shapes from a vintage Vera Neumann scarf.  I call it "Viva Vera," and I hope it will be the first of many tributes to my favorite textiles designer.  


In this picture, I wanted to echo the flowers from the Vera scarf, but there was so much going on already that I was hesitant to paint a lot of flowers.  So I simplified it by making some potato prints of flowers instead of painting individual flowers.  The prints make the flowers more uniform in size and color than they would be if I'd freehand painted them.  

The main challenge I had with this piece was that it was too, too much!  Each fabric had a lot of color and texture, and some of the colors were really bright.  For a while, this work was so wildly colored that it looked the Easter Bunny had exploded while breaking through a stained glass window.  But I was able to tone it down and bring more unity to the picture by doing a lavender watercolor wash over some of it.

In addition to creating artwork, I've been getting a lot of scarves listed on eBay.  I also worked three partial days in a row in the new store, where we sold quite a bit of my landlord's old furniture.  Now I have some time off from working while the store is being painted and readied for being officially opened in October.  

I am thrilled by some of the developments as they have occurred.  It looks like I'll not only be selling the larger furniture that comes into January's, but also the clothing!  That will be really fun.  There are two dressing rooms already built into the new store space.  I'm looking forward to dressing up a little myself, after several years of wearing mostly T-shirts and jeans or shorts.  

Also, we're going to use a gallery picture-hanging system in the new store, so it will be easy to change out artwork.  January is open to my ideas about doing some calls for artists to put together some theme shows.  I can hardly wait!  I am going to learn so much from doing the PR and curating duties. 

My pace of producing artwork has slowed down a little the past couple of days.  I have a cold and I'm spending a few days taking really good care of myself.  Back when I lived in the Pacific Northwest, my colds often used to escalate into sinus infections or bronchitis, but that hasn't happened since I moved to the Southwest.  The hotter, dryer weather helps, and so does the fact that I use a Neti pot and give myself the time I need to rest.  Earlier this week, I made a big pot of chili with lots of garlic in it, and that seemed to help.  Today I have a big pot of homemade chicken soup on the stove.  I hope I'm back to my higher level of energy soon!        

Hooked on Painting

 Collective Dream

Multimedia, 2012

So I have a new obsession (Geesh!  Like I needed any more!)   I love to paint.  In the past, I took some painting classes, but I've mostly just painted as a part of a larger project.  Furniture that I'm going to mosaic, for instance, often needs to be painted first.  But now, all of a sudden, I can't get enough of painting just for the sake of painting.  

The painting above is actually a multimedia piece.  I did it for an upcoming event here in Truth or Consequences that will happen in November.  An organization called Bountiful Alliance does all sorts of healthy things in our community, including heading up the local farmers market and providing a community kitchen where bakers and chefs can produce salable products without having to get their own kitchens certified by local health inspectors.  

In November, Bountiful Alliance is holding a month-long event focusing on Recycling called the T or C Trash Bash.  It will open with a fundraising exhibit of artwork at Grapes, a gallery on Main Street, with artwork made from recycled, repurposed or salvaged materials.

I'll definitely be bringing some of my mosaic works to the show, but I wanted to try some other media, too.  I literally rescued the stretched canvas for the above painting out of a dumpster.  It was an acrylic painting by an amateur artist who was giving up and throwing away his work (I also managed to wangle his left-over gesso and unstretched canvas from him).  To add to the recycled character of this piece, I also used three of my scarves that did not sell on eBay as part of the work, cutting them into pieces and gluing them to the canvas.  Then I added acrylic painting that echoed the motifs in the scarves.  Not surprisingly, in a mandala shape. 

I like the end result, and I named the work Collective Dream.  It reminds me of my dreams, which are usually never just about one thing.  My dreams are both enlightening and mysterious, uplifting and brooding.  Contrasts that somehow manage to coalesce into one entity, like this multimedia work.  

I can't wait to paint some more.  I mean it, I can't wait.  Today I need to sell stuff on eBay so I can afford to keep doing artwork, but first thing this morning I went out and bought artist board and talked with Ruanna at Hot Springs Frame Shop about board vs. canvas so I can decide which to buy next.  But, for now, I simply needed surfaces on which to paint, so I bought a couple of canvas-covered artist boards. 

I will try to abstain from painting today until I at least get a few scarves photographed and listed on eBay.  This craving to paint is a lot like how I used to feel when I still drank, and I would have to try to wait until 5 p.m. in order to be somewhat civilized.   
   

  

Sunrise photo taken from just outside my apartment door

Look at the sunrise!  How could anybody NOT want to paint?  

And then there is my cat.  Every day, she makes herself the subject of artwork yet to be executed.  

 Sonja in the big chair that Barbara gave me

My apartment is coming together.  I've become a lot more invested in it recently, now that I know I'm going to stay here in Truth or Consequences for a while.  I had borrowed some furniture from my landlord and my employer.  Almost all of this has now been returned, and I've replaced it with pieces I've either purchased or been given.  

My friends Barbara and Kathleen are moving away to Maine, to a smaller home, and they have generously given me a nice big living room chair and ottoman and some shelving.  Then I bought a futon last week to use as a couch in the living room and as a spare bed for when my son Sly comes to visit.  I bought a big work table for photographing my eBay stuff and working on big pieces of art.  I have a smaller table/desk for drawing and a computer desk.  My dining room is, in fact, an office and art studio, and I usually eat in the living room while reading or watching TV.  I've gotten a bookcase from my new employer, January, and I'll also be buying a dresser from her out of my first paycheck.  I am invested.

I have even bought a couple of really snazzy fresh design items online at Fab.com, including a wall clock and a pendant lamp.  If you haven't tried it, Fab has really juicy daily offerings of modern and vintage design, at all price points, for everyone.  If you decide to go check out Fab, please go through this link so I can get some points towards future purchases.  Thank you, and you will also thank me.  Fab is irresistible.  Like painting.