A Blustery Goodbye

I headed for home today after dropping Brent off at the airport. I left in the pouring rain. Little did I know I was going to be in for sleet, snow, then rain, then 40 mph winds! As I drove through Texas Canyon (in Arizona), the elevation increased and the temperature dropped from 48 degrees to 32 degrees. Then came the sleet and snow. It also was real foggy and mysterious driving past these huge boulders covered in snow. As I drove out of the snow, I stopped at a rest area. When I got out of the car, I couldn't believe the wind. I didn't feel it in the car, as it was blowing directly behind me. I found out later on there were gusts of 40 mph. With the wind, came the dark dramatic skies and the tumble weeds blowing across the highway. I never had such an entertaining drive! I decided to stop in Las Cruces, NM. When I took Moon Shadow for a walk at their State Park, there were crows flying everywhere. They would perch on the side of this dirt mound that ran along the road and then almost jump into the air to glide in the wind. After a while they would come back down to rest and then do it all over again. They looked like they were having such a good time.

Sabino Canyon

Yesterday, Brent and I went for a 4 mile hike at Sabino Canyon. It was a beautiful warm day. The water was high from all of the rain. The most exciting part was at the end of the hike. We had to cross a river that was up to our knees in some parts. I had to roll up my pants and of course our hiking boots got soaked! The water was very cold!

Today we are packing things up, cleaning our little rental house, and doing laundry. Brent flies home tomorrow and I start for home. We had a great time on this journey.

The Desert Museum and the Historic Downtown Walk

We had a very full day today. We went to the Desert Museum near the Saguaro National Park. It was a beautiful sunny day. They have live Predator Bird Demonstrations every day. We were able to see a raven, hawks, and a road runner fly above us and perched on trees. They fly back and forth to their keepers because of the easy food. They truly are amazing creatures.

Then I had an appointment at the Old Pueblo Frameworks and Gallery in Tucson. I met with the owner, Kathi. She ended up taking 6 of my shadow boxes. It felt so good being the artist having a gallery owner take my artwork, instead of the other way around, which I was very familiar with when I had my gallery. I really felt good about having my artwork in her beautiful gallery. Her website can be viewed at http://www.oldpueblogallery.com/

Then after this, Brent and I went for a walk with Moon Shadow along the old historic route in downtown Tucson. We saw some really amazing adobe buildings, St. Augustine Cathedral, old courthouses, etc. One really beautiful place was The Wishing Shrine. Many people come to burn candles and pray, asking for help with their problems. They say if you light a candle and it doesn't burn out over night, your wish will come true. Of course Brent and I each made a wish!

Saguaro National Park and DeGrazia's Studio

Yesterday Brent and I went through Ted DeGrazia's Museum of artwork. He had quite an impressive array of work. My favorites were his paintings of myths from Arizona. We also saw the paintings he did while studying with Diego Rivera. These paintings were in oil and were much heavier than his later pieces. He also worked in clay, bronze, watercolor and built his own gallery and studio. He was quite a man. I took one photo of his studio.

Today Brent and I were able to go out to Saguaro National Park. We went to both the East side and West side. We were more impressed with the views of the West side. They also have a little hiking trail on the West side that takes you to the petroglyphs. You can actually get close to them. The Saguaros are amazing. They grow all the way up the sides of mountains. How they hang on, I will never know. Native American Indians tell a creation story of how people came from Sagauros. They say that at dusk and dawn, the Saguaros look very similar to people. We had a great day, even though it rained on and off and was only in the 50's.

My humble Abode in Tucson

Well, I am settling into my new little house and into Tucson. I like the feel of Tucson. They have a lot of palm trees and it is surrounded by mountains. It was a beautiful sunny day today. I did some exploring of the Downtown area and 4th Avenue that has a lot of funky shops.

Yesterday I checked out the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun where I will be having my show. It truly is a beautiful setting. The litte adobe buildings were made by Ted DeGrazia and his helpers. There is also a little sanctuary where many people have gotten married. I met the current artist in residence and she said she did really well in sales. She said there has been many visitors. It is starting to sink in that I am really going to be showing my work there!

So, I only have one more day until I hang my show. I will be able to start hanging the show on Saturday at 10am!

The photos on this post are of my little house, a mural in my neighborhood, and of the courtyard at the Old Artistans Gallery in Downtown Tucson. The red fence is what surrounds my little house. I call it the funky fort because you can't see from the road that there is a house behind the fence. It looks a little strange.