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This is the on going record of my adventures travelling across the US to Jerome, Arizona, and my 2 month stay down there! A pilgrimage of sorts into revisiting and expanding my creativity! Why Jerome? In 2006 Rae and I came across Jerome by accident in the night driving on a crazy 158 S curve road over Mingus mountain to get to Sedona; went back to check it out the next day to explore it and I started crying standing in an art gallery there because I felt "at home".

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Oct 11-13; Breakfast ~ Poker ~ Hiking Clubs




Oct 11-Sunday;
3 photos; Rae & I amongst the flowers over my worktable; Mousy dead in the bucket; my fav' paint, raw umber 'dead'-dried out since I bought it years ago (lesson learned!)






AM: Jerome breakfast club;
  • I was fortunate in being invited to this morning's breakfast held at the Powder Box Church, a renovated & gorgeously decorated home built out of the former church built by the Mexican's with scavenged dynamite powder boxes at the copper mine.
  • Joanne & her hubby 'Buddy' are looking after the place whilst the owners are travelling in Europe; breathtakingly beautiful ...and an inspiring age old solid, feisty spirit that was felt. http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc23668.php
  • Joanne's lovely 15 year old neighbor,Gloria, who is studying "Agriculture" in highschool set the table and cooked everything - great delicious job!
  • they give me tips for how to deal with the mountain lions ( not cougar). Yes they are around. Last week a 'cat' broke through someone's screen door to grab the cat!) > make myself BIG and make a lot of noise & DON'T RUN! Other scary creatures of the area that were discussed for the benefit of my naive Canadian self: scorpions and black widow spiders...so besides the beauty ...there's some care and respect to be had in these parts!
  • such great people to get to know!
PM;
  • Laundry; Mama you would be proud!...I kept thinking. I washed & hung my laundry after putting up a laundry line across my backyard
  • tied it to the iron beam sticking out from the garage over to the back-porch pole; thought I tied it taut enough until the wet sheets fluttered in the wind grazing the patio stones!--untied it and grappled with the weight of WET sheets!! had to wind it around my hands to yank it in...good thing I'm doing weights at the gym I say...
  • and Sketched; All those whites looked so beautiful fluttering in the wind...so I sat on the stairs and sketched until...it was time to drive down before the gym closed
  • "Gesegnete MahlZeit" Thanksgiving CALL with Rae, Mai, Imre and Jennifer & Sam! So sweet..when I texted Rae earlier that morning to call me up at the Thanksgiving dinner during 'Gesegnete Mahzeit' he informed me that it was already a done deal at the Buchans and there would not be another one at the Hartels ( they had theirs the same time as the Buchan dinner with Papa & the Gaudet family!) awww... So there they were at the Sarvari's calling me in at the start of dinner -GREAT!! & SO GREAT to hear them all!!
  • I HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR: Having this opportunity to be here in Arizona ~ An amazing big family & friends; which, although we miss each other, is so totally supportive of me being here, cheering me on; and my new friends here, which are so supportive, friendly and welcoming me as I explore this beautiful mountain and the wonderful lands surrounding me here!
  • Bicycled... down Jerome mountain (when I found the gym closed): a fast- windy- scary 5-10 minutes! ....and rode back up - a slow - windy - scary 50 minutes!!...rode about 1/2 the hill...walked the rest where the sharp curves/ no visibility was...the sun went down pretty fast-what a work out!! Felt good..but I promise to not do that again: no shoulder, too many cars; and according to Karen upstairs, alot of people coming home after drinking in Jerome or Prescott over the mountain...NOT taking that chance again! Karen & I will ride to Sedona soon; a 20 mile gentle uphill ride with a WIDE paved shoulder and down hill back to Cottonwood.
Oct. 12 ~ Monday;
AM;
  • Gym for aerobics class and weights work-out..2 hours - good sweat!
  • fruit & veggie grocery shop at the local Health food store
  • ACE hardware store for cupboard brackets - they had the right ones!
PM;
  • after lunch; I listen to Annie Lennox & fix the cupboard & work on photos for creating PICASA folders and have a...
  • read & 2 hour long nap- wow! I guess I needed that!
Eve; Ladies Poker night: I make hummus and a veggie tray for the occasion. Karen drives me down to Lisa & Anne's place by the river. 'Mary', the feisty Jerome business woman who owns the Kaleidoscope store, cleans us out!! (with 3's & 4's!!) in the 1st 1/2 hour...how else do you think I managed to have this crazy business?...selling Kaleidoscopes of all things...!" A hilarious evenings of gossip and major laughter- my cheeks hurt!

Oct 13, Tuesday:
AM;
  • Got a 6:30am call from Anita, excited that I joined a gym & encouraging me ...just as I was looking at the cabbage soup diet copy I had brought with me..."Make sure you eat enough Protein!" ...yup timing is everything :-)
  • Packed my hiking lunch - with Protein! & went to the Gym.
  • 5 of us drove up in Sandy's car for a great 3 hour hike in the Red Rock State Park- great views & workout!
  • Yahoo!! - My ankles were just fine! Lunched on one of the beautiful outlook points ( no photographs-take my word for it!).... got to know some fine local women who love hiking! We going to meet every Tuesday after the weights fitness class with Lori.
PM;
  • built 5 frames for stretching canvas ( need staples for my staple gun!)
  • gesso-ed the wood panels I bought. Tomorrow...Sedona and hardware store!
  • set-up the mouse traps with just a tiny tease of almond butter "make them work for it!" & "Don't clean the trap-the more 'groady' -the better!" tips for catching the tricky 'Mousy' from the breakfast gang.

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I love exploring Creativity and what it makes possible. My business, Flourish Arts, is a natural expression of this. I have a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree from Queen's University.I'm a Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Artist, and Certified Yoga Teacher. Creativity has always been part of everything I have taken on. My journey as a full time Artist is now possible and I am passionate in sharing my art with others and having people - adults & children ~ find their own creative self-expression!