Nov14-18; Printmaking Lights My Fire!

(Finally updating my Blog under blankets in a cold hotel room in Santa Fe-Nov25..on my way home)
Note: the photos are out of order- I haven't figured out the new edit mode yet :-)

Nov-14 Saturday;

• I wake up early to take in the rich aroma of the land around here post rain!! Earthy and hay smelling…crisp air and still some sprinkles falling here and there as I leave town
  
  
• after filling up the gas tank I drive down the I-17 –gorgeous scenery listening to Shania Twain ..and loving it!! Driving up and down the gorgeous desert valleys with more and more giant cactii dotting the landscape..I try to call Eric and Sharon on the phone but the reception is bad
  
  
• Sunset Point Scenic outlook- I stop here and we connect- I can hear Sharon, Eric and Alexia as clear as a bell while taking in the breathtaking HUGE vista of bare desert hills… so great to talk to them. Again I just can’t get enough of Alexia’s sweet voice saying “Oma”! and hearing about the wonderful birthday baking party she had last weekend at their new house.
• Sign seen at this outlook/rest stop: "Please do not let your cattle out to graze"
  
  
• The Scottsdale Highway loop---is the best highway I ever drove on- the retaining walls have very funky HUGE desert themed relief sculptures and tiles of cactii, lizards, etc, and –NO WHERE TO STOP- and snap some shots- darn!- and I keep focussed on the road …don’t want to get into an accident!
  
  
• COTTON FIELDS! as I drive off the main highway I see all these polka dotted plants in the rows…hey- they are rows and rows of cotton popped out of its pods ~ ready to be harvested. I pull off down the road beside the field and climb over the dividing ditch up to my 1^st ever up close & personal moment with cotton plants!

Scottsdale Galleries; Very well-to do area like in Yorkville,Toronto…snazzy cars & snazzy people watching.

· the first Gallery, which will remain nameless; I was very inspired by the artist they were showing and asked for more information on the her. The woman behind the desk was very keen to help me and gave me some earlier show pamphlets; however, as soon as the she found out I was an artist and that I didn’t want to buy a piece and wanted to know more about the artist’s background how she got to this point ; she retreated and declared emphatically, “well, I wouldn’t suggest you go and try to copy what she’s done—she would be very upset and has worked hard to get to this point…and I have a very busy morning and need to get back to work!”

· Art One Gallery; the owner talked to me at length about his mandate; they mix art students’ works together with regular artists – all treated equally. I saw amazing clothing designs from grade 11 & 12 students; the owner is very socially conscious in supporting local students; they need a clean school attendance record and a certain grade level before they can exhibit and he works in partnership with not only the students but also the school and their parents

• Naked Horse Gallery; the owner was great to talk to and said …come back and show us your work next year! I was inspired by two Native artists; one who did abstract landscapes with native figures placed in the paintings and the other did very close up portraits of native faces...every line & pore of life experience evident. It brought me back to a native woman I saw at the Spirit Room with her husband—I took her photo but would love to take some more photos or do a sketch of her…
  
  
• I stop at a café in Scottsdale for internet and lunch
  
  

PM: Phoenix Art Center I found it very easily - thanks to Matilda again! 2 hours to soak up what this gallery has to offer – I head straight to the Modern Wing…climb up the stairs faced by....

• Lush Spring, 1975, a gigantic painting by Helen Frankenthaler ..and breathe in the beauty!! I am IN HEAVEN! ...and an awe-inspiring sculpture installation called..
  
  

• Mass, 1997, by Cornelia Parker from London. She suspended pieces of burnt wood pieces and charcoal from the ceiling creating a square with the shapes getting smaller and thinning out to the outer edges of the square. Guess where she got this material from? From a church in Mexico that had been hit by lightening and burnt down. A delicate…raw…powerful and spiritual space is so present in that corner of the gallery that is hard to describe; I felt that before I even read the background details.
  
  
• I was so excited and in my element I had to call Betty Ann Jordan…she was out leading an art tour.. of course! And so I spoke to John ~ it was great to share my experience an appreciative listener.
  
  

EVE: Dinner with Betsy at her favourite Italian restaurant: L’amour for a yummy seafood tomatoe stew ( had a wee bit of pasta on the side). Oh my gosh it was like I just saw her last week ( last fall at the Transforming Yesterday’s Strategies Course in Sedona) …she walked in from work( owns /runs a graphic design business) …same blue flowered blouse …but above all: the same big radiant eyes and smile that impressed me last fall. We caught up on what we and others in the course were up to and when she heard about my amazing experiences on my travels out here she
put a powerful context in place for what I have been experiencing on my 'Pilgrimmage'. 

( I met her last fall in the Wisdom Vacation Course "Transforming Yesterday's Strategies" here in Sedona).  

• She pointed out to me that everything I shared with her about my trip so far was perfectly timed because the Phoenix Wisdom 5th Weekend is this coming weekend and the theme is all about the trinity of:  

ART   ~   COMMUNITY  ~ SPIRITUALITY 

creativity & self-expression - spirit - expanding in community ...one connected to the other

AND THAT IS WHAT I AM EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW ON MY JOURNEY DOWN HERE....A PRECIOUS...PRECIOUS GIFT.

• Radisson Hotel ; I crash happily in the modern comfort of my room after I replenish my cooler with ice
  
  

Nov-15 Sunday: Back to feeling the soul of Printmakin` in my bones

· Left the Raddison Hotel early to drive up to the JILink Printshop in New River.. GOOD thing because there was construction and detours on the I-17 going north ~ I am early for once!! So I have time to stop on the hill at the end of the dirt road that Irene and Big John live on and have an up close and personal time with all the different cactii - especially the big cactii!! I love them they are so new to me with their big arms reaching out. From afar when I saw the holes in them I thought they would be fragile in their deterioration...but they are like trees! They have grey bark like trees. I of course take a ton of photos and some of the locals out walking their dogs or driving their ATV's observed another tourist being fascinated by nature!

Intaglio Workshop; see http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_photo_intaglio.htmlfor a great description of this process.

• Big John and Irene partnered in the teaching of this workshop for Jodi and I ....and I can't say enough about how awesome these 2 people are
  
  
• They greeted us with coffee, juice and muffins; helped us with picking out our images so they would work successfully with the medium; explained in perfect detail and showed us their own works how this printmaking technology works...and all the while being so great with us and each other; Fun - Lighthearted with the LOVE of Creating so present.
  
  
• Jodi and I had a blast playing with the printmaking process. John and Irene and their own strengths complimented their teaching as they played off of each other; he just jumping in approximating the exposure times.; Irene being more of a perfectionist and careful. AND John provided reading materials for us so we could just be present to the experience...Lunch time while our plates cured in the Arizona sun was served and it was such a treat to be spoiled like we were with the one on one teaching!
  
  
• I WAS IN HEAVEN!!! I truly found my calling...yes I am going to get back into printmaking when I get back to Toronto. You know that song, "Light My Fire...Light My Fire! "...well the flames were fanned baby!! ( etching was my favourite print medium at Queen's) The sumptous paper - inking the plates- pulling the big press wheels, the creaking of the pressure…and (hold your breath!) lifting the embossed paper off the plate...to see the results of all the preparations...excitement PLUS!! Tears came readily several times from just the recognition of the love of this process and the creative caring spirit present in this studio.
  
  

It was very exciting to be sharing this experience with Jodi who has done some printmaking but not in this type. She too took to it like fish to water. We both left with 2 gorgeous image plates and many prints to take home.

I vowed to come back and we organized a studio time slot for me to return this coming Friday.

PM: We drive down to Jodi and her husbands home in Scottsdale - a gorgeous home with hibiscus plants and palm trees. John, a doctor, just arrived by plane that day from a busy 12 day work shift and he still came out with Jodi to treat me to a great relaxing dinner at a local sports bar where we saw the Toronto Raptors lose a very tight game to Phoenix 100 to 101!! I drank a cool beer called Blue Moon with orange wedges added ~ Yummy!! and I don't normally drink beer!! (ps...i packed a case for home)

Jodi and I sit in their cozy living room with a nice cup of tea reviewing the fantastic day we had...fully satiated!

Nov-16 Monday: Simple Pleasures…so sweet!

· AM: After a relaxing sleep I wake to the smell of coffee and walk about with my PJ's on. My hosts are not quite up but already a hot pot of coffee and teapot with a tea towel keeping it warm are waiting for us to enjoy. I look out their windows and note that every one has a beautiful view of the garden; 3 palm TALL palm trees, hibiscus, cacti, unknown orange berry bushes, and backyard spa ( a salt water jacuzzi) made of rock structure. Their grassy patch on one side is astro turf...very cool; it makes sense because it costs too much water to keep grass; they just use a vacuum to care for it :-)

· After a delicious breakfast which included freshly squeezed orange juice from fruit that Jodi picked in the neighborhood, Jodi and I head out ...and find …

· A LOADED orange tree right on the boulevard! Jodi came prepared with a step stool. I unfortunately left the plastic bags behind. We were like 2 kids in a candy store!! ~ taking turns twisting and picking off the delicious juicy oranges, handing them to one another…filling the paper bag to the brim & then just piled them up on the car seat! We ended up with 4 plastic grocery bags of fruit to share between us! The brunch crowd on Sunday sure will appreciate these!!

• After a quick pit-stop to wash our dusty fingers ( the desert does that) we drove off to Cosanti ; (http://www.arcosanti.org/expCosanti/main.html) where Paolo Soleri, a renowned architect and student of Frank Lloyd Wright, developed a very interesting creative site of organically designed buildings and landscape incorporating a business/foundry & studio workshop where they create exquisite sculptured bronze bells. Jodi who is a also a musician pointed out the best bell shapes and rang lots of bells to pick the clearest tunes. “Ring my Be….e…ell ~ Ring my Bell...my Bell …ring my Bell” !!! We asked for a discount for all the bells I picked; but you need to buy 10 of one kind for that ~ boring!
  
  
• Taliesan West; Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and currently ongoing Architecture School was my next stop…got to it within minutes from Jodi’s home , and very easily with the map that she drew for me before I left them. What special people they were!! I count my blessings at how I came to meet them and the time we had. I made it just in time for the 90 minute tour—fascinating! Angular low buildings built into the side of the hill ( never build on top of a hill! -FLW), amazing built in furniture- rock walls made of the beautiful boulders, red wooden angular beams and canvas ceilings. The place used to be without windows – only canvas panels that could be raised and lowered. I loved the art-deco style sculptures that dotted the landscape. People come to this architecture school from all over the world. Their residence? ~ they build their own on the surrounding property.
  
  
• Poker Night…yes I managed to make it; I had called Lisa to please pick up my pot of lentil soup from my fridge for me( these nights are always pot-luck…so I take it literally J) I kept in touch on my whereabouts; and they were so kind as to wait for me. I lost …again~ Shane scored bigtime!...but had a blast learning more about Poker from Lisa`s hand reviews...and great evening!
  
  

Nov-17; Hike of all Hikes!

• AM: After an invigorating Weighted Workout class - our hiking group took off for the Lost Canyon Hike (off the beaten path, but listed in Lindy`s hiking book)- just down the road from the hike that goes up to Devil's bridge.
  
  
• Oh ~ my ~ Lord!! ~ it was challenging...very adventurous and breathtakingly beautiful!  We calculated that we climbed over 500 feet in altitude on our 3 hour walk and much of it was close to the edge of the high buttes.
  
  
• We saw the silouette in the distance of a huge boulder balanced on one point!!
  
  
• around the next corner of the butte, tucked way down in the shadows of the rock face: a simple one door cliff dwelling. It was a moment of awe and beauty…and made me pause on the presence of people here so long ago. The surprise connection to an ancient time.
  
  
• Lunch: a cold (even with jackets on!) pit-stop on the cliff ledge high up over the dwelling. Then walked up and around to the sunny parts of this butte outcrop (mesa?) so we could view the Devil's bridge on the other side of the valley. I so loved the Devil’s Bridge and seeing it in the shady distance was just not good enough so Sandy offered to walk it with me tomorrow. Well, on our ride home, after the return hike around the two mesa’s and the steep down hill climb at the end, my ankles told me that they had.. had …enough climbing for this week!
  
  

Nov 18-Wednesday

• I call Sandy to confirm that I cannot do the Devil's Bridge hike today and she too said that she was too sore to do a hike so soon. She asked if I could bring my drawing of it to our yoga class - sure thing!
  
  
• Nothing like an incentive to actually finish the darn thing! So I whipped out my conté pastels and filled in the spots that were left empty last week as I raced down the hill to beat the dark to my car on that hike...
  
  
• I got so mesmerized by that…. I was late for the yoga class and instead did my cardio workout on the bike..reading a Vogue magazine article about Frida Kahlo's goddaughter memoir's..
  
  
• I showed the ladies my pastels and sketches in the parking lot and I'm really glad I did...my first time having others see them; they so appreciated seeing them ( i had 2 offers tonight to buy my work- yeah!) They acknowledged what I have all done while I've been here and how much I inspire them. ...and it was so great to hear because I love everything I have done and all the great people I have met....and I'm a bit sad that my time is almost over and I seem to have not done all I expected to do....I have a massive amount of ‘juice’ for future works..I will be busy at my home studio
  
  
• Denise, the yoga teacher who was taught by Narayani, a British yoga teacher, joined me for lunch at the Mile High Inn, and we have a great time sharing yoga stories and things that inspire us.... another amazing person in my life that I have gotten to know; she &her husband, who has healed from major illnesses and transplants is this cool long grey-haired cowboy ..with a moustache- yes, Rae…and a cool black cowboy hat--are very busy with those two gorgeous horses I met the other day.
  
  
• I stay behind to finish some more work on the internet....have a coffee and Jet’s famous bread pudding (– its all Melissa’s fault!) and go pick up my 2 dozen eggs from Peggy at the store next to the Mile High Inn.
  
  
• I stay up late watching the Ridley Scott movie called “a good year”. Russel Crowe plays a fast paced investor in London who inherits a beautiful chateau/winery in France and is forced through crazy ‘circumstance’ to slow… down… and enjoy the simple pleasures in front of him….like maybe a sweet romance with Marion Cotillard who plays a local café owner. All this wine tasting and drinking..I am inspired to go grab a wine bottle I have been saving for guests ~ but… no bottle opener!! I pour myself instead some left over Sangria from the Kaleidoscope party, held weeks ago and fell ill in the middle of the night...can Sangria go bad?...it was in the fridge ? I toss out the rest and stay in bed the next morning till 11 editing photos and sleeping.
  
  

Nov8 -Nov 13 Time is FUN & Flyin` by!!

Nov 8th- Sunday;

Safeway Parking lot; gorgeous sunny morning; and I am missing my sisters! So I drive down early to Safeway to Skype call with my sisters to catch them at their Sunday morning coffee. Ena was just about to have a family breakfast with pancakes that Hannah made by the bonfire in the backyard...how cozy. I get family updates and on how serious H1N1 virus is in Ontario. And then Christine who just came back from the gym is busy with writing report cards these days...oh it was so great to connect with them again!

Mile High Grill for breakfast to finish blogging and notice Joanne and Buddy outside of the tourist office so I walk down to chat with them...it is so great to see these folks. Finally checked out Buddy's Biker shop so I bought a biker patch for Karen upstairs from Buddy's BIker shop: "Drive like you stole it!" as a gift to help overcome her fear of bike riding after a slight spill. Some cool other stuff in there and I need to find out if Bruce, My brother in law still rides his bike!

Jerome Public Library; a quiet afternoon with only Richard, the volunteer librarian and a father and his oh-so-cute 2 and 1/2 year old daughter were there. She was playing in the children’s corner on the kiddie computer calling out to her Dad every now and then in the sweetest voice. I sure miss our dear Alexia! RIchard tells me that there’s a great band at....

Paul and Jerry’s Saloon that I should see before they close down...i drive down and find a much quieter laid back bar with a few locals listening to this cool rock/indie band of 4 musicians called Dirty Lingo. I meet one person I know; Walter, who’s wife, Lisa, is still at work down the street. The bartender makes me what she swears if the BEST Margarita in town. It certainly is the cheapest yet at 4$! While I enjoy my drink I sketch the lead singer in the back of my Simple Abundance book and take photographs. and buy their CD. The keyboard player starts playing an electronic cello and I just can’t help myself …. I get up to dance !! and then go home.

Nov-9 Monday; Catch-up and Connect Day

· I go to call friends on Skype and find I have to buy more phone minutes…look for my wallet….not in my purse….retrace my steps…oh dear..left it at Paul & Jerrys!!! LUCKILY they were open ..chairs on the tables …LUCKILY my red wallet was still sitting where I left it …camouflaged in the shadows of the red leather seat. Even the cleaners missed it. WHEW…Christine is right; I do have an angel looking over my shoulder! I run about town doing errands and don’t remember what else…go to the gym

· poker night.- lost again; but so many laughs..Penny won tonight...she needs to be a stand-up comedian...my cheeks hurt after awhile

Nov-10 Tuesday;

• Hiking again…only this time looonnger, on hilly terrain and in high heat! It was test for our endurance today because usually we have a ½ hour lunch pit-stop; this time we barrelled through and had a very nice lunch at the end instead so we could relax and socialize in Sedona. Lunch never tasted so good sitting down in that restaurant amongst famished friends.
• Jill invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her in Albuquerque!!..how thrilling!!..and I am really honoured that I will be able to join Jill and her friends and family for taking part in that tradition.

Nov-11 Wednesday,

· workout at the gym for the step class, which was challenging for keeping focussed on the instructions so I didn’t fall over my own two feet!! And then a really great yoga class after; Denise knows her stuff and was very in tune with her students…also gave great alignment instructions to keep the integrity in the poses. Ahh….felt right at home.

· Larry’s antique store ~ “just to quickly pop by”, I said to myself. 2 hours later; taking pictures of many of the cool corners and stuff outside…saddles, cowboy boots; teacups ~ YES… I bought another one after Larry showed me some special ones in a locked glass case- it’s a black & gold Bavarian cup and saucer and includes a plate. I also found a little something to take to the Thanksgiving table in Albuquerque. NOTE PAPA—I SAW LOTS OF ANVILS AND FORGES!!

· Orion Bakery Cafe in Old Cottonwood for a sandwich and blogging Crash, who works at the gym suggested I pop by some time and promised me a great sandwich...he made good on his promise: I had a delicious turkey / veggie sandwich with chipotle mayo - pow!

Jerona Café, after hours --but they have a plug on the outside patio so I can join the Mother Night Seminar session; they had audio issues and I will have to listen to the download later some time.

Nov-12 Thursday; prep day

AM; I cook for the next week all morning - lentil soup, chilli, hummus and waldorf salad with beets, celery, apple and ginger...and a new trail mix( my 1st jar lasted me 1 month)....all good things to have on hand for travelling and eating on the run!

I buy eggs from Peggy...she saved them since yesterday. Some tourist, that worked for a local egg producer saw her sign and was vying for them as he appreciates ‘home-raised’ eggs.

Jerome Public Library; for some online research for my plans for the next few weeks; JIL Ink Studio in New River ; finalize plans with Jodi; Phoenix –I really should go there before the printmaking stint and make a weekend of it; and my drive home via Santa Fe and Albuquerque….and how to drive home from there. I email Betsy in Phoenix who I met last year in Sedona to see if she is around.

Eve; I end the day working on the images for the printmaking workshop...and finish another pastel.

Nov-13 Friday; RAIN STORM – cozy day…not unlucky at all J

· ...wake up to the drips on the porch overhang...I race up to cover up the chairs I had left out for Jet with plastic and move them close into the house under the overhang. The chairs in my apartment were from the Mile High Grill ( I didn’t even notice!) and needed up in the restaurant to replace some damaged chairs.

· I spend the morning taking photos of the changing sky and hill shots..some beautiful dramatic contrasts and then spend the afternoon working on pastels and photos and drinking afternoon tea from my 'new' old cup.

· Meditation class that night taught by Denise, the yoga teacher at Everybody’s Workout Gym that I attend.…very inspiring and peaceful- focussed on base chakra…‘Woman’ ; her husband is a cool dude with long greying hair and cowboy hat; they introduce me to their horses before I drive home. They moved here from Brooklyn New York and bought this cool ranch alongside the Verde River. After we have a pot-luck dinner with everyone…a cool house with wood beams everywhere and an entrance area built around a huge fig tree ~ wish I took a photo of that!

· drive by the Spirit room---folk couple playing...it`s not the busy tonight. I have a cup of tea and call Rae while I am waiting for the next set…only there is no next set….finding this out after waiting patiently for them to finish having their break with their friends at a side table.

· I log on to email on sidewalk beside Connor Hotel and see Betsy's response that she would be happy to meet me for dinner in Phoenix …cool!

> decide to drive down to Phoenix after all > book a room on Hotwire.com at the downtown Radisson

> write down all the addresses for the art galleries in Scottsdale and the Phoenix Art Gallery so Matilda can guide me there

> email Betsy and Jodi finalizing our visits this weekend and.... head down the hill FREEZING --- BRRrrr!!

> boil some porridge & eggs for my road food while I pack and hit the hay!

> do some quick sketches of the meditation experience and fall asleep with the pastel smudges on the sheets...oh-oh...

Nov1-Nov 8th ...A super week exploring Landscape!

Nov1.~Sunday; finished unpacking the car this am after coming home late from the Halloween party! Mixture of sadness and happiness to be back at my home away from home. Tonight; a surprise Lisa-Petty Appreciation Party was thrown by her partner, Anne, and the folks in town; even her family drove up from Phoenix. She was surprised and not sure why.. but everyone there sure knows why and presented her with a framed collection of great descriptions & quotes about who she is being for the people in her life. Amazing foods were cooked up by Anne, and others, and we celebrated the great gal that she is!!! I certainly appreciate the great landlord she is for me and the awesome connections I have made with the community here because of her genuine kind and loving spirit.

Nov 2 ~ Monday; Headed down to Safeway for my morning calls and blogging…and ended up staying here for most of the day—then headed to the gym and at *8:20 I thought ..I wonder what Karen is doing…OH GOSH~ I forgot all about Poker night!!! I dropped by after leaving the gym to see who won…Mary got cleaned out( and on the night before her vacation ..oh dear)

Nov3 ~ Tuesday...made it in time for the weights work-out class...and then to go hiking afterwards...whoa-great workout for the legs!!!...I built up a good sweat- we had a super picnic spot beside Oak Creek! The water was delicious looking and I just couldn't help myself and took off my running shoes and stepped into the cold frisky water!! REFRESHING! We came across several teams of cyclists- how they ever got over some of those rocks we climbed..??.. that’s taking biking to the edge!!!

Nov 4~ Wednesday; annoying "Controlled Burns" on the mountain to the west all week ...and of course the smoke slowly falls down over Jerome at the end of day...we have to stay inside and make sure that windows are closed tight! Hard to breathe...i don't know how the asthmatics are managing this.... There are very opposing thoughts on this issue around.

Nov5- Thursday ~ Alexia’s 4th birthday!...I wish I was there now!!

• 6am ~ wake early so I could be down at the Safeway to call Alexia for her birthday. Jennifer was babysitting her ~ Gosh! it was great to hear their voices!!! It makes my heart melt when I hear…”Oma!” and “Mama” all in one call.
• Sedona; I HAD planned to drive all the way up to Page after the call to hike in the Antelope Canyon; however, after stopping here to make a few calls…one thing led to another I needed to stay in this town today!
• Wildflower Café; over brunch I set –up a printing workshop with a cool printmaking workshop in New River called JILink Studios ( add link) I also connected with a new woman, Jodi, who emailed me after hearing about me and my blog from Janet, my sister-in-law at a wedding and suggested she join me as she just travelled down to Scottsdale and is also interested in pursuing her artistic expression
• Visitor center; to get more info on Antelope, a mountain equipment company and local hiking info. While hanging out there I heard a German couple trying to organize a stay at a hotel in the Grand Canyon so I introduced myself and assisted them with their arrangements with the Visitor center representative; they were very grateful! It also helped I saw the hotel in 2006 when Rae and I were at the canyon’s edge.
• The fellow showed me a cool path for finding the local rock bridge called Devil’s Bridge after someone said that Sedona doesn’t compare with the parks in Utah with Rock Bridges. “There’s a 1 mile road to drive up and then a short hike” Famous last words….
• Canyon Outfitters; I stop and buy myself some good hiking boots, as I noticed that my running shoes really don’t cut it on these trails; and hiking pants that transform into shorts with zippers. Oh, and on the way out I see a perfect T-shirt from Prana with a scroll design ala Katherine!
• Vultee Arch Trail road; i start to drive down this dirt road …whoa!! Not for this car…huge divots and rocks, and I find a spot to turn around …with a sigh of relief that I am not stuck on a rock. Some jeeps pass me by as I walk the one mile stretch to the hike entrance. I’m carrying my big sketch book and a couple of kind souls warn me that the hike is very steep at the top. Ok…thanks! I couldn’t figure out the warning…why…did they think I was out of shape? Duh…the sketchbook!
• Well, I get nearer the top and. yes, it’s steep alright! With water bottle in one hand and sketchbook in the other …really missing the walking stick that Sandy has been lending to me on our Tuesday hikes, I chug the water, stomp on the bottle to squish it down in size, stuff it in my pants so my right hand can hold on to the rocks while I climb higher! Behind me the rock cliffs on the other side of the canyon are starting to glow in the sunset and I am the last one up here to view the Devil’s Bridge and this is the last time I will take such a risk and go that high by myself. Some of the folks I met coming down said no problem! I find the fabulous bridge- it is breathtaking and very high and steep …but I don’t dare cross the rocky bridge..I sit and sketch one view of it in pencil & pastel. I love rocks and this one I need to come back to because I need to get back! Going down was a bit tricky with that darn sketchbook and oh my…so many cool trees and rocks to remember in my mind. I see a sign with the number for the ranger at the parking spot & type it in my cell phone before I trek back down the road to the car. I sing and whistle loudly and walk briskly with a couple of rocks in my hand. It just turned dark as got to my car driving away happy as a lark …and high as a kite…it was the most exhilarating hike I have ever been on! Yes, and f@%$#en irresponsible! I will suggest this one to our group for next week’s hike!
• Eve: prepared food for trip tomorrow; boiled some eggs and cut veggies, bagged some more of my homemade trail mix (jar is getting low: sunflower, pumpkin seeds, walnuts & almonds, raisins, dried apples and ginger)

Nov6-Friday...makin' my way to Antelope Canyon: drove up Oak Creek Canyon Road- BEAUTIFUL! Leaves changing color, stopped at a little Grocery store to pick up freshly picked organic apples, cheese & licorice for the road trip. It looks like you are driving down into a valley; however, the altitude keeps on climbing ....up to Flagstaff. Then crossed the Navajo plains (flat-flAT!) up to Page...drove through spectacular ---"GORGEOUS" mountains and geological layers of greys, reds, pinks and white soil layers.

• Page: after getting a coffee I went to one tour company and they had nothing to offer that day since they do not do tours for only one person....yes, I have come across many times where it does not pay to travel single. I went across the street to the next tour place and went on wait list for 3:30 tour.
• John Wesley Powell Museum see: http://www.powellmuseum.org/ i found out that the 9:30am tour really is the best time to go on a extended tour for photography..so I changed my tour time, rented a tripod from a shop 2 doors away and checked into ...
• Bashful Bob's Motel, as suggested by the museum because he knew that about my love of Jerome. This motel was part of an area that was housing in the past for the many Glen Canyon Dam construction workers. The town of Page began as a construction camp in 1957. Rae would not have fit into the door!! Room #148 was underneath Bob’s Motel Office, sort of like a basement apartment, old and cozy and clean with coffee maker, microwave,TV & Fridge and a 3 piece bathroom.
• The Antelope Point Marina restaurant; http://www.antelopepointlakepowell.com/ I had my 2nd Ahi Mahi Tuna Tacos on this trip ...which were delicious. I asked to sit outside by the water's edge because inside was loud music and like any restaurant...a couple of tipsy guys walked by and started talking sweet to me, picking up my camera and taking pictures..I was able to manage them but the waiter came out just at the right time and I didn't take too much time hanging out there: I asked the buggy valet to take me right to my car & I was relieved to be back at my room that night with Bashful Bob beside his trailer barbecuing his chicken and watching TV outside :-)

Nov7~ Saturday:

• woke up early this am; wrote down my crazy dreams..having more & more of those! Made myself a coffee and had the cooked apples,ginger and rice prepared at home for breakfast. There was soap, but no shampoo so I called Bob and he went to his trailer to lend me his personal shampoo…what a sweetheart. I did not bring my toothbrush,,so I made due with facecloth for now ...the Historical Museum folks were great in pointing me in the direction of this place!
• ...only cost me 35$ / night! and took some pictures of the wee Motel before leaving.
• Antelope Canyon Tour: Martin was an awesome tour guide for our group of 4. He really went into great details and historical background about this canyon, and respect needed for this canyon site. In 1997 11 hikers died in a flash flood- they were warned not to go in. Problem is when it looks good at the site, it is misleading because you really need to know what the weather is like upstream in the distance. Here is a link to what the canyon looked like from the top in a flash-flood http://photo.net/nature-photography-forum/00FmEu Martin would make some suggestions along the way, knowing how quick the lighting changes. The canyon is absolutely breathtaking: small and exquisite curves, lines and light in a very narrow channel...all the 'wave' patterns are created from water and wind. We were the 1st in the cave that morning and when we left there were a dozen other vehicles there.. Even with the crowd our space was respected by the other guides and tourists because all the shots had to be timed ...my rented tripod worked great!! The time seemed to go on forever...but the 2 hours ended and I walked out with a dead battery....fully satiated ...and at peace.
• Back in Page...drove back through the village...a lot going on as their yearly balloon festival was on; balloons taking off everywhere. I stopped at one of the many churches ( all were only locate d on this semi-circle road) and bought myself a Navajo taco--made with Navajo Fried Bread( like a fluffy taco) & loaded with beans, cheese and veggies...$5 ~ yummy!
• Horseshoe Canyon; next stop just south of Page and I hiked in over a mile-long sand trail to get to the eastern edge to view this gorgeous canyon,,,and sat down to sketch it with my conté pastels. A Navajo family sat close by and the young man was very interested in what I was up to ...he taught me Hello and Goodbye in Navajo: "Yaa'teeh!" & "Hangoo~naé!" respectively. So there i am sitting observing his sister and her mother or grandmother talking and referring to a book beside this huge boulder overseeing the canyon and writing...and I created this romantic notion that her elder was passing on tribal knowledge :-) I found out they were in fact working on Suduko puzzles !! We had a good laugh!
• Just North of Cameron; I stopped at a Navajo stand at the side of the 89 North and bought some Christmas presents from Marge who patiently explained many details about her jewellery...the different types of Turquoise and shells. She does the bead work and stone work, and her sister, Mary( all the sisters were named with 'M'), the silver smithing. There are some funky rules for them selling this work off of the reservation...I hope to see her again as I should have bought more...I kept on thinking of others I could have bought for as I drove home. She had some unique beautiful silver feathers which are representing Guardian Angels. She was a lovely older woman who had a bag of food ready to feed to the crows at the end of her workday. "They are so fat they can't really fly anymore-hah!"
• Flagstaff: At sunset I found myself passing through the large mountains around Flagstaff and there was this spectacular sunset!! and no battery juice left.....so I just soaked it up in my visual memory.
• Jerome: Caught the tail-end of the ArtWalk held on the 1st Saturday of every month. I lucked into some wine, champagne and appetizers and some gorgeous art and crafts at the Pura Vida Gallery and Gallery 527...then drove down to the Old Jerome HighSchool Studios and met Alan Bur Johnson, who creates beautiful wall pieces incorporating insect images and old sewing patterns..( he had two recent installations which brought him considerable critical acclaim. "Icarus", juried into the Arizona Biennial held at the Tucson Museum of Art, received the Erni Cabat Award and was described as "most innovative" in the resulting review. "Aerial", previously exhibited only at the AIPAD Photography Show at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, also was deemed "most innovative" (ARTINFO) and "most radical" (The New York Art World).
• When I got home I threw my stuff on the ground, grabbed the large drawing pad and I created the most inspiring piece so far on this trip...all the adventures and opening up I have done for the last month allowed me to just "whip" this glorious huge pastel together of the sunset I experienced from my right eye, keeping my left on the road...no careful outlines 1st ...just grinding the colors to paper and it was brilliant, raw and delicious!! VIVID oranges, yellow streaks ...dark purple shadows and a backdrop of turquoise over the dark brown/blue mountains.