Mig and I headed to the mountains over the weekend so we could take the
Durango Silverton Train ride. This is something I have been wanting to do for at least two years now so I finally bit the bullet and bought the tix (not so cheap).
We left on Friday and it rained pretty much the whole drive up to Pagosa Springs, CO. When we got there all of the power was out, every single traffic light was out! Yet still, the local grocer managed to have their holiday music playing through the dimly lit aisles.
When we got to my mom's cabin the power was out there too. Have you any idea how hard it is to entertain yourself when there is no light to read, craft, or otherwise by and especially no music to fill our heads? Mig and I were blurting out one liners of horrible music, you know, the kind of crap that only gets recognition because it so easily sticks in your head... here's a sample, "Turn around, every now and then I fall apart, and I" .... anyway you get the idea and I have to say that was a low point, low enough that we just went to bed at 7:30. Can't say I would have minded the extra sleep but I some how convinced myself we were getting Carbon Monoxide poisening and therefore even had trouble breathing in my dreams.
The next morning we spent half an hour traveling the 20 feet it takes to get out of the driveway, rain and then snow equals LOTS of mud and a huge slick mess. We barely made it to the train on time. Anyhow, we made it and had quite the enjoyable time. Here are some pics from it.
And lastly, a picture of the Abiquiu area, which also got some snow. All in all the trip turned out to be visually gratifying only making my appreciation grow larger for the southwest.
Winter 2008
Spring 2008
I really get a sense of her appreciation for nature and can truly feel the dream-like spaces, invoking the feeling of being or having been there, in this one. 
This is dream-like too in the sense that the bird seems to be dissipating into a storm. Unfortunately I don’t have the ability to write so eloquently about art to give these the justice they deserve. 
You can explore her gallery of paintings here. Enjoy!!
Anyhow, this holiday card is a bit different than some of the other ones I have made recently. Enjoy!
I was also given some awesome books, one of them being Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustre published in 1926 (French Illustrated encyclopedia). In it there are tons of pages of pictures, just like the picture above. It is an old book and may be valuable (I don't even want to know) but having worked in several book stores, one of them being my family's used bookshop, I happen to know that just because someone somewhere might pay $$$ for it, it doesn't really mean it is worth that. Without that experience I would have a much harder time cutting up this fine book.
My second score was from my Dad via my grandparents. These are from his youth and prior to my receiving the WHOLE SET!!!! from him I had sought out the little Golden Guides in thrift stores and such. There is a wealth of great pictures and information in them. There is nothing like learning a bit about nature and history while collaging.
