In case you wondered ...

No pics today; just a predawn update.

We're back from another ca. 2,000-mile trip together in a tin can on wheels. This time we traveled in the "Radish," the 2003 radish-red Subaru Legacy sedan. It is big enough, comfortable, drives much more responsively than the Jeep Cherokee and gets better milage.

It was a good trip, but the most exciting part was twixt Albuquerque and Mancos on the way home. It was 90+ in Albuquerque. Between San Ysidro and Cuba, we ran into a hail storm, which brought the temperature down to 55 degrees. It had gone back up to 92 by the time we hit Farmington. Then, just after we hit the Colorado state line coming up the Hesperus Highway from Farmington, a sudden downpour dropped the temperature to 56 again ... and it was raining so hard I had to slow down to about 15 mph for a ways to see the road. I think the forecast was for "scattered thundershowers!"

I hope Sandy will blog her take on the trip; I was just along for the ride, there for her as she was for me two years ago. Her class was about half the size of mine, so the crowd was a little more comprehensible. It was funny, though, that there were no nametags at the first night's informal get-together, just as happened at mine. It leaves us going around wondering, and sometimes asking, "Who did you used to be?"

All in all, I thought it was good fun and am glad we went. For sure, I won't be complaining about warm days here any more! That humidity makes comparable temperatures much more draining.

We're settling back into home life again. Got the dog back and returned to house routines. The cats appreciate that different-colored pieces of clothing get left around for them to decorate with white or black hair ... they're good at selecting colors they contrast with. Got the front yard mowed and the accumulated junk mail tossed. Caught up on local happenings by reading the back newspaper issues.

Back to the future. The Minds in Motion fundraising campaign hits me again. I'm going to SWOS to see if I can help with a grant application this morning, then picking up our booth kit to take to the Dolores Farmers' Market from 3 to 6 this afternoon. Tomorrow we have to go to Durango in the morning to do FeVa business, picking up and shifting around photos, and then it's Mancos Farmers' Market from 5 to 7. Saturday morning I'll add our new canopy to the load and go to Dove Creek for their annual Pick 'n Hoe Days celebration, honoring their agricultural and mining background. I've never been to Pick 'n Hoe Days before, so that should be a new experience. Back at Dove Creek again all day Sunday, talkin' SWOS and soliciting donations.

SW Open School doesn't have many students from Dove Creek, but it's part of our service area and it will be good to have a presence there for a couple of days. The Minds in Motion campaign has two goals: Broaden community knowledge and support of SWOS and raise money to establish an endowment, the proceeds of which will underwrite the academic travel costs of SWOS. SWOS students learn by doing, which involves travel to places both local and distant, so our travel budget is higher than regular public schools.

With these events under our belt, we should have enough pictures and experience and materials assembled to begin hitting the trail for corporate donations, stimulating media coverage and going to clubs to publicize the campaign. I think we've almost got the main details for a Sept. 9 celebration at SWOS, marking the end of the campaign for this year. Our goal is $200,000 over two years, next year being the 25th anniversary of SWOS' opening. If we can raise all the money this year, so much the better! tv

Holdenville, OKtv

We're in Holdenville, OK, for Sandy's high school reunion and, no, the picture of the tarantula has nothing to do with her or any of her classmates! It's just a bit of wildlife we saw crossing a road in Chandler, OK, day before yesterday.

We're staying in the Pallmer Inn, a neat old building built in 1923 near the railroad tracks that's been remodeled to be a bed and breakfast. The rooms are small, but charmingly decorated. We have a big, ornate bed with a canopy and quilts. It's Sweetheart Room No. 1, which seemed fitting ... yesterday was our 27th month anniversary of getting married in Chandler!

I've just uploaded some pictures from yesterday: The Pallmer Inn, the bedroom and the gang at supper, plus The Statehood Inn, built in 1907 in Chandler, a beautiful restoration we've been watching.

Big meal last night, served downstairs at the Pallmer, but the big dinner is tonight at the school. I got to explore regional cuisine ... calf fries.

It's hot down here - in the 90s - and humid. You can sweat just taking a deep breath. But the air conditioning is working in the car and in buildings, so we've been comfortable inside. There were about 35 at the dinner, including a guy who runs an RV park in Lake City, CO, not so far from us ... we may be seeing him again ere long! tv

Saturday Morning

Off to farmers market in Cortez this morning. Tom is already there doing a booth on behalf of a SWOS fundraising. He has already secured a strawberry/rubarb pie from the home baked booth that sells out early! I'm stopping by Artisans to drop off a requested print of Mesa Verde. The summer is busy, hectic and too much fun. It just goes too fast. We were also in Cortez for a little theater musical performance last night. FeVa Fotos is doing well and we are trying to keep up with it all. . . Must run. . SF

Summer Fun!

Just going to share a few pictures from our busy summer. . .

It's been a while

We just got back from several days at Ghost Ranch for Intermountain Yearly Meeting, the annual gathering of unprogrammed Friends from around the Four Corners states.

It was, as always, a restful and renewing experience. However, the weather was front and center this year, ranging in temperatures from the 90s down to maybe the 40s, with hard winds blowing dust around in the evening and smoke from a nearby forest fire several afternoons.

On the way down, we stopped again at Los Ojos, the community where the Tierra Wools weaving cooperative has been for 25 years. It's a beautiful setting.

Further south, in Tierra Amarilla, Lito's Ballroom evokes visions of Saturday night dances in years gone by.

Finally, what is more emblematic of Ghost Ranch than Chimney Rock? Nothing, apparently; all the cards with Chimney Rock sold in our display in the IMYM bookstore. We decided this year to take some of our keepsake cards with photos from past visits to put in the bookstore, plus a few matted prints. We were very pleased that others shared our joy of Ghost Ranch by buying 21 cards and one of the prints. Just as nice was the feedback we got from Friends who told us they enjoyed our photos.

The "campfire" sing-along moved into the Agape Center when there was a spate of rain, then back out into the courtyard when the rain stopped. 'Twas a lovely evening!

And then there was the fire ... the Red Fern Fire perhaps? It menaced us beyond the mesa, south of Pedernal, and then on Saturday afternoon the wind brought the smoke in to fill the valley and Ghost Ranch.

The commotion backed off a bit for the annual talent night. There were wonderful performances by musicians young and old, but my favorite was the skit by the OAFs ... Older Adult Friends. They did a great job of spoofing our generation.

This morning dawned clear, calm and cold. The sun's first rays lit up the old Ghost Ranch library. Later, we liked the clouds behind a sunlit butte in the Chromo area.

And it is SO nice to be about to go to sleep in our own bed again! TV

San Juan Skyway -A Time to Remember

Just a few more images to go with the previous post. The outdoor pool is the Hot Springs pool at Wiesbaden Hot Springs and Spa. They also have an intriguing natural hot springs cave! Enjoyed! sf

San Juan Skyway. . What a Drive!

What a change in the San Juan Skyway drive from three months ago! The weather was glorious and we enjoyed sunshine and all of the pleasures of spring in Colorado. The mountains were still snow capped but the aspens were leafed out in most places and a sprinkling of wildlife and wildflowers surprised us along the way. We were pleased with photo opportunities at every turn and again a few side road trips to catch something special. Our overnight at Ouray included a dip in the hot springs at The Wiesbaden and breakfast at our favorite eatery, The Backstreet Bagel. Many travelers take the San Juan Skyway in one day. We do the trip in two days, which includes stopping to distribute the Arts Perspective magazine as we go. With all this roadway and the communities along the way have to offer, it could easily be expanded into three days or. . a week. And for photographers, the opportunities are almost unlimited. . .sf