Great Sand Dunes National Park
I visited the dunes on Sunday July 16. Just north of the New Mexico border in Colorado is the Great Sand Dunes National Park. About 2 hours north of Taos. The dunes sit at the east basin of the Sangre De Cristo Mountians (Blood of Christ) The vast eco system here has formed more than 330 square miles of dunes up to 750feet high! I would suggest visiting in the spring or fall and hit the dunes at sunrise! In the spring Medano Creek runs from the winter moisture off the Mountians. Its meanders on the southern part of the dunes and weaves its way to the Rio Grande. The sand is washed off the mountians and is recycled back to the mountains with the winds.! Once again the park is full of depth and weight in it's human history as well as geological! Archeologist have found Clovis points and carved stone effigys from 11,000 years ago! Hoover signed it a Monument in 1932 then it became a Park in '76. In 2000 Congress authorized the expansion to the near by preserve. They got buffalo there!
I Need a Job
I need a job. Yesterday I took the long and pleasant drive down to the old mining town of Superior, AZ. 3.5 hours later I interviewed at the mid/high school for an Art teacher position. During the interview the principal left to go to another meeting with his superintendant... So after they asked me 20 questions I had my 20 questions... Weird... No thankyou. Expecially after I saw the salary scale. 5 years experience + Masters = $32,000. HAHAHAHA. That's what I was making in 2002 at Magdalena School district in New Mexico be fore I went to grad school...Today I interviewed at Gore. I wore my flip-flops to the interview. I forgot to change into my conformative girly heals. (I recall wearing my black cowboy boots with Lizzy's borrowed pantsuit to my interview in Boston.. Im not a shoe girl) I'm sure they didn't notice. I'm perfectly applicable for the job as a manufacturing operator. I would get to wear those nice full paper suits in the "clean room" assemblage of some sort of medical parts... 2nd shift, 10 hours 4 days a week. It was worth a try... I could use the bennies and the $$$. But 2nd shift starts at 2pm. My one and only class I'm teaching this fall is on Mondays and Wednesday from 2:30-5pm. It's more important to me that I keep my little drawing class at the community college rather than hore myself at Gore. GOD, I NEED A JOB! To be continued...
Hovenweep National Monument
Hovenweep Castle, please do not touch the ruin. Stay on path.Over 800 years ago the Puebloan people lived in this small canyon in the 4 corners area. They constructed these standing towers constructed with great masonry skills. They occupied this beautiful Y shaped canyon for over 700 years. I visited this peaceful place on Monday July 31. I was the only one in the campground. My only company was a slick 3 foot long bullsnake. I knew from reading Ed Abbey that I wouldn't be bothered by small varments and rattle snakes. She was welcome as long and she didn't want to share my sleepin bag!
Round Tower
Hovenweep Horseshoe Unit
Hovenweep Twin Towers
Beautiful Places in Snowmass, Co
Sculptures abandoned in San Juans
These are two sculptures I left in the San Juans on Sunday July 30th at 1:51PM.Directions to find: Colorado state road 145 just south of Rico. Turn Left onto FR Hill Side follow up 2.5 miles. Off side of road on right in a grove of aspens.
The Sculpture Studio at Anderson Ranch
Pinhole photos of 6 hour exposures of the sculpture studio at Anderson Ranch. The one with the "ora" is the pinhole camera I made out of one of Tracy Hick's jars. Light is bouncing around through the glass!
Blands' Lunch Performance at the Ranch
2 pinholes of Blands Lunch Performance at the Ranch. The super hero boy from Jackson Hole, Wyoming and attends Alfred! I never met a 22 year old like him! He is brilliant! His video shorts were fantastic! Watch out art world!
Fields of Hummingbirds
Last evening I borrowed the neighbors dog and went for a hike. Honey (the goofy love-adorable) and I walked up the forest road behind my house. The woods were drenched with the smell of wet pines and dirt. The air was cool and crisp over my skin. There were scattered thunderstorms slowly passing by as the light continued to change. The big mountain was covered with a UFO looking silent cloud. We walked up to the meadow that I haven't been too since they closed the national forest in beginning of summer. As we approached we saw a field of red. The field was covered with Indian paintbrush flowers because of all the wonderful rain. I stopped in awe then, I heard a buzzing sound. As I focused my eyes I was able to see the funny little birds having a blissful time. 100s of hummingbirds! We walked out into the middle of the field and I sat down with the old girl. When she finally quit panting I was able to hear the continuous hum and buzz surround me. I sat facing north to see the ponderosa pines at the edge of the meadow and beyond that was the Peaks with that glowing bright pink cloud hovering over the tree line. It made me laugh and cry. This was a phenomenon 100s of hummingbirds buzzing by me within inches. Honey suddenly jumped and tried to snap one out of the air like she does with flies. I think she was laughing too! As it got dark, I could hear the thunder off in the distance as it echoed through the valley and the flashes of lightning lit up the shape of the Peaks. The buzz suddenly stopped in the fiant darkness and I could hear the frogs... I followed Honey back home in the dark with my goofy headlamp and we ate icecream sandwiches...
Another pannel. I make these expressive pannels by pressing my hands in clay and then casting hydra-cal into the negative space. Hydra-cal is a statuary cement stronger than plaster. After the hydra-cal sets I can peal the clay off and get a positive.
Another pannel.
Pinhole images of my sculptures I made at the Ranch. 8"x 20" pannels made of cast hydra-cal.
Elizabeth's proformance in downtown Aspen. Asking people where they get plastic surgery or body alterations. The people then marked on her body where to cut.
Anderson Ranch
Participants at the Preservation and Collections workshop at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Co. July 2006
