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Nature as inspiration

Tynan having a grand old time in the snowy Sandias.
Tynan having a grand, old time in the snowy Sandias.

New Mexico is a great place for nature. It was a big reason for moving to Albuquerque; that is, we wanted a more outdoor lifestyle than New England’s winters afforded us. (And I hated being cold for six to eight months straight.) Make no mistake, there is winter here. We’ve had snow a couple of times now, and morning temperatures are usually in the high teens to lower twenties. Makes for cold walks with the dog in the Bosque, the forest along the Rio Grande.

The Sandias as viewed from our neighborhood in the west of Albuquerque. Winter hiking and skiing are excellent on the other side.
The Sandias as viewed from our neighborhood on Albuquerque’s west side. Winter hiking and skiing are excellent on the other side.

Monday was a big, bodacious day in Albuquerque with lots of sunshine filling the sky. Tom and I packed the dog and some gear in the car and headed around to the other side of the Sandia Mountains. Winter abides more forcefully there. They even have a ski area. One of the last big storms dumped about 21 inches of the white stuff on the slopes. And on the trail we decided to hike.

I had considered bringing my snowshoes, but Tom needs new ones, so they stayed home. No worries. The trail is a popular one. Other “snowshoers” and hikers had blazed the way creating a nice hard-pack. Boots were fine. Of course, if you stepped off the trail, you dropped way down to at least your knees. And your boots filled with snow.

I spy a nature-inspired abstract mat here!
I spy a nature inspired abstract mat here! Check out all the bore holes.

 

 

I always take my camera (i.e., phone) with me when we go, hoping to find something nature-ific that might inspire a rug or four. We weren’t disappointed yesterday. Clearly, there’s been a fair amount of evergreen dieback in the forest in the Sandias which is actually part of the Cibola National Forest. But as the trees decay, they make for the most interesting subjects to study, if only aesthetically. I was quite taken with the one in the photos. It might have a future in fiber.

Another view of my tree.
Another view of my tree.

 

 

 

 

After our most pleasant of snowy, winter hikes (it was about 45 with the slightest breeze), we wound our way up to the Crest of the mountains. By car. Much colder with a wicked wind, from there we could look out over Albuquerque metro area and to other snow-covered mountains to the north, south, and west. Very impressive.

 

The view from Sandia Crest looking to the southwest.
The view from Sandia Crest looking to the southwest. Our house is somewhere to the right.

Then it was goodbye to the snow and the cold. A quick 40- or so minute ride down the mountain and through the pass and we were home, on the city’s warmer west side. Tired, we opened a bottle of red wine and toasted our good fortune. Next week we’re off to the west (by only a couple of miles) to further explore Petroglyph National Monument.

I know that nature inspires many of you when you hook, paint, write, and make other forms of art. Please share some of those marvelous creations.

PS – I’m off this weekend to Tucson to attend the hook-in put on by the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers there. I’m told it’s an eight-hour drive. Four of us from the Adobe Wool Arts guild are going. Hope to have lots of pics for you next week. In the meantime I’m off to the liquor store for a bottle or two of chardonnay to share with the ladies.

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Finding the new normal

Christmas and New Year’s are over; it’s time to get back to normal. But what if you don’t have a normal anymore?

That’s me these days. We’ve been in the new house in the new city in the new state for over three months now. It’s winter in the high desert. And, uncharacteristically, it’s been cold as New England (usually is) and kind of…wet. Today it can’t decide. I hear the rain pouring down onto my flat Pueblo-ish roof and, out the window, see snow flaking down too. It’s not a pretty sight. Forget seeing the mountains; they’re a distant memory having been shrouded in clouds the past few days. Bring back the sun!

Building my new “normal.” (Photo by tome213 at rgbstock.com.)

But back to the point: The honeymoon’s over. It’s time to integrate into community, to stop comparing and contrasting New Mexico to what we left, and to find the new normal. With no family here, I need a new “posse” bad. That’s going to take joining various groups here. To that effect, I’ve already got the the Adobe Wool Arts Guild and a church. It’s a good start if you ask me. These groups have networked me to the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council, the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers down in Tucson (I’m off to their hook-in later this month), Albuquerque’s BioPark, and a couple of church committees, including, hopefully, a new food pantry to work at. Registering with the SouthWest Writers is on my list for later today.

Still, it’s not enough. Plus, I’m feeling rather cooped up in the house. Oh, and the bills aren’t going to pay themselves. Sure, Tom’s retired, but I’m only 51, too young for that sh%$!!! Its time to find some meaningful work. Or at least something that’ll pay for the groceries (and that pool we intend to build this spring!). So, it’s hi-ho, hi-ho, off on a job search I go. Unfortunately, Albuquerque’s got some unemployment issues. Not sure what I’ll find, but at least it’ll let me meet more people.

I was spoiled by my last job, running the food pantry back in Massachusetts. I loved the job, its flexibility, and especially the people. But, like I said, I’m looking for the NEW normal. Although I recently re-did my resume, I haven’t looked for a job in years. Guess it’ll be another adventure.

Anyone else jumping back into the workforce? Have any tips to share? Contacts here in Albuquerque? I’ve got an eclectic background, and I can use all the help I can get.

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The wide, wonderful world of a Navajo rug auction

There was a myriad, a cornucopia even, of Navajo rugs to be auctioned off that day.
There was a myriad, a cornucopia even, of Navajo rugs to be auctioned off that day.

As promised, this week I’ve got pics and comments on the Navajo rug auction Tom and I attended a couple of weeks ago.

The University of New Mexico’s Maxwell Museum of Anthropology sponsored the seventh annual auction on Saturday, November 21, in Bernalillo. Being on Santa Ana tribal land, that meant that anyone purchasing a rug got it tax-free. Always a bonus and an incentive when you’re talking expensive items, handmade or not. Proceeds from sales benefited the museum and the Navajo weavers.

 

 

 

Without doubt, the most spectacular rug we saw. It would've looked perfect under my dining room table. Unfortunately for us, the starting bid was $7500. No one bid on it, but all rugs not auctioned off were available for purchase after the auction at the starting bid prices. Maybe someone picked it up then.
Without doubt, the most spectacular rug we saw (by artist RG Sherman). It would’ve looked perfect under my dining room table. Unfortunately for us, the starting bid was $7500. No one bid on it, but all rugs not auctioned off were available for purchase after the auction at the starting bid prices. Maybe someone picked it up then.

 

Tom and I  got there at 11:00 on the dot that morning, just as the restaurant hosting the event opened to the public. There were two hours for browsing and inspection of rugs before the auction was to start. Museum volunteers were busy hanging rugs on primitive ladders. Seeing that and the piles still on the floor, we were amazed at the sheer volume of rugs offered – approximately 250!

Initially, our plan was to just hang a bit, take photos (to make you drool), and then head home. After about 15 minutes we knew that wasn’t happening. Too many rugs, too much curiosity about how the auction itself was going to work. The people-watching was good too, and there was free food! Despite Tom’s misgivings, I got myself a paddle and registered for the auction. If attendance was low, I figured I might actually manage to pick up a rug to join the one we bought in Arizona years ago. (When we both had good jobs; when Tom wasn’t retired; before I started working for cash-starved non-profits…)

A two-faced weave with surprisingly soft colors.
A two-faced weave with surprisingly soft colors.

 

The folks running the auction graciously provided a program that listed all the rugs to be bid on, including the artists. Even better, it was a great primer on Navajo rugs in general: how to buy one; how they’re made; descriptions of the various weave patterns; how to care for the rugs; and auction tips. The auctioneers provided even more information during the auction itself, so Tom and I were able to chalk the whole thing up as an educational experience too.

There were plenty of bright colors too.
There were plenty of bright colors too.

Interesting factoids:

  • Just like rug hooking, weaving takes a LOT of time and work. “It can take up to 140 hours to complete a 30×60 inch saddle blanket, and a 3×5 foot rug can take 238 hours to complete. However, if the weaver had shorn the sheep, washed, carded, spun, and dyed the wool on their own, it is estimated to take an additional 200 hours to complete one rug.” (From Navajo Rug Auction Program.)
  • There are nine different weave patterns: plain; diagonal twill; five types of diamond twill; two-faced (a pattern with vertical ribs similar to plain weave, but including stitches of irregular width so that the two sides have different patterns); and double cloth (another type of reversible weave).
  • Even bright, unexpected colors.
    Even bright, unexpected colors.

     

  • If you don’t flip your rug regularly, the exposed side will fade. An evenly faded rug can be worth more than one with one “bright” side.
  • Unlike a hooked rug, you’re encouraged to vacuum a Navajo rug. If only to reduce the chances of insect infestation. More than moths. Ew.
  • One should never drink wine or any other aqueous liquid when you’re anywhere near the rug (as far as I’m concerned). Any rugs woven after 1875, use aniline dyes for red, orange, and other brights, thus they run when wet. I have to admit that this would make me really nervous if I had a party at my house. Or children. Or even dogs. Not that my dog drinks alcohol. At least not out of a glass.
    And another.
    And another.

    Here's one "tree of life.
    Here’s one “tree of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Museum volunteers held up items for auction.
Museum volunteers held up items for auction.

 

Hank, the boisterous auctioneer, started the auction just after 1:00 p.m. As he said, it wasn’t quite like being at a livestock auction, but Tom made for damn sure that I didn’t even scratch my nose – just to assure that I didn’t accidentally bid for a $1200 rug or even a $300 one.

Needless to say, given that the room was full (maybe 300 people), I did NOT go home with a Navajo rug that day. According to Mary Beth Hermans of the Maxwell Museum, “The average price for a 24-by-30-inch rug is about $350. …many of the rugs sell for the opening bid [specified by the auction].” (From an Albuquerque Journal article by Kathaleen Roberts on November 20, 2015.)

Rugs, rugs, and more rugs!
Rugs, rugs, and more rugs!

 

While my shopping basket remained empty that day, all was not lost. We learned plenty about Navajo rugs and the auction process. Even better, the woman seated a row ahead of us clued me in to a monthly rug auction going on about two and a half hours west of Albuquerque. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere on some reservation. Crownpoint‘s got lower prices, I hear – some sell for less than $50! The auction doesn’t start till 6:00 p.m. on a Friday, so we’ll have to find a place to stay. Not in that town; there’s no lodging there. But that’s why we moved out here to New Mexico. It’ll be yet another adventure.

I fell in love with this diamond twill.
I fell in love with this diamond twill.

Anyone out there have experience at a Navajo rug auction? Other auctions? I saw how easily I could’ve lost control. (Not that Tom would’ve let that happen.)

 

Who knew you could get a round rug perfect for a table top?
Who knew you could get a round rug perfect for a table top?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some big collector told was offering this one for auction. He was ill and divesting of his collection.
Some big collector was offering this one for auction. He told me that he was ill and divesting of his collection.

 

 

 

 

They were all so hard to resist. Next time one will become mine!
They were all so hard to resist. Next time one will become mine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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When you get what you wished for…

We made it. After logging about 2200 miles, the kid and I finally arrived in Albuquerque a few days ago. We killed a couple of nights in a cheap motel, did some touristy things, and got into the rental house late Saturday evening. Now we wait.

Home, sweet home in Albuquerque for a few months.
Home, sweet home in Albuquerque for a few months.

Tom’s still in Massachusetts, though not for long. The house closed today; the truck left with our belongings. Tom and the dog will head to my parents’ in Connecticut tonight, then begin their own long journey out here tomorrow. I bid them good weather and no traffic jams. Really, I can’t wait to see them.

As much as we’ve wished for these days to arrive (especially during last year’s endless winter), it’s been a tough couple of weeks: saying goodbye to family and friends; leaving everything we know, including the house; living out of suitcases; days in the car (particularly those few hundred miles slogging through the flat-lands of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas on a two-lane road); throwing out my back once we arrived…

The back yard. I'm given to understand that black widow spiders live under the deck and are plentiful in NM. Oh, my!
The back yard. I’m given to understand that black widow spiders live under the deck and are plentiful in NM. Oh, my!

But I knew these would be trying times, no matter how much we wanted them. Until we find a house to make into our new home, until we make friends and integrate onto communities out here, we’ll be on edge. Change is good — we want to challenge ourselves to grow — but it’s stressful too. Do you realize that the cable TV in this house doesn’t include HGTV, the Food Network, or the Travel Channel? What will I do without House Hunters and the Property Brothers?!!?    I suppose I’ll thank goodness for the things that don’t change: hooking; reading and writing; family; and even social media that keeps me in touch with all of you.

Stay tuned for more of the adventure…

Love this rag rug I discovered in my bedroom. The owners of the house both have art degrees. And very good taste.
Love this rag rug I discovered in my bedroom. The owners of the house both have art degrees. And very good taste.

 

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Regrets, I have a few…

I move from a wonderful house, neighborhood, job, church, writing group, rug hooking guild in just four days. Across the country. It’s a planned move; I really have no excuse for my regrets, the things I intended to do, but never got around to making real. And that makes me sad.

Our home has sold. We'll miss her.
Our home has sold. We’ll miss her.
  • While I did make it to the beach this past weekend for a final farewell to the ocean (necessary when you’re moving from Massachusetts to the southwestern high desert), I didn’t manage to get down to Salty Brine Beach down in the little fishing port of Galilee, Rhode Island. If it sounds familiar and you’re not from around here, it’s because part of the beach blew up last week (no, they don’t know the exact cause yet and exploding beaches are not the norm around here, but the sunbathing lady will be okay). It’s a nice, little place to swim, but more importantly, George’s of Galilee, a fabulous restaurant right on the beach, has a sunny deck where one can sit and eat lobster and drink chardonnay while watching the boats and ferries go in and out. I never got that last lobster. Disappointed
  • Despite the fact that I was in New Hampshire last August (and lots of times before that), I’ve never made it to the Dorr Mill Store. It’s my twill tape go-to. Have you seen all the colors they carry?  And I’ve never made the pilgrimage to Halcyon in Maine where I get (also via mail) much of the rug yarn that I use. Thank God for the Internet on both accounts.
  • I planned on hitting up all the cultural activities and museums – especially those dealing with textiles like the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts – before I left. Little did I know how much work, the kid’s high school graduation, home repairs, selling the house, packing, and good-byes would take out of us. Damn, we were lucky if we even managed to watch television. Some evenings The Young and the Restless was as artsy as it got. (I love you, TIVO.)
  • While life’s been a series of “last times” and farewells these past weeks, there are people I would’ve liked to have seen, especially some I’ve only met through Facebook, but are nonetheless very dear to me. I hope you all know who you are. I’m truly sorry that we couldn’t meet face-to-face. Maybe one day in the future. Tom and I will still have family here in New England, and you are always welcome in Albuquerque.

Lastly, I regret that it took me so long to revamp this website and blog. Posts will undoubtedly be sporadic for a few weeks, but I’ll try to get something of the journey and the adventure up to share. Feel free to check High on Hooking’s Facebook page for updates too. Prayers for safe travels are always appreciated. I’ll see you on the other side of the country. Next stop: New Mexico!

New Mexico, here we come!

 

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