Hope to see you at Fall Fiber Fiesta
in Santa Fe this weekend.
Admission is free.
I’ll have rugs and mats of all sizes available.
Mention this blog article and get 10% off any rug!
Fall Fiber Fiesta – visit Santa Fe this Weekend!
Category: New Mexico
Visit Dagmar and me Saturday on the High Desert Studio Tour! Hand-dyed yarns and hand-hooked rugs!
I’m back! It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I feel kind of better even if I didn’t make it back to friends and family in New England. (For that story, see this post.) Anyway, Tom and I and the dog did manage to take a couple of day trips. The first was up to north of Taos near the ski area. We hiked for a couple of hours then picked up lunch in the very cool, little village of Arroyo Seco. Tom counted every one of the 19 stream crossings that we did in that two hours. But both of us had dry feet – quite the balancing act! – at the end. Tynan, he just forded through them all. Why should he care if he gets wet? Or muddy? Or what happens to the car when he gets back in?
Last week the three of us headed to Los Alamos via the Jemez Mountains. We’d never taken that drive in the fall. Gorgeous! Thus far one of my favorite parts of New Mexico. We didn’t hike this time; we wanted to get home before Albuquerque’s rush hour traffic. But we managed lunch in Los Alamos. It was a good day.
Meanwhile I’m busily trying to finish up small and mug-type rugs to sell at the High Desert Studio Tour (scroll down through the page to the part about the tour) this coming Saturday. If you recall, my friend Dagmar of ZiaWoolz invited me again this year to sell at her house/studio. She’s #3 on the map. If you’re in the area, come hang out with us for a bit. I’ll have chocolate!
What I don’t sell at Dag’s I hope to unload sell at Santa Fe’s Fall Fiber Fiesta at the Scottish Rite Temple come November 17-19. The 17th is an artists’ reception in the evening, 5:00-8:00, costs $10. Saturday and Sunday hours are 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, no charge. Unless you buy something, of course. 🙂 Hope you stop by there too to pick up some gifts for the quickly approaching holidays. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just over two weeks away!
Lastly, Tynan did not forget to bring you this week’s “What’s on the frame” feature. Of course, he received his commission. God forbid I forget that. Talk to you next week!
Enjoy the consolation then move on
Last week’s post was about the consolation of making art for art’s sake; this week it’s about having to move on. Unfortunately, fires are still burning in California, and it appears that as many as 85% of Puerto Ricans still don’t have power. My problems are NOTHING compared to those, though I’d never belittle anyone, including myself, who’s concerned about their kid. Still, we make our way through new situations. She’s still keeping her room and bathroom pretty clean, and she’s definitely working hard to avoid arguments that don’t have to be had. I call that maturing, and, damn, I still have a hard time with it!
In the meantime, Tom and I are dealing with the changes too. We’ve been to Home Depot and identified the shelving we’ll he’ll build for me in the laundry room. It should go a long way towards getting the clutter up off the closet floor. And, frankly, we’re coping with maybe the most acute disappointment of our new/old living arrangement. Today we and the dog were supposed to head back east on our first visit with family and friends since we moved here. We’re still sad, but, after two weeks, are coming to terms with it. Again, you have to move on even when life hands you those lemons.
So, tomorrow we’re off on a different adventure, a day-trip that Tom’s never been on. Almost a year ago to the date, Tynan and I headed up north on our own. Tom couldn’t come for whatever reason, and I wanted to get up that way before the snow started to fly. We drove north of Taos to check out the ski area – nothing to see but lots of construction it turned out. On the way back to town, we did some hiking then explored this nifty, itty bitty village called Arroyo Seco. There are some shops, including one with perfect pottery and, of course, Weaving Southwest, which has fabulous rug yarns. There’s a great little restaurant/ice cream parlor too.
Tom’s not been north of the town of Taos, so we’ll be heading up that way. Today we even picked up nice, new, fanny-type day packs at REI because I’m tired of being the one to carry everything in the pack including the water bottles. At Albuquerque’s new Cabela’s (which – for all you New England peeps living near the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium is NOT NEARLY as cool as the Bass Pro Shop with its giant fish tanks and honest-to-God, full-fledged pub) Tynan got a new, collapsible water/food bowl. I’ll happily carry that for him.
Yesterday was my last day vending at the Rail Yards this year. While I sold a good piece, this year’s not been that profitable there for me. It’s great for exposure and spreading the gospel of rug hooking, but I think that next year, I’ll cut back to once a month there and look for another venue. More on that in the coming months.
BIGGEST NEWS I’ve received lately came yesterday when I checked my email as I sat at the Rail Yards. Albuquerque’s Fiber Arts Council puts on an exhibit every other year (one that’s smaller than the Fiber Arts Fiesta held on the opposite year, no vendors). The marketing committee informed me that they’ve chosen a photo of my entry in the show back in April, 2016, to appear on the marketing materials for the 2018 show on April 7 and 8. Woohoo! I’m very honored and can’t wait to see the flyers and such. You know I’ll be sharing that when I get it. 🙂
In the meantime, we go on. As in New England, fall is the most beautiful time here in New Mexico. Nights have cooled off, but days still run anywhere in the 60s and 70s. Our very BIG SKY is bright blue; you might have seen it on the news last week, NBC covered Albuquerque’s famous International Balloon Fiesta last week, and USA Today has a bunch of pics up and just called it “the world’s most photographed event.” Tom and I didn’t attend this year, but the beauty of balloons is that they’re pretty visible from all over once they get up there. Consider making a visit sometime; hundreds of balloons in the sky at once is a spectacular sight.
Just so’s you know, I’ll be taking a little “stay-cation” from the blog, a week or two at most, while Tom and I find a few more little adventures to share this month. When you live in a beautiful place, you have to take advantage of it. I’m sure I’ll have some photos to share when I return.
What are you doing these days to keep your spirits up and to appreciate great autumnal weather? If you’re going to New England, send some lobsters out here!
Summer colors’ last gasp = Inspiration
INSPIRATION
Being the fourth Tuesday of the month, yesterday was one of the Adobe Wool Arts Guild’s demo days (we’re there the 1st and 4th Tuesdays) at Albuquerque’s Biopark, specifically the Botanic Garden. And although it clouded up and eventually rained, the morning was gorgeous: blue sky, cool, crisp. The colors in the gardens sparkled. I felt a need to pull out my phone and grab a few shots before the flowers all disappear into the chill of fall and winter.
When I got home, I headed into my own yard to record the colors of late September. Like the hummingbirds, most will be gone within a few weeks.
Regardless of color, life goes on. Here at High on Hooking, we’re readying for a third show in less than two weeks. Sunday is the OffCenter Folk Art Festival at Robinson Park in downtown Albuquerque. Lots to do before that! I’ve sold out of all double mug rug sets and most of the singles. I’ll finish up another three singles in the next couple of days. Meanwhile I’m starting a double. Or maybe it’ll be a quadruple…
Anyone showing up to the OffCenter Folk Art Festival to buy a rug will get 10% off if they mention this blog post! Hope to see you.
Picking grapes and making friends
Sunday Tom and I tried something new: picking grapes destined to be bottled up as wine by Casa Rodeña right here in Albuquerque. The winery offers an interesting list of “extra curriculars” to members and the public, things like yoga and Pilates in the barrel house, french lessons, even networking for professionals (folks with jobs, not wine-drinking pros).
Earlier in the month, I’d received an email inviting us (and anyone else on the mailing list) to pick grapes on the property and then enjoy a meal and wine. Sounded good to both of us. Apparently to plenty of others as well; there was a l-o-n-g waiting list.
Bring a hat and sunscreen! Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
They weren’t kidding. Hey, it is New Mexico, the high desert. Plus we’re at an altitude of about 5000 feet. The sun’s muy fuerte. While Tom – being Lebanese – is swarthy and tans at the drop of a hat, I am not. In fact, I’m the perfect melanoma storm: pale skin, red hair, lots of freckles. Hence, I do NOT leave the house without plenty of SPF 50 or higher sunscreen on this body.
Not so promptly at 9:10 or so (New Mexican time is often like Caribbean time), they gather us together to give the pep talk. Casa Rodeña was once again, seventh time in a row, voted best winery in the Albuquerque area. Not surprising; it’s the best we’ve found here. Could easily hold its own in Napa or Sonoma. Don’t worry about the bees. They’re just interested in the juice. And we’re screwed without them! Amen, but a lot of those “bees” looked suspiciously like yellow jackets. Amazingly, none of us we’re stung (or bitten). There’s a romance in grape-picking. And it’s good that we’re doing something slow, even old-fashioned in this digital, always go-go-going age. (I’m paraphrasing.) I couldn’t disagree with that assessment. Besides, the whole thing ends in wine. That’s romantic enough for me. It’ll take us a good three to four hours. By 10:30, you’ll be wondering when it will end. Picking grapes is WORK. Yes, yes, it was. With all those capital letters, it most definitely was WORK.
For some reason grapes prefer to grow low on the vine, like way down towards the ground. Okay, it didn’t help that I’d blown my lower back out earlier in the week. Saw the chiropractor who told me to keep moving. That worked fine till I stretched after being on the recumbent bike Friday. Tom: You think it might be too much for you? We were to pick grapes at a winery. Then have free food and wine. My thought: If you’re gonna drown, go for the deepest water you can find.
So, we picked. And we ripped the leaves off the vines to expose the grapes. They couldn’t hide! And we picked some more. Get hungry? Eat some grapes, but keep picking. (Okay, they had water bottles and some snacks.) For a long time, Tom and I worked the same row of vines. Me, being the more anal one (for this activity), I worked long and hard on my vines. No grape was going un-picked. There was a lot of crouching. Eventually, though, it was easier to just sit on the ground. We were all getting dirty.
And then…there were no more grapes to pick! Lunch time! Hot and sweaty, I just wanted some water, which was readily available. I downed that puppy in no time, and we made our way over to where parties and weddings and such are held. A band played jazz. We found the food and wine lines and collected our reward.
Where to sit? Seats and tables were at a bit of a premium, but, you know, at events
like this one, fellow workers become friends. We sat down with another couple. He was mellow, and she was a little bit rowdy…much as myself. Sure, it was a little difficult to talk over the music, but we managed. Turned out Susan’s a technical writer, and Jerry’s an artist. We hope to dee them again sometime soon.
There was wine, talk, music, more wine, and much fun. Susan even managed to get me into the tank to crush grapes à la Lucy (enjoy below). Despite my sore back – I went back to the chiropractor Monday – Tom and I will definitely be back at work picking grapes next year.