Terminus Albuquerque

Here I am at the end of my Eco Art USA adventure. What an amazing journey.

Originally I'd planned to travel with Wren until she leaves on Sept 29th, but I'm cutting my trip short because I've decided to

A) join Wren for her drive from Shrewsbury, UK to Segou, Mali, leaving the UK in mid-November -- which means I need to get back to SF to pack

B) see my parents before they leave Holland for good in early October -- which means I need to get back to SF sooner

So I'm flying back to San Francisco from Albuquerque today, leaving Wren with Basia and up to who knows what adventures in the next 10 days.

Journal:
J gets up early (6-ish) and woke W up. Followed their convo in the kitchen, then later W's convo w B in the study, excavating B's extensive library on water-related topics. Got up 8.30, and J cooked us a hearty breakfast of tortillas with eggs & cheese & tomatoes & avocado, which we enjoyed at the table in the garden as the sun broke through the trees. Another scorcher on the way. / Checked in on-line for my flight. / 9.30 - B & J took us to the farmers market and crafts fair in Robinson (?) Park, 10min away. Baskets of purple & white eggplants and colorful peppers, corn and squash; stalls with fresh goats cheese; and lots of people B & J know. Families and friends on blankets on the grass, listening to live music, amps powered by solar panels. Got veggies, chocolate-almond croissants, rice & bean boxes, ginger-honey teas. / Art Museum to see B's out-stretched hands fountain-sculpture that is fed by the rain. Also works out front by Patrick Simpson (Rose's father) and Nora Naranjo-Morse -- see Santa Fe blogs. / The Land Gallery to drop off the books we'd borrowed and a check for the anthology W is buying. T & E's car was out front, but no answer at the door. / 516 Gallery, where the Street Art Show is being installed. Unexpectedly Suzanne and Reanna were both there, and B was thrilled to introduced us. A muralist was on a scaffold outside. / Rio Grande in Tingley (?) Park, to visit the river and see where B had displayed her ice books embedded with seeds (and the launched the unfired clay ducks too, maybe?). Picnicked on rice & beans in the shade under the cottonwood trees. / Sleepy. All napped once back home 1.30 - 2.30 / Wrote postcards, did last accounts, re-packed. / B & W drove me to the airport, just 10mins away.
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Basia & John in Albuquerque

Journal:

Slept (1.30-8.30) in the kiva downstairs as I was going to be up later than Wren. Finished contacts, expenses, blogged, talked to V (tora tora tora). Lovely circular room, huge beams in the ceiling (and a huge flat screen TV). Chatted w W over a cuppa for about an hour, conscious this is our last morning 'at home' together. Beginnings of a migraine (W). W made us BLTs which we consumed on the terrace in the sun. Cleaned out car, went through papers, found more contacts. Made health appointments in London. Wrote L & S & S to let them know I'll be in London in Oct. Wrote R & C & M & A & M & G & A & S to make dates in SF. Wrote check for speeding ticket. Odalesque shots of W. Lunch of Thai soup & lasagna, then W tried to sleep off migraine till 4pm while I packed. Left for Albuquerque at 5pm via post office; last dose of 'La Lacuna'. At Basia Irland's off of Bryn Mawr Ave by 6.30, having stopped for gas and a bottle o wine. Welcomed by Basia & John. Pinot Grigio and spaghetti with pesto (and olives) in the garden. Animated conversation, wide ranging. Like a river (...speaking of rivers...). All tucked in by 10.30.

Fantastic people, Basia & John; alert, well-traveled, pragmatically academic.
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Conference of the Birds, by John Heilpern

I'm loving this book, an account of the English theatre director Peter Brook's search for a new kind of theatre, fundamental and expressive of core human experience. He embarked with twenty or so actors (including a young Helen Mirren) on a journey traversing the Sahara, a journey above all of self-knowledge and letting go, creating spontaneous 'plays' in the most unlikely of places to audiences who shared no language or conventions with the actors.  Totally absurd, and keenly observed with a wry yet loving eye by John Heilpern. First published in 1977.

Quotes quoted by Heilpern that reflect other conversations going on inside and outside my head:

p.150 - Rene Daumal, author of the unfinished masterpiece 'Mount Analogue' [...] wrote:

I am dead because I lack desire;
I lack desire because I think I possess;
I think I possess because I do not try to give.
In trying to give, you see that you have nothing;
Seeing you have nothing, you try to give of yourself;
Trying to give of yourself, you see that you are nothing;
Seeing that you are nothing, you desire to become;
In desiring to become, you begin to live.

p.160 -  [Peter Brook] referred to a speech in Peter Weiss's 'Marat Sade' in which Marat talks of revolution and the new age. Imagination can't break down any real barriers, he says. For each man betrays the revolution, however hard he fights. Each is so clogged with dead ideas that even the best of us are unable to control our own lives. Look how everyone wants to cling to something from the past, a souvenir of the old regime. This man decided to keep his painting.This one keeps his horse. He keeps his estate. He keeps his factories. This man couldn't part with his shipyards. This one kept his army and that one keeps his king. Each preaches the cause of revolution and the dawn of the new age. Everyone fears the unknown. 'We stand here more oppressed than when we began,' says Marat, pointing at his audience. 'And they think the revolution's been won.'

Last Day in Santa Fay -- Kowboyz & Coyote Cantina

Thursday, September 16th

Journal:

Choppy night, woke up 4am and woke Wren up too, neither could get back to sleep for a couple hours. Wren roused me at 10am with a cup of tea. 11.15am meeting with Sabrina Pratt, Executive Director of the Santa Fe Arts Commission, at her Main Post Office office. Smiled at the project; responded with some helpful contacts; said she didn't have a budget at the moment for temporary projects. A positive reception overall, the door is still open. Wren is to email her info on Sabrina as goddess of the River Severn. Returned home for some soup and a re-working of the letter of introduction / request for a meeting to Juliet Myers, Director of SITE Santa Fe. Our plan had been to go to Taos this afternoon, but at 1.30pm the prospect of a 3hr round-trip for at most a 3hr visit (and the Taos Pueblo having unpredictable closing times, at that) wasn't super appealing. So stayed home and did admin that needs doing before I leave -- updating the contact list mostly, and expenses. Popped out at 5pm to Kowboyz, a used cowboy boot store on Guadelupe. Turns out the 'used' boots are collectors' items, going for anywhere upwards of $190, with a substantial portion in the $700-1,000 range. Home to drop off the car and amble down the hill to the Coyote Cantina on Water Street (behind the Plaza) with its outdoor rooftop seating (recommended by Michael Sugarman the other day). Lots of beautifully crafted silver, turquoise and coral in the shop windows along the way. Tasty dinner of "Hot Pig" (delectably spiced tenderloin on grilled polenta) and the "Al Pastor" tacos, washed down with a margarita and daiquiri, accompanied by reflections on motherhood and daughterhood (it's Wren's eldest's 22nd birthday today).

Santa Fe: New Mexico History Museum - Dr Fran Levine & Ernest Thompson Seton, Museum of Fine Arts, Galleries

Wednesday, September 15th

An amazing day of connection and learning and beauty.

Journal:

A kiss for Dr Fran Levine from her cousin Michael Nolan in SF

Dozing interspersed with a paragraph or two from Conference of the Birds. Heave-ho'ed at 9am and washed hair, determined to 'hit Santa Fe' (either galleries or museums, but SOMETHING) at 10am. Put in a call to Dr Fran Levine -- kissing cousin of Michael Nolan and Director of the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors -- which she returned shortly after 10am just as I was sitting down to my granola. Skedaddled down to the Plaza pronto, as the only time she had to meet us was 'now-ish'. Met (11-11.30am) on the outside terrace of the museum's Cowden Cafe in the shade, sipping Agua de Jamaica (hibiscus juice). Fran was attentive and seemed genuinely touched by Wren's Mile in Their Shoes project -- esp the community involvement and the inspirational video aspects. She suggested the best people to connect with in Santa Fe would be the Director of SITE Santa Fe (where the Art Biennial is hosted) and the City of Santa Fe Arts Coordinator -- both of whom are close friends of hers -- and (on something of a side tangent related to Wren's recycled bangles made by Malian women from rubber shoes) also suggested we look into the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market.

New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe

Stumbled upon 'Wild at Heart', the (temporary) exhibit about Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946). What an inspiring person. Went from being a wolf trapper (following in his grandfather's footsteps, killer of the last Scottish wolf in the 18th century) to being a naturalist and defender of wildlife (and inspiration to the likes of Sir David Attenborough). He was a co-founder of the Boy Scouts (though had some kind of falling out with Baden-Powell) and of the Woodcraft movement. But (interestingly) before he went 'back' to the wilderness, he attended the Royal Academy in London (and paid visits to the London Zoo) and also the Academie Julian in Paris.The man could draw. And his keen observations of nature also held water in biology and zoologoy circles. Impressively multi-talented and idealistically committed. // Then traced New Mexico's history from 1610 to the present in the most engaging, best laid-out, most contemporarily (is that a word?) narrated museum exhibit I've ever been to. Well done Fran Levine! The museum just opened in May of 2009 in a specially built new wing behind the Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe's first museum housed in one of the oldest buildings in the United States (dating from 1610).

Lunching al fresco at Cafe Paris

Late lunch outdoors at Cafe Paris (shouldn't that be 'Cafe de Paris'?), a 'True Montmartre Cafe' in leafy Burro Alley -- French onion soup and seafood salad topped off with a Napoleon. // Wandered back down Palace Avenue towards the Museum of Fine Arts and stopped in at a couple galleries. LewAllen Galleries had an exhibit on of Timothy Schmitz (ground marble and oil on canvas and wood panel), and some amazing glass work by Steve Klein (among other artists). Patina Gallery lured us in with Michael Wisner's clay pots with incised surfaces that make them look like woven baskets; the craftsmanship is mind-blowing. He sources the clay from his back yard in Colorado and the whites and blacks and browns are all natural (ie not glazes). Polly Whitcomb makes charming sculptures out of rusted metal and old wooden planks, combined with 'fresh' clay pods. And Boris Bally fashions old street signs into chairs and tables and bowls -- humorous and fabulous. Not to mention all the beautiful jewellery.

Museum of Fine Art in Santa Fe

Finally made it to the Museum of Fine Art and curator Joe Traugott's Sole Mates: Cowboy Boots and Art. Studded with stunningly stitched cowboy boots, of course, but the show was 'really' about exposing the myth of the cowboy and displaying how various artists have sought to undermine it. And then there was Drip Tease, a collection of John Tinker's vaguely humorous explorations of (solid, non-dripping) drops and drips. Stopped in at the gift shop and fell in love with Michael Michaud's leaf ear-rings cast in bronze from the actual organic matter using a traditional wax casting method. // Thirsty, we started home but dallied by the vendors who spread their wares along the covered promenade in front of the Palace of the Governors, and like magpies descended on the colorful Day-of-the-Dead paper mache dolls outside at the Rainbow Man's, to then discover inside an authentic Maria Martinez black-on-black vase we could actually touch (until now all her work has been behind museum glass).

Sunset veiwed from Emaho's terrace

Got home about 6pm to find Elena and Stefan (and Barbara) scrubbing the kitchen until it gleamed. Did laundry. Yvette came by to pick up Barbara for dinner,and the (remaining) four of us had left-over vegetable green curry over rice outside on the terrace along with very pleasant dinner conversation. After Wren and Stefan had left to tap on their computers, Elena and I stayed and talked about multi-cultural youths (hers: Dad Greek, Mom German, Berlin till 5, Athens till 19, Germany for university) and coming to oneself through 'letting go' and travel. A wonderful day, full of inspiring people and creativity and expression, and beauty.

Santa Fe - El Museo Culturel & Railyard Galleries

Tuesday, September 14th
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Taos - High Road, Millicent Rogers Museum, Earthships, Tres Orejas + Dinner with Carlos & Judit

Monday, September 13th

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Nora at Santa Clara Pueblo + Chimayo + End of Fiesta

Sunday, September 12th

Journal:

Groggy all day. Talked w V till 1am, fell asleep on couch, awake at 3am, couldn't get back to sleep, alarm at 7.50am. Talked w MBH (no skype). Michael & Yana around to pick up Barbara for day of riding (horses then motorbikes). Guadelupe Str blocked off and people lining the streets in anticipation of a parade (Fiesta continues).

Drove up 284 to Santa Clara Pueblo (and down 30 to the wrong entrance, then Nora met us at the Danby Burger and guided us a short way to her bare-bones studio). 10.15-12.30 visit w Nora Naranjo-Morse, Native American sculptor (& activist) -- interested in identity, loss and reclamation of culture, false consciousness (esp of Native Americans who have been through the Boarding Schools), connection to the land, feminism/role of women, health (obesity, nutrition, diabetes, alcoholism), the sacred (connection to the land came up again). Interesting topics, but she seemed to be lacking (or holding back) a certain 'energy'...Wren suggested she seemed 'resigned'...in Emaho-speak (not in the sense that she's stopped fighting the good fight, coz she's still very 'engaged' politically)... Maybe her mind was simply elsewhere -- she had a deadline looming for pulling quotes for her 1hr film 'Breaking Ground', so it was very generous of her to 'shoot the breeze' with us at all... Or maybe she was just trying to figure out 'why we were there' and wasn't quite seeing the connection with her work...She did warm as the conversation progressed... I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open, was on the precipice of sleep, horrible feeling...

As we left she pointed us to El Parasol for their chicken tacos, at the turn-off to Chimayo -- then we continued to the chapel with the sacred earth in that town. Cited as 'the Lourdes of the US.' Not quite, but people were rubbing the earth on their joints, and the chapel was full of discarded crutches.

Wren drove us back (I napped) and we (re)visited SITE and watched some of the videos we'd not gotten to yesterday. Shopped at Wholefoods across the street from the Railyard Park, then returned home 6-ish. Met Rose, an (elderly) friend of Barbara's who was in the area for Vision Quest training (sounded like a type of software to me, but Wren explained it's where people fast in the wilderness for 2 weeks and, well, start seeing things). Rose's friend (and chauffeur for the day) Dave is from Malibu and is building a house in Boulder CO. I finally booked my flight Albuquerque-San Francisco for Sat, Sept 18th after having struggled with the website for the past day or so.

Bells tinkling in Hillside Park, snippets of Xmas-carol-y music, quite odd. When darkness fell we spotted a river of candles snaking its way up the hill, and went out to see what it was all about. Caught the tail end remarks of a cleric praising Santa Fe's multi-culturalism & multi-churchness, and citizens ability to live together harmoniously, carrying on the promise of 1692 (apparently Fiesta has been going on for 318 years).

Wren made some baba ganoush to go with our minestrone soup out of a can, and we watched A River Runs Through It (Brad Pitt as the bad boy / golden boy younger fly-fishing brother, directed by Robert Redford).
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Santa Fe: Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe Fiesta, Biennial at SITE

Saturday, September 11th

Journal:
Tina left for Heidelberg (via Albuquerque) at 6am (awoke briefly and waved goodbye). Wren woke me with a cuppa English Breakfast at 9am, as our plan was to get to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum when its doors opened at 10am. Needed to catch up with MBH and A and B, so that plan fell by the wayside (for me at least). Wren cooked up scrambled eggs on toast, then left for the museum. I made it out of the house about noon, and met her at the Plaza where the annual Santa Fe Fiesta was in full swing. Tracked down some espresso in Cafe d'Arte (shouldn't that be 'del Arte'?) in the basement in a mall off the side of the square. Sipped it walking down the street in the direction of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, which we ended up visiting (nice and light, pastel paint job, cartoonish 14 stations of the cross -- pleasingly welcoming as opposed to coldly daunting, as many European cathedrals can be). Then across the street to the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (the MoCNA Santa Fe challenges SMoCA Scottsdale ;) -- loved 'Inert' wolfskin/taxidermy & threads of lineage piece, and 'my right of way' photos; also the room devoted to Rose Simpson's work (she just got her BFA! but then again, she's Roxanne's daughter). Headed back to the plaza and the Frida/Diego exhibit in an upstairs gallery we'd spotted from the street -- photos of Frida by eminent photographers, hosted by the Webster Collection. Very apropos, as we're listening to Barbara Kingsolver's La Lacuna (about Frida & Diego & Trotsky) in the car on our longer trips. Then Wren walked home to get the car to drive to Will Powell's on Don Gaspar, to check out his plaster work, and I walked over to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Asked directions of a woman on the corner - Mary Fahr, who worked at the Santa Fe radio station for 11 years, and now spends her summers in Steamboat CO. Loved the exhibit currently on, ending tomorrow, which gathers O'Keeffe works from major museums around the world (National Gallery, Whitney, Centre Pompidou, etc etc). Sprinkled with charming and insightful O'Keeffe quotes. EG "I'll tell you how I happened to make the blow-up flowers. In the twenties, huge buildings sometimes seemed to be going up overnight in New York. At that time I saw a painting by Fantin-Latour, a still life with flowers I found very beautiful, but I realized that were I to paint the same flowers so small, no one would look at them because I was unknown. So I thought I'll make them big like the huge buildings going up. People will be startled; they'll have to look at them - and they did." Wren called about 3.30pm to say she was done at Will's and would I meet her at Don Gaspar x Peralta. I walked down to where she was parked and we drove over to SITE Santa Fe, the location of the Santa Fe 8th International Biennial (didn't know Santa Fe hosted an art biennial, let alone that it's been doing so for the last 8 years...but then again, didn't realize Santa Fe is generally acknowledged to be the third largest art market in the US after New York and Los Angeles). Walked into the boxy building (had a warehouse look to it, but in keeping with Santa Fe regulations, was finished in adobe) to find that 'The Dissolve' exhibition was a collection of 26 video pieces. My first reaction as I entered the dark space with screens flashing at me right and left and further down the hall, was 'how tedious', as I've been largely unimpressed by video and 'art' included in museum exhibits. But this turned out to be fabulous. Not in the Bill Viola vein of realism at all (one of the docents there to aid and inform visitors handed me that line; I haven't had time to double check whether Viola's videos would indeed bore the living daylights out of me). These films were quirky, innovative, touching; and a wide range of techniques were employed. We caught the last hour of it (4-5pm), then returned to Emaho's where Michael & Yana announced they were cooking up a gourmet meal for some friends and we were of course invited; psyche. Wrote yesterday's blog (including photos);that took over 2hrs and I didn't even finish it. Wren made a decision regarding staying in the area or making a dash for LA; the upshot is that I'll be flying out of Albuquerque. Dinner with the young crowd (Michael & Yanna; Clovis & wife & 2 1/2 year old Lucy; Jason; Rose; Ursula/Atlana; Elena) - steak with chanterelles and prosciutto, pimento de padrone, roasted bell peppers; salad of arugula and cantaloupe and sweet onion and sunflower seeds; dessert of spiced and grilled pineapple and pears over ice cream. Delish.

Home Studios: Georgia O'Keeffe's in Abiquiu & Gail Rieke's in Santa Fe

Friday, September 10th

We visited the home studios of two inspiring female artists today, one living and one not. At neither site were photographs permitted. On the way from one to the other, we stopped by the Tower Gallery and admired Roxanne Swentzell's sculptures.

Abiquiu hacienda perimeter wall
-- no photos allowed on the premises

Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986!) bought a large and crumbling adobe in the hamlet of Abiquiu just north of Santa Fe in 1945, and spent the next three years renovating it with the assistance of Maria Chabot (or rather, Chabot oversaw the renovations with input by correspondence from O'Keeffe then mostly in New York. (See ArtNet book review below for juicy commentary on their relationship).

It's a large place (five rooms, courtyard, gardens) with grand views over the mountains -- hardly a starving artist's garrett (are there such things as garretts outside of London?). Our guide informed me O'Keeffe was financially successful quite early in her career (thanks to the promotion of her work by her husband Alfred Stieglitz, I suppose) and funded the renovations with sales of her paintings. For example the one of two cottonwood trees that still stand at the bend in the road just below the house,  recognizable even after fifty years. Or the ones of the black door in the inner wall of the courtyard -- O'Keeffe exclaimed (in a letter) that she'd fallen in love with that door and it was the reason she'd decided to buy the place

See this museum's website for one version of the Patio Door painting: http://www.chrysler.org/20century07.asp.

And here's the ArtNet review of the O'Keeffe-Chabot correspondence and relationship: http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/index/drohojowska-philp/drohojowska-philp2-11-04.asp)

The tour took us around the outside of the house more than through it -- the mud floor of the living room would not withstand the tread of rampaging tourists, we were told, and the books in the library were too delicate to be viewed. So we made do with peering through the windows of those rooms, and admired the modern appliances in the kitchen, and nodded respectfully as the guide reeled off the names of the designer furniture in the 'studio' - a spacious room outfitted like a living room, with a beige carpet O'Keeffe had had laid down towards the end as her macular degeneration meant she could no longer distinguish her beloved chows (dogs) from the dark mud floor and she was scared of stepping on them.

St Thomas adobe church in Abiquiu

We were rather disappointed with the tour (not exactly good value at $30 a head, and no photographs allowed), but I liked standing in rooms O'Keeffe once inhabited, liked viewing mountains and trees she looked at every day, liked imagining life as it might have been for her in dusty Abiquiu (I can't imagine the lanes have changed much since her departure). I'll look at her paintings of this home and this landscape with fuller knowledge. Not that O'Keeffe would appreciate a comment like that, but I for me like context.


                                                               

Roxanne Swentzell's 'Judgment 'Reflectors'

Interlude:

On the way back from Abiquiu to Santa Fe is the Tower Gallery, where sculptor Roxanne Swentzell displays her clay figures. Each one is so alive, so personal, and its emotion is to be read from its posture but also described in words for good measure. I loved them.

The 'Judgment Reflectors' description reads:

"I was feeling rather beat up from people's judments on me and I found myself trying to find ways to protect myself. The image of reflectors came to mind. I so enjoyed creating this piece because while I made her she actually worked to block the attacks I was feeling. I imagine the mirrors bouncing their mean thoughts off me and back to them to see themselves. A reminder of how we hurt others with our judgments."

Gail Rieke

Gail Rieke and her husband Zach had travelled down to Albuequerque for their friend Mary Ellen Long's art opening at The Land Gallery on Saturday, September 4th--  which is where Wren and I met her (see blog entry from that date). She told us then that she made art work related to travel, and led art tours to Japan (which is where she'd gotten to know Mary Ellen). Gail lives in Santa Fe, and invited us to visit her when we were in town, with notice we should give her advance warning (or was it a warning we should give her advance notice...).

Santa Fe: Lisanne & Zozobra

Thursday, Sept 9
Vernon put us in touch with Lisanne, a long-time friend of his from LA days though originally from Somerset in the UK. She invited us over for a lovely BBQ and salad lunch, topping it off with her famous flourless chocolate cake and lemon pie (served once to Xaviera Hollander in Barcelona). We ended up spending the afternoon talking art and music projects (she's a singer and is planning a charity tour for homelessness), swapping experiences building with strawbale and adobe (Lisanne lived off-the-grid outside Taos for five years), and musing on what celebrities she is separated from by 3 degrees or less for Wren's Olympic Mile sneaker installation (Lisanne's been in a film with Colin Firth). And consulted Native American 'medicine cards' and stroked the black cat and had a lovely time together.
Back at Emaho's -- who left yesterday for California and then is off on another European tour -- we watched 'Fire Dance', a video from 2004 of the ceremony he performs (and that Wren has participated in). It lasts about 4hrs (the ritual, that is -- though the video could do with some drastic editing). Emaho opens with some comments about the healing power of fire, arranges his altar, then launches into the dance where all participate (a rhythmic stomping of feet with intermittent chanting) and he pulls people aside individually to lay his fire-warmed hands on (he literally holds his palms in a six-wick candle flame). One such ceremony had been held in Santa Fe the Saturday before we arrived, and a number of people staying at his house had participated in it.
In the evening we walked the two blocks over to Fort Macy Park for the burning of Old Man Gloom -- or 'Zozobra' as he is known in Santa Fe. This year's incarnation was a giant white puppet with a glam-rock air about his turned-up cuffs, with movable arms and mandible, making fearsome groaning noises (which grew anguished as he was set alight). Before night fell the Santa Fe Highschool Choir sang a Queen medley and the Douglas Brown Show did some James Brown and Prince covers. Then it was time for the introduction of the festivities, which we found disturbingly reminiscent of hyperbole suited to a public hanging (or lynching), with chants flung out from the audience of 'Burn him! Burn him!' Fire dancers and some modest fireworks followed, ramping up to a full scale conflagration. Quite a show.

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Los Alamos and Banderos Cliff Dwellings

Wednesday, 8 September

Brock, who we'd met at Mary Ellen Long's art opening in Albuquerque, took us on a day-trip to Los Alamos and Banderos National Monument. He worked at Los Alamos for five years (on a superconductivity project, I believe) before setting up his own business in Albuquerque and starting a PhD in electrical engineering. He has many anecdotes about explosives testing (having friends more closely involved with Los Alamos' core endeavour) and has met -- or knows the children of -- prominent figures in the nuclear research field (I don't remember whose daughter Rebecca is, but she works for the National Park Services at next-door Banderos and we bumped into her hiking up to the Cliff Dwellings).

Los Alamos. The coming-into-being and purpose of this 'scientific community' are shrouded in secrecy and linked to death and destruction (it having been created to produce the A-bomb) -- but on the surface it is as banal as any other suburban development. The site was chosen back in the thirties for its remoteness, climate and natural beauty -- the former meant there were fewer people (mostly Native Americans) to displace, while the latter made it easier to lure brilliant minds to the site. It is built over three or four small canyons -- to reach the National Laboratory, for example, you drive across a bridge on the far side of which are 'toll-booths' where in the years following 9/11 each vehicle was stopped and checked rigorously, but since the recent budget cuts, now stand open and unmanned.

We spent the morning in the Bradbury Science Museum, home to scale models of Little Boy (dropped on Hiroshima just three weeks after the first prototype was detonated in New Mexico) and Fat Man (named for Winston Churchill and unleashed on Nagasaki). Curiously, the only photo of a devastation was of downtown Tokyo, leveled by incendiary bombs in WWII -- which, the caption informed us, "caused more casualties and damage than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki." There were (further) educational displays on Plutonium and LINAC (the Linear Particle Accelerator), and on current research into brain scanning and genome mapping. global warming and radiation. And a whole historical section including a timeline of the development of Los Alamos and short 'personal testimonies' of the first scientists (and their wives) to be recruited to the site. Helen Cowan (on of the few female professionals), for example, spoke of how before she herself was recruited, most people at the metallurgical lab in Chicago where she worked started  'disappearing' in the late 30's --"I knew they were working on the bomb." Then they started disappearing from Los Alamos -- this time to the Trinity Site near Alamagordo, where the bomb was being tested, but Cowan was again "left out; she had to wait in Los Alamos." Weird stuff.

We lunched at the Central Avenue Grill (with the 'Quark' bar attached), then drove to Bandelier (named for Adolph Bandelier, a Swiss amateur archaeologist who was the first European to be shown the site in the1880s) where we strolled along the cliff face and ascended ladders into tiny claustrophobic caves, ceilings blackened by soot from fires, to a long ascent up 140ft of ladders to a much larger cavity which once held 23 dwellings.

On the way home, as the sun was setting, we stopped by the Santa Fe Opera but ended up deciding not to attend the Mariachi Extravaganza, instead opting for dinner at the Cowgirl Cafe in downtown Santa Fe.

Santa Fe Sedentary

A 'home' day at Emaho's, didn't get out at all.

An emotional day for me. One long conversation with a loved one in the morning; another long conversation with a shamanic healer in the afternoon.

Wren went shopping with Michael (the opera singer) in the morning, and cooked up a delicious lemon risotto for dinner.

After dinner we mapped out our onward journey in the dining roo- kiva: Santa Fe - Taos - Durango - Albuquerque - LA.

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From THE LAND (Mountainair) to Emaho's (Santa Fe)

Monday, September 6th

'The Land' is a 1/4 square mile (or 40 acre) plot of wild pine and cactus scrub-land outside Mountainair NM belonging to Edite and Tom Cates, an outdoor studio and exhibition space that is an extension of their gallery in Albuquerque (or perhaps the gallery is an extension of ‘the land’, as I believe ‘the land’ was acquired/established first). It is also part of the same larger Loma Parda parcel of 37 plots, another of which is where Jo Sage has built her Earthships. We walked the 1 ½ miles from Jo’s to ‘the land’, which took us more than an hour as we got lost for the last ¼ mile off-road and cross-country with no landmarks to guide us. We got distracted by the local dump which we mistook initially for a potential artistic 'resources lab.' Fortunately we pitched up by the dry arroyo (river-bed) which cuts north-south across Loma Parda, and could follow the multi-colored boulder field to ‘the land.’ We knew we’d arrived when we spotted one of Steve Peter’s stone benches etched with a sound-poem (Peter was one of the early artists-in-residence), nestled among the pinon trees edging the arroyo.


We found Larry sitting under a shade structure, whittling one of his characteristic rabbits or turtles, and Jeffrey showed up presently and offered to take us on a tour of the art works on the property. Most of the exhibits are taken down after each show, but a few things remain, either because so firmly rooted, or because decomposition was part of the piece, or because they are works in progress. Jeffrey Lee is a writer/journalist and on the board of the Cates’ gallery,who likes coming out to 'the land' to camp.

We followed the ghost of a path back to the arroyo, where Jeff pointed out some large boulders piled in the bends. This was the work of Lynne Hull, who Jeffrey described as being at the forefront of environmental art, helping restore damaged ecologies or preventing further damage (the boulders were intended to reduce erosion of the arroyo's banks), working unobtrusively almost unnoticeably. The two large and small ‘Signs’ on the next hill over were by Ted Laredo, painted in glow-in-the-dark green and blue: billboards without text (but what is the message?). Edite Cates is working on a burial project, and three graves have already been dug, very specifically positioned relative to the points of the compass and the sun; she is working under her tribal name, Ye Ehekatl, and describes herself as a Baltic/Nahuatl tribal artist. Her husband Tom Cates has a reverse archaeology project underway, which will involve burying objects rather than digging them up. In his younger days he worked as an illustrator on archaeological digs, making detailed drawings of the finds. A V-shaped pattern of mirrors on poles, low to the ground on a hillside, and some cut-out signs on the fences with numbers representing arc measurements or latitudes and longitudes maybe, were the work of some students from a university in Albuquerque.

Shortly after noon we retraced our steps along the arroyo and up the ‘main’ (though still unpaved) road back to Jo’s, and tucked into a hearty brunch of eggs and toast, followed by a nap then a solar shower.

Unfortunately Jo’s friend George had already arrived by the time we returned, so we didn’t have a chance to hear Jo's story over a cuppa tea and watch the video that a friend had made when she’d just completed the shell of her first earthship. We did learn that she is 77 and started her earthship work 20 years ago (nice 'retirement' project), learning construction techniques from Michael Reynolds and having done most of the building on her own; and that she is a Capricorn and therefore prefers being rooted and seeing the fruits of her labor, rather than travelling the world like her Cancer friend George. Her blue eyes are bright under her hat, gray pony-tail poking out behind, the deep wrinkles of her cheeks testament to days working in the sun and wind. 'Some artists paint; my home is my work of art,' she said -- and it is.

We hit the road about 4.30pm after closing up shop at the earthship – pouring the contents of the piss bucket down gopher holes to keep them away from the house, watering the trees and flowers with our dirty dishwater, emptying the compost, and closing the windows and doors tight so no critters or rodents would get in to disturb the next guests.

Passed through Mountainair, a one street ‘town’ with some retro facades painted for a film about George Hamilton (so I was informed by a local resident leaning over his balcony wondering whether I was a location scout as I snapped some photos), and then followed the straight (very straight) HWY 41 up to Santa Fe (our route was HWY 60-41-285-25). I’d found an address for an Emaho Montoya on the internet, and not being able to reach him by phone, it’s where we headed upon arriving: fortunately it proved to be correct (though we had some doubts when we couldn’t find his house number at first, and were greeted at the door by a tall white 20-something). It turns out that lots of people are always staying at Emaho’s (mostly Swiss and Germans), and there’s a steady circulation of beds and linens.

Stefan was getting going on dinner when we arrived, and Emaho took us on a tour of his lovely expansive double-kiva’ed adobe on two levels plus roof-terrace. He’d bought it in 1996, hoping to move in with his two sons, but due to the illness of his eldest (caused by ground water poisoning while an infant) didn’t move in until 2002 or 03. His sons are now 29 and 27, the elder being taken care of by the state of California, the younger having graduated in math from UC Berkeley and in line for a job at Google. Emaho pointed out his ‘god’ – a wooden figurine of a (Santa Cruz) surfer, ‘riding the waves of life’ – and simultaneously he has an affinity for high-quality design and technology (much of it German). The duvee on my bed is of the lightest down, the washing machine is Bosch, the vacuum cleaner Miele. His ‘toys’ are a telescope and a microscope, and there are several flat screens around the house.

Emaho had mentioned ‘altitude sickness’ afflicting visitors to Santa Fe, which I discounted as the town is at just a little over 2000m – but I was feeling tired and head-achy and disinclined to face the throng of Europeans in the kitchen.

We joined for a dinner feast (do they eat like this every night??) – salmon-fennel-mango-leek casserole, and home-cut fries, and salad, for 15 people. There’s Andrea (Swiss-German) & Michael (Scottish-Dutch) who live down the road and ‘house sit’ for Emaho, Verbena and Stefan (German) who run a natural materials building company and are here for a month’s holiday, Tina (German) who is an elementary school teacher and has been here for 9 weeks – leaving in one more, Blond (name?) (Swiss) who lives in Santa Fe in a converted barn (she had to get over imagining she was smelling animals), Michael (Canadian) who is an aspiring opera singer and is leaving tomorrow to head back to Vancouver, Michael (American) and young girl (name? Swiss) who went on a 4hr motorcycle ride today and got royally sun-burned, Barbara who appeared briefly and showed off the bruises she’d gotten being pitched by her horse into a gatepost…all friendly but not querulous in a group, though animated 2-on-2 in German, so it might be a language thing (or a strangers-induced thing).

Really lovely to be here, yet another beautiful place, yet more generous and welcoming people.

Albuquerque's 19 Pueblos Museum & Earthship in Mountainair

Sunday, Sept 5th

I'm writing from deep inside an earthship, encased within walls of tires packed with soil and tin cans mortared with cement. But you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't know -- it feels on the inside like a spacious adobe, with organically curving walls dividing the space and white-washed pine wood ceilings. There's a composting toilet and a solar shower in the bathroom; cold water and gas burners in the kitchen; and electricity throughout.

Jo Sage learned from the master -- Michael Reynolds in Taos -- and has spent the last 20 years gradually expanding her home and building two more earthships on this property down an unpaved road off of HWY 47, which connects Bevel (?) with Mountainair.

This is where artists in residence under the auspices of The Land/An Art Site gallery (see yesterday's blog) reside while developing their outdoor projects on the gallery's piece of land down the road a mile or so. Edite & Tom, the co-founders of the gallery, thought we'd be interested in seeing The Land and graciously suggested we stay overnight in one of the earthships. What a fabulous co-incidence / confluence of events; what blessed generosity.

+++++

Awoke 7am - Motel 6. Tea & granola. Phone calls (Basia success), contact lists, photo downloads and backups. Dip in the 3 1/2 foot3 pool (so tiny). WalMart for staples like English Breakfast Tea. Lunch Panda Express. Wrangled with freeway on-off ramps some more; poor signage. / Afternoon (2-4.30pm) at 19 Pueblo Museum. Dance performance outdoors -- 'caller' and his 2 sons (2yrs & 9yrs) and pairs of mature dancers. Pity the 'Buffalo Dance' performers, all suited up in 100F heat. Upstairs exhibit of pots (recently made) and woven blankets; also special exhibit of the pueblo saints. Downstairs each of the 19 had a display case of it's own. Interesting 20min film on Maria Martinez (?) Who revived and perfected certain techniques, creating (among other designs) a line of luscious shiny-and-matt black pots with exceptionally fine shallow carvings. / Wren finally got Emaho (Healer, and Santa Fe contact) on the line, and we need to get up there pronto as he's leaving for another European tour on Wednesday. Got some stud ear-rings in the shop. / Drove down to Mountainair (25-60-47), stopping at the Lowe's in Bevel (?) for some groceries and bottled Texas municipal water (...at least they're honest...). Bumped down the overgrown lane, due West and blinded by the late afternon sun. Stopped by The Land and saw a car but no Jeffrey or Larry. Arrived at Jo Sage's around 6.30pm and she had us sign a waiver, then showed us 'round. / Beer and salsa on our 'front porch' overlooking an endless expanse of red earth and scrub to a pink and orange horizon. Spaghetti for dinner. / Amazed and grateful.
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Quemado and Albuquerque

Sat, Sept 4th

A great day -- starting with a hike around Lake Quemado and ending at Mary Ellen Long's opening at the Land/Art gallery in Albuquerque!

Hope you too are having a fabulous Labor Day weekend :)

Journal:
7am. Chilly! First night with sleeping bag zipped all the way up. Hot tea. Grapefruit. Applesauce and granola. Thuya tree scent reminds Wren of natural veruca treatment. / Drove down to Lake. When Wren realized it was just a 3hr drive to Albq, figured we had enough time to walk around the lake. Beautiful!! Such a diversity of wild flowers and grasses! And butterflies and grasshoppers (and grasshopper-butterflies) and birds! Took lots of photos in the golden morning light. Lots of folks (men, women, families) out fishing; a few boats out on the water. / Drove back to Quemado around 11.45am and stopped in at the Dia Art Foundation office, down the (only) street from the (only) diner and (only) gas station in 'town', third in a short row of two storied buildings, and the only one that didn't look entirely abandoned. Stepped into a bare room with wood floor, a semi-circle of heavy wood chairs, and some magazines on the window sill. Claire Harrison, an English late twenty something artist (and baker) from Kent-Essex-Cornwall, was sitting there waiting for the 2.30pm pick-up for the $150 visit to Walter De Maria's Lightning Field. We got talking, and carried our conversation down to the diner. Two men there had worked at the LF -- and recommended going, though clarified for us that the 400 stainless steel poles were not intended to be struck by lightning; they just looked esp good in the glow of lighting. But they also look pretty good at sunset and sunrise. At 2pm we returned to the Dia waiting room and took leave of Claire as several well-heeled visitors arrived in a Ford Mustang with Califiornia plates. / Continued to Albq on HWYs 36-117-40, and got my first speeding ticket. Remembered (belatedly) that Athena Steen had warned us NM was crawling with traffic cops (whereas you never see any in AZ). / Took exit 155 in Albq, where the budget motels are clustered, and plumped for the Motel 6 after the manager offered us a discount. / Freshened up then continued to Exit 159A and Granite Avenue, to the Land/Art Gallery, in what looked like a family home on an entirely residential street. The neighbor one block down had no inkling of its existence. Were greeted by Mary Ellen, blue eyes framed by a white bob, glass of red wine in hand, who was thrilled to meet Wren in person ("This is an email" she exclaimed to her husband Wendell). Met Edite and Tom, co-founders of the gallery; Gail, who is an artist and organizes art tours -- lastly to Japan in 2008; Jeffrey, a friend of Edite's; and Brock, who'd worked with Tom in some scientist-inventor capacity, and who's also been an artist-in-residence at the Gallery's outdoor 'studio' at Mountain Air. All very interested in us and very welcoming. Upshot is that we've been invited to check out -- and spend the night at -- the off-grid earthship at Mountain Air tomorrow night. / Brock recommended three eateries on Central, the buzzing (and congested) restaurant strip just a few blocks away from the gallery, and we had dinner at the Standard Diner, which had much better food than the name suggests -- shared a meal-sized beet-pecan-blue cheese salad, and had the salmon with chard and butternut squash while Wren feasted on seared tuna. / Getting home we drove around for 1/2hr in confusion when the exit dropped us on the wrong side of the freeway from our motel.
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Silver City

A 'catch-up' day -- washed hair and did laundry at the Motel 6, then made for the wifi connection at the Javelina Cafe on Bullard Street. The prices in this town are steeper than SF -- $4.25 for a medium latte, and it took a nudge before the stale bagels were marked down from $3 to $2 (each). It's got something of Flagstaff about it -- a bit of architectural charm left over from some boom or other in the late 1800's, a sense of itself as a Center of Art (knock off pueblo pots, lotsa jewelry and 'antiques', Mexican crafts from across the border)... and inflated prices. It is a proper town though, that must be said, and those seem to be thin on the ground in southern New Mexico. Excavated our receipts and did our accounts, and I booked my onward air travel for late September. Had some grilled bread (pizza, panini) back at Diane's (where we had dinner last night) around 5pm, picked up some groceries next door at the Food Coop, and hit the road as the light was turning golden. Took 180 West and North through the Gila National Park, passing Cat Walk (where we'd originally planned to camp) as dusk was falling, and decided to push on in something of a new-found panic about missing Mary Ellen's art opening at the Land Gallery in Albuquerque tomorrow evening.

I'm writing from a greasy diner in Quemado where Wren's hunger has overtaken her. We missed the 'local' campground 15 miles back, so we have some driving and tent pitching yet ahead of us.
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Gila Cliff Dwellings

Six or seven caves tucked into the cliff face, accessible along a path that climbs up from the (mini) canyon floor over about 1/2 mile. Some walls built in (defining kiva, kitchen, living area), some soot on the ceiling (above cooking areas), some traces of ureac (?) acid (where animal hides were tanned). Inhabited from approx 1280 to 1300, during a drought period. The setting is beautiful, and the caves were nice and cool on a 95F day.

Filled out the booklet to become a Junior Ranger, and another to become a Senior Ranger -- and earned a couple of gold (plastic) badges and patches (to sew on our backpacks). All the national parks have this program -- check it out next time you visit one, with or without kids in tow :)

Stopped by the hotsprings to grill some cheese sandwiches and take a short nap on the beach.

Carried on through the Gila Wilderness on HWY 15 (lovely green windy scenic route) to Silver City. Booked in to the Motel 6, and drove down to Bullard Street (which seems to be the main drag in town) for a green Thai seafood curry at Diane's.
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Gila Hot Springs

We made it! We managed to extract ourselves from Hillsboro, and were soaking in one of the three hot pools at Gila Ranch before the sun went down! And what a beautiful drive it was up the winding road over Emory Pass, through the green mountain forest, and down the far ridge to the Gila River -- and we had the road to ourselves. Unlike California hot springs, which are the product of current low-grade volcanic activity and tend to be sulfurous, Gila's hot water starts out as cold snow melt and seeps through fissures caused by volcanic activity millions of years ago, gaining 1 degree F for every 100 feet down it runs. This heated water then re-surges (where and why does it come back to the surface?) In springs, some of them in the middle of the river.

+ + + +

Woke up at 3am (in Hillsboro) and the 2/3 moon and all the stars lit up our garden patch so brightly!

Awoke for the day at 7.30am, and 12 buzzards were roosting in the tall trees across the road, spreading their wings to warm them in the morning sun. The datura flowers (poisonous, but beautiful like calla lilies) were open and white and elegant. By noon the blooms have wilted in the sun, and the new blooms are still tightly furled in green leaves. Walked down the street and took photos of the historic markers and trailer homes and cafes that are Hillsboro.

Jim made us coffee and tea, and heated water for us to sponge-bathe with - Wren secluded behind the art building, and me in the yard 'round the corner of the house next door.

Jim is such a fine story-teller, we wanted to capture a bit of him on film, and video'ed him telling the story of how he came to move to Hillsboro, New Mexico from Montecello, Minnesota.

Betty, a lady in her late 80's who Jim's befriended, picked him up at 10am to drive him to T or C for his dentist appointment, to pick up groceries, and run sundry errands.

I called Mom, who'd just emailed to say the movers had been and gone in Rijswijk. My heart aches.

Had brunch with Wren at Lynne Nusom's cafe 'in town.' Roger was there doing the NYT crossword, and we joined him at his table. Also met Embree Hale as we approached the cafe, a short old swaggering miner-turned-photographer, wearing a cowboy hat and boots and a loud shirt. Completely deaf in one ear, he didn't hesitate to make up for it by taking us in by the eyeful. Lynne Nusom is a recognized chef (apparently) with six or so cookbooks to his name, and a weekly food column in several papers. He's an old man now, tall with a white beard and white socks up to his knee-length shorts, but still serving and communing with customers. He said he'd been 'in Hollywood' back in the day and thrown parties (including cooking the food) for tens of thousands of people.

Embree walked us down the street when we left, as far as his pickup truck, taking the opportunity to introduce us to his flighty female husky with the palest blue eyes you've ever seen. There's a film that's been made about him and his work photographing local petroglyphs, 'In place, out of time.'

We stopped in at the artists collective store, five rooms in an old bungalow displaying originals of all kinds for sale, from quite craftsy (arty kitchen hot hands, quilted hearts and crosses), to quite sophisticated (ceramics and metalwork and photographs and paintings). Testament to the creative souls Hillsboro attracts. The town (still) doesn't have a grocery store of any kind, however.
1pm already, and Jim was back from T or C, so we got to say goodbye all over again. We've felt like family these past few days, and we're going to miss him. His sharing of his manifold interests, with a mixture of humor and excitement; the creative solutions he's conjured up and skills he's developed in response to the 'problems' (more like puzzles) he's encountered; his helpfulness /good deeds for the day (so I can go to bed knowing I've done something good); how he welcomes and reaches out to everyone who crosses his path.
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Leaving Hillsboro

Well, it's almost 2pm and we haven't left quite yet, so you never know... But the car is packed up and the intention is to soak in some hot springs in the Gila range this afternoon, and visit some cliff dwellings up Mimbres way.

We'll miss Jim and his multitudes of stories and his warm hospitality...but must move on...

I expect I won't have a signal for a day or two. Laters.
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Notes from Satomi's Plastering Workshop

Wren and I learned plaster 'recipes' and plastering techniques from Satomi today, in a private class that ran from 9.30am to 7pm with a break for lunch. Satomi is a lovely person, skilled plasterer, inquisitive observer of all things earth-building related, and a patient and hard-working teacher. We learned a lot and had a very pleasant time together.

I feel knackered; Wren is excited about taking things she's learned today and applying them to her work in Mali.

Here are the notes I took over the course of the day -- should any of you need some tips for your plastering projects ;)

GENERAL COMMENTS --

LIME
- lime plaster in bathroom in Japan, and lime wash in kitchens every year in UK -- lime has anti-bacterial quality. Is also caustic, so don't put your hands in it (use gloves and goggles). French sell hydrated lime, like putty - burns on contact.
- Use 'float' to spread lime plaster. Nice to have one straight edge and one rounded edge. Apply lime by scooping with trowel (flexible, if follow bumps of bale, or rigid trowel if want flatter look) off of hawk / hod (board with handle underneath). Want good base coat and second coat, timing very important.
- Scots use 'hurling' technique to throw lime slip onto walls and ceiling. Mexicans use special trowel with bent end, to slap lime on, then spread with float-like tool (heavier than UK float).

PLASTER
- grit size varies by thickness of plaster -- fine grain (eg ratio of 2:1) for thin, coarser for thicker wall...question of compressing correctly, otherwise cracks...test it and see shrinkage, then add more sand, or fiber, or water...nobody has the same clay...
- slip first (before base coat): dirt/soil from garden/earth (used as synonyms -- combo of clay and sand) sifted with 1/4 " + water...china or kalin clay is smooth and creamy, brown is chunkier
- add in straw and slap on

- Base coat of earth or lime plaster: use 1/2 inch sifter, and put 1/2 inch layer on wall...S uses clay and straw only, build it up quick (some ppl add sand); add design at this phase, coz if add later will break off
- second coat: 1 inch
- finish coat: fine mix using marble dust or fine silica (eg 90 -- higher number is finer)...if sift very fine, don't need to add pigment...
- sand: here, use 'washed plaster sand', is a clean sand...otherwise has clay and silt in it, so would have to adjust your ratios...Silica Sands are very clean (sold in pottery stores or swimming pool stores), good coz sharp edged and hence compress better
- pigment: mix sand and clay and add a bit of pigment (cheaper); contractors buy clay paint off the shelf and mix with water (but expensive)

THE MIXES WE WORKED WITH --

MIX 1: base coat
- ratio 1 clay : 3 sand -- for base plaster coat (just rough ratio)
- about 1/4 "
- first wet the wall (use detergent bottle if need to be careful indoors)
- scoop rectangle of mix on hawk, then take from back, and flip up (like flipping an omelet almost), and spread in wave motion on wall. Put hawk against wall to catch scraps. Spread across horizontal after, first with smaller then larger trowel, even float. Cover panel's worth of wall. press stick across in X shape to check if level.

MIX 2: plaster, works for exterior and interior both, about 1/4"
Recipe:
- 2 1/2 Kingston clay
- 1 1/4 sand
- 1 1/2 water
- 2 straw (1/2" sifted)...md by hammer mill, can buy good choppers now for USD 150

- always put water in first, put 1 for now (coz sand is wet...harder to add dry to wet than to add water later)
- (can mix dry goods in separate tub)
- add clay and let it soak up water thru capillary action (rather than actively mixing)...go have a cigarette...(See it turn a darker brown)
- put sand on top of that, let stand
- mix together -- is like chocolate cake mix
- add straw (the more straw, the less cracking...cracking comes from wet stuff drying, so if mix dry to start with, risk less cracking -- tho is harder to mix)
- ratio with too much sand looks nice at first coz is hard, but when starts to deteriorate is like little rocks have fallen out, and water gets in, doesn't weather well...straw/fiber is better, gets soft and melts together with clay...if leave it too long starts to ferment and smells bad but is good mix
- take flattish handful and smush against wall, spread it on with trowel or float, use barber u-shape motion to get snub corners, finesse corners with piece of plastic in smile-shape (from yogurt bucket, or cd even use saran wrap)

LUNCH

MIX 3 - lime clay for prep work for lime plaster
- lime plaster: ratio of 1 lime to 3 (clean) sand (washed sand, or silica)...think about how thick you're putting it on...fine mix for thin layer, coarser mix for thicker layer...have to polish it at the right time, all in the timing. Lime plaster likes to hang onto smthg really rough, so...
- lime clay: add 10% of lime plaster or to pH 12.4 (hydrated/slaked S lime, mix to consistency of sour cream, then add 2" water to top and let it age for 3 months, the longer the better...tho S has polished overnight slaked lime) lime to MIX 2 (add a bit of water too, so easier to spread)...lime makes clay mix really heavy and sticky
- once applied, scratch it -- then have mechanical as well as chemical attachment.
- for color: if mix with lime plaster, get pastels coz mixing with white; for strong colors, mix pigment with lime water and 'paint' it on wall before it dries, bonds to the plaster and have vivid color.
- to polish: base coat must be flat, lime plaster must be very smooth, timing right
- always keep white vinegar handy in case you get lime on you

MIX 4 - GLUE for natural clay paint ALIZ or ALIS (easy and fun)
- glue + clay + sand (or chalk powder, marble dust) + fiber (fine straw, hemp, paper, maybe) + mica (maybe)
- ratio 1 flour: 4 (5 or 6) water...make sure no dry flour lumps by passing thru sieve... then dilute it by 100% (ie add mix to another 4 HOT water)...mix to consistency of gravy...want it to cook slowly else bottom burns...keep stirring...
- then add sand, clay...and fiber...and mica...(to taste)
- dilute again by 100% -- 1 of glue to 1 of water
- pigments: iron oxide, goldenrod, or colors from pottery store...or earth or kalin sifted really fine (eg window screen doubled up twice....use glasses and face mask if finer than 40, known to cause cancer...)
- 4" wide brushes good,

- SIDEBAR: to sand-paint or sand-plaster on drywall: use 'sand paint' as primer - paint on coat of glue, then dilute 1C glue w 1C water and add to some sand (2-3C) till consistency of mushy sandpit and apply to board with trowel...let it dry completely...then next layer goes on very thin

- SIDEBAR on plastering around window. Plaster tends to shrink back, and you see gap tween wall and wood. Sol'n is to bevel future gap w 1:4 sand:clay mix over base coat (no more than 1 1/2" wide), taper down so thick edge is against wood and tapers to thin edge against wall.
- old Japanese method was to use fiber mesh (likw burlap), diminished shrinkage, would have thin base layer next to window -- the thinner, the less shrinkage
- for other joins tween diff materials: soak burlap in slip and leave to dry well

MIX 5 - lime plaster, ratio 1 lime:3 washed sand (watch your skin when scooping lime!)...if too dry, can add a little water from lime bucket
- want lime plaster to dry slowly...so UK good, coz damp...in SW, mist constantly while plastering...or add prickly pear coz adds sliminess (slows drying)
- S typically adds very fine fibers (cat tail, hemp fiber, cement fiber)...to hold plaster together, prevent cracking...
- now plaster the wall with it
- smooth over with stiff trowel (smoothness is just cream coming to surface, not compression), then use wooden float (looks like it roughs it up) and compress it, then go ober with flexible metal trowel to smooth it again.
- can use sponge to remove cream and reveal texture

BACK TO BASE COAT
- smooth with trowel
- fill holes with slip using 4" brush
- go over again with trowel
- go over with damp sponge -- takes dirt film off, shows pretty straw

SIDEBAR ON FLOORS
- ratio 1 clay to 4 sand (quite coarse)
- seal with linseed oil (heat in double boiler OUTSIDE coz of fumes)...S usually does 2 coats w 4" brush

ALIZ continued:
BASE COAT
- dilute (coz thickened) by ratio 1 glue: 1 water
- add 1 kalin (don't add pigment yet for base coat) and mix well
- add 2 filler...could be sand 40, for eg (use white sand if you want to add color later and don't want to worry about figuring out what end color will be)... Mica (could use different grades)... Straw...

NEXT LAYER (finer)
- dilute in ratio 1 glue: 1 water
- 1 kalin (or other pretty color clay)
- mix well
- 2 silica sand 60 (finer sand)

MIX 6 - another finishing PLASTER
- kalin + water + 2 kinds of sand

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Kingston 2

Awoke in our tent in the School of Art. (You'll have to see it to believe it -- photo coming). Jim -- our next door neighbor -- showed us around his greenhouse full of succulents, and the Black Range Museum, which he is newly the custodian of. And of course showed off his Rock Copies to us -- very life-like (if copies of rocks can be life-like).

Spent a lovely mid-day (10am-2pm) with Tom and Satomi, who are friends of Bill and Athena Steen's and excellent 'natural builders' in their own right. Tom does all manner of construction (from carpentary to electricity and plumbing), and Satomi is honing her skills as a plasterer, using local clays and fine Japanese tools.

Had lunch at the General Store just before it closed for the day at 3pm. On leaving we asked what in town was open for dinner. 'Nothing -- good thing you've had a good lunch!' came the reply.

Chilled back on Betty's porch in the shade, with Jim's permission. He invited us for dinner, having been gifted a pork and bean stew earlier in the day by a couple who'd locked their keys in the car; Jim is a locksmith by trade (well, one of his trades) and managed to get the car open.

Were joined by Barry, en route from Gainsville FL to Joshua Tree for a Banti Festival (Indian chanting), and later on by Roger, a local friend of Jims, and toasted marshmallows in Jim's terracotta wood-burning open-faced oven.

Dave swung by after dark walking his three dogs, to lock up the School of Art, but noticing our stuff still inside, said we were welcome to stay as long as we liked.

Kingston

Sunday, August 29

We rang the bell at Black Range Lodge, and Cathy Wanek answered and eventually appeared, but seemed nonplussed by our appearance on her doorstep.

Cathy runs Strawbale Central in Kingston, according to the Steens. The Steens had pointed us to their friends Tom and Satomi, who live next door, but as they weren't home we decided to look in on Cathy's operation, who, it turns out, is a networker extraordinaire in the green building world.

She'd moved to Kingston in 1984 and started with permaculture, planting some orchards. Then in 1992 she built her first straw bale building - and was hooked. She published several books and is very on top of who is doing what in both the US and Europe. Her background was as an Assistant Director making movies -- and the lodge was their studio at first. But their films didn't make it, and they turned the lodge into a B&B. She made films about the straw bale process (a 3-part video is for sale) and started giving courses, then publishing books.

She's divorced now, but her husband sounds like he was an Initiator -- starting projects he never got around to finishing. So she's finishing off projects now, and has started some of her own (like the wall to divert run-off from the kitchen). There was a fire a couple years ago which destroyed the workshops (hence the new building we were shown) -- which it sounds as though her husband's (and other's) carelessness had a role in. Not that she said so explicitly, just that she'd 'taken on direct oversight of more things personally' since the fire.

Dave Farrell, a local artist, was there when we arrived, dropping by for some straw bales for his project in T or C staring tomorrow, and to look in on Cathy's mother Betty. Betty lives in a straw bale house Cathy built, and Cathy suggested we join Dave and have a look at the house.

Betty was cooking up plum preserves and the place smelled heavenly. Bill, the carpenter who'd done all the kitchen cabinets, the wood ceilings, bookshelves etc happened to be passing through. We were shown around the spacious one-bedroom, admiring Bill's woodwork and Dave's painting on the wall. Dave took the dimensions of the wall he was being commissioned to paint / sculpt / decorate and made a sketch of the existing faux-bamboo (sculpted out of adobe) reliefs.

We took our leave from Betty and Dave took his leave from us, but not before offering us a roof over our heads for the night (that of his 'School of Art' in Hillsboro), as the monsoon clouds were gathering overhead.

We found Cathy behind the lodge with some visitors who soon departed, and she kindly -- and with surprising enthusiasm given her initial lukewarm reception -- showed us around the property.

The newest building -- though taken for a relic of Kingston's mining days by stray tourists driving past -- is the workshop, started in February and substantially complete but for the finishing of the floor and ceiling (and addition of furnishings and appliances). Behind is a water catchment tub salvaged from a malt plant, which will be hooked up to the gutter. The windows are positioned to catch cross currents and hence ventilate; the north facing windows don't open, for example, since they're not on the ventilation 'route'. You can see on the outside that the West face of the building is more weathered -- more straw is showing as the coating of plaster has washed off -- as West is where the winds (and rain) come from.

There's a cute wood shed next door, with embedded pottery and glass, as well as wood wedges -- the 'masterly' addition of Rob Ray?

Up the slope is an eco lodge, more fanciful, with sculpted walls. It also has a built-in solar oven. And there's an outdoor shower, hooked up to a water tank painted black and boxed in under glass so as to maximize heat retention.

Just below that is a sandbag cylindrical hut, which has been excavated to the frost line (18-28 inches below the surface) so as to maintain a maximum temperature of 65F, which will serve as a cool box for vegetables and fruit.

From there we entered the lodge building -- more specifically, the greenhouse addition Cathy had built onto it.

And lastly, we were shown the tavertine mosaic-ed shower under construction in the lodge.

After which we hung out in the lodge lobby and jotted down book titles and the names and phone numbers of people Cathy had mentioned over the course of her 'tour', and who she encouraged us to look up in Santa Fe and Taos (and Moab). She seemed to have thoroughly warmed to us, and even asked Wren if she had some photos of Malian mud architecture Cathy could use in her upcoming book.

All in all we spent about 3hrs visiting, and parted with 'namastes'.

It was raining as we left Cathy's so we took Dave up on his offer of Schoolhouse shelter. We drove up to the 0ld Pump House and met Barbara grading art papers and watching the Emmy's -- George Clooney was just getting the Bob Hope Award.

Dave showed us down to the Schoolhouse and rummaged around for a lamp before going next door to cactus-man Jim's in his trailer home for a light bulb.

We had a picnic dinner of fresh fresh tomatoes, and avocado, peanut butter and pistachios, to a soundtrack of cool jazz from Dave's studio stereo where I could only get the cassette (!) recorder to work. Then we pitched our tent inside the studio, having seen one roach and one spider (black widow?) and too many mosquitoes for comfort.

++++++

Sunny Flat campground. Stunning valley between red rocks, like further north. Plus river and woods. Camped on pedestal in spot #7. Some fruit and leftover burrito for breakfast. / Short hike up to Vista Point. Examined the leaves piled 'vertically' by the now dry river; mushrooms; termite patterned dead trunks; spider webs. Nice panoramic view over the valley at the top. / 80?N to Lordsburg. Straight straight road (you'd think the Romans had been here), plain with some brand of cacti on either side, mountains in the distance, fantastic billowy clouds in big big sky. Was fading after only 30 miles and handed over to Wren. Napped soundly. Awoke at Lordsburg (nothing doing) and in Deming we stopped for a Sonic Burger (a drive-in -- not thru -- burger chain I'd never seen before Arizona, with servers -- all girls -- on roller skates). Called Sumitomi? to communicate our arrival but got vmail.

North on 26 then 27 -- hills encroaching more closely on the road, adding dips and crests and curves to the drive (me driving, Wren napping now).

Arrived in Hillsboro about 2.45pm and enquired at the only cafe open about Cathy Waller's? strawbale place only to be pointed 9 miles further down the road to Kingston?.

Rang Tom & Satomi's bell and then went next door to Cathy's. (Continue above...)
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On the road again - New Mexico

Saturday, Aug 28
After having spent two lovely nights in the guest house at Canelo, it's back to camping tonight. We're bedding down in the Chiricahua National Park, in the land of the Apache general Geronimo; you'll find us if you take a left off 80 N at Rodeo and head towards Portal. Thankfully Athena pointed us here when we left Canelo at around 3.30pm and it was clear we weren't going to make it to Silver City tonight; the Rough Guide mentions the park but not the campgrounds. And thankfully it's stopped raining and we can see the stars. As well as silhouettes of crazy-looking rocks- - can't wait to see what this looks like in daylight.
The afternoon monsoon rain started shortly after we left Canelo, and what a torrential downpour it was! There must have been at least an inch of water on the road in the slight dips, and we'd get that kshshshsh sound of water against the bottom of the car, as when fording a river, and there'd be resistance against the steering wheel, as when skiing and going from the piste to deep snow.
Canelo - N on 83 - short cut on country road through Elgin - make a 120 turn over the bridge - E on 82- S on 90 to Sierra Vista, which is a military supply town. Athena modified the route she'd first given me when she remembered Wren wasn't a US citizen and we'd get turned around if we used the local road across the base.
On to Bisbee via 90, and a return to red rocks hedging in the road, after the open green plain ringed by blue mountains that is the landscape around Canelo.
Bisbee is an old (100 years or so) copper mining town. It's the first place to feel like a town since Flagstaff. Something about the 3-storey houses, the compactness of the streets tucking into the hillsides, people walking about, restaurants and bars bustling with customers. We strolled about the artists' quarter (houses decked out with murals and mannequins and peace signs, angry graffiti in empty lots condemning gentrification) and had a sit-down burrito at San Lorenzo's (?).
As we drove out of town we passed the open quarry, at least a mile of it, closed in 1975 but still producing several thousand tons (?) of copper every day/week/month (?) through leaching.
Continued along 90 to Douglas as the sun set behind us (another gorgeous tableau of pinks and purples and reds, streaks of color and puffy clouds edged in silver) and a lighting storm sent down jagged rays ahead of us and off to our right. Douglas is another border town, and has the wall with Mexico to show for it. We took a wrong turn and dead-ended into it. Word has it that the Mexican town of Agua Prieta on the other side is far more attractive.
Put Barbera Kingsolver's La Lacuna on the stereo and had a snooze while Wren drove.
++++++
The morning at Canelo: skyped and formulated a potential plan for end Sept on; chatted w W; coffee and toast and cherry-butter w Athena - asked about coming back at a later date and talked about things related; fed the chickens and picked tomatoes w Tom; showered; more chat w Athena & Wren (Santa Fe and the Anglo-Spanish-Indian contingents; belonging - independence; stages of child development; leaping and the net appearing at Canelo); took a walk in the hills w W...and finally tore ourselves away when their friend John arrived from Tucson.
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Canelo 2

Day trip south to the Mexican border at Nogales.

Across the mountains on a dirt road to Patagonia. Stopped at the Tree of Life (Dr Couisins & raw food cures for diabetes) where Wren had a green juice (and gagged). Stopped at Grounding Cafe in town, for a latte, and the rain started coming down, forming waterfalls off the roof.

Headed on to Nogales as it let up . There's a wall through town marking the border, and brightly colored houses on the Mexican hillside. (We'd seen a photo of Nogales at the craft fair in front of the De Young our Sunday in San Francisco, coincidentally). Walked up to the turnstile, but didn't have our passports with us so dared not cross. There's a militarized feel to the place. We took some photos if the signs at the crossing and were almost accosted by the customs police. Picked up calcium tablets from Dr Felix and beer from Food City, where the aisles are festooned with Mexican feast day paraphernalia.

Continued North to the dilapidated Franciscan Mission at Tumacocori, where the park services ranger kindly waited until we completed our after hours ramble around the grounds and through the museum.

A pit stop at Tubac; just as well it was mostly closed by that point, as it looked like a new-build adobe planned artist 'community' / tourist park.

Cut back east just south of Green Valley, on East Continental Rd, and wended (went?) our way through Morley (?) Canyon as the sun was setting the sky on fire behind us. The paved road gave out with the light, and we were left to imagine the redness of the rock and the deepness of the chasm to the right of the road.

That said, the last bit of 83 to Canelo has some of the most dangerous pot-holes.

Arrived 'home' at 8.30pm tired but relieved. Bill had baked bread and made a bruschetta topping with tomatoes from the garden. Thomas, the spiritual healer who came to Canelo in January and never left, joined us again tonight.

Athena has the funniest stories to tell about paving the road to hell with good intentions, mostly involving their work in Mexico.
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Canelo

Wonderful afternoon and evening with Athena and Bill Steen at their Canelo home in a remote corner of Arizona off HWY 83 south of Tucson-- so much to take in, from their straw-bale and cobb and clay building projects, to their fascination with border culture, and enthusiasm in helping us plan our onward journey.

Athena chatted with us over some home-made gazpacho and then gave us a tour of the premises. Upon intuiting our 'homeless' status, she welcomed us to spend the night...and Bill prepared a fantastic eggplant-pepper-tomato salsa to go with grilled meat in warmed tortillas.

This is the right time to be in this part of Arizona, the two months of the year when everything here is lushly verdant. Quite a contrast to the sweltering desert around Phoenix. Canelo is about 1000 feet higher than Tucson, and consistently 10F cooler.
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Phoenix - ASU Museum & Tucson - 47 Scott

Journal:

Finally left Phoenix today!

Morning dip in the pool, b'fast, packing, on the road by about 11am to ASU Art Museum. Circled the Downtown campus until realized it was in Tempe. Tempe has lovely tree-lined (shade!) main street. Spent about 1/2hr tracking down an espresso, in the heat (walking 10 blocks is not fun in 110F+). Three Races was closed, and after walking back to 6th St (from 10th) a restaurant tout (young girl) tipped us off to Cartel, a very cool (in all senses) coffee shop on Ash at University. Art Museum is skeletal Aztec temple out of concrete (more concrete...). Found one Georgia O'Keefe in the Americas collection -- enjoyed the rest of the collection, though didn't recognize many of the artists (aside from the Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer pieces). A Vietnamese artist had an engaging exhibit on centered 'round the Bicycle. And there was a gallery on modes of transportation (by foot, by car, by train, by plane, by horse) -- favorite piece there was a very evocative 'horse' lying down, made from scraps of wood and metal and an old tire. Then over to the Ceramics Research Center, with a small collection of pots and other pot-sized sculptures. Actually, theirs collection is the largest in the world , but only 20%  of it is on display. Certainly have works by the Ceramicist Greats, according to Wren, as daughter of a professional ceramicist. Lunch at Sacks around 3pm, then on to Tucson. Falling asleep at the wheel after 30miles, so switched. Checked in to the Econolodge of the I-10 at 6th St, took a nap, tried to hook up with Chris McCreedy but he was working tonight. Headed into 'downtown' Tucson and happened past 47 Scott which looked trendy in a pared-down modern kind of way, so parked and had dinner there. Comfort food prepared delicately, if that's not an oxymoron; fresh ingredients, subtle flavors, pairings with grilled veggies and salads. Quite a treat, and very reasonably priced too. Were thinking if this were in Flagstaff, every dish would have been $5-$10 more expensive.

Phoenix - Paulo Soleri's "Arcosanti"; Upcycle Living; Heard Museum

JourArcosanti: An Urban Laboratory

Yesterday we visited Cosanti, which today I learned means "Anti-Thing" (Cosa + Anti, in Italian, I suppose). And today we visited Arcosanti, which is Arcology (Architecture + Ecology, remember?) combined with the Anti-Thing. Are you starting to get a picture of how legendary architect Paulo Soleri's mind works? My understanding is that the "Thing" Soleri objects to is consumerism, urban sprawl, isolation of the individual, cars and commuting -- and other things about Phoenix that are quite objectively objectionable.

Gray = existing build; White = projected build

There's also a hint of the apocalyptic about his vision - a sense that America is at the forefront of modern urban development (ie that the rest of the West will follow in America's footsteps) and if 'we' continue on this trajectory, we'll run out of space... and will need to resort to colonizing deserts and other currently un- (or marginally) habitable places, so we'd best start preparing now. Soleri's solution seems to be to get people to live and work in one place, together -- using space and resources (and time, for that matter) more efficiently and in closer harmony with the environment.

Outdoor Assembly Area

Stage with 'cooling' moat and amphitheatre seating

Joseph, a Columbia grad student in Sociology or Urban Planning gave us a guided tour of the premises: a cube-framed 3-storey building housing the visitor center, bakery and cafeteria; two concrete 'apses' -- bandshell-like structures -- shading the bronze foundry and clay kilns; double-arches shading a large meeting area; a couple single family homes and some dormitory spaces; the 'Sky Suite' for visitors wanting to pay $100 for the night; the swimming pool; the amphitheatre -- proudly pointing out the fig and olive and pistachio trees, grape arbor and bed of mint ("fruits and nuts and herbs, there for the picking") along the way.

Joseph, I dare say, had drunk (or was drinking) the koolaid. He's writing about how architecture impacts social relations, and talked to us about the communal dining area and shared swimming pool as though these were revolutionary concepts. Perhaps in Phoenix they are. Then there's the notion of producing food for the community on a giant slope covered in glass in front of the buildings (hmm, might work if you like your greens burnt to a crisp by the Arizona sun), and using the heat from the bronze forge to warm the buildings on winter nights (no plans yet though for how to cool the buildings in the

Single Family Home

summer). Leave stand that they is no plan for dealing with 'gray' and 'black' water sustainably -- there is a pond on the property that can cope with the 'sewage' generated by the 100 or so people living on the premises, but for anything about that number (and Arcosanti broadcasts its intention to grow to a 5,000-strong community), the municipality requires Arcosanti to meet mandated hygiene standards.

For all the talk of 'ecology' there seems to be little effort to incorporate readily available 2010 technologies -- eg composting toilets (or even the kind that give you the option to flush with only half the water), or solar energy on a large scale.

Arcosanti is a marvel in that it's been built out of concrete -- by hand. And in that a utopia conceived in the 1970s and lacking any update for the 21st century continues to attract bright young minds to contribute their manual labor to its upkeep. Apparently, while Arcology was 'hot' in the '70s (Soleri got coverage in Newsweek and an Architecture Award), it went through a slump in the '80s and '90s, and it's only recently that interest (and a volunteer work force) has been resurgent.

Here's a link to a good article about Arcosanti from the 2007 Travel Section of the New York Times, if you'd like to read more: http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/travel/16next.html?pagewanted=2

Jason Anderson, co-founder of Upcycle Living

When asked what he thought about Arcosanti, Jason Anderson said, "Well, I'm 30... I can't relate to that era... I'd like to just go off and think about things... but there's so much to be doing right here and now in society, real-time, I can't afford that luxury..."

Jason is an architect-contractor and co-founder of Upcycle Living (http://www.upcycleliving.com/) which recycles shipping containers into homes outfitted with the latest in green appliances, locally sourced materials, and solar power.

He's selling them to low-income families -- largely Native American -- but has also found a market with mining companies which need medium-term temporary accommodation for workers, and in disaster zones (eg earthquake-stricken Haiti) where structurally-sound solutions capable of functioning off-grid are at a premium.

Water Jug, Heard Museum

The Heard Museum in downtown Phoenix has a phenomenal collection of artifacts, historical and contemporary, covering all the native Arizona peoples: Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Apache, Havasupai, Hualapai, Yavupai -- to name but a handful.

Katsina Dolls, Heard Museum

Katsina dolls -- titihu in Hopi -- are gifts from the Katsinam to Hopi girls, and have been called 'visible prayers' and 'books in wood'.

Rain Clouds Over Phoenix

Journal:

Resolved to get an 'early' start today, what with all we wanted to do before leaving Phoenix. Alarm went off at 7.45am. Took a dip in the pool (what a great way to start the day!) before our Super 8 'continental breakfast' of bagel + yoghurt + tea/coffee + oatmeal. Drove north to Arcosanti on I-17, with the tire pressure warning light showing the last part of the way. Arrived just in time to join the 11am tour -- there were just the two of us and another young male tourist who didn't say a word. Had cafeteria lunch at Arcosanti (quinoa with chicken, enchilada casserole, scaloped potatoes and cod; all homecooked) and then wateched the 13min film on the origins of Arcosanti (nodded off, my defense mechanism against ideological ranting). Rain clouds gathering as we left Arcosanti about 2.30pm. Visited the Heard Museum back in downtown Phoenix from 3-5pm. Then met with Jason Anderson at the Upcycle Living show-home on Roosevelt from 5.30-6.30pm or so. Picnic dinner back at the motel of olive bread and salami and avocado. Evening of researching and writing.