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Tucson, Spring 2020 ~ Read
Against the backdrop of national politics, the realization that the US-Mexico border is so close never escapes you when traveling to Tucson. The work part of my tript included a visit to Fort Huachuca, where locals talked about border proximity, and various enhancements, weaponry and mechanisms of border protection. A quick border patrol inspection stop on the highway back to Tucson provided a real life example of the ever present vigilance. In Tucson, a less militaristic contrast emerged, with lawn signs and graffiti appealing to the humanitarian disaster the dangerous illegal border crossings create in this region, with water jugs being the most prominent symbol of lifeline and hope. The…
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Tucson, Spring 2020 ~ Travel
With limited time, we only explored the Saguaro National Park – West. The sheer amount of these tall cacti blows your mind, once you start driving through the protected land of the national park, where they grow every few feet for as far as the eyes can see. There are multiple points of interest and hikes, including some ancient rock carvings, and some awesome viewpoints overlooking the valleys surrounding the park. All the travel guides recommend this park over its eastern counterpart because of the density of the cacti. We visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, but were not as impressed. This is a small zoo and landscape/flora display mostly appropriate…
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Tucson, Spring 2020 ~ Create
In all honesty, I have had this kit sitting half-finished for a few years, since our big multi-canyon RVing trip to the Southwest. It was purchased as a souvenir craft for my oldest, but judging from how beat up my fingers were when stitching it together, I don’t blame her for quickly abandoning it… These baskets are made using two types of natural materials, one – a thicker reed to create the structure, and second – a more pliable material that is used to stitch the cording together with overlapping stitches. These are often decorated with contrasting fibers to create traditional patterns that symbolize natural spirits and elements. The grassy…
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New York City, Holidays 2019 ~ Read
There are thousands of worthy books about New York City, I am sure. I have been lucky to read some of the best ones, I think. The three books below truly incorporate NYC’s architecture within their storylines, and with all of them set in the first half of the 20th century, they give the reader an indelible flavor of the city’s unmistakable skyline’s emergent years. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is set in the early 20th century and tells a story of a young architect ready to revolutionize New York with an unapologetically radical take on shape, form and purpose. Visiting the Rockefeller Center had particularly made me think of…
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New York City, Holidays 2019 ~ Travel
Holidays in NYC are on the bucket list for many people, and there are certainly BIG reasons to experience it at least once. We squeezed in our trip right between Christmas and New Years Eve, and we certainly made the most of it. We stayed in Harlem, in a very spacious (by NY standards) studio apartment on 125th St, very close the subway, and a walking distance from the historic part of Harlem, the Apollo theater, and many churches. Our welcome dinner was at the famous Red Rooster restaurant, and we even managed a subway ride that night to the Times Square to see the famous walls of lit up…
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New York City, Holidays 2019 ~ Create
It’s been a dream to visit NYC during the holidays to see all the decorations, fancy department store window displays, see the Rockettes, a Broadway show, and whatever else symbolizes New York during the holidays. With our girls growing up, we simply couldn’t wait any longer and took a 3-day trip to NYC between Christmas and New Years in late 2019. I wanted this trip to be super special, since we have talked about it for so long, so I made it a centerpiece of our girls’ Christmas presents. We often divert our resources to travel in place of gifts, and they were absolutely delighted. To make it quite official…
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New Mexico, Winter 2019 ~ Read
Written in a genre of magical realism, this book vividly illustrates both the New Mexico environment and way of life. With women at the center of both magic and storytelling, Bless, Me Ultima, is the ultimate story to infuse you with New Mexico magic, stories, smells and sounds. The story takes you through the seasons, introduces you to the tradition of curanderas, and describes the land, traditions and relationships through the eyes of a young boy. (When we stopped at a book store in Taos, and asked for recommendations on books to read about the area, this was the very first recommendation by the shopkeeper!) Paintings by New Mexico Native…
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New Mexico, Winter 2019 ~ Travel
My friend Kelly and I picked an odd time to visit New Mexico, some might say, but we usually get restless right around February, when the grey skies and constant rain in Western Washington can be tolerated no more. New Mexico offered a wide variety of weather upon our arrival, with upper 60s and sunny skies on day one, and a snowstorm that gave us plenty of jitters on the way to the airport at the end of the trip. On our first day we enjoyed the old town in Albuquerque and spent some time guessing all sorts of nonsense when looking at the ancient rock carvings at the Petroglyph…
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New Mexico, Winter 2019 ~ Create
I created several of these baskets, including one for myself, and one for my trip-mate, Kelly. I followed a really great tapestry crochet pattern for The Phoenix Basket from the MeganMakesDo blog, which I admire for the versatility and wide assortment of projects. This project challenged me, as one works with all the colors of yarn at once, crocheting with the “active” color over all the rest, which makes them tangle. But it was really worth it in the end, as the weave does turn out neatly, with the stitches creating a beautiful, uniform effect, and a sharp pattern. This inspired me to look more into the wayuu mochila bags,…
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Maui, Spring 2018 ~ Read
Molokai by Alan Brennert would not be exactly considered a “beach read”, as it deals with a really difficult and graphic page in Hawaii’s history. In the late 1800s, early 1900s, the small island of Molokai, right off the coast of Maui, served as the location for a leprosy colony, and this book describes with beauty and compassion some of its inhabitants, as well as priests and nuns that supported the operations of the institution. I chose this book as one of prerequisites for my Maui trip because it helps a mindful traveler to appreciate the effects of American colonialism. Its inhumane policies largely affected the local population, and it…
