the Painting on the Freezer Door

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First off, let me say that I have one more blog to post on Indian Market, but for now I have something else I wanted to share.

When we first got to Santa Fe, I found a painting at a local thrift shop. Those of you who know me understand that, at heart, I am a serious collector, have been all my life. Living in the rig has forced me to curtail many an urge. That said, sometimes I find things that I'm determined to find a place for in Cholula Red.

Such was the case with this painting.

It really spoke to me, I love the spring flowers, the gentle arches, the way the light fills the garden and the little girl, wandering amid the flowers.

I have no idea who the artist is (I believe the signature reads Cessido McEdin?) and if anyone has an idea, I'd love to know more about the creator, but really, it doesn't matter, it’s the work I love.

I looked at it for days and finally I just couldn't pass it up, so I bought it.

There was only one problem . . .

It was just a bit too large to fit anywhere in the rig. The first thing I did was remove the beautiful frame (donating it back to the thrift store). Still, it was just too large to fit anywhere in the motor home. In the five years that we've been in the rig, I've collected quite a bit of art and wall space, never overly generous, has steadily shrunk.

Then one day I looked at the freezer door and immediately saw that, not only would the picture fit, but the proportions were perfect (in another life, we did matting and framing, so I feel qualified to make the call).

So I dug out the FunTack, which I've used to hang many lightweight items around the rig.

That worked for about six hours, as I discovered when the loud crash got me up in the middle of the night. Next I tried heavy duty mounting tape, with similar results. I briefly considered dual lock, but the covering of the freezer door is somewhat fragile so I felt that would be an option of last resort.

Then I thought about just screwing it into the freezer door, but that didn't seem like the best idea, so I went online and got great advice from a fellow Lazy Daze owner.

He said all I had to do was remove three screws from the bottom of the freezer door, remove one little brace and the face of the door would slide right out! And that's exactly what I did, only to discover that the face was nothing more than a piece of paneling. I pondered the idea of replacing the paneling with some other material, but finally decided to mount the painting directly to the panel. I went down to the hardware store, picked up some mirror mounts, and Voila!

And now
I will have this lovely piece of art
with me forever!

Five years, WOW! And More Indian Market

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It was exactly five years ago today that we picked up our new motorhome, which we named Cholula Red.

It seems like so long ago and yet it seems just like yesterday.

How this one thing has changed our life, it is absolutely the very best decision we ever made.

I just spent a bit of time looking at my website where I first began writing about our adventures. One thing I can say for sure is that I'm a much better photographer than I was when we started this journey!

Okay, enough reminiscing, on to

Indian Market Part 2

I was in awe of this tiny little piece, I really should have included something to show the scale. Made from the lining of a walrus stomach, this parka is no more than four inches tall.

It's a truly beautiful piece of work.

I love the architecture of Santa Fe.
There's something about the way
the angular adobe shapes fit together.
It pleases my senses.

This skirt also pleases me,
but not the price tag ($120).
I've found several
of these tiered fiesta skirts
at the local thrift shops.
While not as fanciful as this one,
they were a lot more affordable.

Still, if I was rolling in cash,
I'd buy this in a second.

Saint Michael's in the background,
Indian Market in the foreground.

The end of the Santa Fe Trail,
right in the middle of the plaza.

Another shot of the shapes of adobe.

I think it's the timeless quality
that appeals to me.
(Remember that you can click
for a larger version of any photo).

Many of the old buildings
are topped with bricks.

More adobe shapes.

Santa Fe is also blessed
with an abundance of outdoor art.

I love this face.

We found this astounding piece
in one of the gallery courtyards.
That's one of the joys of Santa Fe,
discovering artifacts like this
in hidden places.

One final "adobe" shot.
This is the famed La Fonda Hotel.

I still have more photos from Indian Market. I'll try to get them up in the next day or two.

Till then

Indian Market 2010, Part 1

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We spent most of today wandering in and around the Santa Fe Plaza, perusing the incredible artwork and soaking up the unique atmosphere of Santa Few during Indian Market.

What a great day.

Needless to say, I have lots of pictures to share.

I guess I'll call this first entry

the Faces of Indian Market.

I'm endlessly fascinated by the people I see here, and Indian Market seems to offer a veritable cornucopia of memorable visages.

I love the Native Americans
who show up in their tribal attire

This gent's hairpieces
is made from porcupine hair.

Then there's the cowboys.

We spent quite a while
talking with this young man.
Fascinating!
He's what they call a Fancy Dancer.
Currently majoring in theater in college,
a few years ago,
he decided to carry on.

the family tradition.

He made his costume himself
with the help of his Father

All ages come to Santa Fe
for Indian Market

Including Mountain Men

I love the hat!

The back of the hat
is even better than the front.

This vest is completely beaded.
It'll be a while before we're up
to this level of beading!

I was taken
with this beautiful woman's face.

I'll close with this one.
The picture really doesn't
do this costume justice.
You can't see all the fake flowers
in the brim of the hat,
or the tiny hats and dolls
sewed to the legs of his jacket and pants.
But you get the idea.

I love going to Indian Market!
More pictures to come in the days ahead.

the Girl in the Hat

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Regular readers are aware that I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately (too busy with the jewelry . . .).

But today we went to the flea market to look around and fortunately Terry had his camera with him. I saw this beautiful little girl. We watched her for a while, enjoying her obvious pride in her new cowboy hat.

Or should that be her new cowgirl hat?

Whatever, I took this shot.

I don't know why I like it so much,
but I do,
so I started playing with it in Photoshop.

A bit of enhanced saturation.

a dreamy old Western look

A vintage photo look.

And my favorite,
a softened sepia toned shot

That's it for today!

Finally, Some Pictures

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Today we took an afternoon trip to Santa Fe's Museum Hill and I decided it was time to get the trusty Canon 7D out of mothballs. I'm embarrassed to say I can hardly remember how to use it! That said, I carted it around all afternoon and got a few shots.

It was a lovely afternoon,
in the high 70s with just a hint
of a breeze
to keep us comfortable.

This fellow stands in the Plaza outside
the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.
This photo really doesn't do him justice,
but it's the best shot I got.

The detail on this bronze
is quite impressive.
I loved the bells and quill fringe.

I'm endlessly fascinated
with the shapes here in Santa Fe.

Until just a few years ago,
there was an ordinance in place
that all new buildings in Santa Fe
had to be built in the Spanish adobe style.
Since the law was changed,
the look of the city is slowly evolving
into something else.

I find the old look quite beautiful
and wish they had never
changed the requirements.

Outside of
the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
is a small sculpture garden.

This was my favorite piece .

I particularly liked the metal pieces on the wall.

Here's a closeup.
If you like,
you can click on the image
to see a larger version.

Another fine sculpture,
complimented by
lovely summer flowers.

I couldn't resist the look
of the New Mexico skies
surrounding and peeking through
this piece.

The gift shop at
the Folk Art Museum
was overflowing
with beautiful pieces
from all over the world.

Of course I was attracted
to these beaded animals.

I was also taken with this piece.
I couldn't quite unravel the storyline,
but it seemed vaguely Biblical to me.
Perhaps the Garden of Eden?

This is the piece I would have bought . . .

And look who I found
wandering around the Gift Shop!

He doesn't look incredibly happy,
but he assured me he was having
a great time.

I think he's kind of cute.

As always,