HOT WAX...ART...SHALAWALLA...

By

Gypsy Rhapsody

(a 1977 Airstream that learns something new everyday)

Hot Wax...

Art...

Shalawalla...

LaVeta, CO...

Batik...

Just one more blog from NM (even though Vannie and Dave are

nestled in their favorite spot in Louisiana)

More about that later...

When I saw the pictures, I said to myself I had to

write about V and D's experience with Beth and Jonathan

at the Shalawalla Gallery in LaVeta, CO.

Batik Lessons...

For those of you that have never heard of this or even thought about it,

I'll give you a quick synopsis of the batik process.

Batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to cloth.

There are several methods to accomplish this task.

V and D drew their designs on the cloth with a pencil.

Then they traced the lines with the canting that was dipped in the hot wax.

A canting is a tool with a spout that allows the artist to apply the wax in a straight line.

The lesson was an all day affair.

Lots of steps...

A little whining at times by someone near and dear to my heart...

Vannie said she would not mention any names, but it started with a "D". 

I love their shop...notice that part of it is made out of an old train car.

Tools of the Trade...

Step by Step...

Focus...

Concentrate...

How could you not have a great time 

with a setting like this one...

Vannie said that no matter which way you looked...it was beautiful.

Out the windows...

Through the door...

Oven the doggie...

Under the clothesline...

Standing in the breeze...

Jonathan...

...and Beth were awesome teachers...so patient.

The dyeing part was little messy...

...but so worth it...

Sometimes we used brushes...

...and sometimes we used the canting

to apply the hot wax.

Beth was getting ready to complete the last step...

putting our creations in the boiling water to remove the wax...

and...

hopefully, magic would happen.

...and it did.!!!

...and it did, again.!!!

V and D shouts out a huge "thank you, Beth and Jonathan.".

If you are ever close to LaVeta, look them up.

It will be worth your time.

D and V stayed overnight at the Circle the Wagon Campground.

Fun little campers for rent...or you could bring your own.

Dave said that it was just too much trouble to unhook me

and haul me over there.

Fine by me...I always love a little "me" time...

Heading back to Questa

after a wonderful adventure in La Veta.

Minnie G will be taking over the blog

while the kids are in Louisiana.

I'll be resting up in Hillsboro, TX

with all my Airstream buddies.

Later.!!!

THE END OF THE SUMMER OF 2017

By

Gypsy Rhapsody

(a 1977 Airstream that loves summertime...and spending it in NM is the BEST.)

"By all these lovely token
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather
And autumn's best of cheer."
Helen Hunt Jackson
Poet,Writer, Activist

I like Ms. Jackson's words.
Although the number of words are few,
they paint a lovely picture of this time of year.

The glowing of the mountain behind my space in Questa
only happens when all the stars are aligned.
It happens around 6 in the afternoon...
on a clear day...
when the sun is setting...
no clouds whatsoever...
when V and D have just finished supper...
and Dave is washing the supper dishes...
and Vannie just happens to look at my back window...
and
then
     MAGIC.!!!!


Don't blink,
because as soon as the earth rotates a nano second...
it's gone...
but, Oh, the beauty of those few seconds.
What a  blessing for our last few days in NM!!!


It's been another great summer...
Vannie and Dave worked part-time at the Caribel Condos.
They loved their jobs and the people they worked with...
Angelique, Barry, Rico, and Reina.
See ya next year...Friends.!!!


The temperature is just about perfect.


Old trucks and sunflowers dot the landscrape...


Always a pretty place to have a picnic along the winding Red River...


Concerts at the Community House
Curtis Shelburn from Muleshoe, Texas
topped off the summer concert series
with a medley of love songs.


A batch of rose hip jelly in the makings...


...finished product...
(Vannie says that it takes a lot of little "rose hips" to make a batch of jelly...
She picked on Kiowa Road, on Hwy 38, and in our RV park)


What do you think this is???
Look carefully.!!!
Bear Claw marks on our screen room.!!!
YIKES!!!


...and then THIS.!!!
Scary...
Our landlady, Gloria Gonzeles, saw a bear family.
They were also spotted around the lake about a block away.
(V and D walk around that lake often)
Well, the moral of the story is...
send them over to Goldilock's house...
V and D promise that they will fix Baby Bear's chair
and make more porridge.


Yes...another adventure down one of those NM dirt roads.
This time it is to Cousin Kathryn and Jay's house near Chimayo, NM.


Check out that view...!!!
To the moon and back.!!!
I think I could park my big self on that porch.


Jay digging into that fabulous rhubarb tart...made by Kathryn.
Out of this World.!!!


Jay has found himself...Pottery.!!!
Check out all of his wonderful creations...!!!
He's got the "Midas Touch."


After lunch...or before...Vannie can't remember...
V and D and K and Kathryn's landlord headed down the path to
Santa Cruz Lake.
Quite a hike.!!! Especially...coming back up.!!!
Dave said that the breathing was hard and heavy.!!!


What a beautiful hike...
even if V and D and K were panting.!!!
Note to V and D and K...do this more often.!!!


Heading  back to Questa from Kathryn and Jay's House...
This crow says..."This way".
V and D says..."Well, OK".


Another Adventure...
And the road is paved.!!! Hallelujah.!!!
Headed to Rio Grand del Norte National Monument.
NeoRio 2017
SEEDS
Our next to our last night in Questa, NM...


NeoRio...
9th Year
Outdoor Contemporary Art Event


On the rim of the Rio Grande Gorge
Montoso Campground
Wild Rivers


Local Fall Feast


Friends from Questa..
Vannie and Joe Cisnerous


Seeds from all walks of life...


Art from Geraint Smith...
"When I first came to the American Southwest, it was difficult for me to comprehend its vastness...a place where the sky and horizon met below my feet and the stars formed a canopy, so that the earth I slept on seemed like a cradle."
Vannie bought a raffle ticket for one of those pieces of art from Geraint...no call yet...still hoping.!!!


Music and dancing girls...
Vannie said that she sure wished Maddie was here.


Poetry...
Featuring poets Deborah Pender Hutchison
and Gabrielle Herbertson, and
musician Jonathan Hurchison.


On the way home...
Check out those rose colored mountains...
Reminds V and D of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque.
It's one of those special times of day...and only then.!!!


What.???  Definitely relates to the "SEED" theme...
Grass seeds in panty hoses.!!!
This "end of the summer" for "Maddie and Vincent"...
They are being left with V and D's landlady, Gloria...
She has promised to water and keep that hair clipped.


Trying to get out early...but
alas,  the electric jack has refused to work...
So...Dave, the handy man that he is...
takes it apart...
and rigs it within an inch of it's life...


It works...
we make it to the one traffic light in Questa...
"Serenity"
that's what we all needed at this point.


Coronado State Park in Albuquerque...
Over night at our friend's...Loretta's...
DWTS's opening night.
V and D and addicted...

...and then...

ON TO TEXAS