Enough "Art", Let's Talk About Shopping

Inspired by Ms. Thrify Goodness herself, I went out thrifting while on vacation. Before blogging, I wouldn't have thought to do that. Gotta say, it's much more of an adventure than the obvious tourist traps. And, much more in line with my budget than the Canyon Road Galleries.

First off, there just so happened to be a thrift store right across the street from La Posada, in Winslow, AZ.



For just a buck twenty-five I snapped up the brass tray, pine cone candle sticks and the embroidery hoops. There was a lot more good stuff, but time was of the essence.

At Christmas my cousin told me of her son's strong desire to have himself some cowboy boots. I saw these cuties for $5! I called her right away to see if they would fit him. He's just two, but he is a moose! Using my hand as a ruler, we figured out that all four of her kids can wear these either now or eventually. Yippy- Ki- Yo! Bargain boots for us all!

At a fancy French gift shop downtown I saw this Vera Bradley bag and vowed to find some sort of basket bag for Barb's current Purse Challenge. This white basket weave bag was filthy, but for $2 it was worth a try to make it respectable. I also picked up a linen napkin and a pretty scarf. The Lucky Bingo Chips are magnetic and I plan to use them as math counters at school. I figure a magnet will make for easy clean up.



These vintage sheets had to come home with me. I see many more knotted totes in my future. Which is good, because I have big plans for a sale to raise money for missions at my church.



Books are my thrift store kryptonite. Some of these are for me, some are for the classroom, and some are for Cliff. We enjoyed 10 Contemporary Polish Short Stories on the way home. Of course, "contemporary" is relative. The book was published in 1958! The book Make A Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices is a real score because we have used that book many times in Language Arts Cadre and I have been meaning to get it for a while.

My last stop was the Arch Mart Gift & Thrift Shoppe in Needles, CA. I had spied it out of the corner of my eye on the way to Denny's. Really, this place was a bigger deal than finding Spike's doghouse, but they were closed on Monday. So we checked back on the way home. That Cliff is a loving man.



I knew it was going to be great!

I got this 1960's gossip rag which will have it's own blog post.



My best thrifty find was this little cup. I also love these little flower place cards and the fact that everything was wrapped in the popcorn bags. I'm going to reuse those as gift wrap later.

I could have bought tons more but, I was out of cash. It's just as well. This week spring cleaning starts. I have to reinstate the "in/out" policy. I have been pretty heavy on the "in" side of things.

Funny thing is, the apartment hasn't grown along with my collections.

I Video Tape, Therefore I Am

On the first day of our trip we saw a woman do an amazing blues rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" at El Farol. Cliff turned to me and asked, " Do you ever just want to ditch it all and become a blues singer?" I reminded him that I have absolutely no singing talent. None.

At the Green Tea & Coffee House he asked me if I ever wanted to throw it all away and become a wandering folk singer? "There's that pesky talent requirement again."

At the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum we saw an amazing video on the life of Ms. O'Keeffe. Cliff turned to me and asked, "Did you ever just want to run away and become a painter?" Naw, I don't have any training or talent in that area either.

SITE Santa Fe is in their own words, a "contemporary art space." We arrived at about 11 on Thursday and found that we were the only people there. We had the whole museum to ourselves and had three very attentive guides to help interpret the "art."

In the first room, we sat on a couch alone in the dark and watched Steina, an Icelandic "video artist" lip sync to "Let It Be." Actually, it was just a giant close up of her lips syncing to "Let It Be." I can tell you she has healthy gums.

I turned to Cliff at this point and told him I was thankful that I got the teacher discount.

In the next room there were about six long screens with shadows of Steina projected on them. I thought it was a bit freaky. The guide assured me that many students in all grades have been to the exhibit and they weren't scared. "Their teachers prepared them for the art."

I really appreciate the Getty.

Then we watched a pyramid of TV's with nature images which were cut to look like a kaleidoscope. I liked this piece best. The guide told me it was Steina's favorite too*.

Room after room and I started to get a bit peeved.

Was I not cool enough to enjoy video art?

Or, was this colossal BS?

Should I be happy that there truly is something for everyone?

I remembered the first time I saw Warhol's soup can in NYC. I got that. I thought that was pretty funny and cool. I do think almost anyone can make their own Pollack, but seeing those huge canvases in real life was very cool.

No, I get art.

On our way out, I noticed the funders for this exhibit were foundations like the Warhol Foundation. Then it hit me! What the heck am I doing applying for grants to Target and Lowe's for chump change for school gardens and reading programs???

The money is in Video Art! And, as luck would have it- talent is the same as confidence.

So, when Cliff turned to me and asked if I ever thought of giving it all up to become a video artist, the answer was YES!

I am now an official video artist. Cue Maria from West Side Story singing "There is a place for us..."

That was easy. All I had to do was declare it. Some Crest White Strips and I would be ready to lip sync close up too. Maybe I could lip sync to Mrs. Jone's "Yes, I Can Multiply!"

No, the lip sync thing has been done. I have a better idea and I started preparing on our trip home. I am going to collect a bunch of digital cameras and send them out to all my friends and family all over the US. I am going to have them take video of anything they want and send them back.

Then I am going to build a big cabinet with little cubbies for each camera. The cameras will be anchored inside their special cubby so that you can see the postage stamp sized viewing screen. The museum guides at SITE Santa Fe will instruct visitors to walk up to any camera and watch the teeny tiny videos. I am thinking they could pass out magnifying glasses if need be.

I am going to call it a "Digital I Spy Quilt" and connect it to the vast quilting heritage in the US.
I have a slogan. "Digital Video- The New Fabric of Our Lives." Catchy, huh? I know it's a bit of a rip off from the cotton people. I hope they will forgive me.

Now that I am an artist, maybe I can get funding from the National Endowment For the Arts.
I am sure that the exhibit at Site Santa Fe cost bucks. After all, there was a one on one ratio of guides to guests. (To think I have had 30 + students all by myself!)

Frankly, I hope to one day convince my new video artist friends at SITE Santa Fe to run for government. They managed to get $15 out of us and I am cheap people! Clearly they are persuasive. They could just persuade other countries to get along. No wars, just peace man.

I'll leave you now with one of Steina's works called "Warp." Tomorrow, come back for my first video art installment called "Digital Super Highway" it's about...no I'll just let the art speak for itself.



*See, we are simpatico- it's a video artist thing.

Santa Fe- Land of Enchantment Indeed

1. Loretto Chapel, 2. San Miguel Oldest Church, 3. Snow Day at Canyon Road, 4. Frito Pie at the Five and Dime, 5. Oldest House in the US, 6. Hotel in Snow, 7. Santa Fe Trip Snow, 8. French Pastry Shop, 9. Canyon Road Horses in Snow

You can click any picture for a bigger view.

I was surprised by these pictures because the light is pretty gray and they seem gloomy. I assure you that while it was cold, and snowy even, the mood was bright. My memories of each of these places are plenty sunny.

Another vacation fact: I took 99 pictures on my trip and only one of them has us in it!

We both agreed that our favorite part of the trip was just wandering around downtown Santa Fe. We went into lots of churches and a few stores. We had breakfast at a French Cafe, lunch at Cowgirl BBQ, and dinner at the Italian restaurant, Pronza.

One night we went out and listened to blues. The other night we went to a coffee house for what was supposed to be poetry night, but turned out to be folk singing. Both were fun.

We loved the Waxlander Gallery on Canyon Road. It was large and had a lot of variety. My favorite was Lori Faye Bock. She really celebrates women aging. That's not an attitude we see much of in LA.

At the New Concept Gallery we saw the works of Lynn's friend Reg Loving. It was definitely cool to "know" an artist on display. Speaking of Lynn, she is doing awesome, for someone in their seventies with a broken neck. She told us a few hilarious stories about her time in the hospital. Surely, attitude and laughter are the best medicines.

Also at New Concept Gallery was a show, "Voices Against the War" sponsored by the Veterans For Peace. The art was amazing and devastating. My favorite piece as called "The Rat Pack" by Kawana Edwards. It featured real rodent bones. Reminded me my days back in NJ dissecting owl pellets.

We only went in three galleries because we also squeezed in both the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and SITE Santa Fe in the same day. O'Keeffee was worth a visit, but a bit disappointing since they only display ten percent of her work at any given time. There were some paintings that I had hoped to see and did not. SITE Santa Fe merits it's own blog post. Tune in tomorrow for that drama.

We stayed at Garrets Desert Inn which was both affordable and right in the heart of Santa Fe. We walked everywhere with ease. Well, until it snowed! It was so cold and we were so unprepared! You would think that growing up in Rochester, NY I would have seen my fair share of snow. Still, it was so beautiful and surprising that I was like a kid on the first day of winter.

Tomorrow I will share Santa Fe's inspiration on my own art.

Romantic Inns of The South West

We've gotten a lot of advice over the last three years. One of the most common suggestions is, "Take a romantic vacation."



La Posada Hotel (Winslow, AZ) just happened to be just the right distance between LA and Santa Fe for our first night of travel.



It had everything we like in an inn: charm, history, attention to details and a terrific restaurant.

The owner and his wife, artist Tina Minon, lovingly rescued La Posada from certain ruin and have restored her to her former glory. Her rich history has been celebrated.



Tina Minon's varied and fascinating paintings cover the walls and the inn is her gallery. Some of her works are in the Smithsonian. La Posada is also home to art she has collected on her world travels. As a gallery, it's very eclectic. "It's Always the Butler" was my favorite painting. Cliff loved this one. I thought it was, interesting, funny even, but terrible feng shui!




La Posada continues to be a working train station. One would think that the many trains passing would be annoying, but actually there is a certain rhythm to train rumbles that is similar to the ocean.




The guest rooms were simply furnished with some antiques. Each room was named after a former famous guest of the Inn. We stayed in the "Lionel Barrymore" room.

In the adjoining room, the "Amelia Erhart", Vern and Ethel were also enjoying La Posada's many graces.

We couldn't help but hear their discussion of evening television and their plans for the coming day. Unfortunately, their snoring and coughing was not as rhythmic as the trains. When we turned off the lights Cliff summed it up like this:

"I don't feel as if my grandparents are in the next room, I feel like they are right in this room!"

"Gram and Grams" had a few ideas of La Posada. In their words:

Ehtel- "Oh! I'm up!"

Vern- AKKK! Cough! Hack! "What time is it?"

Ethel- "Six AM. I hear they have a complimentary coffee bar downstairs from 6:30 -9:00."

Vern- AKKKK! Hack! Cough!

Ethel- "I am going to take a shower."

Vern- AAAGGGHHHH! Hack! Hack! ( At this point Cliff looks at me with crazed eyes.)

Ethel- "Hey! There's a little clock in this hair dryer!"

Vern- "Ak! Ak! Hack! Cooooouuuuuugggghhhh!

Ethel- "You know Vern, one thing I have to say for this place is, they are so up front about their rates. There is no guessing. A standard room is $99 for everyone. Says so right here on the door."

Vern- HACK! Cough! Akkk!

My advice, if you are ever "standing on a corner in Winslow, AZ," go see La Posada. Pay $3 for their self guided tour book. Wander the rooms, enjoy the art and the gardens. Be sure to enjoy a meal at the Turquoise Room- the food and service are excellent!

Then, go down the road to the Comfort Inn.

Home Again

Our drive through the deserts of California, Arizona and New Mexico has done me a world of good. While Los Angeles has it's charm, it's visually very cluttered. The antidote was this...


I know this photo doesn't begin to do justice to the majesty of the desert as it spread out before us, behind us and all around. At once it was yellow and grassy. Moments later it was red and rocky. I do believe I saw me some purple mountain majesties.

Oh, the mesas! One day, I dream to live on a mesa! This trip has changed my picture of the word "desert" which used to be comic book yellow sand with saguaro cactus. Truly, I love the Desert South West and it's surprisingly varied beauty. You could say I was obsessed with capturing it. No chance of that happening.


The drive there and back was really smooth. We listened to some CD mixes Cliff made. We enjoyed some Hubba Bubba.


One of the early highlights of the drive was discovering Spike's doghouse. As we approached Needles, my husband, the font of knowledge, told me that Spike was from Needles. I hadn't exactly remembered, but it came back to me pretty quick.


Apparently, Spike's home is not the remote desert as he told Snoopy, but outside the Denny's in Needles, CA. Kate and I stopped at many a Denny's on our original road trip so it seemed so fitting that this was our first lunch stop too.

There was time to read. This became a read aloud. No books on tape for us.




Both of these gems came from thrift stores. I got up early one morning and stole away to go thrifting in Santa Fe. We also stopped back in Needles on the way home to check out this thrift store...


How could I pass this up?

But, the best surprise on the road was the discovery of Grants Boot and Saddle Shop.

Cliff was paying for lunch and I went out to the car. I noticed this little store and thought that maybe they could help me with a pair of mules I recently bought that had developed small tears. The proprietor, Ross was so friendly. We had a really nice chat and he sewed up the tears in my shoes. While he worked I found a pair of cowboy boots on sale...for $19!!


Truly, getting there was half the fun!

Leaving LA

1. Our Snappy Scion, 2. Santa Fe Welcome, 3. the colors of Santa Fe, 4. Santa Fe

The Scion is a scrubbed up and vacuumed. "Teacher Car" is no more. We are leaving the glitz and glamour that is our life (cough) and heading out on our first real road trip!

Both Cliff and I have been on cross country road trips in the past, but neither of one of us has been to Santa Fe. Cliff has a good friend from his writers group who lives there. Lynn was a costume designer, writer, dancer and has had many, many Hollywood adventures. At 75 she is still going strong as an artist both in Santa Fe and also in Italy.

Over the years, I have heard stories about the dynamic Lynn and I was (am) eager to meet her. We emailed her and it turned out that while she would be globe trotting for most of March and April , she would be home at the exact time we planned to visit.

Time passed from our initial emails and we didn't hear more from Lynn. "No worries," we thought, she is out gallivanting. Then, we happened to mention to a mutual friend that we planned to visit Lynn during our upcoming trip to Sana Fe.

"You haven't heard?!"

Turns out Lynne was in a horrific car accident while driving to LA and is now in a rehab hospital in Albuquerque. She suffered a broken neck and multiple broken bones and is essentially bedridden! (Still, miraculously alive.) A few phone calls and we learned that:

A. Subaru makes a good car with tons of air bags. Her car flipped head over tail and rolled. They had to use the Jaws Of Life, but she survived.

B. When Lynn was still groggy from the meds she would forget what had happened. When told about her car accident multiple times, her response was always, "No, F*&* way!" Clearly, she has maintained a sense of humor.

We feel really fortunate to have learned of the accident so that we can go visit her at the hospital. And, now with no obligations in Santa Fe we plan to channel what African Kelli and Finny call the "Santa Fe Effect." After reading both of their posts on Santa Fe, we decided to throw caution to the wind and just wing it.

Be back in a week!