Cerrillos, New Mexico

I keep telling myself that I am going to post here on a regular basis again, because it is something that I really enjoy doing. And while I am not a great writer by any means, at least when I write here, it makes me think about my words a little more and I think that's good for me. But then weeks go by and there just isn't the time.

Anywhere, here I am now and I am going to share some iPhone pictures that I took two weeks ago when I went on a little day trip to some parts outside of Santa Fe. I had hoped to stop and take lots of pictures along the way, but sometimes things don't work out quite the way we planned.

My original thought was to drive out to Madrid and hang out there. I headed out on Highway 14, also know as the Turquoise Trail. Once I reached Madrid and drove through the tiny town, I realized it wasn't really where I wanted to be. A nifty place for sure, but I wasn't feeling it. So I turned around and went to Cerrillos instead. I was rather enjoying just driving around so I wasn't sure what I really wanted to do. Then I saw signs for a turquoise mine museum/petting zoo/trading post. How could I possibly resist that attraction? I followed all the arrows and ended up at the Casa Grande Trading Post, Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum & Petting Zoo.

It's a crazy, lovely place filled with tons and tons and tons of stuff. Every kind of rock and crystal that you can imagine. Cheap turquoise trinkets. Windows lined with old bottles and insulators. A completely random selection of postcards. Dream catchers. Just everything. And that's just the Trading Post.







Beyond the second room of the trading post, there is the museum which costs two dollars to enter. It is filled with an incredible amount of someone's beloved collections and totally random junk. And by junk, I mean lovely junk, but still junk. And a lot of crazy, old antiques and more old bottles and insulators and mannequins and then more rocks and crystals. Oh and skulls and cardboard cut-outs and a ship in a bottle. It was mind-boggling and amazing. I was delighted to have stumbled upon this place.



A tribute to John Wayne and Kiefer Sutherland. (Young Guns was filmed out there, something that I don't think I knew back in the day when I *loved* that movie.)









Smokey AND a surf board. Go figure.





There was a helicopter flying overhead the whole time I was out there and as I was buying a couple of postcards, one of the owners started telling me how this time of year, there are always low flying helicopters flying around, looking for weed crops. He said, "yeah, that's how everyone makes a living out here, growing weed."

I had no idea.

On my way back to Santa Fe, I decided to drive through Galisteo just because I was enjoying driving around. There was a storm coming and the lightning was pretty awesome to see in the distance. It's so beautiful here in New Mexico and I really don't take the time to get out of Santa Fe often enough.

In Galisteo, I came to a "T" intersection and decided to go right since there was no signage to tell me which way I should go to get back to Santa Fe. Of course, almost immediately upon turning, I realized I was going the wrong way and in fact, I had no idea where I was going if I were to keep going that way. (I would have ended up hitting I-40 near Moriarty.) All I had to do was turn around, but it was a two-lane highway and there were absolutely no pull-outs for miles and miles. So I just kept driving and driving in the wrong direction. I was vaguely distressed, but not really, and it was so incredibly green out that way. I could hardly believe it. I took a lot of pictures in my head while I was driving and that was good enough for me.

I was finally able to turn around and made it back to Santa Fe without a hitch. All in all it was a pretty awesome day and I really need to do things like that more often.

Zinnias.

I love it when the zinnias are in bloom. It is so nice to be able to step out into the backyard and cut fresh flowers to keep under the skylight in the kitchen. I never get tired of zinnias, they come in so many different colors, shapes and sizes. And I probably write this same thing every year!

But they really do make me happy.

And sometimes they bring hummingbirds to our backyard. Yesterday evening I spotted one while we were outside grilling and I got so excited! Hummingbirds don't visit us all that often. Or maybe I just don't sit outside enough!

Earlier in the summer.

I had to try so many different pills for my insomnia and anxiety, I started to feel like I was caught in my own valley of the dolls. It prompted me to reread my collection of Jacqueline Susann novels.

Taking pills is really not my thing, so I am happy to report that, for the most part, I am doing quite well sans any "dolls".

Arts & Crafts Show at the Santa Fe Plaza.

After a few moments of panic in the week before the craft show, every thing ended up going smoothly and we were quite pleased with our booth set up. Participating in this show was A LOT of work, and I could not have managed all the display related stuff without my wonderful husband, Will. In addition to lugging around everything in his truck and then on his hand truck, he made lovely wooden pedestals to showcase some of the bowl and coaster sets. We didn't use too much else for display purposes since my work is colorful and eye-catching enough on its own.



Both days were super hot without much cloud coverage. We were directly situated in the afternoon sun, of course, but we survived, drinking lots of water and keeping both ends of the tent open to keep a bit of a cross breeze going. I think it was close to 90 each day, not ideal for standing around in a tent! Even all the people walking around were fatigued by the hot weather. And I suspect it did not help with sales as many people couldn't bear to think about wool!



This is actually the back entrance to the tent; the front entrance faced another row of booths directly on the Plaza. It was pretty busy downtown both days and most of the time we had a pretty good flow of lookers. A lot of nice compliments about my work. (And a lot of comments about going home and making their own felted bags. It's nice to know I inspire people, but I always think it's a little odd to tell someone you are going to go home and make what they've spent some much time working on. That's a comment best left to oneself.) All in all it was a good learning experience and I am very glad that I participated in the show.

I actually have quite a bit of stock left though so please feel free to browse the Mad Orange Shop. Some things still need to be photographed so there will be more to come in the weeks ahead. I have loads of different colors of purses, bowls and coasters, so if you don't see what you need, please email me!

Handsome fellow.

Rocky is currently on my shit list because he has taken to spraying the front door at night, but nonetheless, he sure looks handsome on this film!

This makes me happy.

Clouds.

Chupadero, NM

Instant.

Don't miss the latest Words To Shoot By! It's like an extra special celebration of last week's 'Roid Week!

'Roid Week, Day Five

'Roid Week was amazing and inspiring and I'm always sad to see it come to an end. Of course, lucky for me, most of my Flickr contacts use instant films on a regular basis so at least I'll still be getting a daily dose of instant inspiration.

The group pool is here with a final tally of 3,755 submission. Incredible!

One of my submission was featured on The Impossible Blog during the week which was quite an honor for me. I was also quite surprised and delighted to win this lovely t-shirt from Caustic Threads. And then, to top it all off, yesterday one of my photos was featured on Paul Giambarba's blog, The Branding of Polaroid, as part of his "Instant Talent" series. Definitely a stellar week.



1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. Untitled, 4. Droids on Parade, 5. thursday*, 6. pinhole-ins 123, ocean, 7. Untitled, 8. Sometimes the beach creeps up onto the promenade and the tiny pebbles turn into golden sand, 9. Folklore. , 10. Untitled, 11. Final, 12. Roo-dee-cat, 13. bed head, 14. Untitled, 15. 'Roid Week 2011, day five: sproutling diptych, 16. And breathe..., 17. lounging, 18. Untitled, 19. my♥crew, 20. 'Roid Week 2011 - Day 5, 21. tranquillo, 22. C'mon, I know this makes you smile!, 23. Untitled, 24. Untitled, 25. Untitled, 26. good vibrations, 27. Cat on Refrigerator, 28. the tent | june 25. 2011, 29. PX70 Flower, 30. Tejas, 31. Cascades 2, 32. Spy, 33. Untitled, 34. shuttlecocks., 35. Untitled, 36. Untitled



1. dusk, 2. two favorites, 3. way too much, 4. polaroid week day 5, 5. Easter Bunny, 6. The Fed, 7. Yes, yes., 8. Trees & Sky - Untitled-9_72dpi, 9. stevie, 10. Cat Tails, 11. Untitled, 12. Goodbye Selfie, 13. It felt like a dream..., 14. evening at horsebarn hill, 15. Sea of Sorrow, 16. solitude, 17. the fog returns, 18. roid week day 5, 19. view of red cliffs, 20. Corolla OBX, NC, 21. Tres Jolie!, 22. 036, 23. 'Roid Week - Last Day! - We Made It!, 24. Untitled, 25. Hello George

[Created with fdsflickrtoys]

'Roid Week, Day Four

Group pool is here.



1. legs on river, 2. 41.52 / Peony, 3. planes, 4. Submerged with Ike, 5. saturday morning | june 25. 2011, 6. Untitled, 7. 'Roid Week 2011 - Day 4, 8. leads me back, 9. Sunny side up, 10. Untitled, 11. Flames, 12. dandelions, 13. PX680ff Sunflower, 14. Palm Trees #2, 15. Untitled, 16. hand effects, 17. Untitled, 18. Untitled, 19. Untitled, 20. momma's backyard, 21. Cherry on Top, 22. GW bridge, 23. waterbirds, 24. trouble, 25. Untitled



'Roid Week, Day 4

1. Have Hope, 2. Untitled, 3. px600ss007, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. Royal Typewriter - Untitled-1_72dpi, 7. fishing, 8. Polaroid Arc de Triomphe, 9. ...3, 10. Untitled, 11. Liquor - Untitled-3_72dpi, 12. Lunch Room, Kelso Depot, 13. space divides us, 14. catch a falling star, 15. Untitled, 16. Untitled, 17. And all the people of the lulled and dumbfound town are sleeping now..., 18. Untitled, 19. sun setting on the water, 20. 110210_Australia11x, 21. Apple Tree, 22. beachcomber's collection, 23. Untitled, 24. ...., 25. Untitled



[Created with fdsflickrtoys]

'Roid Week, Day Three

Group pool here.



1. perfectangels, 2. Vanesa..., 3. Untitled, 4. Come Back., 5. sundown, 6. moonrise, 7. The Garden Of, 8. sentimental heart, 9. at the shore, 10. zebra, 11. Retro Life, 12. Wednesday, 13. Roid Week Day Three, 14. Lindsay, 15. she is of the earth, 16. Sea Oats on the Cape, 17. Untitled, 18. Untitled, 19. oh, new york, 20. Prairie flood, 21. Sunset Crater, AZ, 22. Untitled, 23. Untitled, 24. The Produce From a Seed, 25. Early morning wake up., 26. Impossible Echinacea II, 27. Big Sur Wedding, 28. Untitled, 29. The Groom, 30. diner



1. Fox Gloves, 2. Untitled, 3. roid week day 3, 4. Non c'è neppure solitudine fra i monti., 5. two goldfish., 6. Polaroid_41, 7. flowers, 8. Old Flyer, 9. Manhattan from Brooklyn, 10. coastline, 11. ll, 12. 110 Freeway, 13. ., 14. pola 05, 15. pinhole-ins 121, smoke signals, 16. the view, 17. Untitled, 18. 'roid week 2011: wednesday 2 (cat), 19. Untitled, 20. Untitled

[Created with fdsflickrtoys]

'Roid Week, Day Two

More instant goodness! Group pool is here.



1. Utrecht: A Cat Called Tom, 2. blue , 3. Roid Week Day Two, 4. And Relax, 5. London., 6. Untitled, 7. clouds today, 8. I Hear Thunder, 9. Untitled, 10. Hello! Rainbow, 11. Untitled, 12. Untitled, 13. Untitled, 14. NewYork #15, 15. A room of one's own, 16. PX70 PUSH: Purple Coneflowers II, 17. PX70 PUSH: Purple Coneflowers I, 18. Coyote Flat, 19. Spectra Quince, 20. never sunny on sundays, 21. it's summer, yes it's summer - RW#4, 22. *, 23. the end of the journey, 24. right-side-down, 25. Burn area, 26. , 27. Pink Elephant, 28. Horse, 29. July 12 Kati's first polaroid, 30. Super 8, 31. Untitled, 32. 'Roid Week 2011, day two: Forest, 33. Takk..., 34. north_avenue_beach, 35. Afternoon walk, 36. Roid Week Day 2: Golden Hour Magic



1. enchanted kisses, 2. Untitled, 3. as the storm rolls in, 4. Peony, 5. Untitled, 6. maps of tacit., 7. Tail, 8. Watermelon, 9. A Solitary Man, 10. fishermen, 11. scenic world, 12. Rift Zone Trail, Pt. Reyes, CA, 13. 7-11 choco ned, 14. magic is real, 15. Instantaneous Outtake, 16. Kite Flying & Seaplane, 17. Untitled, 18. daisies, 19. 16, 20. 030, 21. third room on the right, 22. Sheepishly, 23. Untitled, 24. moonrise, 25. Blue Skies

[Created with fdsflickrtoys]

'Roid Week, Day One

It's 'Roid Week on Flickr, one of the best weeks of the year! Here are my faves from Day One. You can check out the group pool here.



1. The Ocean, 2. The Anniversary, 3. Untitled, 4. Explorers II, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. The Boat House, 8. The Ceremony, 9. The Window, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. Hotel Riu, Corralejo, 13. on the inside looking out, 14. Untitled, 15. at night, 16. Ben, 17. le sigh, 18. Untitled, 19. another end to a summer's day, 20. Flowers to Remember, 21. Sunflowers, 22. 'Roid Week 2011, day one: Bug, 23. Untitled, 24. HRW!



1. waitingfortherain, 2. Untitled, 3. Untitled, 4. travelers, 5. Dune, at Sunset, 6. Roid Week, Evening One, 7. Sunset, 8. Fence at Sunset, 9. moos, 10. Flower at dusk., 11. Untitled, 12. in the moment, 13. J. Fitzgerald, 14. noodle-y oodle, 15. .o72, 16. Untitled, 17. , 18. The Smokies In Roid, 19. Untitled, 20. Sheena lounging on the patio

P.S. You can view the blank spots by following the links below.

[created with fds flickr toys]

More peony love.

White peonies.

My mom has 5 peony bushes and every year I try to go over and take photos when they are in bloom. Today I only had my phone with me so I didn't take very many, but I also got to cut some of the dark pink ones to bring home so instant pictures will follow. I can't resist the call of the peonies + instant film!

And well, hello! I miss blogging and I miss YOU. But I am so busy right now, it is making me a bit crazy. It's good, really, but I am finding a hard time to even take a break to do the things that I need to do for myself. Like sit out on the patio and breathe for a few minutes or write in my journal so that my anxiety doesn't get too out of hand.

That said, I am going to go out there right now and relax for a bit before doing some more work this evening.

xo

Seven years.

Tree.

The latest words to shoot by is particularly awesome. And yes, I have a thing for trees.

The above shots were all taken down in Las Cruces. We just spent the weekend there so we could attend my eldest niece's college graduation. It's was great fun and a bit chaotic. Seeing all of my nieces (and nephews) is one of my favorite things ever. They are the best.

These flowering trees were all over the place and quite lovely...no idea what they are though. Anyone?

Oh, and we also celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary while we were there. Instant photos of us to come, but you knew that, right?

Happy happy!

Why hello there.

Some of my favorite shots taken with PX 680 Beta film. I cannot tell you how excited I am about the release of PX 680 First Flush from The Impossible Project on Thursday.

I cannot wait. This film is AWESOME.

Moody.

I am sorry to report that my insomnia has gotten really bad again lately and I am having quite a hard time. The lack of sleep interferes with my life way too much and it is so frustrating to me. It's one thing not to get good sleep every once in awhile, but after 4 years of this bullshit, I am at a complete loss. And nothing I take seems to help. Herbal remedies, melatonin, sleeping pills, calcium magnesium at bedtime and all the other various tips and tricks that seem to work for other folks. Nothing works for me.

The funny thing is that last week I had 3 nights that I actually slept through the night. Three nights! That hasn't happened in years. But hand in hand with that has come many more terrible nights.

Argh.

Sorry to complain, but after a week of restless nights, I am at an all time low this morning.

I hope to get some sleep soon and be back here more consistently with lots of happy things to share.

xo

Love.

The first blossoms on the apple tree and my first shot with The Impossible Project's new film, PX 680 (Beta Version).

I can't wait to shoot more of this film because I am in love with it!

Tulip.

The last of the tulip shots. And my favorite.

Happy Friday!

Down.

My interpretation of the latest Words To Shoot By. The little photo shoot I had with myself was a bit of a fiasco, but in the end, I am quite pleased with the results. My perfectionist self would have loved to correct the composition of the top and bottom photos, but being that I only have one more pack of The Impossible Project's PZ600 film, I didn't want to "waste" it on more shots of myself. And composition aside, I absolutely love the tones of this film. Finally it worked for me!

And for the record, I am quite happy at the moment. While March has been a difficult month for me, there have been some turning points and I am feeling good. This really was an actual photo shoot idea versus the reality of mood. (In case you were worried.)

I am hoping to once again have time for this little blog, but due to the various rough patches of March, I am feeling quite behind on my work and the garden. So I probably should spend less time online. (Says she who checks FB and Twitter obsessively.)

A happy week to you all. I hope to have some rock show Polas for you later in the week!

My new camel friend.

My parents-in-law recently returned from a trip to Israel and Jordan. This is one of the gifts that they sent to us. I love it!

Also, I am absolutely dying to try out this film.

One day I will write again.

I promise.

In the meantime...

Chupadero, New Mexico

A little sweetness.

I'm in a bit of "a mood" this morning so I thought a sweet pola of Rocky might turn things around. He always makes me smile.

Today I have lots of work to do, but later we are going out to dinner with friends. Looking forward to it. It's Restaurant Week in Santa Fe so there are some great deals out there. We're going to Dinner for Two, a little place in our neighborhood that we've never tried before. So it's going to be dinner for four at Dinner for Two!

Orchid.

Where did this week go? Hope to have time to catch up with you soon!

Have a wonderful weekend. xo