Cats of America

I know I shared a LOT of dogs...there were not quite as many kitties on this trip! But here are the top 3 kitty photos for your enjoyment:

Annie - her humans are the Coopers in Indianapolis, IN

Punky - his human is my Grandma in Minneapolis, MN

Benjamin Button - her humans (yes she is a girl!) are the Escobars in Hollywood, CA

Trend-Watch - The Popularity of Metal Insects

Some people asked if I saw anything nationwide, patterns that stood out to me, or specific differences between people. Metal insects seemed rather popular in the west...

in Seattle at a street fair...

in Santa Fe at my cousin's house...

and in the courtyard of the Sanchez's in Albuquerque...

That's the only one I can come up with right now. I'll letcha know if anything else comes to me!

Day 45 - Coming Home

Sorry it's been such a long break before posting this last day summary. Maybe I felt that if I didn't post the last day, the trip would not have ended? I think they call this 'approach avoidance'. Late on the eve of what is now July 21, I post about the ending of my trip on June 23. The short list of my excuses for this happening almost a full month out are the following:

• day one after return - sister eloped, chaotic last-minute scramblings!
• day two - cousin got married
• new job started
• roommate bought a house, so I had 1 month to find new digs if going to S. Dakota in August
• got terrifically sick for the last couple weeks
• heat has been similar here to H-E-double hockey sticks, computers cause more heat
• have been applying for work in S. Dakota also

So excuses, excuses. No more excuses. Here is day last, which you have been waiting for:

The girls/grandchildren extraordinaire were over in the morning. Fun to read to and chat with. :)

I lounged in the courtyard for some of the morning. I was surprised by sprinklers (!) at some point which seemed like it ought to have been part of a movie. But it was pretty hot so I dried off quickly.

In the afternoon, as we drove off, Lucy ran after us like a sad dog in a 70s movie. So cute.

Andy drove me to the airport and we had a good chat about the browns of the Southwest, the mischievous man on the RailRunner train (previously mentioned), and meetings which are not accidental after all.

At the airport, Frontier Airlines had pretty paintings on their planes of varied animals. I liked it. I fear other airlines getting ideas and having to look at ads painted on planes for Coke or whatnot. Please please no! Not that I don't like Coke, it's just advertising has enough air time in my life, so to speak, already. (Pun not intended.)

Beautiful sunset, beautiful flight. Happy to at last come home to my own bed, my roommate, her cats, my boyfriend, friends & family. Sayonara, sweet trip! It was worth it all.

Day 44 - ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Andy Sanchez

Shalom's father Andy gave me a tour of his work and the shop. These first few pieces (the eagle, the bench and the front of the entertainment center with the Santa Fe floral design) were in the house, then the others were in the showroom. Then he showed me all the wood and how everything is made. He said, "we like to say that our work is stories, and the pieces come with them" or something like that, and "we used to decide what we were going to build and then get the wood to do that, but now we look at the wood first and decide what to make from that."

It's a family business - his son Aaron works with him, and all 9 of the kids have some artistry in them. I think the chess set here may have been made by his son? (it's cowboys & Indians themed, not pc but historically accurate) Anyhow, it reminded me a bit of my great grandpa, who used to make and sell furniture made from polished agates (some of the Sanchez pieces feature agates as well). It was all beautiful.

(this photo on the left below is a close-up of the "waterfall" in the table above. :)

Day 44 - More Sanchez Fun in Albuquerque!

Day 44 = June 22

Introducing Megan - one of the many Sanchez grandchildren. :) Anna, one of Shalom's sisters, was babysitting Megan and her big sis Alexis in the morning, and was over a bit watching Eli as well. I went running and then came back to pack up and prepare for my last transfer - to Shalom's parent's house. She had drawn it in my mind as a paradise with a sweet courtyard, a peaceful retreat, and I was curious to see at last all her father's art and the place where this large family comes together...

Megan likes to share. Isn't she darling? :)

Here's Eli, playing hide & seek. :)

And here's Lucas, rounding up the elusive Eli...

...and Anna with Megan.

So, we finally jaunted off, taking Lucy with us - Lucy on her way to 'get lucky' ;) - as they were bringing her over to breed with Shalom's parent's dog Shadow. She seemed oblivious to her big day, just happy as usual...

These are Shalom's parents, Andy & Cheryl:

Andy took me on an hour or two long tour of all his art/furniture and showed me how it was all made. I'm putting that in it's own post because it deserves it! On our way back around the house we ended up checking the chickens for eggs w/Eli. Really, it was very Easter-y! :)

When the various kids and grandkids were scattered, we sat down to supper and talked. It was a nice quiet time. Afterward I went to my room and blogged and talked on the telly w/Tommy a bit. And fell asleep for my last night 'on the road'.

Dogs of America - Part 2

One last post for all you dog lovers! :)

(1) Cheers (his humans are Cass & Tom Buss of Seattle, WA) - isn't he regal looking here? :)

(2) Flash (same humans) - missing a leg from cancer, blind in one eye...but very, very cute.

(3) Chavo (his humans are Marie & Eric Gurule in Santa Fe, NM) - Excellent beach buddy with penchant for exploring/getting lost if not tied up, also likes to walk across beach towels w/sandy feet!

(4) Lucy (white labradoodle in pic below; her humans are Lucas, Angela & Eli Sanchez in Bernalillo, NM) - Very cheery dog...she's gotten lotsa air time here so you know about her...but what you don't know is that they got her in order to breed her w/Shadow here and that this happened finally (if it happened, no one watched) during my visit. Is Lucy preggers? We shall see.

(5) Sidney (same humans) - looking very content here.

(6) Shadow (his humans are Andy & Cheryl Sanchez of NM) - very well behaved, so much so that many have asked for one of his puppies if he ever has some. Here he is wandering the courtyard.