I Love Sand Dunes. May 19, 2008

Yay! I got a new camera as an early birthday present and was able to plug in my old memory card into this camera so my pictures on my broken camera were not lost! Sadly, I was not able to take pictures for several weeks so those would be photos will never be shared. Oh well. In celebration I am posting pictures of the Great Sand Dunes taken just moments before the old camera bit the dust, so to say.

The Sand Dunes literally leave me speechless every time I visit. Part of this is due to the fact that climbing them is very difficult and I can’t talk, but part is due to their extreme and ancient beauty. The Sand Dunes formed because our Valley has very sandy soil (because it used to be a giant lake), is very windy, and is surrounded by mountains. The sand is swept away in the wind and ends up right here, against the base of the Sangre de Christo Mountain range.
These are the tallest Sand Dunes in North America. They are so surreal you feel like you are in another part of the world, or even another planet. During the spring months the snow melt-off from the mountains leaves a little creek at the base of the Dunes that you have to pass through before reaching them. No one knows how old they are but there is evidence of humans in the Dunes dates more than 11,000 years ago.

We didn’t make it all the way to the top but I was pretty impressed with my parents’ endurance considering they had come from Missouri with an elevation of 740 feet to the valley with an elevation of about 7,500 feet.

Its hard to capture the size of these dunes in photos but here is one of my mom taking a picture from afar for a bit of reference. She isn’t even standing in front of the tallest dune. Anyhow, I am happy to be able to share these photos that were at one point stuck on the broken camera. I have learned my lesson and will never bring my camera to the dunes in the future so enjoy the pictures here. Thats all you get.

Many a Thing May 15, 2008

Oh its been sooooooooo long. In the words of Emmy “I won’t bore you with excuses”. Many a good thing happened in the last two weeks or so. My parents visited, we attended a fabulous May Day party, I’ve started my garden, we have had several softball games, and work is busy and wonderful as every. Oh and very exciting news…. My parents sent me a surprise early birthday present! A new camera! yay!!!! It is exactly like my old one that is sadly sitting on my desk with the lens still out, but a newer model. Very exciting. I will be sure to be posting photos now its going. Until then I will start updating the blog with other photos that have been accumulated, including May Day photos borrowed from my friend Lares at the safari press. So here are some for your enjoyment.

This one was taken using a polaroid camera.

It was a very windy day so it was a challange getting all of the ribbons staked and ready for people to take hold without the wind ripping it out of the ground or our hands. Not atypical weather for the Valley this time of year.

We all weaved in and out of each other forming the pretty design on the may pole.

Here we are dancing around the pole as the sun sets.

The pole when it was done. Very pretty if I do say so myself.

Busy, busy, busy April 22, 2008

Well I have not blogged in a great while and there are many a reasons for that.  Blogging is funny.  Its kind of like a belated birthday card or call.  You forget to send a card and then 10 days later you realize your mistake.  By then you feel like crap and keep putting it off.  Well thats what I do anyways.  The same goes for blogging. I kept making excuses today why I shouldn’t blog but I decided to just go ahead and do it because the later I wait the harder it will become.

One of the reasons I was hesitant is because I have zero pictures to share.  I somehow have misplaced my camera charger and so now the thing is out of batteries and I have no way to charge it.  Could turn into serious problem if I can’t find the charger soon.

So here are some things that are new in my life.

1.  I signed a lease to an apartment that I won’t be moving into until September but I am still very excited.  My boyfriend has just moved here and will be living there and I will join him once my year of service is done.  We have been busy obtaining furniture and that sort of thing for the last couple of weeks.  People are very generous here and always willing to help out.  So far we have been given a kitchen table and chairs, microwave, coffee maker, bed, chest of drawers and have purchased at very reasonable prices a couch and a washer/dryer set.

2.  I spent the past weekend in Denver with my good friend from college enjoying my time out of rural Colorado.  On Saturday we enjoyed the sun in her neighborhood park playing wiffleball and tossing the frisbee.

3. Sunday I came home and was pleasently surprised because one of the women that I know from our local knitting group wanted to give me a loom!  It is small and portable and one that you weave bands that range in size from very thin to maybe 2.5 inches wide.  So you can make things like bracelets or guitar straps.  You can also sew the bands together for wider items like scarves, handbags etc.  Very generous gift and I am excited to get learning on it.

4.  My parents come to visit tomorrow.  This will be the first time they visit my new home and I am excited for them to see where I am living.  We plan on spending some time in the Valley and then going down to New Mexico for the weekend.  Unfortunately my brother won’t be able to join us.  He is turning 21 this weekend and felt like celebrating with his friends instead of his parents.  I can’t imagine why…

Ok so that is a brief update.  I know its not super exciting without pictures.  Hopefully I can rectify that situation soon.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Cebolla Mesa April 11, 2008

Well I know this post is a little late as it is now Friday and I will be talking about this past weekend, but I didn’t bring my camera along so the photos featured are borrowed from the boyfriend and roommates. I had to wait for them to share them. This past Saturday was spent hiking in New Mexico. We hiked down a gorge to the Rio Grande.

When we arrived it was super windy and chilly but as we descended we were protected from the cold. Along the path there were pretty light purple crocuses in various stages of blooming.

The water was pretty low as it has still been cold here, preventing mountain snow from melting. Because of the low level we were able to walk along rocks that are normally under the river. They were so smooth and worn down from water rushing over them.

Even though the water level was low the river was still very fast and powerful. It was good to sit and listen to the rapids.

Overall a great way to spend a Saturday.

Zapata and Rock Stacking March 31, 2008

This weekend I went hiking to Zapata Falls on Mt. Blanca. We walked right into the rocks on the frozen creek leading up the the falls which made me kind of nervous about falling in but the ice was so frozen this was not a problem. Once we are at the falls I found a part of the ice that was broken off and you could see that it was five or six inches solid. Still you could hear the water running underneath which was a little disconcerting. The little crack between the two cliffs is where we walked through to get to the falls.

The falls were still frozen which was really cool.

On our way back we discovered some rock stacking art and felt inspired to add to it. The top three rocks are our addition.

Then we made a couple of our own.

They are amateur of course and nowhere near as amazing as our inspiration at Team Sandtastic or Bill Dan.

Finally, My Eggs! March 28, 2008

For those of you who read my post earlier in the week about Pysanky, or batiked eggs I am now following up on my promise to post photos of the eggs I made. Again I want to reiterate that my eggs look nothing at all like the eggs that I posted. Unfortunately they are not nearly as well done. I have only made four so far and am still learning but am making progress I think. We have run into a few snags in the egg decorating process. One of which are these pesky smears or dots that show up on the eggs. We thought it might have had to do with the way we were letting the eggs dry so we started wiping the wet dye off the eggs with soft, clean flannel. Or perhaps we wondered, if it was the oil from our hands that was causing the marks so we started wearing rubber gloves. We also thought maybe it was the fact that after the vinegar pre-soak we did, we didn’t rinse the eggs with water. There were various other theories that I can’t think of right now. It turns out none of our tested theories are the culprit because the marks still keep occurring. After seeing some friends dyed eggs that don’t have the mark we have a new yet to be tested theory, the type of egg makes the difference. Turkey eggs don’t seem to have marks on them.

Anyhow now you know why there seem to be weird smudges, spots, or marks on the eggs. Let’s home the next batch is mark free!

Another lesson I have personally learned is to take it easy on the number of colors used. At first I wanted to have a very colorful egg with a lot going on. I think that the best egg designs (unless you are an amazing artist-see Eve Butterly below) are the ones with fewer colors. It seems that when mixing colors some mixtures come out better than others. Next time I will stick with two or three colors per egg.

First is the onion skin egg. As I explained before we wrapped yellow onion skins around the egg and then hard boiled them in water and vinegar.

Next is my tree with roots. There is another tree on the other side and the roots are connected at the bottom. I like this one.

Next is the floral sunburst. This one was supposed to have purple and blue petals/rays as well but they didn’t show up as nicely as the pink and red.

Next is my traditional floral design. Again the purples didnt seem to stand out as well as the warmer colors. Good to remember for next time.

And last is another floral design.

Pysanky March 24, 2008

So yesterday was Easter. In preparation I spent Saturday with friends decorating eggs. We of course did do the obligatory Paz dyed eggs but the hostess also had strong toxic acid dyes and styluses for a Batik egg dying called Pysanky. This dying method is traditional in many Eastern European countries. This was a very fun and challenging way to decorate eggs that will last for years to come. The process is pretty labor intensive and complicated but the results are pretty amazing. You basically have to plan out your design, planning backwards from lightest color to darkest color. You draw on the egg with the kystka which is a rod with a tiny funnel at the end. You fill the reservoir with wax and place it near a candle flame to melt the wax in the funnel. You then draw on the egg, etching wax in places you don’t want to be colored.

For example if you want a dark blue egg with pink flowers and light green you would first dip your egg in the pink dye. Then you would use your kystka to draw on the pink flowers. Then you would dip the egg in green dye and draw on the leaves. Finally you would dip the egg in the blue dye. We used both regular white eggs, green Americana eggs, and speckled turkey eggs for a variety of effects. After the eggs are dry you heat the wax and wipe it off to reveal your finished egg. The egg should then be punctured on either end and the innards blown out so the eggshell can last without fear of rotting. Of course traditionally different colors and symbols are full of meaning but our group just had fun experimenting with different looks. I don’t have pictures of my eggs yet because they are still at the hostesses house waiting to be blown out, but I will post them once I get them back. For now I am posting pictures of really good eggs that look nothing like mine.  The one on top is by egg artist Eve Butterly.

We also dyed some eggs using red and yellow onion skins. To do this you remove the onion skins from the onion and soak them in warm water with a little white vinegar until they are soft. you then wrap eggs with the skin and then wrap the eggs in scrap cloth with rubber bands to secure. Next hard boil the eggs in a water/vinegar bath. After removing the cloth there are beautifully dyed eggs in varying shades of browns, tans and yellows. These eggs can be used as a classy and practical centerpiece for Easter brunch as they can be consumed just like regular hard boiled eggs. The ones pictured are much darker than ours but you get the idea.

Finally I am posting some pictures of some really beautiful eggs that artist Franc Grom creates. He uses a tiny elecrical drill to create 2,500 to 3,500 holes in each eggshell. His remind my of the traditional Slovenian designs with a twist!

Salmonella is Gross March 19, 2008

So yesterday when I was out and about town I saw that the front page story was that 20 residents or so had myseriously come down with Salmonella. I thought that was odd and read on hoping to find out where they had contracted said bacteria. The article didn’t say so I assumed it was from some dingy restaurant and hoped I would avoid falling ill and put it out of my mind.

So then this afternoon I receive several e-mails instructing residents to not drink the tap water. Apparently the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has placed a bottled water only restriction on the city water until further notice because that is what is making people sick! Residents aren’t even supposed to brush their teeth or wash dishes in the city water. Boiling the water is also not ok. They aren’t saying how the water became contaminated or how long the restriction will continue.

I’m not sure how common this is but I have never had anything like this happen to me before. Has this happened to anyone else?

Tag! February 27, 2008

I was tagged by emmylouhelmuth today. I’ve never been tagged before but apparently it means that I am supposed to tell everyone seven interesting facts about myself and pass on the tag to other bloggers. So here it goes…

Sangre de Cristo Mountains from the San Luis Valley

1. I grew up in Missouri, went to school in Indiana, and have finally escaped the midwest! (No offense to current midwesterners out there, I just need some time to explore other parts of the country.) I am currently living in the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado. It is a rural desert valley the size of Connecticut surrounded on all sides by mountains.

2. I was a Peace Studies major in college and am currently attempting to live in a way that is consistent with my values as working in a non-profit, restorative justice organization as a full-time volunteer. I live with 6 other volunteers working in various non-profits.

3. Another way I live out my values is by eating vegetarian. (Again, no offense to you meat eaters out there) For me maintaining a vegetarian diet is a way to reduce waste and contribute to a more healthy planet. In the United States we feed nearly 70% percent of the grains and we grow to farm animals and the UN points to raising animals for food as one of the top two or three most significant contributers to the most serious environmental problems. For environmental reasons I choose to not eat meat. I don’t think that eating meat is wrong in itself, but I do think the way the developed world has created an unsustainable food industry is inexcusable. Still I’m the first to admit that its hard resist the smell of ball park hot dogs or breakfast bacon

4. I love to create things. I have had various handicraft hobbies over the year depending on my budget and time allowances. Right now I am very much into knitting and embroidering because they are crafts I can do for a reasonable amount of money. In the past I have made pottery but am unable to do that right now as I don’t have access to a wheel, kiln, etc. I am just now starting a weaving class and was loaned a rio grande loom from a former weaving instructor that happens to be a good friend of my coworker.

5. I do not love to exercising at all but am currently training for a 10 k in May to prove to myself that I can do it.

6. I’ve never been a techy person but in the last month I have started an etsy shop, created a flick’r account, posted in numerous forums, started blogging (obviously), and learned how to use dreamweaver.

7. I love to bake all things, breads, cakes, cookies, anything. I hate that high-altitude has ruined this hobby.

I will pass the tag along to Ni-Chern Designs, FluffyFlowers, Vintage Blue Studio, AntiGenre, Pulp Sushi, Suburose, BeneathTheRowanTree

A Spring Scarflette February 22, 2008

A scarflette from recycled materials

As I have mentioned previously I am very in environmental issues. I pay close attention to the resources I consume including food, natural resources, etc. I try to buy second hand items over new ones. This interest is also reflected in my hobbies. It is hard for me to defend contributing to consumer culture by creating goods that use new materials that require a high degree of energy consumption in their production. My solution is to scour local thrifstores to find gently used items that can be repurposed into something different, useful, and beautiful.

One example is a scarflette I recently knitted. First, I found a gently used, high quality, 100% virgin wool sweater at a local thriftstore that contributes 100% of profits to our local homeless shelter, La Puente Home. I found the seam and began unraveling, and unraveling, and unraveling until the sweater was no more. It was now several balls of white wool. I then seperated the yarn into three grouped hanks and dyed each one a different color, blue, green, and purple.

Finally, I reknit the yarn, combining the three strands in a diaganol rib pattern to form the above scarflette. At the end I knit in a button hole and stitched on a large white button. Now this is a creation that I can feel good about and the person who ends up with it can feel good about it too.

Of course an entire sweater did not go into the creation of just one small scarflette. I have a ton of yarn left over and will be using it in several projects to come.