I went to church with Raine today

Today was one of those great days. We went to the old Albuquerque Rail Yard...twice! Raine calls it her church and it is certainly is a spiritual experience. I actually teared up when we started into the big building. It's hard to describe how massive it is. It also got a bit weird when the number of homeless men kept growing. They were not scary exactly but more disturbing. They had dogs, that seemed like good dogs, but can you trust hungry dogs? I was supposed to be there as Raine's "big stick" but began to feel more like a mother hen, trying to keep all her chicks (Raine and Paula) in sight. Next time we are taking mellow man with us. We don't want confrontation, just a bigger stick than me!
We also went to the glass grave yard yesterday and it was the best visit ever. They have been cross cutting and so have disturbed lots of stashes of full bottles. Didn't take pictures but it was amazing. I'll get some photos this week so you can all be jealous.

Yo Ho A Pirate's life for me

My favorite quote: We had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. Mark Twain
My favorite Halloween costume: Pirate (or Gypsy) anything that involved lots of jewelry
My favorite ATC theme so far: January's Pirates
My favorite Pirate of all time: Johnny Depp (what? you expected something serious?) But seriously Johnny is the best pirate of all time and I loved the swashbuckling, gymnastic performances of Kirk Douglas and Douglas Fairbanks, not to mention Errol Flynn, but come on, Johnny wins hands down!

Resolutions

Full piece
Details of assemblage
Detail of pen and ink centerpiece
Art for Factory on Fifth, First Friday, theme: Resolutions

It's just gotta be light

It's just gotta be light! Sunlight, street light, stop light, light headed, should I go on?

Each New Year, my BFF, Becky would choose a word to think about. Becky, a writer; kept a diary, a journal, an illustrated journal and wrote constantly. We met in college in 1972 and I didn’t do that kind of writing, wasn't even a diary kind of girl. I was kinda fascinated by it. She was in love with words. And she taught kids to love words and read and find the power of their own words. She and her husband, Bill wrote a daily journal to each other. It started with love notes when they were “courting” and it continued for the next 29 years. Becky was quick and hilariously funny and very verbal and sometimes her thoughtful, quiet but just as opinionated husband couldn’t get a word in edge wise so he used the journal to win arguments. And to clarify his thoughts. And let her know what he was thinking. And to remind her that he loved her or intended to stay mad for a while. Those journals became an incredible tool when Bill was diagnosed with Alzheimers at 48.

She loved rituals, not in a creepy, scary kind of way but in the”I’ve made the star cookies so we can start to decorate the Christmas tree now” kind of way. So, the few days between Christmas and New Year’s the ritual was to spend time thinking about words and “trying on” different words to see what best suited her life at that moment. She did this as long as I can remember. I've now heard of others doing it over the years, but she was the only one I knew who did this consistantly for a very long time. She would start a new journal for the word and try to get me to get excited and involved as well. I am not as thoughtful/deep/introspective as Becky, I kinda just watched the process and when she pressed me for what my word was going to be, I would blurt out what ever was in my head at the time. Having the attention span of a gnat, I would promptly forget and go on, but not Becky, she would send me quotes and tell me what she had read about..(insert word here). I do remember one year was wonder and I even did a wonder journal as part of a round robin. That was kind of cool. And once it was faith, not like religious but more like leap of… But I do not have volumes of journals showcasing my growth as an individual around a specific concept as she did. There will be no bookcases of journals of day to day life to pass on to my son so he will always know what I thought (not that I ever let him forget of course) but Becky did have those to leave to Britt, Stacey and Josh when she and Bill were killed in November of 2005.

The words in my life for these last 2 years have repeated everything I have been feeling and dealing with since Donnie’s death including loss, abandonment, grief, anger, injustice, acceptance, release, trust and gratitude.

But this year, it’s gotta be LIGHT!! Enlightenment, light the way, be the light, I’m embracing them all! May even start that journal…well, probably not but I am definitely gonna lighten up and shine this year. HNY

PS: while I was typing this, an ad came on TV that said if I text the word LIGHT to some number, my very own personal, AUTHENTIC, physic will text me back to tell me what I have in store for 2008! Cool, less work for me. I can get the whole year revealed for only $19.95 per minute. Must be lots of folks out there willing to pay for light, eh?

PSS: I just read this woman's blog about the Resolution Revolution! Nothing new in the world I tell ya, nothing new...It's a fabulous article. Something Becky would have written...

Finally, a good picture

One of the few traditions left of our Christmas past is to go out late on Christmas Eve to see the lumanarias. Generally it's after the crowds and really quiet and peaceful. We go to our favorite places and then some new ones and always end up at a cemetery or 2. Yes, decorating graves with lumanarias is a big deal here, and Christmas trees, toys, lights, poinsettias and anything else you can think of to bring holiday cheer to the dead.
Every year, while my son waits (sometimes not) so patiently in the truck, I run around trying to get even one picture of the beauty and magic of the lights. This year as we were leaving the cemetery, I made one last attempt to capture the light and look what I got! Some loving soul had place a lumanaria on the Virgin's head, like a crown. I really, really like this image so you will probably all get tired of seeing it, but wowsers, it's good...for me and my little point and click camera!
I also experienced the generation gap with my son last night. His favorite was the house that is programed to a radio station and the lights change with the music. Quite the high tech wonder. Blinking light overload for me, bliss for him. Give me a paper bag , sand and a flickering candle any day.
Happy left overs day. And I am still on that light kick as well, so look for the light somewhere today and enjoy it.

The Persistence of Light

Last Friday night I saw a most unusual sight. It was the Solstice, it was snowing, sleeting, and raining for about 10 minutes just at sundown and as I watched, I saw a most beautiful sunset, through the snow, sleet and rain. I was elated and puzzled. Don't think I've even seen a sunset in the snow. The almost full moon was visable that night as well in a cloudy, overcast sky. It made me stop and think....well something has to don't ya think? About light and how it always seem to get in. Even when I think I have the blinds closed tight, the full moon shines in. Even in the darkest sunglasses, some of the brightness shines in.
It seems to me that each holiday celebrated around this time of year, when the days are shortest, revolves around light. Or maybe I read that somewhere, anyway back to what I think... Stars, candles, menorahs in memory of a miraculous light, Kwanzaa candles celebrating community.... and I think I know why. So now you get to hear about my theory of the persistence of light, aren't you happy? Light is there to show us the path we are on, whether it is the right one or to show us where we have strayed, no matter how we resist it. Feel like I am in the dark? Wrong path. Can't seem to see what is right in front of me? Wrong path. Why is this so hard for me to learn? Must be bad lighting. And those people in my life that shine a spotlight on what I am doing right or wrong? Lighthouse keepers trying to keep me from crashing.
Sometimes I have to run out to see the full moon (like last night, isn't that a picture?) because I simply have to have that light right then. Not artificial light, not someone elses light, but the full scope of the natural light that illuminates the night and me. I am partial to the moon at any phase, but it's a glorious full moon right now. I take endless pictures of the full moon trying to hold on to that feeling.
I love Christmas lights and birthday candles and night lights and reading lamps and I think that is what drew me to the Land of Enchantment, that persistent light. Okay, I know first rocks and now light? I could blather on, but it's time to share my wishes for you all:
May you have the light you need
May the be able to see the light at the end of every tunnel and know that there is hope
May the sun shine brightly on your endeavors
May each full moon illuminate all of your good fortune and how many things brought you joy that month
May you feel the warmth in your soul that the light of your friends and family brings you each time you encounter them.
Good light to all and to all a good light!

PS: This photo is one more of my attempts to capture luminarias...in the rain

Bus Stop Art and Enlightenment

I ride the bus. I use to ride it everyday, now only every once in a while. Here, unlike most major cities, people ride the bus only if there isn't a chance in hell they can get somewhere by any other means possible. And why not, it isn't reliable, the buses usually smell, the drivers are always pissed off about something and the buses that are scheduled to run every 10 minutes have updates that say the next bus is due in 19 minutes. The city does great with bus stop art (this is part of a series of mosiacs) and making commercials, just not running buses. However, the biggest perk of riding the bus for me is that I come off of every ride feeling really good about myself and the choices I've made in my life. I should tell you that 2 of the buses I use to ride went to Methadone clinics so maybe my experience isn't typical.
Some days the conversations were soooo enlightening. Like the one about isn't "When did you get out?" the perfect start to any conversation? Could be rehab, could be jail but the salutation is always appropriate. Or the man who explained to me in great detail about his emotional "draggage". And I not only listened and believed his explanation of that draggage but now use the word quite frequently.
But today's was the best. Did you know that Lexus makes all their cars from recycled Coke bottles? No really, except for the top 1/8 or 1/16 (she couldn't remember which) it's all plastic. That's why when you kick them, they spider web. Hummm? She was so appalled about it, she is not even going to buy a Lexus! I did have to loan her the last nickle to get on the bus, but she isn't buying a Lexus, no sirree Bob. She is sticking to American made cars, like Volkswagen. Did I mention it's entertaining too?