Desert Travels

Last week was taken up by visits to M's parents, who live in Mesa, AZ.  They live in a retirement community, where people live in trailers so they have plenty of room for every kind of activity imaginable.  We love visiting them, because we can play and play all day.  There is Bocce Ball, Lawn Bowling, tennis, golf, a putting green, horseshoes, pool, pickle ball, a library, a hiking club, a biking club, silversmithing, quilting, stained glass, ...  You name it, and they seem to have it.  I could see how people would want to spend their retirement in a place like that!  Who wouldn't?  It's a magical place, where even dogs can ride in golf carts. 

Here I am, trying my hand at lawn bowling.

Pono travels in style.

We had a chance to hike the neighboring desert while we were there, and the Sonoran Desert is much greener than our Mohave Desert.  There were some flowers, just beginning to emerge, but I think the best display is probably going to be in another week.  (M said we can't go back, just for flowers.  I asked.)  I was having another love affair, this time with the magnificent Saguaro Cactus.  I probably took 70 photos of them.  Apparently, they don't begin to grow an arm until they are about 70 years old!  The Saguaro is the state flower of Arizona, and unlike the Joshua Tree, they bloom every year, regardless of rainfall.  I wish I could see them bloom.  Maybe I will sneak back to AZ without M knowing...Shhh...don't tell

Arizona

This past weekend, M and I went to visit his parents in Mesa, AZ.  They stay there in the winter months, at a place called Venture Out.  It is a retirement community, and the residents live in trailers.  It is a great place to live, if you are retired and like to stay busy.  They have all kinds of activities and social gatherings.   There is a stained glass workshop, woodworking, lapidary, art classes, hiking groups, swimming pools, etc.  Just about any activity you might be interested in can be found.  We had a really good visit, and enjoyed some pretty warm (hot) temperatures while there.  (93 degrees, in November!)

I love the drive to the Phoenix area, since we take the back roads.  There are plenty of sagauro and ocotillo cactus along the way!  I was having fun, as the passenger, clicking photos through the window of the zooming vw van.  Here are a few shots for your enjoyment.

I am busy preparing for an art festival in Ventura, California this coming Saturday, November 14th.  I will be downtown, in a tent, near Mission Park on Main Street.  The festival is from 11 to 6 pm, so if you are interested in stopping by, click on this link for more information.  I will have brand new paintings and monotypes with me - some of which I created yesterday and today!!!   Hot off the press!  I will be right next to my friend and fellow artist, Tina Bluefield.   You can also send me an email, to get more information about this event.  karine@karineswenson.com

I will have photos of some of the new monotypes for you soon.  Happy Monday, and stay tuned!

Even MORE Travels

Once again, my lack of new entries is due to travels. This time, Matthias, Pono and I loaded into the old VW Vanagon and drove to Mesa, AZ to visit my in-laws. We are really enjoying the Vanagon! It doesn't go really fast, so we prefer the back roads to the interstate. It makes for much more scenic travel, too.

We just returned last night. It was a fun-filled 3 days. We celebrated a belated Christmas with Mama and Papa Recker. Lots of wonderful food, friends and gifts. There were many highlights of the trip. I am finding that I really love the saguaro cactus. On Friday, Eva, Matthias, Pono and I went for a really great hike near the Superstition Wilderness. I took way too many photos of the saguaro. They are so cool! This area seemed quite lush with vegetation (well, for a desert!). It was much greener than the area near Joshua Tree. It was not a long hike - only about 2 hours round trip - but what beautiful surroundings! It was a rocky trail, and I was so busy looking around me, that I had to be careful not to trip over the rocks.

The trail ended near some pools of water, and on the rocks lining the pools, there are a bunch of petroglyphs. I climbed around on the rocks for quite some time, taking photos of the petroglyphs. I loved them. Meanwhile, Pono splashed around in the lowest of the pools. He isn't much of a swimmer, but he does love water. The petroglyphs here were created by the Hohokam people. They are said to be about 200 to 2,000 years old. (They were not all done at the same time.) The early cowboys and miners of this area erroneously called these carvings "hieroglyphs", but of course they are really petroglyphs. The trail is called "Hieroglyph Trail" for the name originally given these wonderful images. I found out that there is a difference between "petroglyphs", which are actually carved into rock, and "pictographs", which are paintings. It is not common to see many "pictographs", since they don't last as long as the petroglyphs. You will typically only see them if they are somehow sheltered from the elements.

I really love ancient art, and I did study this kind of art when I was in college. Anytime I can see examples of primitive art in person, I am thrilled. This time was no exception.

Well, I have more to tell you, but I need to reorganize my studio today, so I can paint! This post took a lot longer than it should have, because I was interrupted by a bobcat walking through our yard. I can't just let a bobcat walk through the yard without getting up and observing closely. Pono was also intrigued, and sat right next to me with quiveringly excited ears. I will try to be more consistant with the blog now, I swear!