Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary

      Located at an altitude of 7500' and surrounded by Navajo and Zuni reservations is Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary -- a magical place.  We visited here earlier this month. They rescue wolves that people have tried to keep as pets, only to discover that wolves are not meant to be pets.

      I had heard about the Sanctuary and "adopted" Teton, an Arctic wolf, last Christmas. As soon as I found out they had a cabin you could rent I began planning a visit.

The Gift Shop

    You check in at the Gift Shop for tours and to pick up the key to the cabin.  Across the dirt road is the Candy Kitchen country store where we bought lunch before beginning our visit.  They make a great turkey sub. 

        After lunch we were ready for our first event, a standard tour of all of the wolves and other rescued animals.  Although most of the animals are wolves or hybrid wolves,  they have a couple of coyotes, an aging red fox, and some Australian Singing Dogs. They even have some feral dog survivors of hurricane Katrina that were misidentified as wolves.  The one thing all of the animals had in common was their need for a safe and permanent home. 

Off the Grid Cabin

The cabin is solar powered and beautifully decorated inside. But the best thing about it is that a wolf might visit you here!

Storm

Leyton, the Director, with Storm

       I was so excited when Leyton brought Storm to the cabin. You can read about Storm's interesting family story on their web site.  His wolf mother was a rescue, but he and his siblings ended up being raised by Leyton.
       Storm and his brother Flurry are very sociable.   I was able to rub their ears and pet them.  Storm even leaned against me. Their other brother, Teton, is not sociable.  I could only see him at a distance since he stayed high up the hill that's in his enclosure.  But that's the way of wolves. You take them as they are.
        The next day, however, I got to visit with Flurry and hear him howl.  He has a beautiful voice!      

Flurry

I asked Leyton if I could have some wolf fur to use in my jewelry, and he said I could. I brought home a handful and added a bit to my wolf necklace.  

 On the back is a secret paw pocket that I made from ultra suede.  I tucked a bit of wolf fur into it. Near to my heart until I can return to Wild Spirit.

On the Road to Santa Fe

      We took a road trip to New Mexico last week and made a stop in Santa Fe. It's the home of Guadalupe's Fun Rubber Stamps. I had been to their store a few years ago, but now they've moved into a bigger location on Don Gaspar Avenue near the Plaza.

     I found some great southwest stamps and a new (to me anyway) spray ink from Ranger. I'm still learning its properties. In the meantime I couldn't resist using one of the new scenic stamps to make a quick page for my journal.

     Guadalupe's has a large selection of southwest stamps. This one is from B & J's Art Stamps, which is also based in New Mexico. I stamped on a half sheet of Bitty Scrap Pads Backgrounds paper then used a couple of Copic markers and a few colored pencils to add a touch of tint to the building and mountain tops.

     The wolf stamp is one I've had for a while and love. The maker's name has worn off from use.  I should have fussy cut out the turquoise by their legs, but I was in a hurry. If I make another one for a card, I'll definitely do that.  I stamped them in turquoise ink to remind me of the Turquoise Trail, the name given to the scenic drive between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.  If you get a chance to drive it, I heartily recommend you do.

      The significance of the wolves is that they were the primary reason for the trip. We first went to Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary to see the rescued wolves.  I hope to have more information and a few pictures posted about them soon.  The trip to the Sanctuary and to Santa Fe was great. One I hope to repeat again next year.

           

Happy Mother's Day

Flowers from Aaron that I'm sharing with mothers everywhere.