Spanish Market

       Yesterday we road the Light Rail to the Heard Museum's Spanish Market.  There were rows and rows of all types of arts and crafts--rugs, jewelry, paintings, photographs, wood carvings and more. 

       All of the artists were Spanish or of Spanish heritage.    Some were local, but many came from out-of-state and even out-of-country.   I met up with one group from Peru.   

My favorite guy holds my treasures while I take the picture.

A Mariachi trio serenaded the shoppers.   

Santos and crosses were very popular and beautiful.

       I bought a nativity scene from the Peruvian ladies.   It has a llama watching over the baby Jesus instead of the traditional camel.    

My favorite treasure came from the Martinez Weavers from Chimayo, New Mexico.

      The purse is leather and wool, with a different weave pattern on the back.  I  love the little beads, too. 

       The Chimayo community is north of Sante Fe, and has a lot of weavers.   They can be seen on the web at Chimayo Weavers.   We hope to get to visit the area on our next trip to New Mexico.    We loved Sante Fe, but we didn't have enough time to go north to Taos.  The Chimayo community is located between the two, so it is definitely on my list of places to see.

       After visiting the Spanish Market, we walked down to the Phoenix Art Museum.   We wanted to see the West Select exhibit.  A sculpture titled "Mousing", a bronze of a coyote in mid-jump, was my favorite.   When we were in Yellowstone, we watched a coyote catching mice.  This sculpture brought back great memories.    

      The Museum also had an exhibit of beaded Mormon bonnets--beautiful--and a new exhibit called Iconic Arizona was just opening.   Iconic Arizona included photographs of San Xavier del Bac, which we have visited, and Hoover Dam, which is on Kent's list of places he wants to see.  

     On the way back we stopped at Switch, our favorite "big city" restaurant.   I had a glass of Llama Malbec in honor of my Peru treasure.  

Delicious!     

A Salute to Veteran's Day Aid & Attendance

      On this Veteran's Day I am grateful to our veterans and to a VA program called Aid and Attendance.   

     Aid and Attendance is a benefit for veterans or their widows who reside in assisted living or nursing homes.  The primary requirements are that the veteran must have served at least one day in a war zone and the veteran or widow must now need assistance in an assisted living or nursing home facility.     The program is not well known. The best source for information can be found at Veteran Aid.         

     Both my father and father-in-law were veterans of World War II.  I first learned about the program when my father-in-law needed to be in an assisted living facility.    The program helped him afford the special care that he needed during the last year of his life. 

       My father died many years ago, and my mother now resides in assisted living.   As his widow, she was eligible for the program.   No one at the facility mentioned this program as a resource to help pay for her care.   But because I knew about Aid & Attendance through my father-in-law, I was able to help my mother apply.   The program pays a monthly benefit amount, which helps so much in affording the high cost of an assisted living facility.  

      My father would be very pleased to know that his service during World War II is now helping my mother.

     So on this Veteran's Day I salute not only our veterans, but also the VA and the congressional representatives who vote to fund and support these important programs.

      

       

  

Litchfield Park Festival

        I'm coming out of a work-induced hibernation, and there's no better way to do that than to enjoy a day in the sun, listening to great music.

        The Litchfield Park Festival featured Arvel Bird, my favorite Native American musician, and my favorite Native American group, Estun-Bah.    The downtown area was closed off and lined with booths of art, jewelry, and food.    All afternoon the musicians performed on the stage in the center of the festival.

       Arvel Bird played a lot of my favorites from his "Animal Totems" CDs , including Red Tail Hawk.   The first time I heard him perform was at a different festival in Litchfield.  As he performed Red Tail Hawk, a real red tail hawk circled in a thermal above the stage area.   A magical moment.
      He has won many American and Canadian awards, including being named Artist of the Year in 2007 by the Native American Music Awards.   Today he performed songs from many of his albums, including some of his newer Celtic songs.   I bought his latest CD, "Ride Indian Ride", which is listed as Blues Rock.  He played the title song, and it sounded great.  I can't wait to listen to the entire album.

      Estun-Bah features Tony Duncan on flute (in blue above), Darrin Yazzie on guitar (in red and black), and Jeremy Dancing Bull on drums (see photo below).    In addition to being a great musician, Tony Duncan is the World Champion Hoop Dancer.   He performed a hoop dance today, but I couldn't get a good picture.  But you can see a picture of him at the Hoop Dance Competition that was held at the Heard Museum this year on my February 6, 2011 blog.
      On the end in yellow is Tony's wife, Violet.    She performed a Shawl Dance, one of the women's social dances.   Very graceful and colorful.    The lady in pink must be family, too, but I'm afraid I didn't get her name.   Their baby also made a brief appearance--so cute!  He was being held on a traditional cradleboard, but  I  missed getting his photo.  When I took the above pic, he was asleep.  
     I bought their CD "From Where the Sun Rises", and I'm listening to it as I write tonight.   Beautiful songs.   Their CD's can be found on Canyon Records.  This album was a finalist in the Best Instrumental category, 2011 NAMA.

     In addition to playing drums, Jeremy Dancing Bull also performed a men's grass dance.   I had never seen this type of dance before.  It comes from the northern plains tribes where tall grasses grow.   In order to prepare the area for the tribe, the young men had to stomp down the prairie grass.    The dance celebrates this tradition.  It is often the first dance performed at a pow-wow or other gathering to bless the dance and dancers.   A very powerful and energetic dance!

 

      The arts were beautiful, especially these Navajo weavings. 

     Jewelry, pottery, paintings, and photographs were abundant.   Something to please everyone.  I picked up a few small Christmas gifts--it will be here soon--and wished I could have bought a lot more.  
      My wish list is always bigger than my checkbook.  If only Kent would win the lottery.....
     

From Hail to Rainbows

   On Saturday two weeks ago, it nearly reached 100F.  Yesterday it hailed.  

    In Arizona we've grown used to the laws and the politicians being crazy, but we could count on the weather being great.   Not today!     

The sunflower mat outside my casita is dotted with hail pellets. 

       Rain began falling early, sometime during the night.   The community garage sale, which is only held twice a year, was cancelled due to the gloomy forecast.   Good call on that one.

       Around noon it stopped raining, but it was so chilly I had to turn the furnace on.   In April.   A day or so ago I heard other people's air conditioners running.  
       The hail didn't last long.  By 4 o'clock the rain had nearly stopped.   Dark clouds hung heavy in part of the sky, but the sun  began to shine.   I knew to go look outside for an Arizona treat.

      The reward for the bad weather day was a double rainbow.  It was spectacular.
     Now  if we could only get our politicians to give us some rainbows.....
      

A Day in the Life of an Argentine Giant

                 Argentine Giants (Echinopsis candicans)  are cacti that look very dull and ordinary all year.   But when they bloom, they are spectacular.  Often they bloom at night, and by morning they are already looking a bit old.  But yesterday morning I caught them when the blooms were just about ready to open.

       All day we checked on them.   By late afternoon, the blooms had opened.  These flowers are at their prime, only a few hours old.

The flowers are large, about 5 inches across.

Yuma, Algodones, and Dates

      We took advantage of the extra day off that President's Day gave me to take a trip to Yuma and cross over the border into Algodones, Mexico.    

       I work in Parker, Arizona, which is now in La Paz County.  But at one time it was part of Yuma County.  In the early 1980s they divided the county into two parts.   The northern part became La Paz.  So it was closer to leave from work on Friday than drive home and back-track down to Yuma the next day.  
      The drive was a fairly straight shot down Rt 95 through Quartzsite and into Yuma.   I was hoping to see some wildlife since a couple of wildlife refuges border the highway, but they were hiding.  

       We stayed at a Clarion that was clean and comfortable.   Close to lots of restaurants and only 10 miles from Algodones.   We planned to cross the border on Saturday morning, which we did, but earlier than expected.    We were rudely awakened by unexpected and very loud thunder early Saturday morning.    The usual sunshine that Yuma is known for was nowhere to be seen.   Rain was pouring and puddling around the motel.
        By the time we got ready to leave the rain had slacked off, but it drizzled off and on past noon.   But it didn't stop us from having a fun time in Algodones.
        The border is easy to cross going into Mexico.  Just drive up to the parking lot, park your car, and walk across.  The imaginary line that causes the politicians so much worry around here didn't bother any of us.  Coming back in took a lot longer due to computer problems, but we didn't know that was coming.
     In Mexico, everyone was friendly and eager to sell you their items.  The rain kept a few of the street vendors away for a while, but they returned later.   It takes a bit to get used to the constant attention of people wanting you to look at their stuff, but everyone was polite about it.
     We were on a mission to check out drug prices for when I retire and no longer have prescription coverage.   The prices were very low on some items, but still high on some specialty items.   But they were all definitely lower than what things cost here without insurance.    And I don't need a prescription for any of the drugs over there.   Very handy.   Lots of people were going to the dentists there due to the much lower cost.  Everyone seemed happy with the quality, too.
      I priced new glasses, too, but decided to hold off on them for a while.
     After checking out pharmacies and opticians, I was ready for some fun shopping.  We met a really nice man named Fix in Casa del Sol.  He makes decorative metal items, and I couldn't resist the lovely sun he made.
     In addition to being a good artist, he was a really good sport.  He spoke Spanish with me, even though I am just learning and must have hurt his ears.      His sculpture now decorates our casita.

      We had lunch in a small cafe that had really good food and even better atmosphere.   We would have eaten outside in the courtyard, but the rain had left all of the chairs too wet to use.   But we were treated to some unexpected entertainment inside when a young musician began playing and singing his guitar.   He was very good.
     After lunch in Mexico, we returned to Yuma and toured the historic district.   I found a rubber stamp store, and Kent found a wine shop.  We were both happy campers and came home with some souvenirs.   Mine will last longer. 
      We had a great dinner at an Italian restaurant, Ciao Bella.  I had Seafood Fettuccine that was fantastic.   Kent tried their Eggplant Parmesan and said it was very good, too.   The decor was eclectic elegant, with candles, white table clothes, flowers, and a variety of small lamps that gave it a quaint, comfortable feel.
      The next morning we went back to the Historic District.   We wanted to have breakfast at the Garden Cafe     They are known for their Swedish pancakes that are made healthy with oatmeal and served with ligonberries.   Kent said they were delicious.   I had a Southwest Quiche, which was cheesy and packed with fresh vegetables.   
       Next door to the Cafe is a museum that has a large display of birds.   We loved sitting outside on the patio watching the birds while we ate breakfast.   It was still chilly, but they turned on gas heaters that made it possible to enjoy the outdoors.   
       After breakfast we decided to head home since it was too chilly to do any walking around the town.   I wanted to see camels, too, which I thought were at Dateland, Arizona.    It turned out I was wrong, but we did find the famous Date Shakes.   Yummy!!!!
      So after looking at this Post, I realize we pretty much ate our way through Yuma.   Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

Drinkin' in the Desert - The Nellie E. Saloon

     Last weekend I went with friends from work to the Nellie E. Saloon, or Desert Bar as the locals call it. It’s fun, quirky, and remote. The Bar is located 5 miles into the Buckskin Mountains on a winding, up and down trail-of-a-road called Cienega Springs Road, outside of Parker, Arizona, off of State Route 95.

     Jackie drove us in her HUGE truck since she knew the way and her truck is tough. I’m not sure my Accord could have made the trip in and out. Most of the vehicles in the parking lot were trucks, jeeps, ATVs, or otherwise desert-prepared.

Taken from the parking lot looking toward the Bar.   Solar panels are the only source of power here.

There’s a chapel in the parking lot that the owner built. It’s open so you can enjoy God’s handiwork more. But we didn’t spend much time here-- we had come to find the Bar! From the parking lot you cross a covered, wood bridge to reach it.

      The site was once copper mine called the Nellie E. A man named Ken bought the land in 1975. The full story is at The Desert Bar.
    
     The Nellie E. Saloon is unique. The main level has a really cool bar with wagon wheels and mining memorabilia adding the ambiance. There’s a lower lever with more food options, and an upper level with umbrella tables and a really great view. Tina, another friend, works at the grill in the lower level so we bought our lunch there. My sandwich was great—grilled beef smothered with onions and peppers. Yummy! Restrooms are up another hill, and there’s a great view of the mountains from the Ladies.

     The Bar got some bad reviews in a web site I’ve seen, but I think that’s unfair. The Bar is limited but it’s in the middle of the desert. No one should expect it to be “Cheers”. Its uniqueness is part of the charm. A major complaint was the limited hours. It’s only open on the weekends from Labor Day to Memorial Day. But the population of Parker is small, and summers here are way too hot to have folks driving into the desert to go to a Bar.

     Just like in “Field of Dreams”, if you build a bar, people will come. We got there early, before the place officially opened, in order to get a parking spot. By the time we left a few hours later, the place was packed. The band was really good, too, and played a variety of old favorites.   We had such a great time; we’re all planning our next trip.