36.043N, -105.811W

Real Estate Course Pays for Self...

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:33:29 -0700

Close. We are in a struggle to recover our security deposit. Our former landlady appears to be making things up to meet her need to retain our deposit. We left no cleaning issues, no damage issues...she's got a condo in Santa Fe, she's a bit over extended....let's just say. Her list of "our damages" changes with each email. This, that.

Well, our two floods this last winter, and the six weeks during severe winter weather that our hot water heater was not w ...

Nathan Muus stirs up the FinnFest!!

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:14:54 -0700

Yes, indeed, our beloved Nathan Muus has stirred back up his Baiki band and is a headliner in Duluth, Minnesota at the FinnFest this week! He's got a spot and a full color picture in the Duluth Tribune News!! I understand there are CD's for sale and if you cannot find one on your own, email us here ane we will put you in touch with the artist himself!!

He has been in the same room as Bob Dylan and Prince at various times. Do NOT WAIT to order your CD!!

All ...

New show, reception

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:56:48 -0700

This weekend I installed a new photography show on "that wall which we share." Richard Hasbrouck, wonderful stuff. I have yet to get him up on the Ghost Pony web site but I will. I'm working this week so personal time is nil--remember I leave here at 6:30am and return at 6pm. You will see Richard's link on the GPG site this weekend.

Anyway, the exhibition is fabulous, his work really, really works well with ours, we had many, many visitors (as compared to las ...

Amazing Elway, Great Day

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:11 -0700

My husband tries to keep me from Willie's spot, gently, if he can, because he's better if I am not tears and snot. That much emotion bothers him. But he's been piling stones and more stones and more--he is probably as emotional as I, but just different. Plus, there's that guy thing. He tells me in South Africa when you are grief-stricken it is perfectly OK and even expected if you fall down and break into tears and wail and wail and wail. Now that's a healthy approach. ...

My Friday

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:09:16 -0700

I'm working 4 days a week in the scale house. I'll be off for four days then I'll be working Tuesday through Friday. It still is kind of fun and all the truck drivers and regular county guys are warming up to me and I'm making some friends. All the customers seem to really like me (I'd even say some of these way old guys are actually flirting with me!) but it's fun and I only really get about one point five assholes a day. Which is really remarkable since this IS L ...

Life in a Postcard

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:39:06 -0700

I rode my motorcycle to work today. What a glorious ride! Between here & Los Alamos via NM503 through Nambé has got to be one of the most beautiful hours one can spend in the entire state. And it was glorious on the way home as well -- in front, in the mirror. Awesome! It's worth getting up a bit earlier just to don the gear. Plus, on the way, you cannot stress about maybe being five minutes late, only fresh air, the early morning, and a wonderland. It's a real stress-e ...

What can I say

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:16:49 -0700

"They" TRY to dig Willie up every day and every night. Leonardo continues to pile stones, I continue to re-plaant the lilies. This sucks. The household has grown quieter and more harmonious, though. Cats are totally loving it again, and really, it was their house first. They're even totally cool with Elway and why shouldn't they be? He could care less if they are a cat or a beetle.

But if I ever see Willie again, no matter how crazed, no matter in what ...

Busy Day!

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:03:40 -0700

OK, maybe Willie is still there, the lilies were dug up again! So they must be after something. I replanted them, again, and we'll pile more stones on today.

Sat here all morning sending out publicity for the new Ghost Pony show going up this coming weekend and the High Road Art Tour to the magazines. The newspapers & radio for that will come up in late August.

Now I'm headed down to Judith's studio to take my real estate final for the "Real Es ...

Insult to Injury

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:37:50 -0700

Wilie's grave has been disturbed. Not only disturbed, completely dug up and I am sure animals have taken him out of there to tear him up. I really, really wanted to make sure he rested peacefully in that nice spot. The lilies I'd planted were strewn all about the field, the cardboard box we buried him in was torn up, scraps everywhere, his headstone was 10 inches down, the grave was completely dug out....Leonardo kept trying to tell me, yes, yes, I'm sure he's still there, ...

It's Getting Better All the Time...

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:48:37 -0700

Slowly but surely. What is it about time that heals? A physical wound or an emotional one. The re-writing and re-programming of the memory in your brain each time you recall it? (See the NYT article from about a week ago) My heart is still knotted up but having Elway here really helps. I did not cry all the way to work today, only just a little bit.

And on the way home I nearly hit (& most certainly would have killed) somebody else's dog. It was white, twice as tall a ...

The Elway Diamond

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:38:05 -0700

It's getting a little better....each day that goes by helps yet each day is still so difficult. The mornings are the worst...when I wake up early, early and Willie needed to go out, I'd let him out the side door then he'd come back in and curl up on the couch with the cutest little half awake/half asleep look in his eyes. Then I have an hours drive to work with nothing but all his cute little habits running visuals through my mind. I wipe away the tears before I go in. The fir ...

I can't think

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:52:26 -0700

of anything that hurts more.

Every shadow I jump, thinking it's Willie coming up to me.

He can't be gone so soon, he just can't! He can't, he can't he can't!

SOMEHOW he WILL come back to us.

WAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLCCCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY, YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW, Noooooottttt WWWWWWWWIIIIIIILLLLIIIIEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNOOOOOOTTTTTMMMMYYYYWWWWWWIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEE ...

RIP William Wallace Moosetracks

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:40:53 -0700

Tonight we laid William Wallace Moosetracks (Willie!) to rest. He was killed by a car whilst being his "flying-squirrel" free-spirited, independent, freedom-loving self.

We buried him in the "soccer field" out back where he loved to play ball.

We feel completely fortunate for having the privilege of being his room-mate and love-of-life for the last five months; he has seared a mark of love and adventure into our hearts. We will never f ...

Saturday!

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:07:46 -0700

Yay! We met some friends down at Truchas' own Back Country Bar last night for a beer & some pool. It just opened a couple weeks ago. It's great to have a little get-together place here in town. A good time was had by all. Heck, we even all got out on the dance floor. Phillipé is going to have bands--he built a stage in back of the bar.

The temp job thing is going well, still enjoying it. The early hours are taking a toll but it looks like I'm going to only go ...

First Day On the Job

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:09:55 -0700

Wasn't so bad. Long drive but a pretty drive. Of course, anywhere from here is an hour so there you have it. Apparently I did very well. I felt confused and rushed and a bit overwhelmed, not to mention forgetful but I was told again and again that I did great. They've got a mllion-dollar database. And PGW thought theirs was expensive!

Leonardo said no visitors in the gallery today, so there, I'm ahead and didn't miss anything.

OK, so you prob ...

GPG goes official with TypePad

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:43:37 -0700

I will continue to blog all my joy and complaints here. Originally I meant this to be the official "art site" but whatever. Things metamorphose. (Is that even a word?) Or I get a bit lazy. Whatever.

You can continue to find your almost daily updates here, with nary a change in tone. I rarely get over to T-blog anymore and those online friends never get over here, so sad. Those relationships seem to have faded away...

But the new thing: TypePad--

http://ghostpon ...

Funny turns and twists

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:54:45 -0700

First I have to say RIP George Carlin. Funnily ennough I was searching desperately for a "song" of his today, only to find that 1) I already had it in my iTunes and 2) that he just passed away. Unnerving to say the least.

In other news the house is really beginning to come together and we are both enjoying our vision and the results of all our hard labor--immensely. This place is just awesome. And we're not even finished yet! OK, you know I love those shows on TV ...

It's that time of year

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:24:31 -0700

Fireworks are forbidden in many places around here because it is so dry. Gunshots, however, are summer recreation. We hardly hear any, far, far fewer than in West Oakland!

Our town dog, Elway, however, will exit my house for days if I get the stapler out to stretch a canvas or put up lights. He just does not like it. So he's been at our place for days (ok by me, my husband calls him my dreadlocked boyfriend) but he did exit a couple days ago when, yes, I got out the stapler to ...

More Progress

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:46:48 -0700

Now we have a towel bar, towel ring, and toilet paper holder in the bathroom. Details are important too. ALL the bags of clothes are put away and now there's room to get to work on the bookshelves in the library area.

I started organizing in the studio today. It was functional until we moved all our stuff down here, now I can barely get from one side to the other. It'll take a lot more work.

The things we like about this place are the same things that mak ...

Birthday Bath

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:03:57 -0700

It's in! The Birthday Bath by Kohler...you can google and find a picture of the tub & fixtures. I'll get around to posting up a picture as well. We took our first baths...the sink is in in the bathroom too. Today I'll hang the mirrors & move some bathroom stuff around.

I got my bags of clothes put away for the most part...I'm not sure what is next. Maybe bring in some stacks of books? Put my lima bean salad together! Right now I've got to go check the mai ...

A Great Day, AT HOME!!

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:55:14 -0700

Ahhhhh. A wonderful day. I spent the entire day in the kitchen, and now it looks a lot like a kitchen. All surfaces are not covered with boxes, tools, and stacks of miscellaneous stuff. The table is clear, the woodstove surface is clear, the gas stove surface is clear. There are NO boxes in the middle of the floor, all the dishes, pots, and pans have found a home, even our little microwave has it's own corner.

The chile lights have made it up to the viga over the ...

OK, I Said Yes

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:10:16 -0700

We went to do our shopping today. I decided it was better to just get on with it and get it out of the way.

Leonardo really DID want to go in--he needed plumbing parts. And you know that is a good thing to get what we still need in that area. He's working on how to install that magnificent piece of bathroom tub fixture even though we have the floor in. We figure to put on a big concrete bit and go through the slate and ...

Recovering

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:53:04 -0700

We ache all over. We went down to Rancho for lunch & margaritas today. Leonardo is lounging around watching the game and I'm just sitting. When I woke up today I ached all over! I still kind of do, I think it'll take a couple days. Leonardo wants to go into town tomorrow to pick up supplies, groceries, etc. That is really the last thing I want to do. Ugh. It's hot up here, it is sweltering down there and that is not my idea of a day off, shopping. Double ugh. Plus I need n ...

OK, ALMOST.....

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:36:32 -0700

the last day at the old place. I've closed out the house, if I've forgotten to clean anything, oh well. We do have to secure an additional hand to move the piano out. But we have every single thing out of there except that, I've dusted, swept, washed windows, mopped all the floors. The stove, sink, tub, microwave, washer, dryer, and refrigerator are spotless. Whew. And I'm SO glad to be finished with that task, the hardest part of moving is the last little scrappy bits.

Hot Water

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:15:31 -0700

...has been achieved in the new house. Now we just need to hook up the tub & bathroom sink. One little snag...the tub fixtures were meant to be hooked up under the floor but the floor is in & there's no going under now. So we have to figure something out there. Cause the fixtures are waaaaaay too cool to change out.

Last day of moving & cleaning at the old place!

...

Miracle!

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:34:41 -0700

The kitties are lounging on the bed and about 8 feet away the dog is lounging on the couch I just moved inside. Peacefully! Willie is actually capable of self-control. To a point, anyhow. It's all good, good progress.

It's hot up here today, it must really be baking down in the valley. It's looking like we will actually be able to complete the move out by tomorrow. The move IN, however, is another ...

Moving Progress

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:24:23 -0700

Ugh. Moving is always SUCH a chore. The house is virtually empty. We still have the couch and the piano, need husband's help with those. Otherwise I have a bit of cleaning to do and we are leaving our bath stuff down there as we are still using that tub. Ours isn't hooked up yet.

I'm doing the moving and Leonardo is busy finishing up the closet, the electricity, the hot water heater/plumbing, etc.

So I&# ...

Moving Day

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:51:36 -0700

Today is moving day. Rather, this is moving week. Must be out of up there by Sunday. Urk. We still have to put the wood stove in, hook up electricity in the kitchen, and put in hot water heater & hook up plumbing to bathtub & bathroom sink. Leonardo thinks we can do all this.

Our first 2nd Sunday was a bust. We only had 1 visitor but enjoyed visiting with our plein aire painters. We had our cookout just f ...

OBAMA, OBAMA, OBAMA

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:30:01 -0700

That's it. Get out there and do your work.

...

Cabinets are in!

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:04:14 -0700

I have installed kitchen cabinets and they look great! Not really that big a deal, a little frustration leveling them out in this old adobe where there are few things actually level or plumb. I managed it in an afternoon...my morning was spent trying to get that charge for our recent sale to go through.

The credit card machine no longer works through my router (probably something to do with that static IP I now have) and after 45 minutes on the phone with a technician (we got cut ...

Snow!

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:38:41 -0700

There was a ferocious storm this morning and we woke up to 3 inches of snow, then it rained, then it hailed. It is hailing off and on today. Like they say: In Truchas there is winter and then there is July! So I am back in long johns as the old wood stove is out and the new one is not quite in though Leonardo is working on it as we speak.

Miscevil is getting comfortable in the new house, Wizzy is still hiding in the wall in the workshop&n ...

Kitty Introduction

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:00:27 -0700

Things have gone more smoothly than I could have imagined (it's not over though, not by a long shot). Not without a hitch, but very well, nevertheless. (Please ignore typos, my keyboard is like glue these days and I fear I must buy yet another new one. Truchas dust, cat hair, dog hair, dead bugs. And even live ones) It's an effort to type at all.

Willie is spending night in his crate whilst kitties are let out to explore new premises. Wiz ...

TV

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:36:51 -0700

Ahh, we finally have TV! The poor guy didn't get here until after 6 and he's still at it at 8:30--but we're about to wrap up the paperwork.

Then Leonardo and I will go to the other house and load up the kitties and the bed, then come back here and pop open a bottle of champagne, for not only is this our first night in the new place--we sold one of Leonardo's pain ...

Kitchen Range & lawnmower

Sat, 31 May 2008 17:56:36 -0700

Leonardo put in the massive outlet for the new electric kitchen range today...We have stove! The antique stoves will get set up too, just not right away. Wood cookstove will work by fall and the gas....we’ll get to that when we get to that. We have not yet decided whether to keep the electric range when we get the others hooked up or not....we’ll just have to live with everything for awhile & see how it all works.

Husband is putting in some other electrical wiring ...

Surprise!!

Fri, 30 May 2008 19:02:10 -0700

We have phone AND internet at Ravenswind now (remember, that is the name of the new house itself). I am sitting right now in the great room, afternoon sun streaming in the 3 small windows along the sunset side, blogging from my old desk, the small desk, which will be the computer desk. Turn my chair around and I face the big desk, the roll top desk, the desk that is allowed to be a desk without a computer on top.

The tangle of wires that used to mess up everyone’s fung shui ...

No Surpise

Wed, 28 May 2008 22:16:00 -0700

Windstream was supposed to shut off phone/internet here today & turn it on down there. I faithfully remained available from 12 to 5pm. They were a no-show. Service is still on here, not on there. I’m not really that upset as Windstream, historically and as expected, is completely incompetent and inept and I really didn’t believe they could actually accomplish such a simple task as promised. There’s no glory in being right. Lowered blood pressure though, I imagine that& ...

Committees, Meetings, House, Oh My!

Tue, 27 May 2008 22:12:24 -0700

Urk. So I’m on the publicity committee for the High Road Art Tour this fall. Of course I would be, I’m Miss PR. ;-) Looks like I’m going to learn a few new things. Well, it’s a different arena and I welcome the opportunity. I am in a position to work with people who have been involved with the High Road Tour for a number of years as well as people with diverse, complex backgrounds with new views on the same old task. Plus I’m able to offer my extensive experien ...

Progress report

Mon, 26 May 2008 21:25:40 -0700

Leonardo is making short work of the big floor in the back room (853 square feet). He’s got a third of the old sub-floor up, leveled (sometimes he had to add as much as 2” in areas!) and the new sub-floor down...OSB. That new fake-plywood pressed/glued stuff. Then we’ll put the old boards back on top, flipped over, sanded, diagonally. That’ll be our plank floor. It’s looking and feeling so much like a house and not a project!

I finished the “bat ...

Most Sacred Ground

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:44:34 -0700

We attended a BBQ party this evening up the road at Sean and Julie’s. It was awesome, as usual, all our favorite folks were there, and as usual, a few new ones. It was great.

Sacred ground: We found out....and there are pictures, most likely by Lisa Law, and actually published in a book....Janis Joplin sat in this house, back in Truchas’ “Hippie War” days. (late 60’s)

Also there was an incident when a neighb ...

Amazing life, isn't it?

Sat, 24 May 2008 00:32:00 -0700

Ghost Pony Gallery made "Pasatiempo," the New Mexican's (daily paper)
weekly art magazine's calendar listings for the FIRST TIME today (after a
year of sending press releases)---and our listing is directly below a BIG
photo of Sandy Chism’s painting @ William and Joseph!

Sandy Chism is showing at William and Joseph Gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. She is a friend of my husbands friend. We both met her for the first time tonight as we went ...

Little Ice Age

Thu, 22 May 2008 23:34:23 -0700

A couple days ago it was like summer. I kid you not. I got a sunburn on my “window arm” just driving down to Española in late afternoon. Not a little color. Full on red, brittle skin!

Husband has declared it summer (over and over and over again--He’s from South Africa and California. He’s been trying to make it summer since April. That’s absolutely hopeless.)

So. After a few warm days, we think we can plant the roses. Today it is clo ...

Fin d'�tage

Wed, 21 May 2008 20:26:08 -0700

Oui, oui, l'étage de salle de bains est fini!

The bathroom floor is finished. The fabulous multi-colored slate is adhered to the floor with special adhesive made just for natural stone. The black grout has been forced in all the seams, smoothed out, scrubbed off all the tiles, and is now resting and curing. It is absolutely wonderful! The sub-floor has a distinct, uh, organic sweep to it, however the slate is down and that’s that. Husband promises to use a lev ...

Tragic Flaw

Tue, 20 May 2008 22:34:16 -0700

First, Willie's home and he's fine. The vet wants us to "keep him quiet" for 10 days. We may as well have an assignment to discover Atlantis and the all missing crystal skulls by the weekend. I’m always up for a challenge. Apparently. I seem to keep bringing them on, don’t I?

Tragic Flaw.
Cutting the 12” x 12” slate tiles into 6” x 6’s.” Sigh. There’s a reason they charge ...

Slate floor

Mon, 19 May 2008 07:46:52 -0700

Wow! The bathroom floor is looking great. I’ve got all the slate laid except the pieces around two edges that must be cut to size—that’s today’s first task. I already cut a few pieces by hand that go around drain pipes. Slate is easy to cut, you just use an abrasive blade on a regular saw. Laying the tile is pretty much a no-brainer, just spread the adhesive, rake through it with a special trowel and position the tile with the help of tile spacers. Nothing to it, real ...

Living in Paradise, at the Top of the World

Fri, 16 May 2008 21:28:40 -0700

TTonight's BBQ was exceptional, it was the first real meal we made at our new place, BBQ in the front yard. Roast corn, steaks to perfection, the season’s first potato salad, baked beans, just sweet enough. And that's not even the best part.

The best part was the view, the presence of the landscape. The awesome 180 degree plus view. A thousand times more outside than we ever saw at this place. We are on the edge of the mountain, the edge of the canyon, the edge of th ...

Happy Friday!

Fri, 16 May 2008 17:17:10 -0700

We're doing a little BBQ at the new house just for us. Maybe have a martini too. We have new, improved, mini-martini glasses. Might even put the chili lights up ;-)

I'm back here making potato salad, Leonardo is shoring up the bathroom floor. Today I put a fence up all around our little apple tree in the back. It keeps trying to grow and the cattle keep eating it's top off. No way t ...

Getting closer!!

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:44:44 -0700

The last few days have been so cold it felt like it could snow. When the fog cleared off the mountain we saw that it did snow! Today is sunny, first day in several, so we hold out hope for warmer weather as well. NOW I think it is safe to put our roses in the ground.

We are kicking ass on the house! I finished the 3 layer paint job in the bathroom—Lavender/lilac with purple tiny X-mas lights up on the vigas. (I think we’re calling it the “Starlight Room.”) ...

NEW PIX ON TRISHTOWN

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:09:52 -0700

I promised and I promised and I meant it. But you MUST understand. NOW we live in the land of Manana. And that doesn't mean "tomorrow" here. It means "not today."

http://www.trishtown.com/blog.html

Enjoy! Sorry it took so darn long!

XO, T & L

...

Exhibition Announcement

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:18:53 -0700

Spirit of the Southwest, Ghost Pony Gallery’s first exhibition of the season, opens in their new, permanent location Sunday, May 11, 2008. This year it is Mother's Day as well as "Bonita's Birthday." May 11th will be the annual kickoff each year for the art season at Ghost Pony Gallery.

Spirit of the Southwest features the stunning photography of Rebecca O'Day. Rebecca captures the essence of the Southwest in details and ambiance, cre ...

OMG, my new desk!!

Sat, 10 May 2008 21:49:01 -0700

What a few days. Seems like a few weeks.

Apparently I’ve turned into a morning person. Baffling. For the last few weeks (since I was deathly ill, actually) I’ve been waking up incredibly early (for me) like somewhere between 6am and 8:30. 8:30 used to be awfully early for me. I rather enjoy the morning. Trouble is, it cuts into my beloved nighttime. I mean, I’m worn out and ready for bed by 9:30 or 10! What’s that all about?

In any case, a bett ...