I hope you are all doing well, I have so enjoyed all of your emails, texts, and facebook posts of well wishes and suggestions for places to check out. Plus all of you are interesting in following along on my travels!
It was also wonderful to have a thunder and lightning storm the other night, it’s been a long time since we had one that spectacular here.
Today is Wednesday and I was supposed to leave on Friday. Well that has been postponed to Sunday so that I don’t have to pay $300 or more for a one night stay in a motel on the way.
It will be fine…
Lots of details, appointments to get done, deciding what I can take that will all fit in the car, which route to take is also a concern because of all the fires throughout California and Oregon.
Dogs are getting haircuts today so they will be comfortable in the more humid climate and we will also have fleas to deal with so shorter hair will make it easier.
When to stop the mail, what to set the sprinklers at so everything doesn’t die, but helps conserve water, and all those other details that are more than when you leave for a weekend. I do have a good friend keeping an eye on things here which will ease my mind as I wander off to parts unknown, at least by me.
Then there is the packing, personal stuff is easy, it’s what to take for art fairs, how many art supplies, dog toys, treats, and beds, etc., it’s like having toddlers!
The hardest bit of packing has to do with art supplies, These days I am working in watercolor and colored pencil so that requires different tools and materials. And there is only so much room I can allow to this in my Subaru Outback. Yes, I know there are art supply stores where I am going, however art supplies are expensive and hard to rationalize buying more when I have what I need here. But invariably I will forget something or not bring enough of something so I will be happy to have real stores to shop in.
Over the weekend I sorted and packed finished framed, matted, and unframed works to sell and have packed them ready to load. I have been very prolific the last 2 years and I have lots of new works to take with me.
Also spending time with friends. This is hard, because it will be awhile before we see each other again, but we will because I have to come back to sell the house. We will still keep in touch, but it will be different and that is the hard part.
I have spent a lot of time this week thinking about what I have enjoyed about being part of this valley’s community. Some of them are the friendly people, for sure, the amazing skies in the desert, brilliant sunrises, sunsets, and lenticular clouds. The mountains that surround us and the great expanse of desert landscape that lets your eyes travel miles while you stay in one place, and the variety and beauty of the wildflowers that are so unique to this area. I will miss the Petroglyph Festivals, and Randsburg Old West Day and our local Open Studio events and museum offerings. I will miss these things for sure, however these will all be added to my memories of places I have lived and because of all the photos I have taken over the years, I can go back to them whenever I want.
So it’s been a rather stressful week and and I am doing my best to maintain sanity and get at least some sleep every night. I am also continuing to draw which always helps me cope with stress. The above image is what I’m working on. A colored pencil drawing of a morning’s harvest from my garden. Hoping to have it finished by the time I leave Sunday morning. It’s getting close.
Well, that’s all I have so far,
Have a great week and keep in touch!
Cheryl
Cheryl McDonald is a fine artist and photographer from Ridgecrest, CA on a trek to explore the North West United States.
On to the Next Adventure 