Sunday, September 12, 2010

Summer Travels

I haven't been posting for several reasons, one of them because I was in self-imposed soccer banner hell. I finished basting the last of it together as their first game started yesterday and I'll do the real finishing today. It's not as great as I wanted but that's IT. I think it's very sweet how Ashley, though completely opposed to extra crafting, accepts this and eventually ends up enabling the completion. I literally couldn't have done it without him. I should remember this. We're like one of those "Love Is..." comics with the little naked couple. Something like, Love Is... Knowing this will not be the last time - and not running away screaming.

One thing I did this summer was a courier trip to the Navajo Nation to take two textiles made by Juanita, the wife of chief Manuelito in the mid 1800's. A very nice man named Robert drove out on a Monday, and drove us back to Window Rock Tuesday. I asked how he ended up being the driver and he said he went on vacation for two weeks (Harley Davidson rally in Sturgis) and when he got back found out he was volunteered. But he seemed fine with it.
It was a very beautiful day with the big dramatic clouds of the Southwest. Here we are still in California. Up ahead, as if the train is driving right into it, you can see a storm. It's the kind of thing that makes the desert so magical. Even if you didn't know that's what you were looking at you would smell it as you approach.

We drove through it just as we entered Arizona. Robert said when something important comes home it's supposed to rain, so this was a good sign.

More beautiful clouds outside of the Nation. Sadly because it was a courier trip there was no stopping for souvenirs, like the dinosaur fossil, meterorite, petrified wood place. I really wanted to go there...



Entering Navajo Nation




The next day Robert took me on a little tour of the place. So we saw the actual Window Rock.



We installed on Thursday. Three generations of Juanita's descendants were there to greet the truck and for the installation.






Descendants and museum staff. It was an important event for them and I was really grateful to be part of it.