Santa Fe, New Mexico

This is The Commons, 27 families live here in a co-housing arrangement.
I am staying with US Servas Hosts, Jennifer and her 2 year old son Max. The houses here are huge and simple, beautiful open rooms combined with the kitchen, apart from your private home there are chickens, compost, gardens, a fire circle, water fountain, two playgrounds, a huge common kitchen, stage, yoga room, and eating tables outside. The work commitment is 8 hours a month, as well as to cook one meal a month. They provide day care which is so great for Max. Jennifer is a super single mom, moved into the commons beacause she knew she would be having Max alone and wanted a commuunity of families and kids. She loves it here.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Here is Tamara and Lisa in their garden plucking the flowers off the basil. Gardens are so great! Tamara and Lisa were wonderful US Servas Hosts. It was there first time actually hosting a traveler, and it was my first time meeting folks more my age. After a fish taco dinner we went on a long 5-mile walk to the Rio Grande. It was Summer solstice and the moon was magically full, hovering over the city like a cut out. We meandered through all the city streets of Albuquerque, lots of dogs in people’s yards barking at Lucha as we walked by. The Rio Grande was huge and rushing by very fast. It was dark when we finally arrived to its swift edge.

Stilt Walkers

Yes!!, This fed my soul, goose bumps and all. It was a large group of woman who had worked together for 6 weeks on all kinds of circus acts, this was there final show called Bust, and I got to see it!!, It was a gorgeous show. Not only were there stilt walkers but there were aerial acts on hoops, cloth and trapeze's and lots of acrobatics as well and silly clowning that really had me engaged and laughing.
My time in Santa Fe has been rich and wonderful. I marched not only in pride but also in the Dyke march the night before. After the Dyke March, Jennifer, Jeanine, Beth and I went to see Lisp, a monthly queer, trans/cabaret. It takes place at Backroads Pizza once a month. It felt like a San Francisco club in the mission and guess who was the host for the show?, It was a famous Dyke from San Francisco, Cooper. She organized it and it has been a popular venue in Santa Fe now for two years. We saw a stripper, a monologue, by a sweet boy, about his coming out to his parents who are from Arkansa, and some great puppetry performance. The best was when Cooper dressed up like Dolly Pardon and lipped sang a song about living in small towns. Yee haw!
I am off to Albuquerque after I post this, for one more night, I am going to visit my new friend Beth and pick up my trailer that I stored at Lisa and Tamara's garage. Monday morning I will leave to Snowflake, Arizona to meet up with a woman who lives in a mud hut with no electricity out in the middle of nowhere.

Gay Pride in Santa Fe

Yipee, what fun to be in Santa Fe during Pride, it was a wonderfully colorful and sweet parade. It ended in Santa Fe's plaza park, with great live drumming band with trumpets and saxaphones. I shook my booty till I was hot and sweaty, rehydrated and went to see a Wisefool Circus Show.

Responding To My Blog

Just a quick note, that if you find it to difficult to post a responce directly onto my blog, you might find it easier to e-mail me, that is if you would like to respond to anything I have written, thanks.

Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo, Texas

Here is a time line of my past few days.

Friday –Asheville, NC left at 7 am from Warren-Wilson College outside of Asheville
Saturday-Arkansas arrive 7 pm Crowley State Park (total of twelve hours driving, wow)
Sunday- Arkansas left from campground 8 am
Sunday- Oklahoma arrive 3 pm Ten Kills State Park
Monday- leave campground 8 am
Monday- arrive in Amarillo, Texas 4 pm at 2021, Hugh Street, US Servas Hosts,

I left, North Carolina, sped through Tennessee, spent time in Arkansas and Oklahoma in some nice campsites near amazing lakes and now I am in Texas. The billboards that I noticed while driving were about where to get Vasectomie Reversals, I saw about a dozen of these throughout Arkansas. Another billboard, a bit creepy, had a huge photograph of a woman with her description next to the photograph and the question in large letters asking, I guess us drivers, barreling past at 65 mph,
Do you know who murdered me?

There was a noticeable difference in the landscape when I entered Oklahoma. It opened up more as I drove. Less dense greenery around the roads edge and more fields expanding out towards the horizon line. Ten Kills Lake in Oklahoma was a gorgeous blue warm water lake with campsites along its edge and when I arrived in the afternoon on Sunday the place was packed with family picnickers from all over Oklahoma. There were a lot of scuba divers with their gear of tanks, wet suits, flippers, and masks. I thought it was sort of strange to see divers at a lake. It made me wonder what was actually underneath the water. It turns out the lake has a visibility depth of 50 feet and goes down as far as 75 feet. A group of divers thought it would be an excellent place to train and certify people who were interested in diving and trying something different in Oklahoma.

So I am staying in a small garage apartment in Amarillo. My Servas Hosts were super busy. I met them briefly before they left town. But Betty told me about all the great things I should see, and that I was welcome to stay in the apartment as long as I wanted, and that she was sorry she could not be a better host. She was off to Alabama on a search for relatives, her new inspiration of studying her family’s genealogy. Her husband Bill is a Veterinarian in town. She did indeed convince me to stay, and this morning I went to a live cattle auction. The sound clip is the caller at the auction. He reminded me of a Contra Dance caller, and I thought about how different and yet similar they were. I would like to research more about both of those callers.

I will leave to Albuquerque tomorrow and then Santa Fe where the Gay pride March will be held this weekend, same as in San Francisco. I am so lucky for the timing of this event, what a great surprise.

Warren-Wilson College, North Carolina

I am still in North Carolina. I left Greensboro yesterday towards Asheville stopped at James Lake, which is about an hour away from Asheville. I didn't know anything about James Lake except that Lucha was hot and a swim sounded good. I left highway 40 and drove on small roads though fascinating Appalachian old mountain houses with porches and funkiness strewn all around. It's amazing how much more you see on smaller roads. It is worth the 30-minute detour to the lake. The lake is a huge bluish warm water scenic lake, with a state park around its edges. Lucha and I take a great hike and have a long swim in a small private cove all to ourselves, what a treat!!!. We almost stayed to camp on the waters edge but my next stop was a famous Contra Dance that takes place every Thursday night at the Warren-Wilson College campus in an old barn. As we arrive to the campus the first thing I see are two women almost naked working in the huge organic garden. The place is gorgeous, yes! with trees and views of mountains all the way around. It turns out I can stay in a room at the guesthouse for free and it is 10 feet from the Barn where the dance will be held. What luck and timing. I relax and explore the campus with Lucha before the dance and we find a great trail off of the art department that leads us to a pond where I meet a bunch of friendly students off from working on the farm. The pond is brown and murky it doesn't look that good for swimming, but soon all the students are jumping in and cooling off from work and I realize this is the best swim hole around.
The last Contra dance I attended was over ten years ago in Arcata. I am excited to go to the dance, I put on a nice white tank top blouse and walk on over. I am shy and awkward at first but there are hundreds of people there all ages and plenty of folks asked me to dance as well as me asking them. I asked a few guys and also girls, and I realized I liked being the guy dancer when I danced with girls. I like the hand placements and moves that the guy does. The music was live with great fiddles and guitarists and an amazing caller. I love the art of calling Contra dance, I am going to look into the history of that a bit more, it is all new to me. I had so much fun I want to make sure I keep going to Contra dances when I return to the Bay Area. So I think I will stay another night here at the campus and venture into Asheville, which is a short, ride away. My next stop from here will be Nashville, Tennessee.

Elsewhere in Greensboro

The picture on the left is where I slept at Elsewhere, it was a little fort underneath a table full of toys and knicknacks. Elsewhere was started by George Scheer. His grandma owned a three-story thrift store and when she passed away he decided to make the space a place where artist could come and interact with her collection, make art, and do projects there, but never sell or allow for the items to leave. So yes, you walk in and I think the picture I took on the right is blurry, but wow, the place kinda feels blurry because there is so much stuff and it is difficult to focus on any one item. I had a fun time exploring inside Elsewhere, there were so many familiar items that I have collected and used in my art work. George gave me a tour and explanation of how they were organizing Elsewhere. There was an artist leaving and a few artists arriving when I showed up. I jumped in and helped one of the artists paint a room that she was going to live in and make artwork in. The place is overwhelming with so much stuff, three floors of stuff and it seemed so important for Sara who was interning their for the summer, to carve out a space to think and reflect in, away from all of the stuff. She was studying the sociology of art historians and theory towards art studio practice and critiques, fascinating stuff, I thoroughly enjoyed talking with her. Since I was a visitor and not there as an artist, I spent time talking with the artist and interns, and playing my banjo in the Elsewhere’s alleyway. I am very inspired with George’s idea and am curious to see how it evolves.

Greensboro, North Carolina

This is Calvin, he lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. I can't seem to leave North Carolina, there is so much to see and experience in this state. I liked Greensboro. It was hot and humid, I didn't like that part, but he people I ran into were super friendly. Freight trains continually traveled through the center of town. I love the sound of the freight and the smell of it. The downtown Elm street consists mostly of antique shops, fancy yuppy shops, and a strange washing machine and stove part shop, small family run grocery shops, and a few other stores closing out and shutting down. It's on this street that the Elsewhere Art Residency is and the reason why I was visiting Greensboro.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Here is Judy Smallwood in her yard, another wonderful US Servas Host whom I had the opportunity to stay with in Chapel Hill for a few nights. I am writing this while I am in Asheville at the Warren Wilson College Library. The blog is sort of backwards that way. As I move forward, I write about what has just past. Judy lives in a very active retirement community. The people at the community are in charge of all the activities that take place there. They arrange to have and host music concerts, art shows, and special guest speakers. They also participate in garden projects, trips, writing and game groups. They have their own library where all the books are donated from the people that live there. The community is surrounded by trees, ponds, and beautifully tended gardens. You can see Judy and I in her garden in the picture above, I helped her mulch some of her plants. When I first arrived we went swimming in the lap pool near by. It is such a treat to take time off from the road, and be able to experience someone else’s daily activities. Judy eats her dinners in a common dining room where she took me to and both nights. I met many of Judy's friends, all wonderful older woman actively involved in the community. One woman, named Janice, is a great artist and we went to see her work in her apartment. Her place is filled with bright colorful paintings, playful painted sculptures, all portraying a large variety of styles and work, with an experimental, and playful approach. She has instigated and started a call for artist works to be shown around the buildings community halls and living rooms. It was fun to talk about her experience as an artist and share work.

SUCHI
While in Chapel Hill, I met an old family friend, Suchi. It had been over 10 years since I last saw her, she lived with my family when I was younger and I remembered I looked up to her like a big sister. We met in town at a great coop market for coffee outside under the shade of the trees. I was not sure I would recognize her but sure enough, Suchi still looks like Suchi with her glasses on, and long black hair. We had a wonderful time catching up and sharing stories of what we have been doing. I learned that Public Health encompasses so much about community living, networking, and well being. It was really interesting to hear about what Suchi was doing with her Public Health work and there seems to be some similarities and possibilities of cross over in how I approach my artwork. I want to think about this more. I am interested in the sociology of artists amongst non-artist in a community and how they network, interact and influence each other, towards ultimately a stronger sense of community, well being and health. I am interested in emphasizing the research and exploration in my artwork. This would be really different for me sense I often work very intuitively.

Elizbeth City

I left the coast of North Carolina on Monday. I went through Elizbeth City to return the cottage keys to Linda's Mom. Here is Mary Alice Harris in her living room and the picture on the right shows her bed with clothes laid out on it that she will pack for her trip out to the cottage soon. Mary told me she had over a 100 dresses that her sweet heart Calvin bought her. They use to go out dancing all the time.

Cottage at Kill Devill Hills, NC

Here is the cottage I have been staying at for the past few days.
I spend a lot of time on that screened in porch if I am not swimming in the ocean.

Toy Tractor

I saw this tractor in someones front driveway.

Workers Moving Sand Dunes, Outer Banks, NC

Lucha and I drove to Pea Island on the Outer banks again. We passed workers moving sand dunes. They were using about 6 different kinds of yellow tractors to move the sand around and around away from a narrow two lane highway.

Pea Island

The waves at Pea Island were just right for body surfing, I caught some great rides. Lucha was a happy wet sandy dog, she sat next to my towel looking beyond the horizon with her nose in the air until the suns warmth and the waves crash and rhythm lulled her to sleep.
It’s seeping in that I am alone on this journey, my constant companion, Lucha, a border collie/golden retriever dog, is my side kick and I depend on her just as much as she does me. I watch her every move making sure she is happy and secure in our transition. We do the same things, swim in the ocean, stare at the birds, walk, run, sleep and eat. I brush, massage, and wash her. I crave her licks, love, and playfulness. I am concerned when she looks unhappy or uncomfortable, it makes me feel sad or uncomfortable too when I know she is not happy. I am on the eastern edge, it feels very vulnerable, the Outer banks. Lots of shipwrecks, and pirate fighting took place here.

Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks North Carolina

June 6th- 8th
My first stop was to pick up keys to the cottage. Yes! In my communication with Linda Harris, my next store neighbor in San Francisco, I discovered that her brother has a cottage in the Outer Banks at Kill Devils Hill, North Carolina. It is available and I could stay there if I wanted. So I gladly accepted the offer and arrived to Elizabeth City where Linda’s moms house is to pick up the keys. I drove on Hwy 17 leaving Virginia. As you enter the highway there is a huge sign that says, “28 people died on this road sense 1988, please drive safe.” My shoulders tensed and I prepared to drive super safe. The highway parallels The Great Dismal Swamp Canal. The water looked black and thick, it was really creepy. I was too nervous to pull off and look at the water more closely because of the fast trucks and cars and of course the sign I had seen at the entrance, I just wanted to make it to the other end. As I pulled into Elizabeth City, it downpours, my windshield wipers are on high speed and I can barley see. Somehow I find Linda’s moms house, a bit of sun breaks through the rain. I pick up the keys, visit briefly taking a moment to look at the old photographs and find out a little bit of history. Linda’s mom has a beautiful well kept garden and a cozy little home. I thank her and continue the last hour to get to the cottage. So here I am, the ocean is a block away, the water is blue and warm, I have seen dolphins swimming everyday, Lucha is allowed on the beach with a leash in certain areas, and after 6pm anywhere because the lifeguards are gone, so this is paradise and I will be here for awhile. The next stop will be Durham.

Richmond, Virginia

June 5th to the 6th

Richmond, Virginia.
I called up Norie Burnet from my US Servas book. Bob Luitweiler initiated US Servas in 1948. He was a conscientious objector, and believed we could bring peace, learn, and share with other people by meeting them in their home. I decided to become a member of US Servas on my travels across country for that exact reason Bob describes, to learn about different places through the people who actually live in the towns. So when I looked up in my book of where to stay next, I was attracted to Norie’s information, it said, "peaceful woodland home surrounded by trails and gardens, paint watercolors, love plants, and people." I left a message describing who I was and Norie called right back, said that it would be all right to stay with her. A few driving hours later, leaving behind the small town of Luray, the Shenandoah River, and the Appalachian mountains, I arrived to her beautiful home in Richmond. Norie opened the door and said, hey, lets go to the Museum of Modern Art, there is a good show, new paintings just added to the museums collections, Impressionists paintings. So we left Lucha in her screened in cedar gazebo out back and went to the Museum. We had a wonderful time sharing stories and looking at art. She gave me a tour through the historical parts of Richmond, I met one of her four sons, shared wonderful meals, and the best was a grand tour of her amazing and famous moss garden. Norie has been written up in many garden magazines for, what she calls her, Garden of Eden, famous for it’s variety of mosses that flow gently like water through the garden. It was so refreshing and inspiring to spend time with Norie. She was like an instant new friend, we had so much to share with each other. It was a little hard to leave the next morning. I took one last glance at her garden noticing the suns rays shining magically throughout the nooks and crannies illuminating the magic and wonder of Norie’s Eden; feeling safe, loved and nurtured I was ready to drive on to my next adventure.

Shenandoah River

June 3 and 4rd
I left Alice’s at 8 am in the morning. Lucha and I drove through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and finally Virginia mostly on highway 81, a truck route. Ten hours later we arrived outside of Luray, at the Shenandoah Outfitters Campground, right next to the Shenandoah River. The place was closed but there were plenty of campsites. I pulled in; Lucha and I burst out of the car and ran around exploring the whole place. We were so happy to be out of the car. The next morning I decided to canoe the river. I was the first one up in the camp and got a paddle and life jacket on. Two young boys one from Yugoslavia and the other one from Bulgaria drove me to the launch spot with the canoe. They had just arrived to the state to work until October with the Outfitters Campground. It was the first time ever in the states for the young Bulgarian and he was overjoyed, expressing his amazement at the kindness of people here. He spoke great English, and was truly excited for his new adventure ahead. The boys helped Lucha and I into the canoe and we all said good-bye. On the river, my first bird sighting was a pair of bald eagles, one landed on a tree and I got a great look at him through my binoculars. There were hundreds of turtles sunbathing. A few cattle were grazing along the edge. The river was wide and gentle. Lucha was an excellent passenger

Aunt Alice's

June 1st. Bristol Connecticut.
Time to catch up, I was attempting to post a video of the Bingo Hall, but I am still working on how to post it.
I arrived to Connecticut to Alice’s apartment around 6:30 pm; she immediately served me dinner, pea soup with chunks of ham, and two egg sandwiches on white bread. I gobbled it all down with a glass of water, in the background was Spin The Wheel, and we tried guessing the answers with the players.
The next day we played Bingo in the hall down from her apartment. It was the last Bingo game until September so it was a special occasion. I was so excited I was going to play Bingo with Alice. You see, that’s my best memories of visiting Uncle Charlie and Alice in the summers when I was younger. I remember we would gather the ink stamp bottles, and go to the large community halls and play Bingo for hours. I always sat next to Alice and she would help me out by pointing to the numbers I missed, I would hiss at her and say let me do it myself. Sure enough during our game that evening years later in our lives, the same thing happened, she helped me, and this time I helped her and it was just right. We both won a little money. As I sat there playing and listening to the woman holler out the numbers repeating twice for those hard of hearing, I realized how listening to the numbers repeated over and over again was actually very meditative and relaxing. I wonder if the others felt that way to and that Bingo is just another way of meditating and relaxing with a large group of people.

Packing the truck and trailer

Well, it all fit in just right...except for one sculpture,
i left it on the side walk. My first stop, Bristol Conn. to Aunt Alice's
apartment. I will miss Boston, the co-op, the JP pond that I walked around everyday.
I know there is more that I will miss, but I need to begin this journey.