Road Work #2

Evening Chores

This is what I am working on every evening, tearing off the shingles of this old barn so we can get to the wood underneath and reuse. Tomorrow, will be a different chore. Shawn, Ed and I will go take apart a 15 by 18 foot silo and bring it back to the farm. I love this work, I love Nebraska.

Art Farm Crew

Here we are.

Hands

He was thrilled to know that I was from California, he smiled huge. I bought a wisk broom for my truck from him. Look at his hands.

Elba

This is a proud mother of four cowboy sons. I met her in the small town of Elba. She had just purchased this house. When folks walked in to look through her stuff she said everything is for sale except the sleeping man, and there he was rolled up in an electric blanket with his shoes on, not for sale.

The Nebraska Junk Jaunt

This is a classic example of a typical yard sale along the scenic highway during the junk jaunt. The two-hundred and twenty miles of garage sales of junk and antiques was exciting, inspiring and wonderfully exhausting and I would do it again in a heart beat. What was so fascinating was meeting all of the people and going off the beaten track to see the places where they lived. I spent most of my time filming, asking questions and talking to folks. Most of the folks I met were endearing, generous and full of enthusism to share their stories and their homes with me. I admit though sometimes I did not feel that from people and would just look around, film, and then leave without saying anything.

Basketball Court #3

This was the last court I shot my basketball at.

Basketball Court #2

This court had a hoop and a net. Swoosh, and score. The wind was blowing, It felt dramatic, like I had to hurry up and shoot and get back in the car and keep driving to the next garage sale.

Basketball Court #1

This is court #1. There was no hoop. But I had to shoot the ball anyway. The court is located right outside of Grand Island next to the cornfield and the train tracks. I discovered it after my first garage sale on the Nebraska Junk Jaunt.

Basketball and Hoops

I have bought a basketball with me to Nebraska and I have not even bounced it once yet. There is no court here on Art Farm. So I decided that while I am on my weekend trip doing the Nebraska Junk Jaunt, I am also going to make a point of stopping at basketball courts that I see along the way and throw my ball into the hoop at least three times if not more before moving on. I realize that most of the courts I have seen so far in Nebraska are on private home lots, I hope they won't mind, or maybe there'll be someone home to play with me. I am looking forward to meeting some locals this way. Yes, there will be documentation involved and I will count how many courts I find.

Thanks to Aimee

If you look to the right, where it says "about me", you'll notice the address where I am living until the end of November. I want to thank Aimee the other artist here, because I noticed on her blog she had a similiar request, and she has been receiving lots of mail, lucky-dog. I am not sure how many folks read my blog, but this is your chance to get an art piece, found object, or a unique letter from me while at Art Farm. All I request is a self addressed stamped envelope, a howdy note, and I will return it with some art.

Nebraska Junk Jaunt

This is it folks, I am going to get to experience two-hundred and twenty miles of treasures in two days. This a very unique event in Nebraska. It was started by volunteers who love junk and history. The two-hundred and twenty miles is a loop on the Loup Rivers abd Sandhills Journey Scenic Highway. Apparently it is a very unique and beautiful landscape, and this trip will include junk, sold and traded out of folks homes, flea markets, and thrift stores. I will leave early morning on Saturday and return late on Sunday. I will be taking my time exploring all the little towns and hopefully meeting some of the other junk fanatics who attend this yearly event.

Milkweed

Eleven million pounds of milkweed were collected during World War II to use in life jackets. The fibers are wax coated and excellent for insulation. The fibers are superior to down feathers.

Road Work

Old Farm house

This is where I am living. I am sharing the space with Shawn and Jami, two other artists. Jami is a writer, she just published her first book which I am now reading, it is called, Instant Love. Shawn is a general contractor from Seattle. He makes sculpture, mixed media, and does some performance. Aimee is another artist with us, she lives in the house where the facade will go. She is from Chicago and does work with homemade paper making, the violin and performance. It is so amazing to be here and sharing the space with these folks, we have already shared such wonderful conversation about life, art, and food. Jami keeps baking us fresh cookies. Yes!

Work on ArtFarm

My project is to salvage all the wood off of the collapsed barn and use the wood to build a facade on the other amazing building that has been built with many other parts of barns. Where you see the green tar paper is where the facade will be placed.

Nebraska Sunset After Storm

Last night was my first experience through a Nebraska storm. It poured hail stones the size of three dimensional quarters. Lightening flashed right above and the wind blew from all directions threatening tornadoes to appear at any moment. Ed, the director of ArtFarm, explained to us very calmly, that we should keep a look out for small tornadoes forming, that they can sneak up on you in only 45 seconds, and you need to be ready to fly away, I mean find a low spot near a tree and hunker down tight and small. Luckily, no tornadoes showed up. The storm past, and the sun came out, and this is what it looked like as it settled into the horizon.