ARIZONA ROADSIDE SHRINES......AND JUNKING FINDS!!.

ALONG HIWAY 85................................

A roadside shrine along Hiway 85, heading back to phoenix from Tucson.

We made a big loop on the way home because I had read that there were several shrines right alongside the road on that route. There were, but some that were supposed to be there weren't any longer. It made for a loooooong ride back, but here are some of the shrines we saw:

This was actually in a small cemetary that was right next to the road.

In memory of a 14 year old boy

Not a grave,  a memorial

Shrine to St. Jude

Altar of St. Jude Shrine 

And finally.............................

Phoenix has no stortage of good vintage shopping. Thanks to Dawn, I had a very nice list of good places to go!  She has done such a good job of profiling and listing them on her blog that I am not even going to attempt it. If you are interested I hope you will hop over to her blog and check them out . I didn't buy a lot.............had the suitcase issue to contend with, but I did manage to find a few things.

An old photo albumn for art projects, one baby shoe (I couldn't resist)

old pocket watch, garnets, crucifix, and 2 tintypes ...all for jewelry  projects.

That brass piece is a lamp part....pat. 1888.

Ammonites, Trilobites.

Labradorite........my favorite!!

Saw lots to inspire jewelry design on this trip. I am thinking......

BOLD...........CHUNKY

SIMPLE.........BASIC.

ETHNIC.....TRIBAL

Stay tuned!!!!!!!!

FYI.......If  I could have fit them in my suitcase.......there were some hauntingly beautiful old Mexican doors, shutters, simple hand hewn furniture,  etc, that would have made the trip home with me!! 

.

"TED' DEGRAZIA

GALLERY IN THE SUN.......................................

The entrance to the gallery

I just got home from a week long vacation spent in and around the Phoenix, Arizona area.  Lots of junking around, finding new shops to explore (thanks Dawn) spring training, golf for my husband , bead shops for me....with visits to family mixed in. (Hi Dad)  One of the more interesting places we went was..........DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun . Located in Tucson on about 10 acres......it features a gallery of the artist  Ettore "Ted" DeGrazias work, with both originals and prints available for purchase. The gallery space itself is a piece of art.  There is a room  where his easel is set up with his paintbox, boots, and other personal items that help give you a sense of the man behind the art. The  room where his paintings depicting Christ and The stations of The Cross hang, with a recording made by DeGrazia playing, explaining each painting is very powerful. Aside from that, the most interesting feature to me is his original house, a chapel, and the surrounding grounds. I couldn't take photos in the gallery ,   but took some outside photos that I think will show you what an amazing place this is, and why it has been placed  on the national Register of Historic Places.

Entrance to the chapel, painted metal flowers that to me looked like cactus blooms 

The chapel has an open roof

The altar up front....where people  light candles and leave tokens in memory of loved ones

( we did as well ) 

Murals on all the walls painted by DeGrazia, rows of wooden benches, and another smaller side altar. 

Smaller side altar area just inside the chapel entrance.

Exterior of original house

Original stovetop and oven in house......Great tile......

                                       

This photo is on the wall (sorry about the glare) and shows Ted with his car out on the desert loading wood.

 

How would you like to cook on this? There was a photo  that showed several people gathered around this (or one exactly like it) for a meal. Under the ashes is a sheet of corrugated metal sitting on wood. 

Eye candy.................................

I love old repairs on things, and this wonderful old pot has been glued, and wired together, and finally hung up in a tree as art. 

OK, I seriously love this, and probably have to crib the idea...just horseshoes hung on chain.

A "stack" of stones, next to DeGrazias' gravesite.........there were pennies and other tokens left on it.

Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia

June 14,1909--September 17,1982

In 1976 DeGrazia engaged in a protest against inheritance taxes based on assessed market values of his work. He claimed the IRS ruling made him "a millionaire on paper and my heirs will have to pay taxes for which there is no money." In his well publicized protest, DeGrazia rode horseback into the Superstition Mountains and burned 100 of his paintings.

If you visit DeGrazia Gallery In The Sun I think you come away with a real sense of who this man was and what was important to him. The fact that he designed and built the place probably contributes to that feeling. Although I can appreciate his art, and his talent ( music, ceramics, sculpture ) , I think I myself would have appreciated his interesting personality just as much if not more. 

If you can go............................do it!!!!!   You won't be sorry!!  

Thinking Southwest Thoughts

TURQUOISE.... AGATE....BRASS....STEEL 

Finished this just this morning...............................................

A piece of vintage saltillo.......... wire wrapped.........

Religious key....and medal

I used to think I had to use only vintage, or make my own closures for my jewelry. The problem with that can be finding the perfect vintage piece at the time you need it, and if you do happen upon it there's always the decision......use it?... save it?......will I ever find one like it again??? If making your own .....the price of silver is a bit steep right now.  I am still picky, still prefer to use vintage or make my own, but at the moment I am really liking using these chunky closures in the Industrial Chic line. I love the industrial look of them, and as an added bonus they are really easy to use .

I think this is my last piece for a while, I am ready to get out and scratch around in the dirt! 

( I still have sun and tequila on my mind!!!)

Weekend Tidbits

MEMORY JUG........

I am still not quite sure how I feel about this jug, although as I have finished it , stepped away, and come back,  it is growing on me. It takes a lot of items to make a memory jug. I thought I had enough left over and tucked away from making other jugs to do one more.. but it was touch and go. The GOOD news is I cleaned up another area of my workspace. AND that I now need to go junking for more jug material. The BAD news is it takes time to find enough stuff. And I usually like to have some sort of "theme" going on in my head while making a jug so it can take even more time. 

This jug does have a fair amount of fun and interesting things on it..........for example.. a pair of old false teeth. My neice bought one of those old folding sewing baskets at an antique store. When she got it home and took a good look at the contents she found the pair of dentures. ( Don't you wonder about that story? and did the dealer know that they were in there?) She was really creeped out and told me she was going to throw them away.....I immediately yelled "NO! I want to put them on a jug!!" So she mailed them to me, and they are on this jug. (see them?) Ok, I admit I was a bit creeped out as well, but  "all in the name of art?" I have never painted over everything on a jug before like most of the antique ones are, but I think this one might be a good candidate for painting. I 'll have to think about that while it is drying. It might look better under a layer of paint.  :)

  

BULBS......                                                                                                                          

The most valuable lesson I learned this weekend was that if you plant 90 gladiolus bulbs using organic bulb food/fertilizer......containing lots of stinky stuff .....you should turn down your loud music and have a look behind you once in a while. There is a very good chance your corgi/dog  is happily coming along right behind you digging them ALL up to see what that "yummy" smell is all about.                                                        

                                    

The Fabulous Beekman Boys.......

MARTHA, MANSIONS, and GOATS!



Today I caught a marathon of The Fabulous Beekman Boys on Planet Green. I go to their blog regulary and have it on my blog roll, but had never caught the show. I loved it! The scenes in the barn during kidding season brought back a lot of memories for me, but then so did the one of Brent mucking out the barn while Josh stood there gagging. (It seems he has a bit of a weak stomach) I  can totally relate, been there done that!



The new season of The Fabulous Beekman Boys starts this Tuesday at 10:00 on Planet Green. I'm just glad it's not on opposite American Pickers!!

You can go to their blog ( listed on my blog roll at left) to see promos and videos for the show or you can also go to Planet Green .

(photos from Planet Green.discovery.com)

Moss Gardening

IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, JOIN 'EM!!

This morning I took a cup of coffee, a camera, and a corgi (no easy task) to go for a wander in the yard and garden. It quickly became apparent that :  1. We are absolutely waterlogged from all the rain we have been receiving and any bulbs planted right now would rot.  2. In our little clearing in the woods the moss is thriving !!

                                    garden helper.....Bella


It's pretty hard to get rid of moss when you don't want to use chemicals so I GIVE UP!!!!! I am going to EMBRACE THE MOSS!!! There is a certain beauty to it (see me trying to embrace...) and it does tend to give things that "vintage look" that a lot of us like. So.... in the spirit of acceptance, I tried to capture some of the moss "beauty" in my yard already:

                                         the moss has happily devoured this pot!!!!!

                                                        soft mossy edging...........
                      

crumbling rock wall...........................

old log........................

lion hiding in the moss.....

no moss growing on her!!!

                                     

I know there are some beautiful moss gardens out there, and books and blogs about moss gardening, so  I will have to explore .  I'll keep you updated on my progress....or lack there of.

One other oddity in the garden this morning.....I cover this sphinx every winter because she wants to crumble...take a look at her eyes...........I used to think she was beautiful, now .....still beautiful but sort of eerie?

There is something going on with the cement, as she ages the brown on her is almost glass-like.

I think this moss gardening could be an interesting venture, I am excited to delve into it, and as you can see, I have a head start!!

"Late in life I have come on fern. Now lichens are due to have their turn"
                                                           Robert Frost

Have a good day!!

TRACY PORTER GIVEAWAY!!!

If you haven't seen the Tracy Porter catalog you are missing out. The clothes are amazing and come in a wide range of sizes.  NO, this isn't my usual kind of post....but if you go to her blog you will see that the giveaway is for a pair of cowboy boots!!! And I have to admit I am addicted to cowboy boots!!! And if I am going to sell out for anything....it will be THE BOOTS!!! Go check it out, bet you will be blogging boots too!!

(catalog photo and graphics from Tracy Porter Blog)