the ferry called Lee's

its a world where wind and water dislodges distractions and cuts my thoughts in two.  Its bare and lays you bare and you just might come face to face with yourself.  a carved out place that leaves gaping canyons, but always the river flows in the blushed wound.  I tore out my right eye and cut off my right hand and returned home whole. 

photo in top consideration for our Christmas Family Photo.  Sans kids.  what?  Gunther is the most cooperative and photogenic one anyway.... well, he does have a choke collar on him, I should say. 

The orchard exists as a growing relic of strange times long ago.  Lees Ferry, riddled with heartbreak. 

All around, Ender is hedged in with an amazing family.  Aunt Katie and Uncle Pj took the boys one Friday.  The end goal was for the kids to slumber party over night, but...I knew it wouldn't fly with Ender.  Thankfully, we're neighbors with these two goons, so I just planned on staying up watching romantic comedies until they brought Ender home.  I bet he would make it to midnight, well, he out did it by a whopping 15 minuets!  That's my boy!  I was pleased to tuck him in his fort bed at 12:15am with his pirate booty he commandeered from whatever adventure they took them on.
Its fun sending Ender out into the teeming world.  He is like a net scooping up all sorts of the bizarre and wonderful.  Throughout the next few days, while his mind is still fresh from his travels he unconsciously shows me all that he has collected.  Language, songs, and desserts are just some of his souvenirs from "abroad".  I'm mostly pleased, though, that he doesn't make the trek alone because its the bond of the travel mates that most blesses his life.

what are they looking at?

Peter John: my zander's best friend, cousin and confidant.  Possibly lover, but I don't think they appreciate that label.  Hey, I call it like I see it :)  Him and Katie raise quail now and gave us a beautiful bowl full of their freckled eggs. 

Peter John also has taken up carpentry and is becoming quite the skill master.  He carved the dreidel for ender and his cousin noah, mentioning he is going to do it every year for them.  A collection of handmade dreidels from Uncle PJ!  How unexpected and charming!  Let tradition live!

katie is a big girl now.  she is officially a teacher and I am so impressed, but not surprised by her accomplishment.  and if you want to have the most creative and thoughtful pen pal, she's your gal.  katie lives here in arizona now, but I loved it when she went back to Chicago for the summer to visit her family.  I would spend hours of my day preparing homemade packages and letters to her.  We would send our penpal love back in forth to each other till she came back for fall semester.  she knows the lost art of letters and handmade gifts and encouraged me to preserve it in my own life.  I usually don't give gifts unless I'm "inspired" or motivated (?).  So when an idea is seen on the horizon of my very tired and busy mind,  I force myself to chase it down even its simple like a care package to a cute girl.

I found out how to do an embroider stitch that agrees with my impatient fingers.  I will probably be stitching everything in zander's closet now with his name or a desert animal and maybe throw in a little heart here in there.  I got to leave my mark on him when he goes out and I don't wear perfume.

Last Saturday began the beginning of the rest of the year.  

Despite scorching October heat, my sister and I braved an urban pumpkin patch with three gnarly and mischievous children.  I loved it!  It was free (thanks groupon).  Ender giddy upped his first pony, (thanks ruby)  and he proved he was smarter than a rat without cheese in a hay maze! 

 

then we whipped to Nana's house who helped me bake 2 batches of German Pretzels for the Annual Okotober Fest at Katie's einfamilienhaus.
"Prost!" to the original host, Marlene!

It takes me a week to recover, sadly, happily?  I like rest.  But my mind buzzes with ideas constantly.  Cora, such a good girl, is at the control panel of my body and switches gears for me.  She knows how to command her ship at sea.  Once she ends her 9 month voyage, landing on the wide wide shores of life, my load will be lighter and she can fly with me on my top sails or swim next to me.

speaking of which, my couin Peter John is going as Captain Ahab for Halloween!  He's achingly brilliant to think of posing as one of my favorite characters.  Zander calls me Moby when I'm pregnant (no no no I don't mind, its our affection)  I was considering as going as the White Whale....

here is some artwork I"m going to track down to hang in the house.  its simple.  i could kiss that iceberg nose!

from terry fan

Actually check out Society 6 website for some more prints, I'm exploring its eclectic gallery now.

 

 

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower"

the first leaf to fall into my hands this autumn came with two spring yellow birds. an odd juxtaposition perhaps, but out here in the desert it is truly our second spring of the year. the long arm of summer draws back and people and animals alike emerge from their cool dens to find butterflies, bees and hummingbirds banqueting once again on the desert flora.

 

katie's craft

my quote for katie, always, is "impressed, but not surprised!" artfully lifted images of her family, given a glassy medium.

i stole this photo of her off a stranger's (my stranger, not her's) facebook. i like it.

hopefully i'll see this face rollerskating around in my new house. rustic, stained concrete floors are in my future.