Day 3: Albuquerque to Amarillo

Okay, I think it's going to be easier for the most part of I just blog via photo captions, otherwise I'm mostly repeating myself, and by the time I get all the pics done it's late and I'm tired anyway. We went from Albuquerque to Amarillo today, which really isn't very far, but we spent some time in Santa Fe too, and we're ahead of schedule anyway.

The Cross-Country Adventure!

Day 2: Kingman AZ to Albuquerque NM

I am sooo tired. We're in Albuquerque tonight, and I just finished uploading a zillion pics. Link is in yesterday's post, I'm too lazy to paste it here tonight. We made a brief stop in Sedona, and then went all the way to Albuquerque. I think that's about 550ish miles, but it was a loooong day. I'm having a great time, and the weather has been fantastic. All's well. Enjoy the pics.

Day 1: dry, dirt, desert

And the adventure begins! About 600 miles driven today, and tonight Jan and I are in Kingman, Arizona. That's not the most exciting drive. Flat central valley, and dry desert. The trip finally seemed "real" when we left the central valley and headed east into what is (for me) uncharted territory.

I probably won't get a chance to blog or upload photos every day, but I'll do it when I can. My wireless internet card doohickie doesn't seem to work anymore on this old laptop for some reason, but I'm plugged into the wall tonight. This all takes me forever, I'm using different programs and it takes me a while to edit the pics!

Pics, yeah, I'm putting them all in an album instead of posting them here. Makes life easier for me. So, want to have a vicarious road trip? Here ya go!

The Cross-Country Adventure!

Scrimshaw Zebra Pendant

Wow, the last posting was the 1234th one on this blog. Isn't that cool?! :-)


Zebras (pendant)
scrimshaw on mammoth ivory
20x20mm

That's the last piece I'll be making before Blade Show.

African Sunset scrimshaw pendant

African Sunset, Elephants (pendant)
multicolor scrimshaw on pre-ban elephant ivory
30mm diameter

how the moth story ended

First off, the moth has been identified as a Antheraea Polyphemus, or Polyphemus Moth. So, I was wrong yesterday, but pretty close.

To my extraordinary surprise, the moth not only didn't die last night but was very much alive this morning. So I let him go. He walked up my hand, flew onto my forehead (right, did I mention I'm not a bug person, don't think my heart didn't go flippy flop right then), and then was up and away into the blue yonder.

I may never see another.

Oh yeah, and those wing spots are clear! How cool is that?!

unlike any moth I've ever seen!

Okay, I am not a "bug person" by any stretch of the imagination, but this blows me away and I think it's stunningly beautiful. Just before sunset tonight I found it clinging to the corral fence just a few inches about the ground, swaying gently in the breeze like a crumpled leaf.

I didn't want to touch it, for fear of accidentally hurting it, but it was too dark to photograph it outdoors so I herded it gently into a container and carried it inside, where I set up some lights and snapped some photos.

As far as I can tell it's an Antheraea oculea, or Oculea Silkmoth. Perhaps male? I've never seen one before. The information I gathered on line suggests the adults live only about ten days, and alas if that is so then today is his tenth day. He was weak when I took him from the fence, and now is nearly dead, resting in a small box in the other room. I just didn't relish the thought of some critter eating him tonight. As I said, I'm not a bug person, but this moth transfixed me.

May 20 work in progress

What kind of crazy person would do an image with a large area of solid black?!?! Oh yeah, me. ;-) As I go through the list of subjects now, I think "how can I do this different than the other scrim I've seen of the same subject, what will fit on the pieces that I currently have in stock, and what can I do that gives me a chance to try out a slightly different technique."


Watch and see what kind of coolness this becomes in the next couple days.

I have sooooo many ideas for things to scrim. Some will be better suited for framed pieces, and I don't have time to frame anything before Blade Show, so those will wait til I am working on things to take to Jackson. I'm just so incredibly inspired and in the zone right now.

I'm excited and nervous about Blade Show. The excitement is currently winning out, but I worry too... what if nothing sells, what if I make a fool of myself, what if blah blah blah.

I am aiming to do two more pendants before I leave.. these elephants, and one more. If I get those done super fast and can whip out another, that's awesome, but I'm not counting on it. There is soooo much to do.

This weekend:
clip Gwen (foxtail season + hairy legs = uncomfortable horse)
move chickens into slightly different breeding pens
turn on incubator
make strawberry jam?
photograph completed hippo tooth scrim
pack two pieces for shipping
pay bills
scrimshaw!!!

Before the show:
more scrimshaw!!!
finish photo prep for portfolio
assemble portfolio
labels/price tags
laundry
pack clothes
pack scrim
pack table/display stuff
wash dog?
finish pendants, including selecting chains, and gift-boxing everything
panic
freak out
chill out
make lists like a crazy woman and check them endlessly, like this list right here
call about hay delivery
eggs in incubator
write cell phone # on business cards (alas, cheaper than getting new run of cards printed, sigh)
empty camera memory cards
wonder what I'm forgetting
finalize travel plans
feed the birds, label pens so that Mom can pick up eggs
make travel reservations for next show
figure out something to work on at the show???? (not sure I'll need to, not sure what kind of traffic to expect at the table, art shows can be soooo booooring I always work on something, scrim isn't as portable as drawing though!)

Bleh!

OMG, did you watch Grey's Anatomy tonight?! I was clutching my blankie almost the whole time!

Baby Panda scrimshaw pendant

I figured since the last one (the ravens) was kind of dark and edgy, I'd better max out the cute and fuzzy factor this time around. Gotta please as many of the people as I can, right? ;-)


Baby Panda (pendant)
multicolor scrimshaw on pre-ban elephant ivory
18x25mm

Ted's talk

Tonight's blog is all about Ted. Ted, a fantastic writer and all around pretty cool guy who I'm proud to call a friend, has been giving a talk called "What I Learned at Straight Camp" at various colleges and venues around California. I had the privilege of seeing the first of these speeches. See, Ted (who is straight) went undercover (posing as gay) to a Christian-based "straight camp" therapy program, which attempts to turn gay people into straight people. It's a pretty fascinating, and in some ways deeply troubling presentation, and he talks about not only his own experience there but also that of others who have gone through these programs in an attempt to change themselves, and what does (or doesn't!) result from that experience.

Ted has a blog.

Ted is also writing a book, and has part of it posted here.

Ted would like to give this presentation at locations outside of California. Interested in hearing the speech? Know a place that would be perfect? Contact him.

Rock on, Ted. :-)

[EDIT: here's some words from Ted himself!]

Hello,

I’m a straight atheist who went undercover in gay-to-straight conversion therapies. I spent a year attending weekly support groups, conferences and a 48-hour “healing touch” camp in Arizona.

I have created an 1-hour speech about my experiences. It includes videos, audience participation and a live demonstration of healing touch therapy.

Previously I have given the speech to crowds of over 300 at Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Cal Lutheran. Next week I will address Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

I’m willing to speak to any group that will cover my travel, feed me a couple of sandwiches and give me a comfy couch to sleep on.

As you can imagine, my undercover project has generated lots of media attention. Here’s just some of the recent coverage:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/27/great-read-writer-goes-un_n_553803.html
http://friendlyatheist.com/2010/04/14/ted-coxs-journey-to-a-gay-deconversion-retreat/
http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/straight_talk_about_straight_camp/
http://www.alan.com/2010/04/27/on-tuesdays-radio-show-116/
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-8896-writer-pretends-to-be-gay-at-seminar.html
http://blogs.965thebuzz.com/lazlo/2010/04/28/wednesday-april-28-2010/
http://twitter.com/PerezHilton/status/13027835364
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/08/27/14315

Thanks,

Ted Cox

ted.m.cox@gmail.com