Drove through some really beautiful country today. Dry earth and red clay for miles, giant mesas near and far. It all began just over the hill from Edgewood where we spent the night. Here are the kids and the luggage rack, all loaded up and ready to hit the road this morning. What a production. Oy!
Today’s journey started out at a nice clip, but we ran into some major road work (glad it wasn’t an accident) on the way out of New Mexico, which slowed traffic almost to a halt for a good half an hour. Interesting, to say the least. It’s not every day one gets stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of the desert, behind a trailer with a message.
This is the car charm I made the day before I left Montague, using beads from my collection, old and new. The Mother Mary medal—a long ago gift from my friend and neighbor, Terri Skarszynski—was blessed by Mother Teresa. As you can imagine, it is very special to me.
The drive today was peaceful and easy. I stopped twice: first for fuel in Grants, and again at a gas station/trading post in Navajo, the town. Two older native women with long gray hair were selling crafts at a booth beside the parking lot—silver necklaces, pottery, decorative arrows—so I wandered over. One of them rose to show me the various items, including the pretty beaded bracelets and earrings she makes, and we chatted a bit. I bought a lovely little vase made of white clay, painted in desert colors and glazed with a special horsehair technique. At first she thought it was made by Russell Sam, a potter on the res, but on the bottom, this piece was signed “M. Sam”—possible for Russell’s wife (Mary? Marilena? I later found there appear to be several Navajo artists named Sam making pots and jewelry for sale in galleries and online. Sounds like an extremely talented and creative family.)
Anyway, the woman at the booth said she uses one of Russell Sam’s horsehair pots for her toothbrush holder! As we were talking, it occurred to me she was not much older than I…but what different lives we have. It gave me a lot to think about after she wrapped the vase in several layers of protective plastic, our transaction was completed, and we parted ways. The warmth of this encounter stayed with me for many miles down the road. As for the vase, I’ll post a picture tomorrow when I unwrap it at home, so you can see how sweet it is.
Tonight we are staying in La Quinta Flagstaff, where there is an outdoor pool and hot tub (ahhh), along with very comfortable beds for everyone. So grateful to have made it this far safely, and for all my blessings. 🙏🏼💜🌿🦉🌵
One Bold Crone 