My Online Store Travels to Sedona, Arizona and Faces Problems

Pink Jeep Tours

Sedona, Arizona is a small town with lots of natural beauty. When you see Sedona it is easy to see why Native Americans regarded it as sacred.  The red rock formations and the green of the forests are striking.   Sedona continues to be recognized as a place of healing and spiritual renewal by many.   It is home to many artists. 

Our trip began on what use to be an old road to Sante Fe

You can't help but notice the pink jeeps that go through the town.  We decided to see what they were all about and had a great time. For 2 hours we went up into the red-rock formations and enjoyed a trail filled with scenic beauty. We got a great view of the famous red rock monoliths.

Mogollon Rim

We traveed up in elevation towards the Mogollon Rim and got a panoramic view of Sedona and the Verde Valley.  We took advantage of these larger-than-life views of the lowland desert combined with the evergreen forest of the high plateau to take lots of photos.

Sedona, Arizona

  While others might just want to prowl the 40-plus art galleries lining the streets or to receive soothing treatments from the dozens of spas there we opted for enjoying the gorgeous scenery.

When returning to our campsite in Flagstaff, we had a serious Internet problem to deal with.  My BayMoonDesign online Etsy store had several orders to get into the mail.  Unfortunately,  on the way to Flagstaff our hot spot died.  We called Verizon and they were very co-operative about replacing it and sending the new one to a campsite that we knew we would be at 4 days into the future.  In fact, we would be at the campsite for 3 days so it offered a perfect window for getting this delivery.  Meanwhile, I still had these 2 orders to get out.  One was to Ireland and the other to California.  We had Internet at our campsite and we were able to set up our iphone as a hot spot. Using the iphone as a hot spot was important to the trip since we were counting on it for our traveling directions. I was counting on the hot spot to allow my computer to print on my network printer.  Even though the campsite had Internet the problem now was that the campsite network wouldn't allow the addition of our printer to their network.  I can't blame them for that.  The campground did have a "business center" (really old and huge monitor, computer, and printer)  that allowed me to email my .pdf of the shipping labels to myself and use their printer to print them out.  The problem was solved and the orders went in the mail the next day!

My Online Store Travels to Santa Fe for a Photo Shoot

Sante Fe is the capital of New Mexico and it is the oldest capital city in the United States.  When you look around the city you notice how the buildings blend into nature.

Loretto Chapel Staircase

The influence of the Roman Catholic religion which the Spanish brought to Sante Fe is visible throughout the city.  There are many lovely churches and the interiors are spectacular.   I admired their stained glass windows, altars, and statues.  The Loretto Chapel was formerly know as Chapel of Our Lady of Light has an amazing staircase.  Its spiral staircase has no visible or central support.  Imagine it without the banister.  The sisters had the banister added later.

Saint Francis Cathedral

The Saint Francis Cathedral has fourteen life-size sculptures by Gib Singleton which represent stages during the events in the hours leading up to Jesus' crucifixion as developed by St. Francis of Assisi. The sculptures are located outside in the  Prayer Garden of the cathedral.

Saint Francis Cathedral

The city of Santa Fe was originally occupied by a number of Pueblo Indian villages with founding dates between 1050 to 1150. One of the earliest known settlements in what today is downtown Santa Fe came sometime after 900. A Native American group built a cluster of homes that centered around the site of today’s Plaza and spread for half a mile to the south and west.  The Spanish style of using a  radiating grid of streets centering from the central Plaza was implemented in laying out the city. The city created the idea of imposing a unified building style – the Spanish Pueblo Revival look, which was based on work done restoring the Palace of the Governors.

There are about 75 spots outside the Palace where Indians sell there handmade jewelry and other crafts.  They can be purchased there free of tax.  I enjoyed looking at the handmade jewelry. Lots of the jewelry has beautiful silver work.

Palace of the Governors and Indian Merchants

Palace of the Governors has many defining features of local architecture.  It has vigas (rough, exposed beams that extrude through supporting walls, and are thus visible outside as well as inside the building) and canales (rain spouts cut into short parapet walls around flat roofs).  Its features borrowed from many old adobe homes and churches built many years before and found in the Pueblos, along with the earth-toned look (reproduced in stucco) of the old adobe exteriors.

Rosary and Jewelry of Spaniards

New Mexico History Museum was opened adjacent to the Palace.  I couldn't help but admire the jewelry and rosaries which are displayed here.  If you have ever tried to make chainmall, you will be amazed at the work of the Spaniards on display.

Chainmall

Sante Fe is clearly a center for the arts.  It attracts writers and artists.  It has a high concentration of  art galleries and museums.  Georgia O'Keefe Museum Largest collection of her work in the world.   I will have to go back to Sante Fe some time.  One day was not enough.  Plus, I discovered an amazing bead shop in the center of town.  The owner told me she has imported beads from all over the world for over 40 years.  Jewelry designers from all over the world come there.  I could see why!

Brass Filigree Earrings

When I got back to my campsite, I discovered that I had an email from a customer requesting that I show her a specific pair of earrings in my shop on my ears.  She was interested my my brass filigree earrings that I apply patina to.  The sunlight in New Mexico was perfect for a late afternoon photo shoot. 

My Online Etsy Store Travels to Roswell, New Mexico for Alien Sighting

Our First Alien Sighting

I will admit that my only knowledge of Roswell, New Mexico is based on reading lots of books about reported UFO and alien sightings.  I was pretty excited to be passing through this town.

UFO sign as you approach town

I was surprised to see that what I pictured as a sleepy little town stuck in the '50's was in reality a modern town of nearly 50,000 folks.

Our next stop is Sante Fe, New Mexico which is home to lots of artists and art galleries.

My Online Etsy Store Travels to Guadelope Mountains, Texas

El Capitan on left and Guadalupe Peak on Right

The Guadalupe Mountains are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, 8,749 ft (2,667 m), and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both located within Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and Lincoln National Forest.

Guadalupe Peak

The Guadalupe Mountains are surrounded by the South Plains to the east and north, Delaware Mountains to the south, and Sacramento Mountains to the west.  The range is named for the Lenape, who are also known as the Delaware Indians.  Being from Delaware I am familiar with the Lenape, but I had no idea there was a mountain range named after them.

Cactus in bloom

These mountains and surrounding area are set aside as a wildlife preserve.  There is limited access to them so as not to disturb anything.  You can park your car and hike or climb from one spot.  I would love to climb to the top and hear and see the elk bugling in the fall.

Even though there looks like there are only browns and greens in the mountains, when you look carefully you can find flowers with lots of color.  Even the cactus have flowers with color.  I like to photograph different color combinations in nature to use in my jewelry.  Right now I am working on a necklace for the Octoberfest Challenge 2014 sponsored by Toltec Jewels.  Next month, a number of us are showing off the jewelry that we have created for this. I was trying to decide whether to go with a bat theme or spiders theme.  Right now I am leaning toward a spider theme for my Bay Moon Design Online Store   entry in this challenge.  The ceramic I am thinking about using as green in it and these yellow flowers against the green foliage is inspiring my to use this color combination.

Rain clouds passing over mountain

Unfortunately, our trip to the mountains was cut short by rain.  There were floor warnings and when we saw the rain clouds approaching we decided to get out.  The rain can come down from the mountain tops quickly and before you know it, you can be in big trouble. We saw enough roads that showed signs of flood damage that we wanted to get out while the getting was good.

My Online Etsy Store Travels to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

Mouth of the Carlsbad Carverns

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in  New Mexico.  Beneath this rugged land are more than 119 known caves - all formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone is the primary attraction ---the Carlsbad Cavern.  At night, you can watch the nightly exodus of thousands of Brazilian (Mexican) Free-tailed bats from this cave.

Deep in the Caverns

Carlsbad Cavern includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at the highest point. It is the fifth largest chamber in North America and the twenty-eighth largest in the world.

Stalactites and Stalagmites

The forces of water decorated the cave in an almost endless array of spectacular limestone formations such as this column and array of stalactites.

More  Stalactites and Stalagmites

The park contains over 119 caves only 3 are open to the public.  In the olden days the public climbed through the caverns on wooden ladders and it took 4 to 5 hours.  Now, the public uses an asphalt path down and can take an elevator back up.  Early explorers threw rope ladders down into the dark and descended.  Can you imagine?

All of this has me thinking of the Octoberfest Challenge 2014 sponsored by Toltec Jewels.  Next month, a number of us are showing off the jewelry that we have created for this.  I am trying to decide to go with a bat theme inspired by this trip or a spider theme inspired by my sister-in-laws fear of spiders.  What do you think my Bay Moon Design Online Store  will feature as a result of this challenge?

15th Blogger Non Blogger Challenge for Bead Peeps

 

Suggested Palette

       15th Blogger /Non-Blogger Challenge -"Who Shall be Captain"

                                         Hosted By Kathy Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

                                 
   Welcome to the Blogger/Non-Blogger Design Challenge Round Robin Design Challenge! 
  REVEAL DATE for Your Design ~ Monday, November 10, 2014, 12:00 A.M. Eastern Standard

                                                           
I am honored to be the hostess for this challenge.  I selected Who Shall be Captain: illustration of pirates fighting to be the captain. The oil painting, is part of the Delaware Art Museum's collection by Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911).  Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. 

He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware.   Being from Lewes, Delaware, I wanted to select an artist from my state.  As a retired school library media specialist, I have admired Howard Pyle's various illustrations of fiction for children, Pyle wrote and illustrated a number of books.  A favorite of mine includes many traditional Robin Hood legends and ballads. He is responsible for toning them down to make them suitable for children. Pyle was widely respected during his life and continues to be well regarded by illustrators and fine artists. Vincent van Gogh, was a contemporary artist who admired Pyle.  He had a lasting influence on a number of artists who became notable in their own right: N. C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, Stanley Arthur, and numerous others studied under him. 

Being from Lewes, Delaware,  I love our Delaware Beaches and our own legends of pirates.  There are many stories about pirates coming to the area.  Even Blackbeard is rumored to have visited.



The rules and signup are located at:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/beadPeeps/https://www.facebook.com/groups/beadPeeps/
If you aren't a member of Bead Peeps group, just ask to join.

The contest is open to jewelry designers and art bead designers.

My Etsy Store Travels to a Ghost Town in TerlinguaTexas

signs of recent gentrification of Terlingua

Terlingua is located near Big Bend, Texas.  It is the proud home of the historic Chisos Mining Company, the original Chili Cookoff (both of 'em), Carroll Shelby's Championship Terlingua Racing Team, and the Terlingua Trading Company.  

This is a church located in Terlingua and it is still used.  The roads are dirt and rugged.  There are lots of hills and bends in them. 

The recent 'gentrification' of downtown Terlingua has brought visitors to enjoy sunsets, dinning, shopping.  I could see where folks took parts from abandoned houses and built new ones.  I am really not sure everyone was indoor plumbing!   I didn't see any signs of a doctor, dentist, Home Depot, for over a 100 miles.  I did spot a Family Crisis Center there in Terlingua.

Big Bend

Of course, Mother Nature and Big Bend are the main attractions!

Please think about following my blog.  You can always look through my Esty shop.  I have the shop on the road with me so it is open for business.  More adventures ahead!

15th Non Blogger/Blogger Challenge Inspiration "Who Shall Be Captain" for Beaders and Art Bead Designers

"Who Shall Be Captain" by Howard Pyle (public domain image)

While on the road to California in our camper, I found out that I won the 14th Round Robin for the Non-Blogger/Blogger Challenge with my owl and acorn necklace.  This also meant that I am the hostess for the 15th Round Robin for the Blogger/Non-Blogger Challenge(BNB Challenge) at the Bead Peeps. 

Bay Moon Design winning Owl and Acorn necklace

For the 15th Round of the BNB Challenge, I am changing it up a bit.  You may create ONE Jewelry Design  or ONE Art Bead Design inspired by the illustration of Who Shall Be Captain by Howard Pyle.

With each design option, there will be two sets of winning prizes based on public, popular votes.   The designs with the most "LIKES" for the category "jewelry" or "art bead" will win. The creator of each winning design may choose a $25 gift certificate to Bay Moon Design Etsy store or a Bead Soup created by me and valued at $25.  Free shipping is included with either choice.   At my Etsy store you may select from handmade whimsical cards and jewelry.  Winners will announced on November 18.

For our design theme in general, consider creating a gift for someone you love or want to uplift.  The holiday season is right around the corner.   You may also consider creating for charity.

I hope you follow my blog so that you can keep up to date with this event.  I will be blogging about why I selected this piece of art and providing a color palette.

CONTEST BEGINS: Signups are now!  Reveal date is November 10 , 2014 12:00 A.M. Eastern standard when voting begins.

To Participate, SIGN UP INSTRUCTIONS and RULES ARE HERE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beadPeeps/

If you aren't one of the 900 plus members of the Bead Peeps Group, just ask to join!

My Etsy Store Travels to Big Bend National Park

Mountains in the clouds at Big Bend National Park, Texas

Big Bend covers 801,163 acres which is larger than the state of Rhode Island.  There the Rio Grande River forms the international boundary between Mexico and the United States, and Big Bend National Park administers approximately 118 miles (190 km) along that boundary.

Rio Grande River

The park was named after the area, which is bounded by a large bend in the river and Texas-Mexico border.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

This area has a long history involving dinosaurs, Indians, Spanish explorers, silver mines, farmers.  Big Bend is the largest, most remote, and least visited of the National Parks.  I was amazed by how long it took to drive her from San Antonio, Texas to the park.  The fact that it seemed to be at the end of the earth surrounded by miles and miles of desert made it seem even longer.

Trinkets for sale

We came across some trinkets for sale while hiking down to the river.  This store was run on an honor system.  Prices were listed on a cardboard sign and there was a jar there for money.  No one seemed to be there, but it made me wonder.

Rio Grande River from U.S. side

It was exciting to see the Rio Grande River up close.   The Rio Grande River was muddy due to recent rains. It didn't look to inviting to get into and the park service discourages swimming in it.
I found it hard to wrap my head around the fact that this river is the only thing that separates the U.S. from Texas.

Mountains and desert at Big Bend

The mountains are spectacular. It is hard to image the size of this park.  We saw very few people in the park.  It was a very different experience from last year's trip to Yellowstone.  It was hard to comprehend the tour buses and crowds in Yellowstone in the off season of Fall.

Big Bend

I was thankful that there was lots of cloud cover and it was in the 70's when we were hiking.  It seemed like 100 degrees to me.  It was amazing to imagine the harsh conditions can be experienced here.

Post office in Teralingua, Texas

At the end of the day at Big Bend, I had a little Etsy business to attend to.  I had to mail my order to San Angelo, Texas.  I located the post office in Teralingua on the Internet.  I was surprised at its size.  I was larger than I expected.  I dropped off the order from my Etsy store and went on sight seeing.  Actually, when driving through Big Bend I discovered that there was a post office in the park too.

I have plenty more adventure left on the trip so you may want to sign up to follow by blog .  My next stop is a ghost town.

My Online Etsy Store Travels to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas

The Church at The Alamo

All of my knowledge of The Alamo is based on what I have read in books and seen in the movies.  The Alamo has been a frequent subject for movies since the earliest days of the medium.  Most of my understanding of The Alamo has to do with the famous battle there of The Alamo, but I also learned how it fits into a broader historical context of the area.  With its ruined church, The Alamo is the perfect visual backdrop to tell tales of patriotism, courage, and duty. I had to see it while I was in San Antonio. 

Heroes of The Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo, killing all of the Texan defenders and two of my childhood heroes--Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie.

According to many accounts of the battle, between five and seven Texans surrendered. Santa Anna demanded the immediate execution of the survivors.. Weeks after the battle, stories circulated that Crockett was among those who surrendered. However, Ben, a former American slave who cooked for one of Santa Anna's officers, maintained that Crockett's body was found surrounded by "no less than sixteen Mexican corpses". Historians disagree on which version of Crockett's death is accurate.

Bowie became very ill sometime in late February. Historians disagree what illness he suffered from. It may have pneumonia or tuberculosis. It was a debilitating illness, and Bowie was confined, delirious, to his bed. According to legend, Travis drew a line in the sand and told the men to cross it if they would stay and fight. Bowie, too weak to walk, asked to be carried over the line. After two weeks of siege, the Mexicans attacked on the morning of March 6. The Alamo was overrun in less than two hours and all of the defenders were captured or killed, including Bowie. Bowie reportedly died in his bed, still feverish. 

The Alamo is a heroic struggle against impossible odds — a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason, the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.  

My Online Etsy Store Travels to Lake Livingston and San Antonio River Walk, Texas

Lake Livingston, Texas

Lake Livingston, Texas was our next stop.  It was a great place to camp, relax, and enjoy sitting in the cool breeze by the lake. We watched folks fishing and boating.   Lake Livingston is the 2nd largest lake located within the borders of Texas. It is 39 miles long and at it's widest point it is 7 miles. With 450 miles of shoreline!

White Heron

There was abundant wildlife around the lake.  We enjoyed watch a white heron fish for his dinner by the edge of that water.

Portion of River Walk in San Antonio, Texas

 Our next stop was San Antonio River Walk.  It is a network of walkways along the San Antonio River. 

Walkway outside the Rivercenter Mall on the River Walk

 The walkway winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with hotels, restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws from the Alamo to Rivercenter Mall and art museums.
 The River Walk developed over time as San Antonio grew along the river so did the River Walk.  It has a long and interesting history.

 La Villita Historic Arts Village

La Villita Historic Arts Village is an art community in Downtown San Antonio and I discovered it while walking along the River Walk.  There are art galleries, stores selling souvenirs, gifts, custom jewelry, pottery, and imported Mexican folk art, as well as several restaurants in the district. La Villita connects to the San Antonio River Walk and its outdoor Arneson River Theatre.

Old Kiln Used in Restoration

There was a restoration of this area in 1939.  The kiln that was there was used to fire the pavers, plaques,  and other materials used in the restoration.  It was left there to add to the history of the area.  What a great idea!

 While visiting San Antonio I got an Etsy order and it was going to San Angelo, Texas.    I looked up San Angelo and discovered it has a population of 90,000 plus and is in West Central Texas.  I calculated that I would be mailing the package when we were in Teralingua, Texas which is right outside our next stop Big Bend National Park.  Teralingua has a population of 50 according to the latest census.  Personally, I think there are people living off the grid there.  It looked more like 100!

My Online Etsy Store Travels to Natchez, Mississippi

Riverboat on the Mississippi at Natchez

I live in the small town of Lewes, Delaware which has a long history.  Lewes was the site of the first European settlement in Delaware, a whaling and trading post that Dutch settlers founded on June 3, 1631 so I really appreciate and relate to other small towns like Natchez, Mississippi.  Established by French colonists in 1716, Natchez is one of the oldest and most important European settlements in the lower Mississippi River Valley.  Both towns are on the water and have long histories.  What struck me about Natchez, is the large number of historic homes that are there.

Natchez has a population of 15,000 and Lewes; 3,000.

Stanton Hall

Natchez has several pre-civil war mansions.  Since Natchez had many Union sympathizers, the town surrendered to the Union with the hope of keeping the town from being destroyed.

The result is a town with lots of historic homes, churches, taverns etc.

Natchez Trace Mount Locust Inn

The Natchez Trace Parkway begin here.  It  is a 444-mile drive through beautiful scenery and 10,000 years of North American history.  Used by American Indians, "Kaintucks," settlers, and future presidents, the Old Trace played an important role in American history.  We didn't do a lot of the drive but we did stop to see Mount Locust.  It was an Inn used by travelers as early as 1780.

Bay Moon Design Etsy store of jewelry

I bet you are wondering how I can take my Etsy store with me.   My entire Etsy store of over 200 items fits into 3 plastic cases and a former box of chocolates!    If you want to make sure you don't miss any of my trip, please follow my blog.

Mount Locust

Parkway, Mount Locust was an inn or "stand" used
by travelers as early as 1780.