Petrified Wood Co.

We tried to check out the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona last week. To our disappointment, we drove right up to a sign that said CLOSED.
Instead we found The Petrified Wood Company, a Rock shop right near the entrance to the park. This piece of Amethyst was huge! There is Olive, my lap dog for the 7 days we drove east.

Petrified wood

Grrr! They had such a great display at this store! -- Really beautiful stuff!

Wood

And more wood--- I love the colors. They come from minerals. My mind was matching them to the ingredients in my glaze colors.

On and Off Route 40 and Route 66 in Arizona

Near Petrified Forest National Park
Dinosaurs!

Meteor City Trading Post

Hiking the Grand Canyon--- Life is good!

Psst--- I drove a Porsche for the first time today. This is our ride. Nadine wasn't feeling well today, so it was just me and my backpack.
This was my first view of the Grand Canyon. These points have such a drop off! I walk fast, and I came in right at the points were you can hug the rail and look straight down.

That's when I decided that sitting down on the stairs and hugging a pole would be a good idea for a minute. At this area birds were zooming through the canyon. Dizzy ;-)

This is the area where I ate an apple and wrote postcards,

on this wonderful rock.

I took the Bright Angel trail. I said, "Canyon, could you please kick my XXX today?"
It did.

Here is part of the trail. I don't know if you can see any people, but they looked tiny over there!

This is part way down.

It was 1.5 miles to the rest area where I stopped. 1.5 miles doesn't sound far, but it was a trial timed at 1.5 to 3 hrs. I did it in 2.

Lowest spot I got to :-)

Pretty deep.

It was longer on the way up.

But I made it.

9 miles--Can you tell I'm tired?

6 miles were paved.

I've arrived

Yay! I am on Vacation! I arrived in Los Angeles on Friday evening. I stayed over with some extended family and we packed up the car for our trip to across the country.

FOOD--- it is amazing how it makes you feel. We ate the most delicious homemade Miso Soup to start our day. It was delicious Japanese Great Grandma--made soup! Tofu, egg, sweet potato, greens, onion :-) And we even were given wonderful seaweed sticky rice for our dinner. And imagine, all I could think about when I arrived in LA was Mexican food. Maybe we'll have some today :-)

Here is the big fish Koi Pond at great grandma Peggy's house. They were huge! They have a wonderful grape vine roofed pond and so much personality.

I took tons of mountain photos for my husband and oldest daughter who are rock and geography lovers.

All kinds of mountains and rocks---

Palm Tree

Again. The desert was blooming with millions of yellow and orange and violet flowers. There were brilliant Fuchsia cactus flowers, and Dark Red spiky tipped cactus. I picked up a postcard to identify them all.

We drove into an area of Lava sheets. So what do I do? --Hop out and grab a tiny piece for my kiddies (and Husband). Hey, I know what they love :-)

Here is where I found it, amongst these wonderful yellow flowers.

Mountains

And different mountains

And more--- when I was flying in, I looked down at the mountains and thought how they much they look like the same patterns in puddles and stream banks.

Has anyone ever been to the Franklin Institute in Philly? There is an exhibit where you watch water re-shape a sandy-rocky river bed. I thought about how wonderful that demonstration is.

Erosion-- A wonderful force. This morning I am waking up at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I can't wait to get out and walk around!

Warm or Cool Color Scheme Challenge

I blogged about the start of the last section of the Beads-of-Clay color scheme challenge today---- This time I found examples of different Artists work with clay beads. It is on the beads-of-clay blog here

In other news, my ride to the airport will be here in a few minutes. Vacation starts today. Sunny southern California is the first stop. Then we work our way east.... in a southern route..

Fancy.... Like in the magazines ;-) And SALE

I added some of the beads featured in BEADS 2010 to my etsy shop this week.

Tulip

I actually added 4 tulip pendants in different colors and different stringing options to my shop. 2 very good customers snagged 4 tulips as soon as I listed them. This one I added the next morning. It is the same color and design as my Art Bead on the cover of BEADS 2010.

Powder Blue Drops

These little drop/ charm beads are in the magazine in different colors. I see 3 different colors on the cover,
Deep Dark Drops
And 3 more on the table of contents page.

Purple Drops

I also wrote a project that uses this size and shape clay piece as a cabochon.

As soon as I get a copy of the Magazine I will know what other beads got in the issue.... and I will add them to my etsy shop. ( sent a bunch of different styles in) I will be adding project kits so you can make the necklace project I wrote as well. You can always order this style of charm on my Artisan Clay site made to order to your quantities and colors--- I mention this since I will be traveling next week and if you would really like something specific--- it would be best to let me know, and I will make time for it :-)

This piece is a tiny bit larger than the small drops. It is teal front and back and has such a great blue glass area. I have been wearing a pair of earring in this color since before Christmas when I shopped my own sale :-)

SO--- you may have missed it. I am having a SALE in my etsy shop up until I close it for vacation early next week. What's the sale??? It is a Buy One Get One sale~~ with a twist. For every item you buy from my shop you will receive "special fabulous secret surprises"

I know some of you guys have made really awesome designs with past Fabulous Surprises and I have a BLAST trying to pick pieces that may suit your style. Any hoo-- the shop will be closing before mid-week for my trip across the country so get it if you want it :-)