One afternoon in mid-July, heavy rain brought tiny rivers down the hillsides to the north and west of our house, carving deep ruts into the driveway and flooding the fields. This was more rain than we’ve seen in the nine monsoons seasons we’ve been here in Ramah. The surrounding areas of Gallup and Zuni had terrible flooding in homes and businesses. The rainwater is wonderful for all of the flora and fauna, but it was also a reminder of the power of these torrential storms. Along the roadsides, flowers appeared right after the rains and the frogs were singing all night long. My recent paintings are influenced by the time and views on the road— with the repeating shapes of rearview and sideview mirrors. One painting references all of the windows and screens that seem to be part of the daily work scene— the pane glass windows at the office, computer display, laptop, tablet, and phone screen— framing the days when I commute to Grants and often have a zoom meeting or two. Other days, I drive out to visit families on the nearby Navajo and Zuni reservations to help families navigate the paperwork to get the services that their young children need. It’s quite different than the classroom and the joyful noise of a school community, but I am enjoying this new work and appreciate the flexibility to balance my artwork with the office work. I do miss the big chunk of summer-time that I was so fortunate to have when I was teaching. This month’s crop of photos includes some samples of the water-y weather, the garden and greenhouse, the sky and new sketchbooks, more views of Route 66’s Centennial, new paintings, and of course— the pups!
