Up before the crack of dawn this morning, driving Kris to the airport for two weeks of face-to-face meetings back East, just outside of Washington, D.C., in "the belly of the beast," as we say. This happens infrequently; Kris flies back three or four times annually, and it's an oddly discombobulating period of time.
We both work from our home in Northern Arizona, a high country paradise, spending our days in easy companionship here in the studio, she at the computer and I at the island we installed a couple of years ago. Between teleconferences, "Look at this," I'll say."What do you think?" "You suck," she replies (this is a compliment). Conversation during lunch. I set tea plates of fresh cookies and snacks at her elbow during long meetings.
Unaccustomed to living alone, I become disoriented when Kris is away on business. It's a marvelously creative period, don't get me wrong, but I become focused and lose track of time, often forgetting everything but the piece I'm working on. Lists help, but Kris will frequently call in the afternoon to inquire if I have eaten yet. Bless her. I often haven't...maybe if I kept something going in the crock pot...
Driving home from the airport is sublime. Alpen-glow off the snow up on the mountain. Ribbons of empty highway. Pink and yellow dawn shows along a big horizon, subtly coloring chilly aspens and ponderosa pines. It's a beautiful time of day, and I am thralled.
I arrive home alone, and Chamois, the older of our dogs, waits for Kris to follow me in. Knowing with all her heart that if she stares at the closed front door long enough the "other mommy" will appear, she stands fixed, expectant and hopeful, then confused. Soon, off in the distance a little prop jet puddle-jumper vectors over the forest toward Phoenix. Happy trails...
Crockpot...and keep fresh fruits out where you can see them (I know that helps some people at times when they are in creative mode!).
Safe travels, Kris!
Posted by: kelly | 03/28/2010 at 12:01 PM
thanks for the suggestion, kelly. the crockpot is simmering with "kitchen sink soup" as i write, yogurt is straining as a dip base for pre-cut veggies, bread is rising, and i'll be making strawberry frozen yogurt in a little while. there's usually fruit sitting out in the kitchen (i don't care for cold, refrigerated fruit...)but i have this thing about eating whole fruit. i'm weird that way...i have to cut it up first. maybe i could keep some in the fridge already cut, like the veggies, and set a little out in the morning to warm up. good idea! i'll give kris your regards when she calls this evening. thanks for leaving comments!
Posted by: sharon | 03/28/2010 at 01:06 PM
Thanks Kelly!
Posted by: Kris (HTGRS) | 03/28/2010 at 07:31 PM
Hey Sharon,
Bet you thought I dropped off the planet. I come and go . . .
You have been madly blogging while I wasn't looking. It will take me awhile to catch up.
Are those two yellow Labs I see? (We have two yellow labs: Maggie and Millie, AKA M&M or The Twister Sisters [The Twister Sisters that was, that is; arthritis has taken a bit of the twist from their tricks]).
Did you ever see the movie Return To Me (starring Minnie Driver and David Dutch-oven-y)? The bittersweetest part is how the dog keeps waiting for the mom to come home. . . Great movie; if you haven't seen it, do!
Posted by: suewhodoesn'tliketobephotographed | 03/29/2010 at 07:32 PM
oh, sue! "return to me" is my favorite movie of all time!! "dutch-oven-y," what a hoot! i'm going to have the song in my head for the rest of the night - and i love the song. i totally get the dropping off the planet thing, it happened to me in january and february this year, and i'm just getting back to myself...you know, it happens. so happy to hear from you; would you believe i was thinking of you just today? to answer your question, the dogs are chamois and molly, aka "the bubbies." they're both rescue dogs, so we're not really sure of their lineage, but any time someone asks, "american lovehounds" is our quick reply. good to hear from you!
Posted by: sharon | 03/29/2010 at 08:57 PM
Hi Sue!
Posted by: Kris (HTGRS) | 03/30/2010 at 04:37 PM
Hi Kris and Sharon. I have been thinking of you gals and wishing we would see each other again this year, but I don't think I will be at any art retreats, so . . . it may have to wait for the distanter future.
I call him Dutch-oven-y because I don't know how to say his real name, but it LOOKS like Dutch oven ee.
Our two pups are lovehounds too, also rescue dogs of Lab descent. It makes me feel good that once in awhile I do something civic minded.
Are y'all still buried in snow? We are in the throes (sometimes it feels like THROWS) of spring which means mostly mud and cold, rainy-or-threatening-to-rain gray skies. I love the IDEA of spring, but the reality falls short somehow. Thought this was the desert. What's with the lack of sunshine? (Oh, it will be back with a vengeance in July/August!)
Posted by: suewhodoesn'tliketobephotographed | 03/31/2010 at 01:24 PM
I have another comment for the discerning Return To Me fan. A few years ago my husband and I bought a water filter that attaches to our kitchen sink faucet. We ran it for a number of months without seeing any indication that we needed to change the filter. Finally I unscrewed the cap only to discover that we were supposed to actually put a filter in if we ever hoped to see the "change filter" signal.
For all those months we thought we had been enjoying healthy, filtered water only to discover that it was practically the equivalent of Swiss bottled water after all.
Posted by: suewhodoesn'tliketobephotographed | 03/31/2010 at 01:34 PM
we'd really love to see you again, too, sue, and as with you, have no plans for art retreats this year, although that might change. we're thinking about making a trip up the coast to see a nephew in seattle at some point, and it would be very nice to swing through utah on the way back for a visit, then maybe stop at arches on the way home for a photo shoot. come drive home through page...i love that country. we'll give you a heads up when we start long range planning.
springtime here is quite fickle. the snow had melted (evaporated) by the time we got home from arkansas, and the temps have been almost balmy, in the low 60's this week, but it's supposed to snow tomorrow with a high of 35...spring is sunny, windy, and dry here, with occasional snow right through mid may. then it's fire season until the monsoon rains come in early july. true spring is maybe two weeks long and we're generally not aware if it until its passed. it's crazy! i could start planting cold weather vegetables anytime, now, though, with reasonable success if i'm willing to water every day that the hose isn't frozen.
great filtered water story! kris is going to howl when she reads it! the water here is pretty good, coming from snowmelt up on the mountain, and unflouridated. we used to filter it, but when nikken quit making replacement filters for that model (grrr...) we realized that if we just let water sit overnight the chlorine evaporates away. and it tastes just like that fancy swiss stuff!
thanks for commenting! it's so good to hear from you! hugs.
Posted by: sharon | 03/31/2010 at 02:13 PM
HOWLLLLL!
Posted by: Kris (HTGRS) | 04/02/2010 at 04:58 PM
poor yote...close your eyes and click your heels together while saying, eight more days, eight more days...
Posted by: sharon | 04/02/2010 at 08:26 PM