LBJ Photography Blog
This blog features travel notes and photographs.
Anthe
Anthe
March, 2018
We met Anthe Ruth last year! At that time we saw her at Woodcarvers every session we attended. At the end of our stay she gave us oven towels she had made—the ones which hang from an oven or refrigerator handle. This year we discovered the wonderful relationship she has with her son.
Travel back in time 50 years. Macrame was the fad. Anthe and her son published a book of phenomenal macrame creations, each one he had designed and built. Traveling forward in time she and her son started a venture of photographing melting flowers after having been frozen in a pail of water. The photographs were sold in a Santa Fe shop. Today, her son is a doctor. Today, Anthe continues her art in the form of wood carving.
Thunder Eggs
Thunder Eggs
March 1, 2018
From Bonnie:
It all started when David brought turquoise rocks into Woodcarvers and made them available to anyone present. Israel took a hammer to one big piece, and I became the recipient of a topper for my wizard walking stick. The problem was that the piece I took was too big to fit into the carved-out hole atop the stick. “Our grandson has a tumbler”, says I. Many warnings came after that statement--with a suggestion that I take the turquoise to the main senior center, the Munson Center, where it could be ground down by someone in the lapidary lab. That is where I met Jim.
“Oh no,” said Jim. “If you put this turquoise into a tumbler, it will be mud when you take it out. Thus began a lesson on rocks. He showed me a thunder egg. “A thunder egg?,” said I. “Yes,” replied Jim, “it got that name from the Native Americans. After a heavy thunderstorm and rain, the Native Americans would find these rocks in the desert, and believed that that gods had thrown them down from the sky.”
Enthralled by the story and his explanation of the rock's contents, I immediately thought of Jake and his rock collection. “Would you be willing to sell that rock to me so that that I can give it to our grandson?”, said I. He handed it to me and told me it was mine.
“We don't do money here,” said he. We trade. I owe him a wood carving next year.
A Living Museum
March 8, 2018
David's Living Museum
It's his home, but it is a museum. There is a story behind every treasure in David's house, and the story is as treasured as the piece he shows us. “The children came here—from the school—the bus brought them,” he told us. Why? His home is a living heritage which comes alive through his telling.
One story is as follows: David received a cold call from a Native American who discovered that David had accumulated over the years quite a collection of arrowheads from the desert; David accomplished this by looking for their sheen on the walls of arroyos after a wind storm. This Native American's objective was to obtain an arrowhead for a deceased loved one. Inside the coffin would be placed 2 jars—one for drink and one for meal as nourishment for the journey to the hereafter. The arrowhead would be placed in the folded hands of the deceased for use on the hunt along his journey.
As a result of the phone call, three Native American strangers knocked on David's door. As he welcomed them into his home, two of the men took interest in viewing the arrowheads right away, but one sat quietly not saying a word but visibly agitated. Time passed, and David kept glancing at the solemn, seated gentleman becoming increasingly aware of the discomfort he displayed. Finally, the man approached David with an inquiry about his house. He was particularly interested in a feeling he was experiencing from the back portion of it—an area unbeknownst to the visitor which can be considered David's display room. Giving the man permission to go into the back room, David waited with the others in the living room. After quite some time, the stranger emerged from the back room and approached David asking David permission to bless his house. Sure. The man moved from room to room bestowing a blessing upon each, and then ended by blessing David. David was honored.
Roxanna
March 5, 2018
Roxanna
On Tuesday, March 6, Roxanna presents her 7 ft + rattlesnake carving to the local high school. Her offer to the school was, “In return for foraging the school grounds for wood, I'll do a carving and donate it to the school for its display case.” One piece was the perfect size to carve as a rattlesnake, the school's mascot.
