The Courtyard Phase 3

It is going so quickly. Plants out, cement in. It looks much bigger than I thought it would be.

Courtyard Phase 2

No more turning back. I love the curve Azarias has made and we all agree that because of the mature trees the courtyard will look good.

The Making of the Courtyard Starts

They have started breaking up the cement for the courtyard. This picture was taken through the window. I wanted to make sure my toes didn't get in the way.

Moonie over your hammies.

Girls. Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Shopfront in Sidi Rabat, Morocco

Entrance to Mosque. Morocco

Our travels in Morocco stay with me still. I am starting one of my largest projects yet. I will build an inner courtyard at the front of my house. The many elements of northern African life return in the Mexican culture thanks to the Spanish Conquistadors. That is one tiny postive aspect of cruel colonization. I intend to incorporate the colors that both cultures use with such delicious abandon and the shapes of Arabia and transplant them to the Sonoran desert.

Melon market. Rissani, Morocco

Taking a breather. Fez, Morocco

Bored in the Oasis. Meski, Morocco

Where is she going? Morocco

Boy in Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Frozen Fountain

My fountain still is not finished. When we first moved into the house almost 12 years ago (!) I could just see this fountain by the front porch. A Mexican fountain, like the ones I had seen in Oaxaca. Large as a bathtub and tiled with azulejos of blue. Several years ago I started building one with the help of Camilo, my Sancho Panza. We seldom agree on anything, and especially not on what we consider a straight line. Camilo has some difficulty with his right eye, although he will not admit this, certainly not to me, but he had to agree that the rectangular foundation we had planned had come out as a slab of cement in the form of a trapezium. Not to worry, it adds to the charm and gives it all an organic touch. I like the word 'organic', it covers up a lot of my not so successful endeavours. Since then I have made a mosaic on the fountain out of small glass tiles, a painstaking process that can only be done if I work at least 4 hours in one go or else the glue doesn't set the tiles as I intended. Before the Summer heat sets in (it's already 30 degrees most days) I have to have the fountain finished and have posted the final result on this page.

Rocket Dog

No more teething problems. Athena has developed into a Rocket Dog. When I let her out off-leash at night, and I call her, I can hear the thump-thump-thump as if there was a racehorse coming at me at full speed. As the sound gets louder, I hold my breath and wait because in a split second a low flying rocket will speed by close enough for me to feel the air as it passes.

Athena

Sometimes I get it all wrong. Never was a dog person until I decided to buy a puppy from under a tree. Later I read that one should never do that. Sometimes others get it all wrong. Athena has added so much to my life, never before have I scooped poop, now a daily task or filled in holes just where I don't want a plant. I know all about kibbles and teething rings. Not that Athena needed teething rings because shoes, expensive dog beds, wooden sculptures brought home carefully from trips to Africa and anything else that happened to be within reach would do. She really wasn't too particular about her chew toys.

Small world, long arms.

Recently, when updating my email address and letting my family, friends and contacts know, I realized how many people are in my life and how little they know about it. I don't particularly want to put all my business out on the internet but I thought that perhaps a blog, for those who are interested in my work, ideas and opinions might be a way to connect to the people who are important to me. When I say 'work' I really mean my photography, writing, silversmithing and most of all the additions I make to my home. I have no fear of wielding hammer and power tool, though I admit I have stayed away from saws that have a cord attached. I remember only too vividly when I first found myself having to face home-improvement projects on my own. Two cats were telling me that I needed to put a cat-door in. Now wood I understand so I thought lightly of the job, not realizing that the door was reinforced with metal. Of course I didn't remove the door from it's hinges. The tears I shed while attempting to cut a somewhat square hole in the door could fill a bucket. I never thought that if I was unable to do it, I could ultimately just buy a new door. To my amazement the cat-door fit and hid the jagged edges of my handiwork. It looked just fine, and I dried my eyes and picked up the 14 broken saws and went on with my life.