Arizona Roadside Shrines

Roadside shrines dot the Southeastern Arizona desert landscape along the sides of the road. These public shrines, also called capillitas or grutas, have become Southwestern cultural icons. Part folk art and part expression of faith, they have evolved from the Spanish-Catholic traditions brought to the New World by early missionaries and settlers. Many mark the sites of fatal auto accidents and similar tragedies.


On a recent road trip from Why, Arizona into Mexico, I could not help but notice the beauty of those shrines in the desert.

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They ranged from the very simple to very elaborate and exhibit a tragic beauty of faith in folkart.


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Some of the shrines are simple crosses on the edge of the road, while others are more elaborate with candles, statues, artificial flowers surrounded by carefully raked sand.
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The straight flat highway through the Tohono O'odham Reservation is very monotonous. I noticed the shrines to others who also found it monotonous, and died along its straight shoulders. They appeared different from the ones I had seen before.
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The Tohono O'odham tribe is one of the few North American tribes never removed or relocated from its ancestral land. Once known as the Papago, the tribe officially changed its name to Tohono O'odham in 1986: "the Desert People Who Have Emerged from the Earth". Some archaeologists believe the O'odham are direct descendants of the Hohokam, who moved into the area about AD 200.

Beach Days

How do you practice for a bead cruise to Mexico? You go on a family beach event in Mexico 9 days before leaving for the Bead Cruise! I just had a really great vacation with my Sister, her two children and their families right on the beach in Rocky Point Mexico. See all those shells, rocks and beach glass.... well, they look like fodder for some "found object" jewelry - and if that doesn't work then they can go into my side yard. It seems that my family can't go anywhere without picking up pieces of anything that looks interesting. It was a nice time in the sun listening the the waves just outside of our windows. We visited, ate, kept the littler kids slathered with sunscreen and worked on a few jewelry projects.

I spent much of my time on the veranda beading and teaching some of the family how to make things.

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I did manage to finish two cuff bracelets.

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My sister wanted to learn how to knot pearls and professionally finish strung necklaces. "Bring extra tools", she said, "as my daughter might want to do some too." The surprise was that my adult nephew, Jake, and 13 year old Grand Nephew Andrew (or is that my Great Nephew?) were the ones who got totally involved with wire wrapping.

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Andrew figured out that you could find shells with holes in them and using copper wire crafted this great shell necklace.

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Three of us practiced making wire wrapped bead components and then we hooked them all together. It's a great necklace for a practice piece, isn't it? Tina finished a copper and red necklace and managed to get her fingers wrapped around bead knotting.

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It was hard to leave the tranquility of the beach, but next week is another adventure on the high seas and another beach in Mexico.

I love Suprises

I was working against a deadline today, getting ad copy and program patterns ready for the Bead Cruise program booklet. Things were not going right, I deleted a critical file and was doing some big time cussing at my computer. When my mail came in I had a suprise package from a very good friend, Crystal. I opened the box and it made my day! In it was a "Tidy Tote" that her friend, Janice had made. Everyone should have one of these hanging on the edge of her work table to throw scrap & thread ends into. I guess my reputation for wearing flip-flops all year has sort of made them into my trademark. The fabric on this neat little hanging bag is very brightly colored flip-flops. Thank You Janice, I love it, it's perfect where it sits.


Leave it to Crystal to carry the theme to the extreme.... She made me a name tag with one of the fabric flip-flops and added even more flip-flop charms. Seeing as I've been procrastinating about making myself a beaded name tag, this one will sure come in handy. I didn't know there were that many of those charms out there. Crystal, you made an ugly day into a bright one.

Balls & Inspiration

Balls:
I seem to be in a beading slump and not finding anything that interests me to bead..........

What to do with a whole bowl of felted balls. They might look great as a random colored ball necklace. However, they look beautiful just as they are in my antique glass bowl.

Balls in any material fascinate me. I found these glass balls at the Tucson Gem & Mineral show that I didn't know what to do with. Yes, I just had to have them and they feel nice just to hold. Yesterday at a thrift store I saw the trio of silver candlesticks that looked like they would fit them. Perfect, and the light coming through the window shines through them beautifully. I like my soultion and think the pairing of candlesticks and balls very decorative.


Inspiration:
On another thrift store journey I found a beautiful vintage beaded purse that needs a lot of loving care. Some beads are missing and others are in danger of falling off. It is beaded on a fabric that resembles corduroy, but is not fuzzy. The opaque black and silver lined crystal beads are applied in straight rows and at first glance looks like it had been done on a loom. It is a delightful design with rose monte and bugle bead accents. If I had time I would adapt the design for an elegant loomed piece. Vintage beadwork always inspires me to do something similar of my own.

However, at this time there are a number of things that need to be done and going from inspiration to beading will have to wait until after my IRS accounting is done and bead kits are assembled for the Cruise workshops.