Beaver Creek Ranch, Alpine, AZ October 26, 2011

Every muscle in my body hurt as I packed up my SUV with my leather chaps, various boots and a suitcase with dirty laundry.  I’ve ridden on cattle round-ups which are slow and leisurely overall.  This is not so on a horse round-up.  We moved 50 head of horses from their summer home in Alpine to their winter home in Springville – about a 60 mile ride on the back of a fast moving horse.   

When I decided to go on this horse round-up, I started conditioning myself with simple yoga exercises.  Apparently, my conditioning regimen wasn’t effective because I’ve never hurt all over my whole body this badly.  Not even when I was bucked off of Spice.

Before I headed back to Safford, I placed, photographed and documented art piece #127 on the window ledge of an early 1900’s wooden, guest cabin on the Beaver Creek Ranch property.  The cabin appeared to be small and I wondered how a whole family could live between split log walls.  Of course with all those people huddled in that tiny vicinity – that was one way to keep warm during the cold, snowy winters in the White Mountains.

Before I drove away from the Beaver Creek Ranch, I thanked the owners, Bill and Caren for their hospitality.  Now the only other thing that I looked forward to being thankful for was the first appointment I could get with my chiropractor.  Ouch … Ouch … Ouch.          

       

 

 

                      

US 191 @ Red Hill Road, Alpine, AZ October 22, 2011

I quite enjoyed my drive on US 191 through the Apache National Forrest in the White Mountains on my way to Beaver Creek Ranch.  The Ponderosa Pine, Aspen and Fir at 8,000 ft. altitude were a nice change from the sage, cacti, palm trees and tumbleweeds I’m use to at 3,000 ft.   I’m still adusting to the fact that I now live in a state where such drastic climate zones are only hours apart.  Alpine (named after its “Swiss-like” quality) is a popular summer vacation spot for the staff, at the hospital, I work with to escape Safford’s sweltering heat.    

As soon as I made a left on to Red Hill Road, I noticed an abandoned, run down wooden cabin in an open field about 30 feet from the road.  The opposite side of the road was a sign dedicating the reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf to this area.

  I stopped my SUV and grabbed my art gear.  I placed, photographed and documented cowboy and indian found art piece #125 in the cabin right before the sun set.  Now it was time to get to the ranch before it was completely pitch dark.  I had no idea where I was or where I was going since I’ve never been here.  This definitely fell into the category of “an adventure.”    

       

Apache National Forrest, AZ October 22, 2011

I placed, photographed and documented #126 at the entrance sign of the Apache National Forrest in the White Mountains.  I came from Morenci, AZ to Alpine, AZ to ride in my first horse round-up.  Giddy-Up!       

       

 

The Old Elfrida Post Office. Elfrida, AZ June 4, 2011

Francesca, my British cowgirl bud was staying with me for a few weeks.  While I was at my Home Health & Hospice job during the day, she did training with Lady Latte along with a few other jobs around the place.   Tonight was the night that Francesca, Sarah and I were heading out to Elfrida for a bull riding competition.

The Longhorn Steak House in Elfrida was connected to a small arena where bull riding jackpots were held.  We hadn’t had any rain in southeastern AZ and forest fires were consuming the countryside.  This was a good way to take our minds off of all that.  For a ten dollar admission, we could watch a while having a few drinks.  Sarah had met one of riders before and had a bit of a crush on this particular cowboy.  (In fact, this particular love interest won the jackpot that night.)  Then after the bull riding, a few musicians played on the restaurant’s veranda.  Drinking, flirting, dancing and story-telling went on into the early hours of the morning.      

Before the start of the evening’s events, I noticed the abandoned Elfrida Post Office across the highway from the restaurant.  Francesca and Sarah went into the restaurant a head of me.  I walked over to the old post office.  I placed, documented and photographed cowboy and indian found art piece #115 on front window’s ledge.  Everyone else around headed into the Longhorn Steak House and ignored my preoccupation with the post office.

At the end of the night I realized that the art piece ended up having the best seat in the house.  To watch the bull riding?  No.  The art piece had a prime view of all the men and woman who coupled up and left the festivities for a few passionate smooches in the dark night.  The night that was occasionally lit by a truck or car’s headlights or the orange glow from a fire on a mountainside off in the distance.  There were sparks on the horizon and between two sets of lips as the evening ended and smoldered – both smoky memoires.

                

 

 

                      

Black Hills National Back Country Byway, AZ March 23, 2011

On my travels down N. Hwy. 191to see my patients in Clifton, I always pass an entrance to the Black Hills. This area is known for fire agate rock hounding and primitive camping. Today was the day I was going to take a slight detour and a brief visit to this entrance of the Black Hills.
I decided to place the cowboy and indian icon art piece underneath the Black Hills sign at the entrance. I parked my car, carefully walked around thousands of porous rocks, tiptoed over fallen barb wire and
hop, skipped and jumped around a broken brown beer bottle. After I reached the sign, the completion of my goal was easy. Getting to and from the sign took me longer than placing, documenting and photographing #102.
The Chiricahua and western Apache indians were originally from this area. I imagine in the 1600's the Apache had no clue of what was in store for them with pending encounters with the white man. Certainly not with a conceptual artist who would place her art piece once in a place where they had stepped themselves. A metamorphosis and tribute to their existence.

5322 Highway 186, Dos Cabezas, AZ March 29, 2011

The patient/rancher in Dos Cabezas I’m off to visit raises peacocks. On and off I toy with the idea of having a male peacock at the RocknW. They are so beautiful and a novelty for the girl from Detroit, MI. However, if I’m not mistaken, they are quite noisy. Probably in the same way a rooster is. My hens are doing quite well without the rooster. I also enjoy not having to listen to a crowing rooster at all hours of the morning and through out the day. I’m sure as the few neighbors, I do have, might feel the same.
Then there’s the male peacock cooped up in a small cage at the Safford Feed Store. If someone doesn’t put out $50. for him within the next month or so - I’ll purchase him and set him free at the RocknW. He might get ate by a predator eventually but its got to be better than living a long life in that cramped cage.
If one blinks, they would miss driving through Dos Cabezas. When I didn’t blink, I noticed a red steel storage building with a windmill and a very large bell in front with a single wide mobile home set back far behind it. Underneath the red and white sign that simply displayed the word, MUSEUM, was another red and white sign, smaller, that displayed the word CLOSED.
To access the property, one had to walk through a red, wooden gate with large, red wooden wagon wheels on each side. I didn’t want to trespass on to the property so I placed, photographed and documented #101 on the hub of one of the wagon wheels. I quickly got back into my car and drove on to my patient’s home.
Who knows, maybe the museum’s owner will discover the cowboy and indian icon art piece. Maybe they will take it and put it in the museum. Maybe it’ll find a new home in the land once occupied by Cochise and his Chiricahua Apaches. Who knows!?

Pima Cemetery, AZ March 31, 2011

Cowboy and Indian icon art piece #100. Since this was my 100^th placement, I wanted it to be special. The perfect placement opportunity presented itself.
An assortment of veterans gathered at the Pima Cemetery on Saturday, March 26, 2011 for a grave dedication to honor the Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Josiah Pensyl (died in the Gila Valley on 1/22/1920). This calvary soldier, one out of 8, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for the defense of a supply train from a large Apache Indian attack that lasted from 9/9/1874 to 9/14/1874. I wasn’t able to attend the ceremony due to a scheduled appointment with my farrier.
When I showed up to the cemetery the following Thursday - locating Sgt. Pensyl’s grave was a task above and beyond my navigation. I drove and drove around the cemetery. Couldn’t find his grave!
I seriously expected to find a telltale sign, after the ceremony that was held in his honor, which would direct me his grave. Nothing.
As a back-up plan, I choose to place, photograph and document #100 on the Y shaped trunk of a tree-like scrub. My thinking was placement on the trunk of the scrub would protect it from the hot, unforgiving AZ sun. Our local climate is not kind.
This historic calvary/indian confrontation is the type depicted in countless cowboy and indian films from Hollywood. Tragic but entertaining. When I attended a semester of undergrad college long ago in England, I did a presentation on the possibilities of drama to a group of grade school kids. After the presentation I took questions from my audience. One young boy’s hand shot up right into the air.
The pressing question the boy had to do with the Apache Indian. Did they bother me much? Did I ever have to shoot one? Surprised, all I could reply was "no" and "no." His freckled face looked disappointed and he went quiet.
#100 Cowboy and Indian Icon art is dedicated to Sgt. Pensyl and that little lad who asked me a question. A calvary soldier who was in an actually confrontation with the Apache and a British schoolboy who can only fantasize about what it would be like to be such a confrontation with the Apache. Memories of both that are now just echos in my imagination.

　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

The Desert Pony - Spirits & Food. Elfrida, AZ December 7, 2010

I had a silent partner on my this and the next cowboy and indian icon art placement.
Her name is Francesca - Frankie for short. I was attending "cowgirl college" at Grapevine Canyon Ranch in Pearce, AZ. The "college" consisted of a week’s training in barrel racing and other western horseback skills. Frankie had flew over from England to attend the week’s training. We hit it off as soon as we met. If Hollywood ever decided to do a remake of "Thelma and Louise," they could definitely cast us into the leading roles.
Frankie needed a ride to a store in Elfrida for some riding attire and I needed locations for two of my cowboy and indian icon art pieces. I offered her a ride to the store if she didn’t mind my stopping to place, photograph and document 2 of the pieces. Even though Frankie isn’t much of a conceptual art fanatic, she was up for any kind of adventure this Yankee was willing to put in her direction. She was in my car before I was.
We got to Elfrida which consisted of the western attire/feed store, post office and another store or two. Across the street from where we made our purchases was what use to be the only restaurant/bar for miles around called, "The Desert Pony." Hadn’t a clue how long it was closed but it looked like a good place set a cowboy and indian icon art piece to me.
On this occasion, Frankie sat in the front seat of the car while I placed, photographed and documented #74 on one of the restaurant’s front windowsills. As I finished up, I turned around and saw Frankie smiling through the windshield. I got back in the car and asked Frankie what the big smile was about. She replied, "You’re mad. I like it, Sharon! Where to now?" With that, we were headed back to Grapevine Canyon Ranch and the next cowboy and indian icon art placement. Hi Ho and away we go!