saturday in dolores...

so that indian summer i was talking about is back again it seems. we've had the most delicious, beautiful, scrumptious weather again. i had sort of a strange injury happen this week, an all-of-a-sudden excruciating pain in my leg, (which, according to my fantastic massage therapist, turns out to be an extension of my problems with my back, which stem from an old injury, which all is connected to how i treat my body while i am out in the shop) so i couldn't do much in the way of outdoor activity. we decided it would be a good day to take the girls to visit lowry ruins, an ancestral puebloan site nearby.

we had a lovely picnic

and the girls found some kind of strange teepee to play in

then we dressed up for an all girls, fancy dress up martini party

(this is one of those photos where you really lament that it is out of focus)

there was a "photobooth" set up there, by a very clever local artist.

i can't wait to see her shots!

my gray dress that i bought for the durango show is about as fancy as i get. when we got there, and hazel saw all of the fancy shmancy ladies in their vintage best she said "mommy, you're really not that pretty."

speaking of shows, i will be doing the local dolores holiday show this year. it is a fabulous annual event, held at the local brewery. everyone in town comes to do their christmas shopping, drink beer, and hang out. (here's a photo from the show two years ago.) i need to get busy making stuff for it!

it will be a huge help that hazel has gone ahead and decided on full-day kindergarten. we sat down and made a pros and cons list. it turns out that the only two cons were "i will miss mommy." and "mommy will miss me." but there was a long list of pros, so we decided to give it a shot. it turns out she loves it. i am so happy for her, and i have to admit, i feel a sense of relief that i can have more time out in the shop. my time out there is so very important to me for so many reasons. most importantly it allows me the time that i so desperately need to connect with myself, to feed my spirit, and to recharge my battery so that i can balance my life and be the best mom i can for these guys.

on my way out there now!