I got back home this morning… drove all day and night from Denver, with Pam sharing the driving… Now I have today and part of tomorrow to do everything I can’t do on the road.

I fly to Des Moines tomorrow at midnight (with an armful of artwork) to get my van and drive to Chicago for the Magnificent Mile show. I have many orders to ship out, many pieces to prepare, new images I want to test-print and finish. I’ve also made a brochure illustrating the alleys which I’ll be sending to museums and galleries worldwide, as well as to everyone on my mailing list. (If you aren’t on it, send me an email with your snail mail address) I’m also preparing for 2 gallery shows in August. One at Stanford University’s Art Spaces (fifteen 32×40’s !); the other at San Joaquin Valley College Gallery in Stockton, CA.

Driving back through the desert on a moonless night was mind-blowing. I had to stop on a dark side road so I could get out of my van and stare up. I’ve never seen the Milky Way so bright and beautiful. I could stare at the stars for hours. The book that whacked my head the hardest was the late Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. I read it in my early 20’s and it put the universe, and my reality, into a deep and profound perspective.

And now for some bitching….I lost many of the pictures I took yesterday because my stupid-ass digital camera is a piece of crap. I was fuming for hours, obsessing over their loss, and trying to remember what they looked like. I shouldn’t really care, because the camera is a low-quality thing that makes lousy 8×10’s. So the pictures I take on my trips are just for fun and are ultimately throw aways. (Although my blog has given them an outlet which is great)

But damn is it annoying! I had several great Rocky Mountain shots that I went out of my way to get, plus an odd picture for my friend Ernesto who collects unusual sign photos for his blog. There’s a road in Colorado called No Name, and it has an exit off highway 70.

Here’s a tip for you. I’ve driven across the country several times. If you plan on doing this, avoid Hwy 80. The 70 offers spectacular views of the Colorado Rockies, and the Utah bluffs 

Most of my Colorado shots are lost, but I did get some shots in Utah. Now I have to take a nap………………