More Travels 4--Sculpting Memories

Sculpting Memories

Carol took us out mid-morning for a walk down the Horse Trail in Los Alamos. We passed the stables and headed out along the mesa to the overlook at Bayo Canyon. Far below us we could see the hiking trail that led through the canyon. "I think you can drive that," said Carol.

We walk along Horse Trail to admire
Bayo Canyon beneath us.

"It looks like a jeep road," I told her, "and I'm pretty sure that was the second evacuation route from the mesa out of Los Alamos when we had the terrible fires a few years ago," said Carol.

The expansive landscape spreads out
before us when we reach the end of
the Horse Trail.

The mile-long walk out to the Bayo gave us some beautiful views of the landscape below us, and the hot sun warmed us so much that light jackets were uncomfortable.
We stopped for coffee at Ruby K's in Los Alamos and then headed down the mountain.
Our destination was Shidoni Foundry and Galleries and the adjoining Tesuque Glassworks, built in 1975. Shidoni, advertised as one of the greatest resources available for art collectors and sculptors, is located five miles north of Santa Fe in the village of Tesuque.
The gallery and foundry include eight acres of sculpture gardens along the Rio Tesuque on a former apple orchard. We strolled across the grass, avoiding sprinklers and admiring the sculptures.

Swim Buddies, a bronze by Moore,
awaits lifting and delivery outside
the Tesuque Foundry.

Triceratops Skeleton by Brandon Khl
is welded steel and sells for $5,800.

At the foundry, a lift that could raise 4,000 pounds was poised to hoist a new bronze, Swim Buddies about two soldiers at war, but actual pourings of the 2,000-degree molten bronze into ceramic shell molds are only open to public viewing on Saturday Pour Days.
Shidoni, a Navajo greeting to a friend, lives up to its name in every respect. Suddenly, I felt something wet on the back of my left calf. Turning around, I spotted a tiny dog, probably part Chihuahua. It had either nosed or licked my leg.

Andy adopts Moo! by Phillip Glashoff,
a mixed media sculpture priced at $4,900.

“It says NO DOGS ALLOWED here,” said a man’s voice as a golf cart drove by.  He stopped the cart. “No dogs, but this one doesn’t read English.” He chuckled at his own joke. “Enjoy our gardens,” he added, “and let me know if I can help in any way.”
“Shidoni,” I thought. “What an appropriate name for a friendly place.”
I really liked Prickly Pear Cactus by Joe Barrington, a steel sculpture for $8,400, but the price wasn’t right for my pocketbook.

Carol gets a pretend kiss from Brahma by Bruce Newell,
a sculpture made of steel and priced at $15,000.

My favorite pieces inside the gallery were the bronze Indians named Tuli, Daughter of the Pueblo, and Blue Corn by Billy Kratzer and a three-foot bronze of a little tomboy girl with pigtails, who was reaching up to catch a ball in a mitt.  It was titled I Got It! I Got It! By Lawrence Ludtke. Carol and Andy browsed as well, each admiring different pieces and choosing the ones they would most like to purchase.

Andy poses at La Percha de Mi Madre,
a mixed media sculpture for $13,000
by Nicholas Herrera.

At the Tesuque Glassworks, adjoining the Shidoni property, we watched George blow and shape molten glass into a tumbler. We chatted about the Grateful Dead music he played, and Carol learned that she and George shared some mutual friends.
Kay worked the main desk as we talked.  She too knew local teachers from Carol’s school. What a small world! And what a marvelous and creative hobby these artists had found in “retirement.” Before we knew it, the whole afternoon disappeared, and it was time to drive home for dinner.

At the Tesuque Glassworks, George fires molten glass
in the oven to make a tumbler.

Parting is always difficult, but the Dixie Girls restaurant in downtown Los Alamos gave us a chance to share a last meal together. Kurt and Kari joined us after work for a relaxing and delicious dinner.
“At least you don’t have to cook for us again,” Andy told Carol. “I’m getting fed so well here, I certainly don’t want to leave. You had better be careful because maybe I won’t!”