Gallery Nights in Alpine, Texas

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

I feel part of a town for the first time! Alpine. It is Sunday morning, all is now quiet. Parked about 30 feet from the train track, in a Restaurant parking lot for the past couple of nights, I think they even have stopped running for a bit. That is the trains as the first time thinking they were coming right through the RV! For lack of better word, there is “turmoil” in my mind, a good turmoil… turmoil can be good… right? It ‘is’ today. My thoughts have been going in a multitude of directions taking it all in, mainly as always, analytical as I sometimes am, wondering how this all came about! Life on the road… with no Home and yet making it, filled with a richness unequalled any past given years.

Ara

Photo courtesy of Voni Glaves

This photo above makes me smile! I stand alone but I am not. Lance from above has guided me. I can see his own smile, I feel the warmth of the sparks of his eyes. I feel bitter-sweet, I try so hard to leave the bitter out of the equation and I have been able to do so only because of the incredible support of my Friends and here Readers, so many I have yet to meet. And there has been more in the form of an endless support from also the other Artists displayed at the Gallery,an enormous warmth, a full embrace, acceptance and guidance from the owner “Keri”.

balloon

If there is such a thing as “perfection”, this weekend was, from start to finish. Oh! yes… I did sell 2 prints! 2 large ones… and probably many to come as I often stood there by my photos talking about them with often a dry mouth, listening myself to the feedback so various in their forms and so positive as I started wondering if I had really myself taken those photos! It is the Journey, it is the path we have been on, resting now a bit throughout these winter months, warming up for the next destinations very soon, in a fashion unlike these previous couple years.

Pit

girls and their dog  

For the first time I appreciated this “RV” which his our home at “The Oasis”. Drive, park across the Gallery… and we are still home! What a concept. Hot shower, Internet, a bit of cooking when not busy eating a turkey leg or the great food spread that Kiowa Gallery put out both nights… Mega Solar power to run everything, not bad! Today we are leaving for Odessa, we are switching parking lot as the next destination will be the Hospital for my Nuclear stress test tomorrow morning. A good Friend of ours, Steve, will meet us tonight for some company and I know that I can count on him if the test leaves me totally drained for the next evening or day. Friends… always “Friends”.

Turkey legs

  Debbie

I think overall Gallery Nights has been a success. The streets were filled and the crowds never ceased moving around in waves through town, from store to store having been modified with much Art on their walls. Many familiar faces, some from distant towns, even meeting a rider from Chicago, Will, who has been on the road for 3 weeks now and is seriously thinking about making Alpine his new Home.

street

  silent auction

Spirit has been wondering what is going on. Too many smells for him on these urban streets, and fortunate to use a bit of the yellow grass near the train tracks here. It is a dog friendly town, and yet I know that he misses the open and vast lands of “The Oasis” as he has been a bit of a closer shadow these past couple of days. We walked back and forth I don’t know how many times, we sat, we watched, we chatted, many photos. If you ever have chance to make it here next year, it is not to be missed.

gallery c guitar a
TP roll Hoss

There was also besides the incoming crowd much entertainment in the form of good music and dance. The temperatures on Saturday as custom ordered turned out to be comfortable, comfortable enough for the local Belly Dancers to take on the stage a couple times.

Kathy b

  Kathy c

So now of course my Medical visits to the local Clinic will never be the same. Could it be that my Heart problems have been due to the dance? Due to, as I forgot to mention, that the lady in green dancing is also my Doctor here (P.A.). All jokes set aside, Kathy Duncan (P.A.) is a great and caring health care provider loved by the whole town. She is the one that set me back on track right now regarding my medications, till in a couple days, having finally all the cards in hand, someone figures out a permanent solution.

danceurs

Time is running out today, we need to get ready for the next leg: Odessa. I have many more photos of the Gallery Nights I will post next time, including the newly and beautifully renovated Granada Theatre and a new Artist Friend of mine: Barbell, that is with ‘..’ on the ‘a’.

Help us keep the site alive. Please contribute… I use to ask if reading this site was worth 1$ a month, loose change truly. I do again. This site has been far from being a free Journal as it was at one time!

Two years of Photography is finally in order on SmugMug… In “Your Favorites”, in “States”, some labeled “first year” and second year”, now also “Texas the third year”. Feel free to browse, you can even use the slide show mode and have fun.

Merchandise is also available through SmugMug. If you like to order a print all sizes are available as I store the originals myself considering the huge bandwidth needed to upload on the Gallery.

Be well, always.   Ara & Spirit

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4 Responses to “Gallery Nights in Alpine, Texas”

  1. Ring Huggins Says:

    Hi Ara,

    Missed gallery night since the tranny blew in my Suburban. Happy you sold some prints. Great that you took some good photos and shared them. Almost as good as attending and much cheaper. Looking forward to seeing more.

    Peace,

    Ring in the Butte

  2. D. Brent Miller Says:

    Ara, that’s a nice shot of you and your art. From behind my computer screen the art looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to see more here. Since you are on the road so much, who did the printing and prepared the art for display?

    Brent

  3. Jerry Says:

    Ara,
    very nice display of your photo’s and you ,they are awesome. i love looking at your photo’ and following your travels.
    thanks for sharing your adventures with all of us ,i know you have many fans that fell like i do
    you and spirit stay safe and healthy,
    Jerry

  4. Kevin and Leigh Ann Says:

    Ara we were walking through the Farmer’s Market in Chattanooga this afternoon looking at some local art when I told Leigh Ann you had some items on display in a gallery. Funny coming home this evening, checking your blog and finding a picture of you standing in front of your “art”!

    The pictures look great and you look truly happy.

    Missing you…

    Kevin and Leigh Ann

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