Finishing up on the Follow Up

I've finished my two page Summary Report, but there are still things to do. I have to copy all of the financial report over and make copies of receipts. This portion of it has been the linear thinking part.

This weekend I get to work on the fun part! The Reflective Report is a sort of open-ended, creative, joyous sort of a thing. It can be a scrapbook or a Power Point or whatever moves me. I'm looking forward to this portion of the Follow Up.

I've been waking up thinking about the Reflective Report and about how to apply what I've learned this summer. I'm very excited about the possibilities. I'll let you know what's up as soon as I can.

Just remember . . .

You can lead a horse to water . . .

But don't act like one of these!

Following through on the follow up

I woke up before 5:00 a. m. and started sorting through all the papers that I brought home from the trip.

I spent hours yesterday working on the financial paperwork from my grant. It is finally all entered into the computer. All that is left to do is copy it.

The next steps are writing the two page summary report, the reflective report, and, finally, the survey.

Going over the financial paperwork was somewhat frightening. I spent an incredible amount of money. Its a good thing that I received a little extra money in July. I added my money to the grant. This allowed me to stay on the road just that much longer. All told this trip cost me about $3000 more than the grant. Amazing!

Of course, that isn't including the books and gear that I bought before the trip. I'm now the proud owner of a tent and all the gear that I need to take off and go camping. Good thing, too, as this trip has made me remember how much I love being out in nature.

It will be a while before I'm going anywhere. I have a week before school starts back up to sort through all of the papers and materials that I brought back.

My brain is churning away with ideas for how to use my experience in the classroom. It's a marvelous state to be in! Between the workshop, Folk Art Traditions and Beyond facilitated by Nancy Walkup of SchoolArts Magazine and Mayra Walker of the University of North Texas, and all the traveling I've done the options seem endless.

I already have the majority of my professional development hours for this school year and school hasn't even started!

Got to go. It's time to make coffee, have a bite of breakfast and get back to the papers.

Working on lists of resources and thinking about the future

I've spent hours today working on inputting the information on the books that I actually own and have used for research in the course of my travels. I had no idea that I had so much until I started working on it.

I've also created a list of links to the various places that I went over the month of July. Hopefully this will help anyone who is interested find out more.

There is still a little left to do.

I'm hoping to keep this blog going, although I don't know if that is really feasible. I have another blog up and running now. The name is "News from the Art Room". I'm considering the idea of letting it replace the e-mail newsletter that I was putting out last year. Again, I don't know if that will work. People seem to prefer the passive form rather than the active. A blog actually requires them to go to it, whereas the e-mail lands in their mailboxes like manna from heaven. Well, maybe its not that good, but you know what I mean.

Still settling in

Chama River Valley

In some ways it feels as if I was never gone.

I'm still sorting things out and putting them away. At the same time I'm trying to catch up with e-mails, particularly the one's from school.

I ordered the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Collections along with the Georgia O'Keeffe Catalog Raisonne. I found them with Amazon. I got a good price break and I didn't have to haul them across country. That was a good thing, too, since the Catalog Raisonne alone weighs 20 pounds!

Since I've been home I find myself waking up in the middle of the night with ideas for projects, both for myself and for my students. I have to write them down as I get them, otherwise they'll be lost in the flood of beginning-of-the-school-year in-services and professional development opportunities.

Mesa Verde

There are reports to file with Fund for Teachers, paintings to paint, drawings to draw and all matter of other things to do. Where does the time go?

Taos Sunset behind the Sagebrush Inn

Leaving Taos Pueblo

Its time to take a breath and remember sitting outside in the moonlight at Ghost Ranch. The real versus the unreal, all the chaos of functioning in the system versus the hands-on reality of days lived in the air and light. I know why Georgia O'Keeffe chose to lived in Northern New Mexico.

Rainstorm over Cerro Pedernal

Home, Sweet Home

I'm back home in Texas. I drove like a maniac from Abiquiu down through Santa Fe and Albuquerque and on to Fort Stockton.

It was starting to get dark, so I spent the night at the Best Western in Stockton. Two king size beds, one for me and one for my stuff, a TV and a jacuzzi tub! What more could a poor road weary girl want?

Up at first light, I painted until time for the buffet breakfast. As soon as I finished eating I loaded the Jeep again and hit the road.

Let me tell you, after driving mountain roads and dirt roads, the interstate highway system is a dream of sorts. It does seem to go through the most boring routes, but, boy, can you just drive!

I made it to Austin in time for granddaughter Hazel's fifth birthday party.

The drive yesterday morning from Austin to Houston was a hop, skip and a jump compared to what I've been doing.

I turned in the Jeep this morning. I really hated to see it go. It was fun to drive. I made sure it had a full tank of gas and a nice coat of New Mexico mud and dust.

Right now I'm back home sitting at my own computer adding photos to some of the posts on this lil' ol' blog, bless its heart. You may want to go back through the posts and check the pictures. I think they're pretty good.

After my time in O'Keeffe country and at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center and Ghost Ranch, I can tell you that I'm not through yet. I'm on a mission!