Two Thanksgiving dinners were shared with my mother in the warm embrace of Raymond's family (which honestly feels like less than a year ago). But lordy the last Thanksgiving with mom was TWO years ago (last year I celebrated Thanksgiving in Bhutan...!) Grief induces a weird time warp. Intensely vivid memories play with weighty emotions. I needed another totally different Thanksgiving holiday experience. We found it:
Rocky took this photo of me Thanksgiving afternoon at the "Kicking Mule Saloon" - one of several buildings restored and recreated into an imaginative western ghost town beneath the Tobacco Root Mountains. The ghost town was conceived and created by Kat and Rocky - two lovely warm-hearted inspiring people. The wooden boardwalk western "Main Street" sits as a full-of-character embellishment between their home and Rocky's studio. We were lucky to be able to spend the holiday talking art, life, survival and adventure at their awe-inspiring home. Kat prepared a scrumptious traditional dinner.
Rocky's studio is one of my favorite places to refuel with "art juice." I've admired his work for decades: