Monday, August 07, 2006

rasberrries, monsoons and reflecting

honey
rasberry
sofia

inspired by lisa s, i bought a polaroid camera at a yardsale and tried it out in new mex! one of the last things i expected to do in the desert was go raspberry pickin'! it made my summer. the wide open field, the sweat, the eating of every other raspberry! i immediately went back to a summer vacation spent when i was 10 with my cousin susan in nova scotia, where we picked raspberries, mushed them in plastic bags with our fingers to make own jam that we took down by the brooke to eat on crackers. we thought we were very clever and i remember thinking we should try to sell it on the roadside, but there wasn't much traffic.... any how, speaking of jam... this field is home of my new friend sofia's mother heidi's incredible organic jam.

another suprise of the desert was the monsoon that overtook Albuquerque! my friend emily lost her new red flip flops helping to push a car in knee high rain! new mexico was full of surprises, but the green chiles and sopapillas were as remembered. i got an ammmmmazinnnng massage from jessie (aka magic fingers) who is going to school for it, went to a poetry slam and was a guest judge!, checked out UNM's art department and chilled with jessie's sweet friends and now mine... emily and sofia. we visited with 4 month year old twins of my friend dina's!!! how does she do it?! the rain started coming down at the park we were at so there we were running with babies in each of our arms inside to shelter!

did i tell you how my love affair with Albuquerque began? my dear friend jessie who i was fatefully placed as college roomates 12 years ago (and lived with for most of my twenties) and i drove cross-country to begin our new lives in SF. we took 6 weeks to drive down through the south and spent 2 weeks in albuquerque because we were so smitten. i discovered for the first time again... between painting outside and photocollages at kinkos that i was an artist. i felt so spiritually, physically, intellectually and emotionally alive and connected in new mexico, but we kept on to San Francisco, to meet more discoveries.

So returning after 6 years of living in SF was a cause for reflection. Albuquerque looked little and wonderfully bumbly... funkyness in the yards of the adobes and small homes... and slow. i kept catching myself trying to be quick at the grocer's, but realized that people actually had time and were interested in talking! the people are insanely nice in new mex and help each other out constantly. it made me remember that i don't have to be so fast and impersonal in my everyday exchanges (a trait quickly learned in the restaurant biz).

oh, but i am happy to be home. to my studio. to my hugh. to my projects... currently putting stamps on the invites for the shared bridal shower for my sister...the other dear jesse of my life...and childhood friend bekah in maine in a few weeks!!! my excitement is building for this day as it seems real. i can't wait to see family and friends from years ago like miss moira:)

be well,
mati rose

11 comments:

Kerstin Svendsen said...

oh those pics looks so warm and summery! sounds like such a nice adventure.

shari said...

hi mati!
this post is so full of life! your time in new mexico sounds amazing! your polaroids are so beautiful!! i love berry picking and haven't ventured out to do it this summer. must get to it before the summer turns to fall. sending love, shari

Goddess Leonie * GoddessGuidebook.com said...

what delicious story telling !~~~

you are such a deep wonder.

thank you :)

lisa solomon said...

love your pics! yay for polaroids... and travelling and s l o w i n g down.... xo

Shell said...

Sounds so wonderful! A little holiday can do the soul a world of good can't it? Raspberry picking - eeek! I can only imagine how wholesome it must feel. Love the photos.

zelia said...

i'm glad you're back. i need to come down and see you soon! maybe we could have tea in the courtyard and talk about art and play with encaustics a bit.

Anonymous said...

lo-ove the polaroids...must get to albuquerque!

Anonymous said...

i love the top photo, it is so nice to hear about your trip and am glad you had a glorious time. it seems to have well deserved and created some fond memories.

sometimes places just seem right and that you meant to be there at that time.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you had a good trip. I've never been to New Mexico but I could see it as I read your words. Sounds like an incredible place!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back & wonderful photos as always... I'm counting down the days 'til I can go berry picking in the warm sun and stain my fingers red. Ahh, and Mexico too... monsoons and all.
take care & happy painting, grache

Anonymous said...

Greetings from Santa fe! I would love to know where you picked the berries. They look delightful. I'm from Northern Ca myself, but been a resident in the land of enchantment for over a decade. You can see some pics on my blog as well.

http://www.myspace.com/1serene