The Perfect Day in Moab Utah

How do you describe a near perfect day in Moab, Utah?
Here's how....

• 7:30 am - Go to the gym and run for 30 minutes on the treadmill. I usually run for 40 minutes but I was afraid of being late for breakfast. On the IPod? Everclear. 
• 9:00 am - Meet a friend at the Rock Rock Bakery and Internet Cafe for coffee and bagels. As you know this is my favorite morning hangout location; it's always a cozy and relaxing atmosphere.
• 11:00am - Drive to Arches National Park with my breakfast friend and slowly drive through the park, stopping at the Garden of Eden. Hike up to North Arch, South Arch and Turret Arch. It was windy today but still a pleasant time with only a few tourists.
• 1:00pm - Lunch at Fiesta Mexicana with my breakfast friend. This is a great restaurant; the service is quick, the food great and the prices are very reasonable.
• 2:30pm - Back to Arches NP to paint en plein air (painting outdoors) with 2 of my new local friends Phil Wagner and Robin Struab. We painted for nearly 3 hours at Ham Rock, which is just southeast of balanced Rock. It was windy and cool, but we had a great time of being in close proximity to one another.
• 5:30pm - At Phil and Robin's place for wine and a serious discussion of art topics.
• 8:00pm - Home for dinner and blogging.

Moab plein air painters Phil Wagner and Robin Struab working

through the afternoon at Ham Rock in Arches National Park.

 

Open Mic Night in Moab, Utah

Friday night was "open mic night" at the Wake and Bake Cafe in Moab, Utah. The local paper has advertised the event for the last month so I decided to give it a try. Moab is so small, with so few things to do at night that any event is usually worth attending.
What do you imagine that a poetry reading would be like? I first see a bunch of twenty to thirty something guys in goatees, black turtleneck sweaters, berets, and of course bongo drums, reading poetry about how life isn't fair. My next vision is Mike Meyers on stage in, "So I Married and Axe Murderer". The jazz quartet riffing while Mike lays down the lines with a cigarette wedged between his fingers' (one of my favorite movies when I'm feeling down and need a good laugh).

I arrive at the cafe at 6:15, probably 10 people sitting at various tables and couches. I immediately spot a couple that I met at a poetry event last month. I pull up a chair and we catch up on the latest news. Other people stream in and the place starts to fill up with chatter. The crowd is diverse, probably 30 people total; locals, new comers, river guides, musicians and retirees. I recognize a few more faces, some have visited me in the art gallery, some I met at the Red Rock Bakery. The lady scheduling the poets asks if I'm reading tonight?, "No Mame, just hear to listen". I order a beer from the waiter.

First poet tonight is Phil, an artist (oil painter) who recently invited me to coffee with him and his wife, really nice people as are most in this town. Phil used to teach poetry in California before moving to Moab. He's followed by probably 8-10 other poets including a local musician Scott Ibex who I've gotten to know recently. Scott reads a short story about a girlfriend in New York that he loved and lost. He opens up his inner thoughts and shines a spotlight on his painful broken heart. The room sits silently as he details in five or six pages the beauty he once cherished and the total abandonment he now feels. I sit quietly, hanging on every word hoping no one sees the dampness in my eyes as he's story crushes me. 

One lady sings the blues and recites a poem about her ex-lovers, another reads about her mom, still another about the birds in her backyard. I clap after each reading and am thankful for the chance to hear from these folks and catch up with my new friends.

For more information you can visit the Moab Poets and Writers at: http://www.moabpoetsandwriters.org



A Good Friday in Moab

Today the sun came out and brightened my day here in Moab. I rose early and went to the gym for a 40 minute run on the treadmill; still too cold to run outside. I like to listen to up beat music when I run; rock or dance music keeps me moving along. Today it was "The Cat Empire".....I'll let them tell you what they're all about;

Where hip-hop meets reggae, where jazz is played with dirty hands, where a Cuban line meets an Aussie rule, where nothing seems in place but sounds like many places played in one earthy chord. This is the island where THE CAT EMPIRE was born. (Written by the band in 2001)

This band is totally awesome, check them out at www.thecatempire.com

Breakfast at my usual spot the Red Rock Bakery & Cafe. Howard and staff serving up delicious locally roasted coffee and bagels....love this place. Now I just need to get the other artists and poets to join me once or twice a week to plot our overthrow of society :)

I also got word that my upcoming Beginning Pencil Drawing class at the MARC (Moab Art and Recreation Center) has 11 students and the Beginning Oil Painting class has 4 students. Classes start next week and run for 6 weeks. This should be fun and interesting.

Also I want to mention the Moab Brewery www.themoabbrewery.com , I had dinner there tonight where they served the most delicious vegetarian Asiago & Garlic Ravioli Dinner for $10.69. Really, really good.

Winter Day in Moab

Today, I hate to say it, was a gloomy day.
I had a bagel and coffee at the Red Rock Bakery, my local morning spot. The owner Howard assures me that it will eventually warm up and that I'll have plenty of good days to paint outside. I consider this as a sip my morning inspiration and read the latest edition of Fast Company. The article is on the 10 most important business conversations ever. It inspires me to believe that the planning sessions I have with my art partner are going to yield some great results for the coming tourist season.
After breakfast I go to the studio and study art. That brown leather chair in the photo is where I sit for 30 minutes each day and study one of many art instruction books that I own. It's essential to keep learning something new about art each day. Afterwards I sketch out new compositional ideas for an hour or so. These are usually imaginative ideas that encompass the trademark designs of Edger Payne. I have a notebook of twenty or so good ideas for future paintings. I was really planning on painting outside today, even with cold temperatures I had that itch to go down to the river and do a couple quick plein air paintings. But alas, the clouds rolled in and my hopes were replaced by a dull grey sky and an attitude to match.
After work I hiked again near Sand Flats Recreational Area. I started out later today than yesterday and got back to the car in the dark just as the snow started....good timing. These last couple nights I've been reading at the Grand County Library which is a really nice place to snuggle in for a couple hours with a good book. What am I reading you ask? The Journey Home by Edward Abbey. Tonight's chapter Fire Lookout: Numa Ridge.


My Morning Coffee

Today I woke up early 7 AM, and went to the Moab Recreation Center for a little exercise. As I'm driving I notice the temperature gauge says it -5 degrees outside; coldest night of the year so far, and you can feel it. I see a kid in running tights, a hoody and a scarf wrapped around his face, jogging down the middle of the street. My thought is that hypothermia has already set in and he doesn't know it yet. He moves to the side and lets me pass.

I make it to the gym...it's really nice, state of the art equipment. I plug my ipod into the treadmill, pick the band "Everclear" and I'm off for a 40 minute run. Beautiful floor to ceiling windows, I can see the sunrise creep across the red rock canyon and watch the school kids trotting from the buses to the school building all at the same time.

Later at the Red Rock Bakery I'm minding my own business when a gentleman of about 55 comes in wearing shorts and a parka. I've heard rumors of some locals who refuse to wear pants in the winter, this is not a dare between buddies to see who's tougher....it's just a local thang. He tells us that it's 3 minutes by bicycle from his house to the bakery; I'm thinking the wind chill alone must be -25 degrees!! His legs are looking pretty pink, but he's happy and nonchalant about it. I saw him later that day peddling past the gallery, I'm assuming he was heading home, still in shorts.

Did I mention that the gallery neighbors stopped by to ask if I had any water available because their pipes were frozen? I hadn't noticed but mine was frozen solid as well. Apparently some waterlines in town aren't deep enough to remain open during the deep freeze. The landlady called the city and we are now on the list to have the water meter thawed by city forces, but it could be days before they get to us. I went to city hall and used their restroom.

Ok, last thing.....I'm really digging the local radio station. It's completely solar powered and the DJs are volunteers. The music selection could only be described as eclectic which is great, totally digging it. Today's hot song was, "Mama Found My Bong" by Rick Mahan......only in Moab.