Prelude to the Train Trip

Okay, I'm sitting in the train at the Albuquerque depot. And the air card for my laptop I purchased just in time for the trip is working great. I am so tickled. While we may get into some remote areas where I can't get service, I'm going to try to share a blow by blow experience of this fabulous trip.

Starting with the journey of getting to our journey. The night before we left, we set the alarm for 3 a.m. Luckyman was pretty calm despite all the luggage scattered everywhere, but Chili Pepper, because I put his little harness on him for Delinda the dog sitter, was freaked. I think he thought the harness meant he was supposed to be on duty all night. And even rubbing his tummy didn't calm him down. Truthfully I was wired too, and the two of us didn't get much sleep. Mitch on the other hand, can sleep through a conversation he initiated, if he's tired.

For those of you who don't know what the heck I'm talking about, we are spending the next nine days on the very posh Grand Rail Luxe train. Our journey takes in the National Parks of the West beginning in Albuquerque and ending in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We will experience such fabulous destinations as Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yellowstone, Bryce and Grand Teton National Parks.

So after a surprisingly smooth flight with connections in Dallas, we made our way to Albuquerque, were we were met with a warm greeting and a fabulous light lunch at the Hotel Albuquerque, in the heart of the historic downtown. After lunch we had about 30 minutes to walk around the Old Town and we killed two birds in one stone. We found a jewelry store filled with beautiful turquoise jewelry and Mitch got his watchband fixed, that he had broken earlier in the morning at the airport. There was a lot of "What time is it now?" q's, and I was thrilled when we found the store. Back at the Hotel, after a brief debriefing, we set out by motor coach to our train.

Okay guys, this is where I want you to get out your little violins for me and play a tune. Our vintage rail car, the Savannah, is a beautifully refurbished sleeper car that has been custom designed. Amenities include mahogany paneling and a decent sized shower. Things are compact, but efficient. We managed to find placed to stow all our gear that we had to pack for 2 weeks away from home. We'll be spending a couple of days in San Francisco after the train.

This morning we ate a Continental style breakfast in the New York Club car, a truly elegant period club car president Eisenhower once dedicated. Our porter brought us a copy of the New York Times and we perused the headlines while outside the light rail commuter system the New Mexico Rail Runner was having a media event, rewarding their one millionth rider a year's free travel. The fledgling commuter system had expected to have 1,000 riders a day, and within two years they are having 3,000 riders a day. They are so successful, they are extending the light rail system 82 miles, all the way to Santa Fe. (I think there is a song in there somewhere.)Four dollar a gallon gas is getting us all thinking about conserving our resources.

But we haven't moved an inch on the train yet. We spent the night in the depot, and this morning we will board another motor coach to travel to Santa Fe. We will be picked up in Lamy, New Mexico, where we will ride the train back to Albuquerque and once again spend the night stationary in the depot there.

Am I excited about going to Santa Fe this morning? Yes, I am. I can't wait to go into the galleries, meet fabulous artists, and of course share with them what we do at buyoutsidethe box.--Ruth Mitchell

Building Traffic to your site

Travel Adventures

Sometimes we get the opportunity to share with readers a bit more personal side of ourselves than we do when we are blogging about the latest art work to be added to the site, or the newest artist to join our ranks. Our summer adventures are about to begin. We will be heading out west to see some of the National Parks via Grand Luxe Rail, the most luxurious train in America. During the last week of June and the first week of July we'll begin a journey that will take us from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Santa Fe, on to the the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon National Park, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone National Park, and finally to the Grand Teton National Park and Jackson, Wyoming. It is a trip of a lifetime, and we've already begun packing and arranging dog sitters.

Obviously we will be contacting as many artists as we can along the way. Undoubtedly Santa Fe will prove to have a wealth of artistic talent we can share with you. This trip will be documented daily so please join us in this adventure.

My younger brother it turns out has a blogging bent as well. He has already begun documenting his sailing trip to Lake Superior. We sailed with him a few summers ago to the North Channel in Canada and it was quite an experience. This summer's trip is a little bit more of high adventure it sounds like. If you have a sailor's interest check out his blog here.

Winter Ramble

Artist kEITH kIMMEL is back from several months on tour in South Florida. He's home in Fort Collins for a bit of peaceful rest. "The weather right now is perfect, crisp, clean, slow and easy," he says.

Recent forays have included time in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he played some music and did some painting with friends. "Seems like there is an art gallery on every corner," he says.

"Driving through New Mexico always offers some fabulous photos. Here's one that particular defines it for me.""--kEITH kIMMEL

Travel Tips

I've been traveling more than usual lately, and so I was glad to receive this wonderful article from Rich McIver at Travelhacker titled "10 Useful Secrets the Major Airlines Don't Want You to Know."

The source is AirlineCreditCards.com just recently launched. It provides a resource for any frequent traveler who is searching for a better credit card.

"Our blog, Travelhacker, is a resource for all types of globetrotters, from business travelers to vacation travelers on on a shoestring budget, and provides tips on bookings, vacation spots, and perks," says McIver.--Ruth Mitchell

Viva Vegas?

Typically, when I go on a travel trip to write about a place, unlike many writers, I don't do a lot of research ahead of time. Oh, I might do just enough to make sure that I'm on top of what to do and see while there, but I just don't want to do arrive at a destination with a preconceived notion about what it is like.

That's kind of tough to do with a place like Las Vegas where stereotypes abound: gambling, smoke-filled casinos, Fat Elvis, drunk businessmen and strippers just come straight to mind when you think of "Sin City." My prejudgements were dashed, however, and we had a fantastic experience. I kept teasing Mitch that we were going to run into the fabulous Marg Helgenberger, but we never did even though we were told the popular CSI show has been filmed several times at our hotel, the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, a very elegant spa and golf resort located to the west side of the valley.

Listen to this, while we were there, we had the opportunity to hike into the hills of nearby Red Rock, where we took a yoga class from Kim Culp of Sherry Goldstein's Yoga Sanctuary. Kim was a Radio City Music Hall Rockette for 10 years, and we could tell we were in for a workout as she hopped and skipped from her car to the park's entrance gate.

We hiked for about a mile into the desert, and she took us to this formation of rocks that created a natural theatre for our meditation and exercise. I've taken yoga before, but there was something extra familiar about Kim's presentation. After the class, I asked her if she had ever read the Power of Now by Eckart Tolle, and it turns out she is not only a student of his teachings, but also uses the philosophies presented in the book throughout her yoga instruction as well.

The cool, dry air of October washed over us, and Kim's calming voice, carried by the natural acoustics of the canyon created a mind/body experience I will not soon forget.--Ruth Mitchell

Places to See Before you Die

Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Jeri Burzin

What compels some of us to see the world? I don't know. I hate leaving my house to even go as far as the grocery store, which is a pretty far trek from where I live. But once pried away from the nest, and my dogs, I love worldly adventures. A few years ago I purchased "1,000 Places to See Before you Die," by Patricia Schultz, and you can bet I'm highlighting all the places I've been with added notes, as both a reminder to myself and a legacy to my children, if any of them care.

When my father was alive, every time I shared with him I was going somewhere, he would always be able to say, "Oh, let me tell you about that place." This is one of my fondest memories of my father, and perhaps one of the reasons I got into travel writing a few years ago. I can't ever remember going somewhere that he hadn't already been. Which is a great metaphor for the generations, but more than that a legacy for me. It's one thing to go see one of the most spectacular places on earth, it is another thing to share it.

Artists have long taken an interest in certain scenic points of interest in the world, and for some artists this is thread which runs through the fabric of their art. Several artists represented on this site including George Wittenberg, and newcomer, photographer Jeri Burzin have these extraordinary places around the world as a central theme to their images. Recognition of a geographic place, or architectural icon, can bring an added dimension to an artwork. Take a look here and see if you agree.--Ruth Mitchell

Hands Across the Waters

"Perspective" - Ildikó Kalapács

It never ceases to amaze me how universal art really is, cutting across deep chasms of cultural differences. For instance, Ildikó Kalapács, one of our long-time exhibiting artists lives in Spokane, Wash., but was born in Hungary, and has strong connections to Japan originating from her first visit there. Just about every summer, Ildikó travels to her native Hungary to work, exhibit and visit her first home. This summer's highlight is a documentary film that is being made about her, and an exhibit of her paintings and sculpture at the Dusha Galéria- August 21-September 21, 2007

This is some selected dialogue from Koichi Kawasaki, a curator in Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art. "I am one of Ildikó’s friends in Japan," he starts out. "I met her several years ago when Ildikó visited Japan for the first time. Through our talks and a file of her works that she showed me at that time, I found those works she made in the U.S. very unique and something that we Japanese do not have. Her first visit excited curiosity about Japan so much that she has been making various efforts to make a dream of staying in Japan come true. I am sure that all of her efforts will be rewarded in the near future.

"I realized that her recent works have more distinct identity than ever and I think her visits to an Oriental country, like Japan, along with her background in Hungary, and life in the U.S enabled her to deepen the orientation of her art. Her ethnic background, the environment in which she grew up, and all the experience she had have all started being integrated into her recent works. A piece of work that she sent me months ago only gave me an impression that her works [have] greatly changed. The file of her works that she has just sent me, however, convinced me not only of the reason for the change but also of prospect for further progress of her works."

You can view and purchase several of Ildikó's works at buyoutsidethebox.com. Each of her works available on the site, are expressive of this rich depth of understanding she has of people as one.--Ruth Mitchell

Welcome to the art of kEith

kEith writes us..

Well let's see after a whirlwind 3 (or so) months on tour in South Florida, I've, returned home to Fort Collins for a bit of peaceful rest. The weather right now is perfect, crisp, clean, slow and easy!

I was in Santa Fe, NM last week. My friend Zachary lives down there and we spent some time playing music and painting. Seems like there is an art gallery on every corner.

Driving through New Mexico always offers some fabulous photos. Here's one that particularly defines it for me.

"end of da road"- photo digital, 2007

To view more of kEith's work click here.

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved