December 31: Oklahoma

New Years Eve sunset over Oklahoma.

December 31: Oklahoma

Clouds and endless horizons.

December 31: route 56 New Mexico

Side of the road stop to unload digital camera card; first of the really big skies; the rockies in the distance behind.

stone #7

BON AMI
good friend

December 31, Cimarron, New Mexico Chevron gas station newspaper box

December 31: 1000 mile mark

Where we were when the Hertz Ford Focus rolled to 1000: New Mexico route 64, between Angel Fire and Eagles Nest. Altitude: very high.

stone #6

BEN TROVATO
well found

December 30, Santa Fe, New Mexico San Francisco laybryinth center

stone #5

A FORTIORI
with stronger reason

December 30, Corrales, New Mexico San Ysidro graveyard stone

December 30: Corrales, New Mexico

Corrales fences; San Ysidro graves; sandhill cranes enjoying a cornfield.

December 29: Corrales, New Mexico

A walk with the Gasteyers through the Cotton- woods of the bosque in Corrales; Sandia mountain; Corrales dirt.

December 28: Corrales, New Mexico

The Gasteyer house. A 2 day stay with family here.

stone #4

A LA BONNE HEURE
in good time

December 28, Jamestown, New Mexico, Grandma Max's wall

December 26: route 89, Arizona

360 degree sky fire sunset in Arizona.

stone #3

AERE PERENNIUS
more lasting than brass

December 26, Grand Canyon, Arizona, rock

December 26: Grand Canyon trail

Down into the canyon; canyon dirt; exhaustion.

December 26: Grand Canyon

The canyon, the canyon, and the canyon.

December 26: Arizona

Landscape on the way from Kingman, Arizona to the Grand Canyon; the Plane of Fame air museum; strange planes.

stone #2

ADSUM
I am present

December 25, Hoover Dam window sill

December 25: Hoover Dam

stone #1

AB OVO
from the egg

December 25, Golden Nugget column base

December 25: Vegas

Vegas Christmas- lunch at the restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere tower; the view of the strip; desserts above the desert; first stone downtown at the Golden Nugget.

December 24: Vegas

My first roller coaster at Circus Circus; the Venetian- a juggler, the indoor skies, the canal and a desperately needed cup of coffee.

December 23: Vegas

Vegas angels in the mist; the strip.

December 23: Vegas

First day. Our pink motel and Oklahoma rental car; Harrahs; Karl checking out the scenery.

stone poem

I brought 21 smooth black river stones to leave along the way. I got into the habit of placing small objects in interesting locations at RISD, starting with this string of Latin and French phrases from the back of my beloved old thesaurus, that make a lovely sort of poem when put together. Back then I scattered them over the Hill in Providence, this time I'll make a path of them across the country.

The gold lettering paint and list of phrases in the hotel room. I paint as we go.