Sunday, November 27, 2011

SLIPPED INTO AJO TO HAVE A LOOK AT SOME MURALS

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HERE IS SOMETHING FOR YOU MUSIC BUFFS…IN TONIGHT’S PHOTOS YOU WILL SEE MUSICAL NOTES PAINTED INTO A MURAL ACROSS A BUILDING IN AJO, ARIZONA…PAINTER MIKE (WANDERWOLF) TOLD US THESE ARE THE ACTUAL OPENING NOTES TO A VERY WELL KNOWN WESTERN SONG WRITTEN MANY YEARS AGO.  I WILL TELL YOU THE NAME OF THAT SONG AT THE END OF THE BLOG:))

A sunny 74F under another big bright sunny Arizona sky today.  Had the weather not gone downhill in New Mexico last week we might still be there but we decided before we left home this year that we just wanted to be where it’s warm.  I think we’re headed for 80F+ tomorrow:))

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IT TOOK WANDERWOLF MIKE AND FELLOW ARTIST HOP DAVID MANY MONTHS TO COMPLETE THIS LARGE MURAL ON THE FRONT OF THE AJO COPPER NEWS BUILDING…

We slipped back into Ajo again this morning to pick up a few things at Olsens IGA that we had forgot the day before.  Nice well stocked grocery store.  You will remember us visiting Mike (WANDERWOLF) Saturday so we thought we would check out some of his murals in Ajo.  He had told us about one in particular that he worked on with fellow artist HOP DAVID.  Located on the south facing wall of the Ajo Copper News building we wanted to have a look at that.  He told us they put a lot of ‘little things’ in that mural and the more you look at it the more you will find.  These ‘artsy’ type people are a very clever bunch you know and in the photos below you will see why.

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NOTICE THE 2 BLUE FEET PAINTED ON THE SIDEWALK IN LEFT PHOTO….KELLY STANDS ON THOSE BLUE FEET AND CAN SEE HOW THE NATURAL WAY THE BUILDING ON LEFT’S ROOF LINES BLEND INTO THE PAINTING

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THE TWO BLUE FEET PAINTED ON THE SIDEWALK IS THE OPTICALLY CORRECT POSITION TO STAND WHEN VIEWING THE MURAL

I have always thought of Ajo as kind of a tumble down town that has fallen on hard times since the closing of the big copper mine years ago.  Yes, it has fallen on hard times but we drove through a couple neighborhoods today that were certainly not tumble down.  Noticed they had a nice park, community center and children’s playground.  Talked to a Snow Bird from Alaska at the Laundromat a couple of days ago who has been wintering in Ajo for the past 15 years.

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LOOK CLOSELY AND YOU WILL SEE GHOST RIDERS HERDING STEERS IN THOSE ORANGE ARIZONA CLOUDS INTHE SKY

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MANY HIDDEN FACES AND CREATURES IN THIS ROCKY MESA

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Some readers have mentioned about the BLM land just south of Why.  It’s at mile marker 2 and we were actually boon docked there in early 08 before moving to Darby Wells at that time.  It seems the Verizon signal is smokin hot down around Lukeville at the Mexican border but tapers off further north where we are.  The BLM campground at mile marker 2 is about half way between Lukeville and Ajo. 

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MORE OF MIKE’S MURALS IN AJO ARIZONA

We considered moving down to Why but the scenery at that spot is not nearly as nice as where we are.  Also, our Verizon is working slightly better now that we have changed a couple of things.  Moved our router up on top of the Motor Home roof plus we’ve discovered if only one of us is on line at a time things seem to work better.  Still no cell phone but Kelly is able to access her Deer Park Lodge messages now by using Skype so we plan to stay where we are until our black tank is ready to be dumped and at that point we’ll head for Gila Bend, dump our gray and black tanks, take on water and decide where we will head from there.  Could be by the end of this week.

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AJO HAS A VERY PRETTY DOWNTOWN DONE IN A SPANISH STYLE

Someone asked what our co-ordinates are at Darby Wells road.  I’m hesitant to give that out until after we have left.  One never knows just who is reading these blogs of ours.  I can tell you that our nearest neighbor in a Class C is about a quarter mile away barely visible.  There are maybe a half dozen rigs in the area but they are a mile or more south of us scattered all happy and contented among the tall cactus growths. 

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THE NOON COFFEE KLATCH IN AJO’S OUTDOOR CAFE

Had hoped to get some nice Moon and Venus photos tonight but I see they have moved too far apart now for me to capture them in a single telephoto frame. 

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COULD THIS BE JUAN VALDEZ BRINGING MORE COFFEE BEANS TO AJO’S OUTDOOR CAFÉ……

It was nice enough tonight for me to write part of today’s post outside while waiting for the Moon and Planet Venus to appear in the evening sky.

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( Friend: "I suppose you carry a memento of some sort in that locket of yours?"
Woman: "Yes, it's a lock of my husband's hair."
Friend: "But your husband is still alive."
Woman: "I know, but his hair is gone."

---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

And the name of that song in the mural……Ghost Riders In The Sky

11 comments:

  1. Glad to see you enjoying some nice warm weather for a change... it was down right hot here in Borrego Springs today. Love the murals, have to go see for ourselves I guess!

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  2. we saw the mural, but sure missed a lot of the detail they painted in.

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  3. Cindy and Herb. The pics are amazing, as always. Ajo looks like a mexican village. Makes me lonesome for Mexico. I guessed the song from the one picture. By the way, my maiden name was Cooley. I guess no relation to the musician. Keep the good things coming. C, H, and Boo too

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  4. what gorgeous painting and murals...wow..looks like a great place to be even if the signal isn't the best...enjoy

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  5. What an interesting mural. It must have been painted after I sold my house in Ajo.

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  6. great tour of the murals!!..now as for where you are?..doesn't really matter...I am sure there are many beautiful spots in the desert to park for a spell.. you just have to search for them!..enjoy the peace and quiet!!!

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  7. Ajo is a place to mark down on the 'to do' list. Great photos of the murals. Stunning!

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  8. That mural is splendiferous! Thanks for showing us some of the things to look for. Love the looks of the downtown area.

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  9. Thanks for the pics of the murals. Amazing work for sure.

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  10. Al, the offer still stands to take the cereal to your friends at Kartchner Caverns. We'll be at Augie's Quail Traile RV Park in Gila Bend Monday night if that fits into your schedule.

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  11. Hey Al and Kelly!...Thanks for showing pics of the murals! Hop and I have a ball doing them, hoping to help inspire other artists to also join the fun we have started what we call the Ajo Street Art Project (ASAP for short). More murals are currently in the "design phase" and walls have been "donated" across the whole of our community. Thanks for stopping by the studio the other day! It was great seeing you again!

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