Prescott, Pines, and August

Spending a day in Prescott in August is a wonderful break from the griddle-heat of Phoenix. At 5,600 feet, you get pine trees and big-leafed trees, green grass and flowering vines. I went to do an art project with a group of amazing kids–OK, college-age students–whose enthusiasm for creative work was refreshing as the cooler temperatures.

We did the spray-ink maps and found poetry, with great results. My main job was refilling the spray bottles–a sure sign of art enthusiasm. There were a total of 50 students, in two groups. One section took yoga first, and I think that that group was more ready to experiment, more open and relaxed.

So was I. I had arrived at the retreat center the night before, and took the time after dinner for a short walk before I set up the room.

The retreat center had once been a tuberculosis sanatorium (lots of those in Arizona because of the low humidity) and is now an Episcopal retreat. The cabins are rustic and spare–no TV, no fancy restaurants, no pool. But then again, lots of greenery, windows you can open at night, and fabulous night sky.

Altar in the open-air chapel

In the center of the cluster of cabins was an open air chapel. Pews, altar, and walls are hewn out of stone. I sat down for a moment of thought-gathering and felt great peace and love. Even if I’m not Episcopalian, the rocks didn’t seem to mind.

Pews and wall are all rock.

I’d guess the services are short here, the pews are rock-hard. Looking up, I saw the moon bracketed in the pines–it’s a gift to see these things. And if they had had a TV, I might have missed it.

One of the cabins had a set of shovels hanging on the outside wall. They aren’t snow shovels, so I imagine they are used for planting or digging fire breaks up here in the woods. I would have loved to show the cabin number, but I was pressed against a truck as far as I could, and it wasn’t moving.

The next morning, I took another walk and found some Queen Anne’s Lace. When I lived back East, it was the flower that signaled the end of summer. When the Queen Anne’s Lace started blooming, you began to think of boots and cold, windswept days not far off.

Seeing these today, I thought of how differently I think of the end of summer now. In mid-September, the days become noticeably shorter, and the sun begins to lose its power. Nights cool down, and even when the days are still hot, a cool night is a wonderful break.

The class was a lot of work, but I was glad for every minute of it–including the early morning and evening walks.

–Quinn McDonald keeps a raw-art journal, and appreciates a break from weather so hot her arms stick to the pages.

Prescott, AZ–Found Art

Prescott was the original capitol of Arizona. It’s an old town that’s tucked into mountains high enough to support snow in the winter. This weekend there were broadleaf trees that had turned to bright, brittle yellow. The smell of autumn leaves was unmistakable; I haven’t smelled it since I left the East Coast.

Autum leaves, Prescott © Quinn McDonald, 2009

Prescott is a lovely town, a town that shows art to anyone who wanders into The Raven (either the cafe or the pen-and-paper shop) or Van Gogh’s Ear, one of the art shops that line Whiskey Row.

Prescott also puts out its own art, the town as it is, for anyone to enjoy.  Cortez Street is packed with antique shops that are stuffed with vintage, old, worn, odd, and delightful objects.

The Armadilla (yes, it ends with an ‘a’) Wax Works is a candle factory with a retail shop. It’s at the top of the hill that makes Cortez Street, before the antique shops take over.

This candle factory is in the building of a former bank. Arizona produced a lot of copper in the old days, still does,  so the entire front of the store is still home to the old vault and safe.

The detailed copper molding that is both bold and delicate,  and a sun-mirror that is rich and polished to match the older copper safe wall with the dentil and decorative molding. In some light, you can see the copper has taken a lot of polishing, but it’s thick and hefty and won’t wear out any time soon.

Antique copper moulding and mirror © Quinn McDonald, 2009

On the opposite wall was a grouping of candles and grasses with blossoms. The sun was at the right angle to make it a perfect photo all its own.

Candles from the Armadilla Candle Works, Prescott © Quinn McDonald, 2009

The Raven Cafe is a wonderful old building. I’m a fan of the collages that sprout in bathrooms, and this was no exception. This one seemed to be planned–it had originally been created, quilt-like, a block at a time, then mounted on the wall and continued with paint and pen.

The Raven's Cafe's artful bathroom © Quinn McDonald 2009

This garage was graffiti’d and then painted over unevenly. The resulting unfinished raw art is perfect the way it is.

Garage Mural © Quinn McDonald 2009

The next building was painted when it was too cold. Half the paint popped off in the dry air, leaving a great pattern that looks like an angel food cake.

Peeling Paint, © Quinn McDonald, 2009

Prescott has art around every corner, great weather to enjoy it, and astonishing rock formations around the town. A great place for a quick getaway. If you have time to drive up from Phoenix, don’t take the Freeway. Nothing against I-17, but the scenery is not spectacular. Take a bit longer, go through Wickenburg and Yarnell and see mountains and thumb buttes that will astonish you.

Out of Yarnell, don’t take the switchback road that 89 turns into. Turn left onto Kirkland Road and go through Skull Valley and into Prescott. It’s 10 miles longer and worth every inch.

–Quinn McDonald rides a motorcycle and takes pictures with her iPhone.