It’s official.
I want to shout out a “Thanks” to everyone who helped with the new store, whether by lending muscle, advice or inspiration. THANKS!
You’re right …
OK, I’ll end here with lots of photos from the move. Have a great week. (Note: In the pic below that features Matthew showing art, those are not his real hands; they are jewelry display hands. It was getting late, and we were thinking of ways to creep out tourists.)
This will be a short blog. I drank too much coffee at a pot luck party last night and had a hard time shutting down my brain come bedtime; consequently: this afternoon, my eyelids feel mighty heavy.
OK, I think it’s time to take down the Christmas decorations at the store. I’m infamous for leaving my tree up at home for months beyond the holidays, but I beat the system this year by not putting up a tree … so the taking-it-down job there is already done. That was easy. 
We finally received snow in Sedona! Woo – hoo! No accumulation, but flakes as large as autumn leaves and dinner plates! Late last week, snow fell for about two pre-noon hours. The sun is out today. The sky is inky blue, the temperature 47. It’s jacket weather, no doubt, but I actually have the store door wide open. This is the northern Arizona winter I love: a dusting of snow on Snoopy Rock’s nose and along the upper-most ridges of the red rocks, and a wide beam of sunshine lying on the carpet. (I’m one of those people who like to sit in a sunbeam.)
I caught up with local friends a couple times this past week, once for a “games night,” and once for dinner and what’s-new? chat. On these occasions, there are usually new people in the crowd — a friend of a friend, or a new neighbor — and it was one of these new acquaintances who asked me the most bizarre question about my store that I’ve ever been asked.
First, let me say, I’ve received some bizarre questions. Everyone who works in Sedona receives bizarre questions: “If I wear kokopelli jewelry, will it help me get pregnant?” “Where’s the best place in town to see a UFO?” “Does this bracelet have any special powers?” “Is it safe to visit a vortex site without sunglasses?” And invasive questions, as well: “Where do you live?” “How much did you pay for a place in town?” “What kind of money do you pull-in in a day?” Oh, and I still remember the young fellow who announced that he wasn’t allowed to shake hands with tourists because they’re unclean, then asked me if I was hiring. “Uh … not today.”
But one question at dinner last week moved instantly to the top spot in bizarro: She looked up from her plate, smiled kindly and asked, “Do you sell worms?”
I had to put a napkin over my mouth, I started laughing so hard. OK, I know what she meant. A mutual friend had told her that my Uptown store is named “Sedona Green,” without mentioning that it’s a gallery and gift shop, so this young lady assumed it was a green-living sort of hardware store; and, being a eco-friendly soul, she was interested in composting, which requires special garbage-eating worms. 
So the question was legit. But it still made me laugh until my abs hurt. I think this could be our new logo: “Sedona Green Gallery — We don’t sell worms.”
Much to do, so I’ll blog more stories for y’all later. Peace.
Many of you noticed I didn’t post a Sedona blog last week. I was on vacation, and was so busy doing nothing that I had no time to blog about it. On Christmas Day (EARLY Christmas day, I’m talking 3AM), I drove down to Sky Harbor airport and caught a morning flight to Detroit, then to Charleston , WV. No delays. In fact, it was sunny and 50-something degrees in both Detroit and Charleston. My dad picked me up at the airport, and I was at my parent’s house in time for Christmas dinner. 
Small world: Guess what happened to me in the Phoenix airport terminal 3 men’s room? OK, maybe that’s not the best way to begin the story. Anyway, I was washing my hands, paying little attention to the goings-on around me, when I glanced up in the mirror and saw a familiar face above the basin to my right: there stood one of my best friends, CFG, washing his own hands. “Hey. I know you!” Next, another friend, Dylan, walks up to the sink basin on my left. Never before in my life had I run into someone I know in a major airport — unless, of course, they were there to pick me up, or me for thee. “What are the odds?” I asked CFG. Later that day he emailed me the actual odds: 
Hope everyone out there anticipates a fantastic New Year. New Year’s Eve is always a good time in Sedona. Lots of goings-on for a small town. My friend David Vincent Mills (an outstanding keyboardist) performed at the Ken’s Creekside masquerade ball. Olde Sedona hosted an 80’s Lady’s event. But I rang in the New Year at Oak Creek Brewery (the West Sedona location — that’s where locals go — not the Tlaquepaque location, which is a good restaurant, but not much of a local hangout.) Oak Creek had snagged the most popular draw in Northern Arizona: Sedona band, Yin Yang & Zen Some, known for bizarre theme parties, 70’s & 80’s cover tunes and outrageous costumes — it’s not unusual to catch them dressed as aliens, robots, cross-dressers, you name it. This time around, the guys performed in Baby New Year diapers, which was quite wacky, especially when one of Yin’s two lead singers, my friend Nate M., realized that his junk had bounced its way loose of his cloth diaper. Ooops. 
The magical house elf tells me he celebrated the New Year on the saddle of Cathedral Rock with a gathering of local elves, leprechauns and gnomes. “We drank sour milk and juggled shoes!” he said. “So very fun, so very fun!”
Big changes coming to Sedona Green Gallery in the New Year. More on that as it becomes appropriate to reveal my cards. Blog more at y’all soon.
Snow hit northern Arizona this past week. Flagstaff is buried under two-plus feet, and Snowbowl is now open. I hear that Grand Canyon looks like a wintry holiday card. In Sedona: Every morning I glance look out my bedroom window expecting to see snow on the prickly pear … but, not yet … just raindrops clinging to the cactus needles. On-and-off sunshine. On-and-off rain showers. It’s good for the desert, but bad for the carpet in the store.
On a positive note, the migrating storms have given us spectacular sunsets. Yesterday, driving out to the grocery store in West Sedona, I noticed that the clouds hovering over the western horizon were red like steel wool on fire. Looked like a volcano had erupted in Cottonwood. No, I didn’t have a camera with me. Sorry.
Arizona weather is hard on snowmen: A neighboring store has a wire snowman that waves at passers-by. Well, last week’s wind-and-rain storm knocked him over, and the impact popped his mechanical arms off, so he just lay there twitching on the sidewalk. It was so horrible I could barely laugh. Employees set him back up and reattached his arms, but his carrot nose is now smashed backward and curves upward into his face. Not a holly jolly sight.
Update on Sedona Green Gallery’s formerly seven-foot, paper Mache snowman: He’s now about two-and-a-half feet tall. I accidentally left him out in the rain once … maybe three times … and his lower body segments quickly flattened under his own water-soaked weight. For a couple days, he looked like a living stack of pancakes — actually, a friend told me it looked like a bean bag chair with a face. At this writing, only his top third remains. I set his top portion in a giant planter on the store balcony, but he doesn’t look healthy. I fear he won’t last until Christmas. No worries: He’ll wave goodbye saying “Don’t you cry, I’ll be back again some day” Thumpetty thump thump thumpety thump thump ….
OK, I’ll swinging home for Christmas in a couple days. Wish me safe travels. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and “God bless us, everyone.”
OK, I finally got rid of the artificial palm tree in the store. I had a love-hate relationship with that thing. A year ago (in it’s prime), the tree’s branches were lit with a thousand points of light, and I wound blue-and-green, flashing rope lights up, up and around the trunk. Well-meaning friends hinted that the “thing” devalued the rest of the items in the gift shop, but I liked it. It was what I call “A Happy Prop.” As a short fellow, I enjoyed the canopy effect of the branches. I would hang small purses and dream catchers and assorted items from the lower branches, and I could walk underneath and feel surrounded by an umbrella of merchandise. On the other hand, tall folks often banged their heads on the items hanging from the branches — or a low limb would grab hold their hairdo. (Always entertaining). Problem was, I could never find a good location for the thing. And moving it 
was always an itchy, dusty chore that resulted in toppling mugs and candles off shelves and pedestal displays. Yesterday, realizing that most of the lights on my friend no longer work, and that the addition of new shelves has left no space for a giant, fake palm tree … well, I begrudgingly dismantled him. Actually, I stripped the tree down to its metal skeleton and am now using the remaining “wire sculpture” as a display on which to hang kiln-glass necklaces. It looks quite contemporary. Perhaps I should raise prices across the board to match the avant-garde artistry of my latest display creation. Or not.
Other deconstructions:
Saturday afternoon, Sedona was plagued by strong wind gusts. Wreaths went flying. Paper cups, outdoor ornaments, strings of garland: everything hanging outdoors unhinged, dislodged and took to the air. My large paper Mache snowman, which I’ve blogged about extensively, collapsed backward into two halves. I quickly restacked his body parts and tied him to the railing. A moment later, his round head literally blew off! The snowman’s head is / was attached by a bamboo stalk that runs through the center of his body segments. Well, the bamboo piece snapped and the head dislodged, exposing the broken stick of bamboo upright from the center of the snowman’s round shoulders: looked like a neck bone. It was a horrible sight, nearly on par with last year’s surprise box of mannequins heads. 
Regular readers remember the mannequin heads story, I hope. Anyway, I pieced Frosty back together, but he’s not looking well. Another windy day could do him in.
I’ve been expecting snow for days. So far, nothing. BUT I really think Sedona will receive it’s first snow of the year tonight. Flagstaff is calling for as much as two feet tonight. Sedona is 2000′ lower elevation, but I’ve already spied a few flakes.
And now for a cool picture: a snapshot that captured the House Elf’s hand! He was reaching up to touch my face, and I grabbed his wrist as the camera’s shutter opened. Elves hate to be photographed, and they move as fast as ninjas, so this is one of the best photos I have of Sedona Green House Elf. He won’t be happy that I posted it.
Quick blog today. I’ve been putting it off for months, but I absolutely must update the regular Sedona Green Web site ASAP. I’ve about a thousand items in the store that are not yet on the Web site. I’m sure I’m not the only one running behind this time of year. I remember an old episode of the TV show “Friday The 13th The Series,” which had nothing in common with the movies except for title rights. On the particular episode I’m thinking of, a thief possessed a cursed time piece — an antique open-faced watch that could stop time for everyone except himself for five or ten minutes. This gave him time to carry out his pick-pocketing and jewelry-store heists. No, I’m not looking to rob anyone, but it would be nice to press a button and make everyone stop in their tracks just long enough for me to get caught up on paperwork, emails, bills, Web updates, personal reading … ‘course that would take a year or two.
There’s someone in the shop right now who … I think is going to try to sell me something or tell me about his own art once he works up the nerve. He has that Sedona-artist look: sleepy eyes, untrimmed beard, worn bluejeans with red-rock stains. I look at portfolios on Mondays, but I prefer that artists make an appointment and send me an electronic portfolio ahead of time. He’s looking at random crafts and artwork throughout the store … possibly making mental comparisons between the merchandise and his own work ….
Sedona’s javelina are out and roaming now that the weather is cooling. Well, javelina are always “roaming,” searching for an easy meal, but as the weather cools, more of them come down from the hills and hang out in driveways and backyards. This past week, walking to a friend’s house for “game night,” I stepped right past a small pack of the pig-like rodents in the dark without noticing them. When I reached the porch, my friend pointed them out. They were munching away on something in the moon shadow of a large prickly pear cactus. Unfortunately, My friend’s cat had slipped out the door when she opened it to greet me. Now the cat was missing, and my friend was concerned that the javelina would attack it and eat it. As my friend called into the darkness for her cat, the part of me that wants to be Bear Grylls, urged me to observe the javelina clan from a closer perspective. I approached the javelina very slowly, talking to them as I approached. Javelina have very bad eyesight, and I didn’t want to startle them. I managed to narrow the space between us to as little as five feet before they paused their chewing and glared at me. Snort! Snort! OK, OK, I backed away and let them finish their meal of cactus fruit and cat. (Kidding about the cat.) The cat returned to the house about an hour later, unmolested.
Well, the sleepy artist just exited the store without approaching me. I think he lost his nerve when another customer entered and began talking. Another friend — coincidentally, an artist — told me this week, “We never receive anything without asking,” but I’m not sure I believe that. “I try not to ask anyone for anything,” I replied, and he shrugged his lean shoulders. Different philosophies. I suspect his philosophy is a better success model. But I’m stubborn.
December in Sedona is a best-kept secret. The weather can vary between 35 and 60, but the sun is often full-faced, and the cooler temperatures make perfect weather for hiking some of the challenging trails — just watch out for patches of slippery frost in the shadows. Sedona retailers don’t receive the hoards of shoppers that the big-town malls receive this time of year, so most of us have good sales going, and there’s rarely a need for reservations at even the most popular restaurants.
OK, I really must let you go now. Much to do. Need to photograph lots of items in the store. And here are some random photos, I’ve taken this morning, including one of my backside just for kicks. (The camera accidentally went off, but it made a funny picture.) LOL. Blog more at you soon.
Next Sedona Green blog scheduled for 12/15/08.
This cracked me up: A lady in the store this past weekend asked, “What is the Sedona Vortex? Is it some sort of giant hole with smoke pouring out of it?” Shopkeepers in Sedona receive some sort of vortex question everyday. In a nutshell, here’s how I answer: “Uh … actually … well … there are a lot of perspectives on the vortex. Sedona’s rocks are red because there’s a lot of iron in the rocks, and as the iron weathers, the rocks actually rust, leaving a reddish color that glows in the sunlight and mimics — even exaggerates — the colors of sunset. Some people believe that the increased iron in the landscape also increases the physical magnetism of the area and that this has heath benefits, similar to how some people with arthritis will wear magnetic bracelets to ease their aches and pains. Others believe that specific areas in Sedona radiate so much magnetism — usually areas in which you can place yourself in a position surrounded by towering red rocks — that a “whirling” of magnetism embraces you, and that this “vortex” has health benefits and even helps in decision-making.” I don’t usually mention that some people believe there are crystal cities underneath the rocks built by ancient alien visitors.
Speaking of crystal cities and alien tourists, this surprised me: Last week, a friend mentioned to me that she had a friend who used to work for the CIA, and that his job was to monitor cult activities in Sedona. Note, this is all hearsay, but according to this second-hand information, at one point, there were 42 separate “cults” in Sedona that warranted “monitoring.” Given the literary importance of the number “42″ I suspect this is no coincidence. Hummmm.
Thanksgiving was nice this year. I wasn’t able to get back East to visit with family, but a friend was kind enough to include me — and several other locals without our own turkeys — at the table. After we gave the bird a going-over, six or eight of us played Cranium, a board game that mixes elements of charades, Trivial Pursuit, Name-That-Tune, and Win Lose or Draw. Good times.
On “Black Friday,” Sedona Green Gallery & Gifts hosted Santa Claus. My friend, author Joel M. Andre, donned a Santa Suit and posed for pictures with kids and pets, and a few adults. Andre donated his time to support my store and to support ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.) I have to admit, I especially enjoyed observing how the kids reacted to Santa. Some were overwhelmed with excitement … others overwhelmed with, well, fear. Either way, it made for memorable photos.
A bonus from spending time with Andre: I truly enjoy conversations with writers, and Andre rekindled my enthusiasm for rolling up my sleeves and getting busy with completing some of my own writing projects. I see a busy new year ahead of me.
Oh, and I can’t end the blog without mentioning the giant seven-foot tall paper Mache snowman so many of you have asked about. Well, my intention was to build a “giant” paper Mache snowman. The process: Using 20-foot long strips of blank newsprint, I wound the paper into ropes, then wound the ropes into ball shapes, similar to how you can make a ball out of rubber bands. This allowed him to be very light-weight, despite the fact that these “balls of paper ropes” ranged in size from a basketball to a bean bag. The result: 
At one point, the snowman really was seven-feet tall … but the application of warm, wet paper Mache sort of … shrank him up. When I stacked the five “snowball” body segments for painting, he only stood six-feet tall … and he leaned. A lot. He leaned so dramatically, I feared he would collapse over the balcony, so I removed one of his body segments. 
In the end, he’s only about four-and-a-half feet tall, but he has a lot of girth. And he’s cute … in a freaky, bug-eyed sort of way. He has eyes the size of door-knobs — actually round, black Christmas ornaments that make him resemble the insect creatures in the original Battlestar Galactica pilot. Diane, the UPS Store
lady, made him a carrot-shaped, orange, cone nose, and that lessened the “giant insect look.” Finally, I added a handmade scarf and hat by Sharon Herman. Now he looks totally approachable, and tourists can’t resist getting their picture taken with him. (I’ve included pictures of his evolution throughout the blog.)
OK, must get back to running a store. Blog more at you next week.
Next Sedona Green Blog scheduled for 12-8-08 
OK, I’ve almost finished decorating the store for Christmas. It’s a small store. Bedecking the rails and rafters with wreaths and bulbs really shouldn’t have taken a week, but … I like to take coffee breaks.
NEWS: Santa Clause Is Coming To Uptown Sedona
Bkg: Late last week, my friend, Buffalo Don, mentioned to me that when he was a young man, he used to dress up as Santa Clause during the Christmas season to bring 
in additional customers and publicity at his grocery stores. He suggested that I try that, and added, “You’re a jolly fellow, I think you’d make a great Santa.” I liked the idea — I’ll try (most) anything once — and I was prepared to serve Santa duty when another local friend, Joel M. Andre, volunteered to do the job for me. Great. That frees me up to man the camera for anyone who wants a photo taken with Santa. Plus, I won’t have to wear an itchy, fake beard. Hey, Joel volunteered! (Thanks Joel!) I think Joel will enjoy it. He’s a young, horror writer with a half dozen novels under his belt, one entitled “Death at The North Pole,” so Joel dressing as Santa will be one of those wonderful ironies life allows.
Anyway here’s the press release details:
S
anta Clause Is Coming To Sedona Green Gallery & Gifts in Uptown, Sedona. Friday, Nov. 28th through Wednesday, Dec. 3rd, Noon to 4PM each day, Santa will be at Sedona Green Gallery to hear your Christmas wishes and to pose for photos. Photos may be taken FREE OF CHARGE with your own camera, or Santa’s happy elves will photograph and print your picture with Santa for $5. Additionally, employees at Sedona Green Gallery (with some help from elves) have constructed a seven-foot tall paper Mache snowman which will also make great backdrop for Sedona Holiday photos of the kids.
Sedona Green Gallery & Gifts specializes in arts and crafts made in Sedona by new and emerging artists, and is located at 273 N. Hwy 89A, Suite P, in the Sedona Uptown Mall, directly above Christmas In Sedona. For more information, you may call store manager, … [etc., etc.]
Oh, about that giant paper Mache snowman: He’s not totally built yet. Actually, at this writing, he consists of three enormous balls of newsprint sitting on my kitchen floor. But he will be complete in time for Black Friday … unless something more pressing comes up … which does occasionally happen. The house elf might help if I promise to let him hide a shoe inside the snowman’s head.
Other goings-on: The big event in Sedona last week was a small plane crash. The plane went down just minutes after refueling at the Sedona Airport; crashed in a difficult to access wilderness area off Schnebly Hill Road. Two men were killed, one survived. A New York firefighter vacationing here in Sedona was driving a jeep along Schnebly Hill Road when the plane went down, and he was the first rescuer on the scene –likely saved the pilot’s life. Gotta truly admire folks like that firefighter!
Remember a few weeks back when I mentioned on this blog that estate sales and yard sales were very popular in Northern Arizona. Well, this past week, two people I know held yard sales, and I took an opportunity to visit both. Wow. I had no idea these events were so competitive! On my way to one friend’s sale, I passed five other yard sales in the same neighborhood, all with brightly painted signs urging me off-track from my friend’s sale. Maybe that’s a symptom of Sedona’s current economy. Hummmmmmm.
Holiday card time. Not sure if I’ll send out cards this year. I haven’t designed a card yet, but I need to get on that very quickly if I’m going to do it. Actually, let’s be realistic. Yeah … it’s not going to happen. Sorry. Hopefully next year.
OK, much prep to do and little time. Blog more at you soon.
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Righteous Kwanzaa! Etc., etc. The Sedona Uptown Mall Plaza looks like the North Pole today — minus snow and reindeer. Last Friday, the ladies in charge of decorating our plaza brought out a team of employees to transform the plaza into a holiday scene. They did an excellent job: Glittery balls the size of small pumpkins hang from the trees; plastic candy canes are placed in strategic locations throughout the prickly shrubbery. I took inspiration 
from their work, and I’ve spent the last few days decorating Sedona Green. I’ve strung dozens of silver, green and black ornaments from the ceiling beams inside the store, placed wreaths outside the front door — even tried to fit the house elf with a red-and-green suit, but he bit me.
Today, the temperature is 70 degrees in Sedona. The sky is ocean blue. High-desert sunshine is beaming the silver-foil garland on my balcony railing. Yeah, several of my friends have told me it’s way too early to decorate for Christmas; but, hey, the box stores stocked their Christmas aisles the week before Halloween. The “folks” are doing their gift shopping, and we Sedona shopkeepers need to make a living, too. Trust me, nobody’s getting rich in Sedona retail this year.
Been to the Arizona ghost town of Jerome twice since I last blogged. Once with my friend, Greg Lilly, author of Under A Copper Moon, a fictional novel set in Jerome during it’s wild west days. Former Sedona resident, Lilly, who now resides in VA, was visiting town for the Jane Seymour art event at El Prado Gallery here in Sedona, and he took the opportunity to sign some copies of Under A Copper Moon 
at the various souvenir shops in Jerome. I’m usually only in Jerome after dark, so it was a treat for me to browse the galleries and gift shops with my pal. Lots of arts-and-crafts style art in Jerome, but not much on par with Sedona Green Gallery. 
My favorite quote about Jerome was made by a Sedona friend who wishes to remain 
anonymous. In speaking about his dislike for the historic, hillside Jerome, he said: “The whole town smells like funky, old beer.” I respectfully disagree, but admit the town does have a certain … spicy-dust smell, similar to what you find in used book stores. But that’s the smell of history … or the rotting skins of unhappy endings.
My second journey to Jerome this week was for karaoke at the 
Mile High Restaurant with some of my local friends. That’s always a good time, usually followed by getting my butt kicked in eight ball at Paul & Jerry’s Saloon. No difference this time. I lost five games in a row to my buddies, Dennis and Matthew. Also ran into another local writer: Joel M. Andre, nationally known for his off-beat horror novels, such as Death At The North Pole.
Oh, I did another appearance on Allen Elfman’s VisitSedona.TV program on KAZM last week. I think it was my best so far — Allen and I have that back-and-forth-buddy-banter down to a style. Check it out at http://www.visitsedona.tv/ Let’s see if this works … I’ll try to post a link of the segment with my appearance here:
OK, much more going on, but I’m short on time. Blog more at you soon. Really.
