Desert Dreaming

The hubby and I are going on a cross-country road trip in a few days so the blog posting of recent has been a little dismal. We're driving from Southern Ontario - so let's just call it Detroit - to Morongo Valley, California. We'll hang out in California for a bit and then head back via New Mexico.

Joshua Tree

Creosote bush drying rack

Joshua Tree sunset

A few years ago I did a Southwest roadtrip solo and I put zero planning into the trip. I left California without an itinerary, phone, GPS, or even a map. As a lone woman, it was liberating and exciting, and the prospect of adventure was my priority. I stayed in crappy motels, slept in my car, picked up a hitchhiker, lived off Lay's chips and Walmart pastries, met some really nice people, and got terribly lost more times than I can count.

Now that I'm doing this with another human being and the distance has been multiplied, a lot more forethought and planning has gone into it. Some personal requirements need to be met, expenses are split so we have a bigger budget for hotel rooms, and wasting time circling back on freeways will be more frustrating when we have destinations we need to get to.

Pioneertown

My friend's trailer in Pioneertown

Desert cat

But there are numerous advantages to having a companion as well, especially someone as loquacious as my boyfriend. He's a constant joke and storyteller, a calm and decisive navigator, and my best friend (he's also pretty to look at). It'll be nice to have someone to talk to along those really tedious 8 hour stretches of driving through flatlands; it'll be nice to have someone to curl up to at night when you're in a shitty motel bed and the temperature drops; and it'll also be nice to have someone to share those breath-taking moments when you're at the top of a mountain overlooking a desert valley.

Met this cool guy at the Yucca Valley swapmeet

Peace

Super excited!

- J

Made in Mexico: Primera Parte (Part 1)

I adore Mexican decor, especially their furniture. Natural wood, rustic, robust, simple. And I love their whimsical use of color. Unfortunately, not a lot of used stuff from Mexico makes its way up in these parts of Canada.

Lots of untouched, unfinished wood. I love the natural finish but as I learned from hubby, the climate is too humid up here to not seal pine as it will eventually rot, but say, somewhere in the Southwest where it's dry, you can let the beautiful natural wood shine. 

I've seen some upcycled antique Mexican pieces on the internet and I think it's a shame. I feel the same way about a lacquered wood hutch as I do about a beautiful woman getting a nosejob or collagen injections.

Talavera pottery and ceramic tiles. I actually collected a couple vintage ones when I was in California but I can't wait until I have a full collection. NB: Talavera uses a lot of blues and warm colors. The more kalaidoscopic colors are most likely Spanish.

Hand-painted furniture and bowls.

Otomi textiles.

Oaxacan textiles.

Chiapas textiles

NB. There are some lazy bloggers out there, particularly ones who are in the professional field of home decor, who don't pay attention to the origins of the items or subjects that they write about. They feign knowledge and throw around information like it's last season's accessory. Not only do I think it's lazy but I think it's irresponsible and egotistical on the part of the writer. These people clearly have the confidence to spout out bullshit without doing a self-imposed fact check.

For instance, women who write a post about how to add color to your home; they dedicate an entire section to Mexican fabrics and how much they love Mexican blankets, and they'll post a photo with a source link to a website, and the post on that website will be titled "From Peru" and it will discuss textiles...you guessed it...from Peru!

Here's the photo that I see gets mislabeled the most, mostly on Pinterest, but also on several lifestyle blogs.

Peruvian blankets.

And then you get people who see this photo and make comments like "I love the Mexican blankets! The ethnic look is really in!" And it makes me wonder, perhaps the author is at fault but isn't the reader also? 

I mean, I saw the photo, I questioned the caption, I looked into its veracity, and I learned that the author was incorrect, and I, as the reader, have done my due diligence. Unless these people don't actually give a shit and are simply distracted by bright pretty colors! As long as ethnic is in, Mexico and Peru are just interchangeable nations, I guess. 

Part 2: The Mexican coffee table I found!

- J