Pot Shards and Rough Beauty



 



July 26, 1906

 

For My Darlin,

 

Unwrapped, I guess.  Strange knots tied and somewhat woven. The bundle left behind for me to find. I found a patch of green succulent plants growing near a spring coming from some rocks. If you look upward I see lacey ferns growing from the rock, too. Higher still is the redness of the natural formations. Today, I will walk through the river between the canyon walls. Not a cloud in the sky so no chance a flash flood will wash me away. I hope. It is so hot and dry. The icy feeling of the rushing water will cool us. We have enough provisions to keep us for a few days. A mule will do not good here. On the top where the cedar breaks they say the snow has melted, mostly. I want to see meadows of wild flowers then on to Otter Creek to catch a few rainbow Trout. I found a few pot shards with black and white markings. I have those wrapped in my pack to bring to the next camp where we will meet up with some of the group. I sure hope we make it alright. This is a rough beauty here. We have plenty of rope along this time, just in case. I am thinking of you honey bun. I hear you are learning to dye with indigo. I sent you some tincture of indigo dye from the one who dyes the canvas for some overalls. Here is a Tunisien Crochet Hook I had someone make for you. I hope this is what you wanted. Not to worry I will be home one of these days. 

 

Love to you and the young'uns,

 

Elmer

 

 

 

 

This bird wishes you well on a pretty fine day!

xoxo

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(OK just pretend they had these kind of pictures back then)

Worth IT

"Wrappers of blue fabric, what is left of it anyhow, hides a mysterious bundle. One eagle feather is stuck inside the hole of a gnarly piece of driftwood bleached as white as a cows skull. I see where somebody carved a few notches. I'm wonderin what it means. This page is dirty that I write upon with red stained dirt. Off a ways is another mound. The water force erodes it to the point where I see a rainbow of faint color. Yellows pale as a yellow rose of Texas and a purple paler than that ghost I thought I saw once. There are many shades of peach color interspersed in these here striations. Yesterday when I found that strange object I was thinking about the Hopi and the Kachina dolls I saw at the post that day I bought the blanket. It seems to me that these are some sort of token figures used by a medicine man or something. A tiny pot was wrapped up with the eagle feather objects which held something gritty and shiny like glass. The pot is polished on the outside with evidence of being in a fire cause of the smoke-like marks I see.
Lately, it seems I find little bundles in every mound. I find stitching on most of the pieces, you know like in and out and in and out and all in straight lines about half an inch apart. It seems the stitches are from human hair. I found some bee balm the other day being harvested by a chaco canyon native. She showed me that she painted marks on the pots with it dipped in something. I know not what it was. I think I will bring some things to give them next time. I was thinking some cotton thread would be nice."

I found a house, once a long time ago, it was Victorian in style, very grand but falling down. Out in the back was a trunk in which I found old envelopes with the letters still inside. These were a bit worn and some places unreadable. The pandemic that hit the country was written down along with other incidents that were pertinent at the time. This experience has always fueled my imagination. I was a child, then, on an expedition that day, a forbidden expedition, to say the least, for which I paid dearly. I can say for sure that it was worth the trouble.

xoxo,

Just a bird