Cortez Archives – Surfeit of Passion: the Art and Life of Kathleen King

Cycling Kept Close to the Heart

August 9, 2010 by KK

I didn’t get to go to the Tour de France this year…but a few little Bike Scribbles sure did!

It’s moving day. Cyberspace moving day. My blog and website are being merged, along with a new Bike Scribble store. Today. Literally a year of preparation has passed to arrive at this moment. It has been a jam-packed year on terra firma as well. This time last year I was leaving Cortez, Colorado for Santa Barbara, California after finishing the big mural for Chris Carmichael at CTS and planning for Interbike 2009. I just arrived back in Cortez two weeks ago after spending the previous 9 months in California’s central coast near San Luis Obispo. I have murals to paint here, and, of course, Interbike 2010 is only six weeks away. This area of Southwestern Colorado, Pagosa Springs to Durango, Dolores, on past Cortez to the Four Corners Monument, is filled with awe-inspiring natural beauty and endless cycling opportunities…. But more on that later. Now for…

pendant with original 1km

The BIG NEWS at hand: Bike Scribble Pendants!!

Several months ago, while at a planning meeting for SLO Gran Fondo in San Luis Obispo, I had the great pleasure of meeting Tess Stapleton, who is chairing the SLO Gran Fondo event. Tess saw the Bike Scribbles and suggested they would be great on jewelry. That idea had never crossed my mind, but one of her friends knew of a jeweler in town who might be right for the concept and we started talking. Jeweler Lisa Leonard just happened to have a husband who was crazy about cycling and they both loved the idea. Lisa created a mock up and we showed it to Tess. Tess and her husband, Bob, happen to own a little professional cycling team called HTC-Columbia who would soon be racing in the Tour de France. Tess ordered 30 of them on the spot to give as gifts to team members while at the race. We kept it quiet so the team could have time with their unique gift. The exclusive team design included the special charm “tdf 2010”. Only HTC Columbia’s pendants come with that charm, but now the “1km” pendant itself is available for purchase for any cyclist who wants to keep a bike close to their heart. Many thanks to Tess for her bright idea!

Please click on the photo and it will take you to the store

There are two designs available to choose from now and more styles will be added as the months go by. If you would like a ‘good luck’ talisman to hang ’round your neck and kiss like the pros as you cross your personal finish line, these will do nicely. Soon there will be more news of big bike shop murals and Bike Scribble jerseys so please stay tuned!

120 lbs. of Stardust

July 30, 2009 by KK

Mesa Verde – no, it’s not a painting

I rode until I found a cool breeze. At last. At last one of the heavy gray clouds had wrestled the sun’s grip off the McElmo Valley and bathed the hills and mesas in a gentle cloak of shade. The landscape softened revealing different colors and curves. The air was still warm as breath and dry but the brutal heat had broken. When the sun re-emerged it was as a golden lover with rays that glowed rather than burned. We had earned our right to stay in this valley another day. Paid for with sweat and salt stained skin, siestas, fans and spray bottles, pink foreheads and hiding our cars in the shade. Now the cliffs of Mesa Verde reflected a palette of rose and pink in a lavender sky.

With my tendency toward heat prostration anytime the mercury rises past 85 F I was sure this land would fry my brain like so much albumen on blacktop. But I loved every minute of it. I rode every day near sundown and instead of dying, the dry air seemed to sweat out every drop of venom that the unseen demons of stress had deposited in my blood stream. With each ride I grew lighter. And while the sun did test and menacingly remind me of my mortality (oops, my water bottle is almost empty…!) the colors of the valley walls, the souls of ancient Puebloans whispered healing prayers to me, songs of welcome. I had packed my troubles in my carry-on bag and smiled, but when I came back from my first ride here that bag was empty.

The eldest llama

When I left Cortez the rains were just beginning. The warm air held the sweet, dusky aroma of wet hay – a scent familiar from a handful of childhood summers a lifetime ago. I had been taken to wildflower-lined bike trails high in the hills, hiked through ancient ruins, dined on home cooked cuisine made from vegetables from my friend’s garden, watched stars shooting across the milky way every night, and delighted at the sight of every lizard, bird, prairie dog and insect. Sat, breathed in and out and listened to the wind blow.

Happy Trails

The energy of this majestic place would sparkle on my skin all the way home. Thank you Fiona and Steve, Joyce, Carol, Mark, Karen, Dan and Alan. Thank Mr. McElmo whoever you are!

Welcome storm

Fiona contemplating the wisdom of the Anasazi

Me feeling incredibly lucky

Lucy the Border Collie mix puppy

Jimbo from Kokopelli’s bike shop who loaned me the mtb

As seen in the yard

The Rock House built into the cliff face

Russian Sage

Hope I can come back one day.

A Feast With Friends

July 23, 2009 by KK

The turn of events in Colorado Springs necessitated a spontaneous sojourn to Cortez Colorado to visit an artist friend from Leucadia California. Six years ago Fiona had moved to Cortez and built her own house near Ute Mountain. I love serendipity! Cortez really surprised me. The majestic landscape of the ancient Navajo and Ute people inspires a peace I have not known in a long time. A perfect and most welcome respite for my weary soul. The very breeze is healing. My old friend Fiona is thriving in this land and is an exceedingly gracious host. I’m meeting warm and delightfully vibrant people. I feel so blessed in this place.