April 9, 2005
Great day on the desert. Cool and windy. Today is the Cave Creek parade and rodeo, and while we used to have a float and a band, this year we didn't participate. Stayed home and painted pictures. Worked on a wide-screen, master shot of Tucson, circa 1882, from the air, the Catalinas are lit up in the distance and the blue light of the gas lamps illuminates the crooked streets of the Old Pueblo, down low. Had excellent reference from a 1940s photograph, taken from the air. Simply took out the modern buildings, left in the churches. And of course, everything north of the railroad tracks is bare and empty. Worked smart and built with light washes, trying to hold back. Paid off.

Kathy joined “the girls” for lunch and a movie. They were going to pick between Ice Princess, Guess Who and other relationship crap, so I had no interest in joining them.

Took a nap, got rocks off other people’s land, took a bike ride. And painted like crazy.

Deena called me at about three and said she had a date and they were going to see Sin City because they had heard great buzz on it. I told her my critique, “all flash, no story” and asked her for a full review tomorrow.

At five I took a shower and drove down to Desert Ridge to meet the above mentioned females for dinner at Rockfish. Had two beers (Dos Equis Dark, on draft) and Kathy, Carole and Julie and I split two fish dishes ($80, split four ways, $96, includes tip). Afterwards Kathy and I walked over to Barnes & Noble so she could buy some books for a friend in the hospital. Checked out True West in the magazine racks, and there we were (5 issues) side by side with Wild West, bottom, front row.

As we left Barnes & Noble, we ran into Joel and Laurie Klasky and their daughter Sarah, who is in love with Matt Damon. She’s also graduating from NAU the same day as Tommy. Nice talk with them. Drove Kathy down to Scottsdale and Shea so she could deliver the books. Got home at eleven.

“The kinds of people who can go on to greater emotional maturity are those who really like themselves, even if the world seems to turn against them.”
—Theodore Irwin