September 27, 2006
Put in another hour working on the chicken coop this morning. J.D. and I wailed on the roof, snipping with wire cutters and pulling out a ton of rusted nails. Felt very good. It really makes me feel good, especially using muscles that never get used when I'm on the computer or over a drawing board.

And speaking of drawing boards:

Capturing Apaches (on paper)
I spent a good part of yesterday and last night working on drawings of "Beauty" an Apache looker who figures prominently in the Top Secret Project. I have excellent art reference from the two photo sessions with Lisa Bahlen at San Carlos and Fort Apache. I got some decent portraits going but I'm missing the Apache-ness of her face.

Frankly, I'm not alone. It seems to me, Apaches are as elusive in art as they were in the flesh. Very few depictions of Apaches are convincing to me. Frank Tenney Johnson, one of my painting heroes, does excellent cowboys but his Apache paintings are weak (they look like Italian gypsys). Even Remington has trouble getting the cheekbones right, and believe me, Apaches have very distinctive cheek bones!

I'll post some of my progress and also some of the bad Apaches in art (and they could fill an entire book).

Another Lonely Road Nomination
"My vote is California State Route 62, Twentynine Palms to Vidal Junction, if you're AWOL from the navy and your motorcycle is low on gas."
—Tom Carpenter

"I would rather squint at this sorry face and neck of mine in the mirror than confront a stranger who looks suspiciously like a drum pad."
—Nora Ephron, on face lifts, in her new book "I Feel Bad About My Neck"