My artist amigo, Thom Ross, drove over from Santa Fe yesterday with 54 of my paintings and this guy:
The Distinguished Professor Paul Andrew Hutton in the crow's nest of my studio talking to his daughter about dinner plans. That's Elephant Butte and Sugarloaf in the background.
Meanwhile, Kid Ross hung out with his dog down below:
Artist Thom Ross hangs out with his hunting dog on the patio outside my studio.
We all motored down to BJ's at Desert Ridge for dinner, then afterward Paul and I had a nightcap at Weston Kierlland Hotel in Scottsdale. Talked quite a bit about the rewrite on his huge Apacheria book which he is half done rewriting. One of this favorite chapters was on the death of Cushing which he used to set up the General Howard peace conference with Cochise, where Howard sees Cushing's jacket being worn by this guy:
The G-Man at Sunset
At lunch today, I went down to Scottsdale to be part of a surprise birthday party for Robert Utley. Thom Ross dressed as Ned Kelley, the Australian outlaw who wore a suit of armor. Ross met Utley and Hutton at the door wearing his amour.
Thom Ross (with his helmet off), Robert Utley and Paul Hutton at today's birthday party.
Here's Thom presenting Utley with a present of a Ned Kelley original painting:
Thom Ross and Robert Utley with Ned Kelley painting
"Allow Matey."
—Thom Ross's greeting to Utley