ROOSTERS AND TOADS

I've spent a bit more time playing with my post-travel journal this week. After we got home from the trip, tour organizers Larry and Cynthia sent us a nice little postcard, thanking us for joining them on this adventure. Ours had a picture of one of Diego Rivera's lily paintings, much like the one on my journal's cover, so I decided to glue that inside. That got me to thinkin' about Frida's nickname for Diego -- El Sapo, or The Toad. If you've ever seen photos of him, you'll understand where the moniker came from. Next thing I knew, I was sketching this:

I also had a postcard and business card already in my stash that I wanted to use. From New Mexico, not old, but I didn't care. They reminded me of the colors of Mexico.

Madre Tierra (Mother Earth) is a shop where I bought some earrings, and I used the sack they came in as the background for the facing page.



The border at the top and bottom of the page was part of a Dia de los Muertos stamp set from The Paper Source, which a very sweet person gave me for Christmas.  While staring at the little square photo, I got to thinking about farm animals, and about how strange it was that we were awakened by roosters every single day we were there, right in the heart of the city, with not a blade of grass to be seen. They must have been Rooftop Roosters. Patio Poultry.

And so, I finished the page off using a couple of chicken stamps that I carved awhile back.

Maybe after-the-fact travel journaling isn't such a bad idea after all. There's something to be said for having plenty of time, and your entire stash of supplies, at your disposal!