Weaving the dream

Steve took me to his favorite thrift shop while we were in Santa Fe, the one across from Trader Joe's. Santa Fe is prime fixings for scavengers and always has been, the area being a place of high culture since the days of Mabel Dodge, O Keefe and D.H. Lawrence.

People of vision and taste have always lived there and of course, subsequently also died there. The estate sales are a cut above in terms of quality of treasures and so are the thrift and consignment shops. Steve showed me a $1200 Spratling sterling and copper cuff that he managed to get the week before for fifteen bucks.

Anyway I didn't shop, too tired to do much of anything but I did find a book, Greg Sarris's Mabel McCay: Weaving the dream. Bought it for a dollar and couldn't put it down.

The late Mabel McCay was a Pomo Indian and a maker of exquisite baskets. The Pomo lived in an area of Sonoma and Lake Counties in Northern California, roughly between the Pacific Ocean and Clear Lake.

Mabel McCay was reportedly one of the finest weavers of native american basketry. But she was so much more, a healer and a dreamer.

This book takes us through her life's journey in a tale that will remind some of the work of Carlos Casteneda in its recounting of experiences bordering on magic. Sadly, Mabel may be the last of her kind.

If you can pick it up, definitely give it a read. After finishing it, I encountered two people who actually met and knew her. A thin book that will have a much greater effect on your perception of the breadth and possibility of the human experience.

I sold these two beautiful antique pomos on my trip and picked up yet another, a very special one. Just ask and I will give you a look.