Letters to the Elves!

 The elves love to receive letters!  Here are is a nice one they shared with me recently:

Letters to the Elves

 The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

Here is a nice letter the Elves received recently:

Letters to the Elves

The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

 

Letters to the Elves

 

The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

Letters to the Elves

  The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

Here is a nice letter the Elves received recently:

Farewell to Elves

We finally got out friend safely on his way.  A few flights and a goat cart ride or two and he'll be home from his misadventures.  Elves make excellent road trip companions.  I'll miss him for sure.  I told him if he ever wanted to visit Minnesota, I already had an elf house waiting in my yard.  He seemed to be interested but you know the old Swedish saying - "there is no cow on the ice."  If he shows up again, we'll certainly be ready for him!    

 

Letters to the Elves

  The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

Here is a nice pair of letters the Elves received recently:

Inspiring Visit to Ghost Ranch - Georgia O'Keefe Land

 

One of the best parts about travel is that it gets your creative juices flowing!  My visit to George O'Keefe's Ghost Land Ranch with our elf friend had us both admiring the adobe structures.  I'd never been inside this style of building before.  They are so solidly built, but have an elegant profile.  

I'm wondering if there might be an adobe elf house in my future!  You never know.  This picture below is the cabin where Georgia O'Keefe stayed before she purchased her own home nearby.

Letters to the Elves

  The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

Here is a nice letter the Elves received recently:

Traveling with Elves: Songs for the Road

 I like a little music on a road trip.  Our elf keeps insisting Kenny Rogers songs are "better in the original Icelandic." I was going to argue with our hitchhiker when my wife reminded me of an old saying - “let the Wookiee win.” And it is true that elves can get a bit tricky if they think they've  been disrespected. And who knows? Maybe Kenny Rogers is Icelandic - google doesn’t work this far out in the wilderness. What music do you listen to on road trips? 

Travels with Elves

Many of you may think being an elf house builder is an idyllic life.  Its true that elves are pretty good clients, but everyone needs a break now and then.  So my family set off on what we thought would be an elf-free vacation.  Then we stumbled across this little guy!  Elves don't read non-Elvish languages very easily.  He thought he was boarding a plane for Vestmannaeyjar and ended up in Las Vegas.  Poor guy was almost melting.  Oh boy.  So we let him in our air conditioned car to cool off and he started making himself at home.  You know the old saying - you don't find elves, they find you.  So far he's been a pretty helpful travel companion.  Here we are in Monument Valley, AZ.  Nice place.

Ribbon Cutting Fun at Ojiketa Regional Park

 What a great day!  This was definitely a life highlight for me!  It was great to see so many friends and family at the recent ribbon cutting for my new elf house in Ojiketa Regional Park.

If you're looking to visit the elf house, it is a little hard to find.  From the Ojiketa parking lot you turn left towards the beach. You'll find the house just beyond the first trail head on the left.  The straw roof is a give away.  If you see the block and cinder shower house on your right, look left - the house should be visible.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

 

Come to the Ribbon Cutting at Ojiketa Regional Park

 This project has been in the work since last winter!  And now is almost time for the ribbon cutting!!  You are cordially invited to Ojiketa Regional Park in Chisago City on August 27, 2022 (Saturday) to see my newest Elf House!  Ribbon cutting at noon!  

I'm not ready for the big reveal yet, but here's a picture of my son and I working in the rain to get things finished on time!

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Fire Saga: The Movie

 People always ask me if I like this movie because Elves are such a cool part of the plot.  The answer is always "Jaja ding dong!!!! Yes, we do!!!!!"

Letters to the Elves

The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

 

Learning Something New

 

We took a day off from making elf houses.  My youngest son and I went to the Northern Clay Center to learn wheel throwing pottery.  We got a little messy. One of my favorite parts about working as an artist is that I get to take my family with me.  My youngest son in particular is often drafted into being Dad's assistant.  I suppose if you showed up for surgery, you wouldn't want your doctor to say "yeah, my kid is helping today," but art is different.  I love that I get to work on something meaningful to me and share the time with my family.

Elves are Everywhere!

 I spotted this painting at a county fair.  I don't know the young artist, but its clear they are a friend of the elves!  It just goes to show - elves are everywhere.  You never know when you'll stumble across one!  This painting certainly deserved the blue ribbon.

Letters to the Elves

The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.

 

Checking in on the Eden Prairie Elves

 I like to stop by my elf houses now and then to do any repairs and check and see if the elves are happy.  I went to Purgatory Creek Park this Sunday to check on the house there.  I was happy to see the Eden Prairie Rotating Art Program put up a new sign! It looks slick!

The elves didn't see to mind the sign at all.  Of course, sometimes its hard to tell - they[re busy folks.  However, they said since the sign went up they'd gotten a lot of new letters.  They gave me a whole new treasure box of letters and wishes.  I'll try to get these up on the blog as soon as possible.

Letters to the Elves

The Elves tell me they appreciate all the wonderful letters they get!  In Iceland (where our Elves are visiting from) people tell the Elves their wishes.  If you ask politely, they might help you out!  But never be rude to an Elf - they can be tricky and might sneak a troll booger into your bed.