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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
People picture artists as tortured loners working alone in an attic. I assure you, I am not alone. Each time I'm in my yard working on a project, I have lots of company. In fact, I consider my chickens my "brain trust." They're not afraid to speak up when they don't like how a project is turning out. I hatched these chickens in an incubator myself. They are Icelandic Hens, a special heritage breed of cold hardy chickens from Iceland. They are "my girls."
What's up next? Thanks to a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council, I will be installing an elf house at Chisago City's Camp Ojiketa Regional Park. Its a really cool place - a former campfire kids camp now run by the city. I'll announce the installation and ribbon cutting dates soon!
In my last post I mentioned trolls. There are tons of magical creatures in Scandinavian folklore, not just elves! There are Nisse, Tomtes, Trolls, Dyrads! My favorite drawings of Trolls are found in this particular book. Its just a classic.
The elves love to receive letters! Here are is a nice one they shared with me recently:
