July 16
Some Notes – Today was mostly spent talking and hanging with Luis. Over the last day an intriguing opportunity has presented itself. Yesterday I considered asking Luis to teach me how to make jewelry. Today I accepted his (cost) quote to spend 10 days teaching me to make my own jewelry as a business (starting this Monday). This means I will now be in Creel until at least July 29th.
Luis makes his living at this little desk
This evening we went to the downtown area where both Luis and Ana set up their tables to sell their jewellery. Ana is a rock star at selling her jewellery and did very well for herself this evening.
Luis & Ana’s selling table’s
Also, very late this evening I wrote (but not published) a blog post on my decision considerations for this new project of making jewelry.
July 17
Some Notes – I love sleeping-in here. This morning I posted my Baja bike review blog post plus a few Baja photos to 40 Facebook bike groups.
I posted my Jewellery blog post and how and why I decided to learn how to make jewelry. I encourage you to read all about that HERE.
Luis and Ana put on a live intimate concert in their home for some friends of theirs. The concert went for 3 hours and Luis sang Sound of Silence and The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel for me. It was an honor and pretty amazing and awesome experience to be present for such an intimate performance.
Tonight will be remembered for a very very long time.
A live intimate concert
July 18
Some Notes – Today I am 500 days on the road (not including 120 days off for Covid) and I am 299 of those days in a tent with 237 blog posts at an avg of 1,000 words each (approx. 237,000 words written since the bike ride started).
Today I would find myself pondering how I arrived where I am. Considering the life I thought I was going to live only a few short years ago. Pondering how nothing has gone as planned or foreseen on this bike ride as I would have anticipated and yet I would change nothing about the bike ride.
Two weeks ago I was completing the hardest, nearly killing myself section of this ride and last night I am watching a private intimate concert where one of my favorite songs Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel is be played and sung for me.
Also pondering if this bike ride is the best use of time on this planet. As much as I know deep down this is my best place to be in my story. Almost everyday reminds me that I have not found the peace, happiness and contentment that I seek. Beyond that a very uneventful day. Luis and I spent some time discussing the jewellery making course that starts tomorrow.
A species of crevice spiny lizard that I see regularly
July 19
Some Notes – It was a late start to the day as Luis had deal with some plumbing issues. The first start of this jewellery making class was going through all the potential tools needed for jewelry making and then Luis made a ring from raw materials to finished product. It was pretty amazing to see the process from raw materials to finished ring before your eyes.
Class went from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm with probably an hour break. I video taped the whole process and spent the evening reviewing my notes and about half the video I took today.
The silver ring Luis made from raw materials to finish
July 20
Some Notes – I set my alarm for 7am to do a Road Show with Brandon first thing so I wouldn’t interfere with jewelry making class. Today we (Luis and I) made a second style of ring. I then spent a few hours working on my filigree work (the art of wire working). Specifically, I was working on twisting wire into a spiral. I also spent time reviewing all the video taken during the manufacturing of the rings.
Luis made the ring to the right (today). The main difference between the two is the ring to the left was dipped into patina (for the black stain). The photo to the right is my practice attempts at making spirals
A side note, everyday and evening it rains here. This could be interesting when I get back on the road.
July 21
Some Notes – Today was probably not the most productive day when it came to jewelry making. We made (actually Luis made) 4 of what calls his “magic rings” because of how fast and how many he sells of this particular style. Luis also showed me how to wire a grooved stone into a pendant.
What Luis refers to as his “magic rings”
While today wasn’t the most productive day it was an important day in the jewelry course. After watching the simplicity of wire work and how few tools you need for wire work jewellery; I realized for the life of my bike ride this was the way to go. Rings and jewelry that required soldering was not practical to learn or attempt during the bike ride.
If this jewelry type business works for me during my bike ride then I can easily come back here to Creel afterwards to learn how to solder and make the more intricate rings and jewelry. So, moving forward I will be focused on wire work (also know as filigree). I will work on and make rings, pendants and earrings that require wire work only.
July 22
Some Notes – Luis started class at 9 am this morning (earlier than usual). Today’s class was mostly about working with wire to create earrings and necklace links. We also went through some of his stones and tools that he could sell me that he had kicking around.
This evening was spent in town. While Luis and Ana set up their tables and sold jewelry, I spent a good part of that time working on my filigree work (practicing my wire work).
July 23
Some notes – I write the following 2 instances more for a record of memories than anything else. You know when you see something strange that causes you to respond “now I have seen everything? And I also say this with the disclosure that while I have seen some individuals in pretty rough shape this town, I have not witnessed excessive drunkenness in this town.
But this afternoon I witnessed a Mexican passed out in the middle of the afternoon surrounded by beer cans. The crazy part of the story was that he was passed out in the small space between the parking lot bumper and sidewalk that ran along the side of a convenient store. There was an ice truck backed in the same spot and they were unloading the ice truck to the convenience store right over the guy as he laid passed out.
The second story is coming back into town to set up the jewellery table this evening we passed 2 regular looking Tarahumara (Indian) women each with their own quart bottles of beer and cups. Quart bottles of beer are common in Mexico but I can’t imagine a woman ever needing to buy beer by the quart?
Coming into the downtown almost every day since July 12 I practically feel like I live here now.
Today was sort of a rough day in regards to jewelry classes. This was the first day that I started to actually make my own ring and pendant and realized what Luis makes look so easy is actually really hard when your fingers and wrist are not coordinated to twist wire with pliers. It was like I was all thumbs. As Luis has mentioned over and over. Jewellery making is all about practice over and over.
My very first rings
