Here's a tip - take a drive to Cactus Joes!

Here is a hidden gem that I just visited - and I can't believe it's taken me THIS long to check out this garden center. Shame on me!

When you pull up to Cactus Joe's, you're greeted by a couple of metal sculptures that set the tone for your visit.

This place is huge - I think I read that it is 7+ acres, more than enough to keep you occupied for a while.

 So make sure you have some time set aside in your day.

You'll enter through an area that one might call a showroom. It's also where you pay for whatever you have chosen to buy.

 But exiting that, off to the left, you will hit what I've affectionately called the new age area. 

Lots of sculptures of diety, Buddha, spirits, with a large area of glass rock. You can buy this rock by the pound. 

 But if you walk up a little further, you'll see a very cool

labyrinth, surrounded by these awesome street lights. I recognize these street lights – I used to have them all around my indoor pool. It's a weird mix of old and new.

A little further into the yard - you'll see this giant saguaro, with a giant Adirondack chair at its base. What a fun photo op for visitors, and truthfully – I got inspired to want to build one for my own yard. 

But I was here in search of a bench for my yard, and had some ridiculous choices. I loved this alligator bench,

but the southwest one also caught my eye, too.

 This Kokopelli design was very nice.

I trudged on… there is so much to see here.

If you're looking for cactus or succulents, this might be your happy place.

There are rows and rows and rows of cacti, it's almost overwhelming, there are so many choices. 

As I got closer to the agave, I noticed something strange in the background.

Yes, that's a dinosaur behind the agave, and as I got closer - I realized I was in the prehistoric section.

Of course I was curious what that dinosaur cost!

Wandering around, I felt like I was at Jurassic Park.

Have a kid who likes dinosaurs? That kid will be in heaven here.

I am not familiar with the names of these creatures, but there were so many of them, my head was spinning. 

OK – I think this is a pterodactyl. But what do I know?

Then things started to get weird. The bucking bronco next to the raptor starts to mingle old and new. More on that later.

And on this landscape, I started to explore some of the smaller shipping containers and tents that you could visit. 

This "day of the dead" room was pretty great, with a lot more traditional sculptures and pieces. 

Lots of Mexican art, 

pots, very cool stuff. You know I loved this peacock!

 I wandered out of the buildings, I started to notice things were a little more traditional – horses, chickens,

 but wait...  

is that a giraffe? 

Desert tortoise? 

Then I spotted my – off in the distance - my happy spot.  

Spaceships and aliens.

Here's a sidenote – I've seen a UFO. That's why I believe in them. 

About a year ago, I was listening to a podcast about UFOs, and the host of that podcast described the exact thing that I had seen in the late 1980s. That was kind of validating, because I've often wondered if I just imagined what I saw in the sky. But she described the exact same incident.  

So that makes me think – as Mulder says – we're not alone.

So I walked up to these alien ships, and promptly fell in love. I so want one of these in my yard, but they're a little pricey.  

They had three different sizes – only the small and medium size were left, but the woman who worked there told me they had just sold a giant one. I would love to see that backyard!

Even more fascinating where the aliens – both male and female, waving, smoking, blowing a noisemaker - whoever makes these pieces has a wonderful sense of humor. And yes, I ended up bringing two of them home.

That's got me motivated – I still wanna make a giant spaceship for my yard. I know my friends must think I'm crazy, but that's OK. Living so close to Area 51, you never know who might drop by to visit. 

Apes and aliens? Sign me up.

This store might be one of the coolest places I have found in Vegas, I highly recommend that you stop by. The women I spoke to who worked there said so many people in Las Vegas who don't know about them.

What a shame.

Here's a link to their store - you NEED to come by for a visit!

Combining technologies - making ceramic patterns using my laser engraver

There is a lot of focus on water conservation when you live in the desert. Just watering your yard on the wrong day of the week can earn you a hefty fine. And since I've been doing a ton of ceramic work lately, I've found my bill creeping up. 

Sure, I usually have a rinse bucket in the sink outside, where I can rinse clay off on my hands without wasting gallons. But I decided I needed a sign near the sink to remind myself to conserve. I did a clip art search and found a design that I liked. 

And added some text. 

Here's there best part - combining technologies. I cut out a simple pattern in MDF of the artwork, using my laser engraver.

I even saved the small pieces that came out of the individual letters. (I'm sure those have a name.)

There are basically two types of ceramic pieces - pots that are thrown on the wheel, and pieces that are hand-built. 

I decided to hand-build a sign, so I grabbed some clay and rolled out an even, compressed slab. 

My slab roller is powered by a small motor, which saves a great deal of wear and tear on my back. So I rolled out a slab, 

 and then gave the pattern a quick coat of release, so that it wouldn't stick to the slab.  

Everything that touches the clay needs some sort of release sprayed on it, or it will stick to the clay. The release could be something like WD-40, or Pam cooking spray - anything that is greasy and non-stick-y.

With the pattern on the clay, I traced the outline with a knife and cut the final shape. 

Using a roller - it was easy to add a bit of fish scale texture using this texture mat. Again - this has to be sprayed or it will stick.

Then I took the tiny letter bits and added the final details to the letters. 

Here's the final piece - with lettering, a little fish-scale texture, and a hole at the top for hanging.

Once this is bone dry, it'll be bisque fired to around 1900˚. If there's any moisture in the piece at all, the buildup of steam can cause the piece to explode in the kiln. Luckily - in the heat here, the clay drys out fairly evenly and quickly. 

I'll experiment a bit with some appropriate colors, in greens or blues... you know - the colors of water. Glaze looks amazing when it pools around the textures on the clay, so this piece is going to be special.

With a little luck, it'll be glazed it and fired next week. Stay tuned!