Another marvelous day in the desert

GABROEN made it out to Tucson for another fabulous inspiring visit to Kate McMedema's creative retreat in the Sonoran desert city. We flew in yesterday night into Phoenix, making the 100 mile drive south to Tucson on a dark desert highway lit by a slightly waning moon. No warm smell of colitas rising up through the air, but still a nice dry air that immediately transitions all your senses from damp to crisp. We share Kate's retreat with the mighty Jean Power and Kyle Cassidy, and all of us meet fantasy novel writers Emma Bull and Will Shetterly for a Southwest breakfast. The breakfast place is packed, could be most famous for the fact that the restroom are in the kitchen, but the chile rellenos was pretty nice and seeing Gabriella in a fire red prom dress in this place was kind of surreal and wonderful.


Why was she wearing a prom dress? Well, the main goal of today was her first modeling gig with awesome photographer Kyle in Sabino Canyon, creating hero shots for Kate and Jean's new beading book.


Both Kyle and Gabri did an absolutely stunning job, shooting over 800 pictures of beaded jewelry with the red dress as the common theme. She was radiating, like a fierce desert fairy, and the beauty and force are bouncing of the pictures. I was the humble holder of the flash, happy to shed light on all of this. Stay posted for more desert greatness.


GABROEN on behalf of Jeroen