Hurricanes and Holidays

Author: Ross Lunz

Date: September 2017

Summer of 2017 has been a whirlwind in more ways than one. . . my slow-motion move to Albuquerque from New Orleans, Aug 18th airing of my feature on the TV show Handcrafted America, epic 1 week trip to Lake Powell, and storms, storms, and more storms.

Listed my studio/residence in New Orleans for sale in November. Ironically, it went under contract to be purchased the same weekend the city was pounded with 8″ of rain in 2 hours (beginning of Aug). Mid-City was hit hardest. My neighborhood did OK and my property was unscathed. I feel like I dodged a bullet and hopefully it’s a testament to the buyer about the quality of my house. We had a great viewing party for the premier of my episode on Handcrafted America complete with lots of friends, good food, and great beer from Bow and Arrow Brewery in Albuquerque.  Even though I tend to be technologically challenged, we were able to figure out how to project the show onto one of the brewery walls. . .whew. In the process of transplanting my family and studio practice to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

One of the more amazing things about living in the Southwestern US is it’s proximity to some of the most breathtaking nature imaginable. A relatively short drive to the AZ/UT border plopped us at the southern tip of Lake Powell. The panoramic picture shows Glen Canyon Dam (Page, AZ) and the foot of Lake Powell stretching north into Utah. There are 100’s of miles of gravel roads, many of them accessible only with a 4×4. Fortunately, I my truck has pretty high clearance and 4 wheel drive. We loaded a slide in pop-up camper in the bed of the truck and the adventure ensued!! This is an epic season for hurricanes and tropical storms. Reminding me of the summer of 2005 when Hur. Katrina and the subsequent levee failure did a real number on my house and changed my life forever. My heart is heavy with thoughts folks and their recovery from the flooding. It took me a good 10 years to fully recover from Katrina. Hopefully the battle Hurricane Harvey victims face will take less time and energy.

Check back in soon. Lots of exciting changes happening. I’m super excited about my new studio space in Albuquerque.