memory of a trip cross-country.

This past June, I had my first cross-country adventure moving Melissa from California back home to New York. I recommended we take the southern route but only because I had one thing in mind... petrified wood.

I kind of thought we would be stopping a lot, but once you start driving, it's hard to stop. You see something and think there'll be more, telling yourself the next one, the next one... and then you're in another state. So we pass right by what I was waiting for.

But we did stop at this Navajo shop off the route in bumble New Mexico. It was colorful and I screamed to pull over.

A great setting for pictures. Sean took some on film. I took about 100 digital.

And then we walked up to the store and what do you know! There it was! Petrified Wood!

Melissa jumped for joy for me! Yay!

So I snagged a little piece as a token and when we finally got home two weeks later, I wanted to make something with it. I went up to Metalliferious and searched for a sterling cap that would fit on the end and dazzle my tiny fortune. It didn't fit perfectly so I filed the top a bit with a good old emery board, inserted it into the end cap with 527 cement bond and now I've got myself a New Mexican petrified wood charm!

I strung it on a chain and added a silver feather that I also grabbed from Metalliferious for a dollar or so and piece of turquoise (from a old necklace my mom gave from when she was young) that I tangled a bunch of chain through—to almost appear like a knot.

I like it, it's random. I've been wearing it all summer.