Windmill, Too .. Pastel Painting

Windmill, Too
Pastel on Masonite with Colourfix
10 x 16 inches, framed against the glass, in a black metal frame.

I finished the windmill painting to take to Peppers in Magdalena tomorrow. I did not take any photos of the work in progress. The Colourfix was a maroon color. The image is from a couple of photos and some good memories. The mountains are the Magdalena Mountains on the west side. The windmill was near Cliff, New Mexico, and the second low tank is from a memory of one at the Pie Place north of Magdalena. The windmill poured into a tall tank and then the lower tank filled from underground with a float to keep it from running over. We used to swim in the bigger tank, well, I used to get in the tank. I couldn't swim much in those days. The water had alkali in it so was not drinkable by humans. To take a bath in it and not itch to death, we would add Tide to the water. Hmm. I guess we got clean, even if we didn't get rinsed very well. :) Is that a good memory or not?

The drinking water at the Pie Place was rain water. When it rained we would wait until the roof was rinsed off (I'm not sure how it was determined that the roof was clean enough), then open the tank and catch the water. We would let it sit for a couple of days after until the gunk had settled to the bottom and drink from that. They would fill a big bucket and wrap it with gunny sacks. This was wet down and hung on the porch to cool for drinking. Everyone would drink from the same dipper. I guess it gave us strong stomachs.

I prefer to drink from a faucet these days. I just don't care for water that sits around. I know tap water sits in a tank somewhere, but I want it moving when I get it. I always preferred the spring water from the Pino Place. It came rushing out of the ground, nice and clean. We hauled it about twenty miles from there when there was no rain. I have not been much of a water drinker over the years. So you folks drink your expensive bottled water and I will get mine flowing from the faucet.