Was I ever amazed when I visited my parents at their new ranch in Arizona. Well, new to them that is! They were living out a long time dream and had been fixing up a ranch house built in the early 1900’s. I was excited that evening as I approached the huge double door entry way adorned with long red flowing chile ristras, typical of the southwest. A mesmerizing spell was cast over me from the shadows dancing on the colorful stucco walls created by the rustic wrought iron chandelier with small hand made rawhide shades. They were a perfect match to the southwestern decor. With the low watt bulbs, the entry way glowed a welcoming glow and I felt a relaxing sigh come to my lips.
As I looked around the large living room with the matching dark leather sofas and rustic wrought iron lamps, I noticed that the lighting used here was also adorned with beautiful unique rawhide lamp shades. In my mind, anything hand made seems to be of much better quality than the “cookie cutter” type items and such was the case with my parent’s choice of lampshades. The rawhide was smooth and dark and beautifully hand stitched. Each seemed to have its own personality; no two being exact. This first glimpse at my parent’s dream come true, certainly left a lasting impression on this “city girl” that makes me want to “go home” again soon.
