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……Richard and I said goodbye to our Beloved Burro, Dilly Jo. She has passed on to the Further Shore today.  She was such a Love…the oldest and most loving of all our critters.  We have no idea how old she was….she was further along in years when she came to us 7 or 8 years ago.  She came from a very tough Beast of Burden existance…she had been hobbled most of her life…there was rope growing out of the bottom of her leg…..near her hoof…..Her legs turned inward…but there was joy in her heart because she had two daughters with her:  Barbarella and Lolita.  She was able to get around with ease.  Her patron saint was Catherine Abby Rich who she got to meet one year.  Sail on, Dilly Jo…I miss your Spirit already…with Heavy Hearts, Richard and I thank you, Dear Dilly Jo, for the joy that you brought to our lives…..

For 35 years I have been called Anado…the name was given to me by a Maverick Mystic in India…over the years I have been called Anardo, Analdo, Anando, Anadi, Otto by others (innocently)…..it has been my meditation to witness this…("does anyone listen?") …Anado in Sanskrit means No Sound…such is life when you try to name Silence…..I am reminded what Rumi once said:  "Only in Silence…The Word…Only in Darkness…The Light…Only in Dieing….Life."  More importantly, however… Am I listening for the Silence?  Am I inhabiting that which is without sound?  Or is there no more "I' in that nameless Silence?  Enclosed is a photo of my Teacher Bhagwan, now known as Osho to some, touching me ever so deeply in India many years back…

Well…pedal to the metal time…gotta get in gear….things need to be poppin' in the studio….Group Show on the property in early August… stay tuned (talking to myself)…So August 3rd at the Chapel of Jimmy Ray a new exhibition:  Spencer Tunick collaborating with Joe Arthur and then my work for a bit of accent…this is gonna be good…Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata will be collaborating with me on a video installation……he is coming up this evening from Mexico City and I will stay tuned in for that too…..Onward and Inward…..catching my drift?  The photo indicates that there is lots on the horizon……

…and the Elixir is Love!  Yesterday was one of the Hallmarks of San Miguel Events….the Wedding of Kalyana Valeur and Christian Baumgartner.  I was honored beyond honored to officiate at the Ceremony.  I was up close and very near a bubbling gumbo of these two fine talented geniuses.  Both of these men are performers, actors and provocateurs.  The Wedding and the Reception were just fucking glorious.  I marvelled all day, "how lucky we are to be in such a community"….My heart goes out to both of them for the rainbows they poured on our souls yesterday…it is time for the World to realize that we are here…we are queer…we ain't going away…and we sure know how to Love…Kaly and Christian grabbed the rings on the merry-go-round yesterday and led us in a Dance of Life and Laughter….Gracias por Todos, Mis Amigos!  The photograph is by Holly Wilmeth….

…you know I am reading this book about an old friend in New York from the 70's and I have to look around and find some wood to knock on or throw some grains of salt over my shoulder….and thank the gods and goddesses and all the Teachers and allies and situations that led me to flee New York and the jaws of an early death around 1979.  It was such a wild and indulgent time…I remember remarking to friends one night on Christopher Street that I was not long for the Gay Ghetto that had seduced this corn fed boy with a  shit eating grin when I fiirst arrived in Gotham City.  The cards and circumstances fell into place and miraculously I met a woman in an all night restaurant where I was serving BLT's and she illuminated some facts for me and pointed East to India… and… I was no longer in a black and white film…..I look around me this morning and realize how fortunate I am.  My friend got famous and was a cult figure for some.  We had a lot in common but our choices were different.  He was extremely talented and the allure of fame is enticing…I had wanted that at one time…but there was this part of me that could not hold the pose and I craved authenticity…still do.  I consider myself a lucky man…I can still feel the bones of the young man in me and how these bones recognized the need for a resurrection of sorts…and how these bones got on a big jet plane and flew away from the snarls and restrictions of darkness…the Story continues…I guess one needs to "know which way the wind blows" and make arrangements……

…the idea incubator is on hold…..not really…it is just a weird week.  I am feeling a bit lazy and non committed to the work.  So I guess I just surrender and accept and turn inward and check out what is un-settled…..so excuse me while I kiss my belly button…sometimes it is just the way it is and moments later things change……there is so much to do!  But …"not to worry" as I used to hear a friend say…availability to the moment is in order…in a few moments some folks are coming out for a tour…that will get me on my feet……Achtung!