Priscilla and her winning design for Goodbye to a River.

It was an utter surprise to win the prize commission at the 5th Helen Warren DeGolyer Triennial Competition for American Bookbinding, held June 5th at the Bridwell Library, Southern Methodist University, in Dallas. Although I have attended each of the DeGolyer Bookbinding conference events, this year I had been invited to be a workshop presenter — without a clue about being the recipient of this prestigious award.

But, what a full circle moment! The text selected by the Bridwell for the binding is “Goodbye to a River” by John Graves. Reprinted in 1989 for the revived Book Club of Texas, I helped bind the limited edition when working with Craig Jensen at BookLab, Inc. in Austin.

Other winners at the DeGolyer competition include Karen Hanmer for her sample binding and David Lawrence for his proposed design.

March 2009 features article on Truth or Consequences.

Our new town of Truth or Consequences has been called many things such as “quirky’, but this recent article by Judith Fein adds “chic” to the list. Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I do agree when she states that is is a place “where you can soak in a mineral bath with your honey without getting soaked.“

It has been two years exactly since we purchased our building here in “T or C” (as the locals call it). Don and I have been enjoying the quirky side of things here ever since.

Don & Priscilla dressed for Day of the Dead in T or C.

Even my mom, Annie Spitler, is getting into the swing of things in T or C since moving here from Rio Rancho last summer. She stands by two of her New Mexico paintings shown at the local Rio Bravo gallery during the “Hot Springs, Cool Art” festival all over town last fall 2008.

Annie Spitler and her paintings (left) at Rio Bravo.