CLOWN SHOW - 2013

I went to see the Clown show at the VFW on Montezuma Street in Santa Fe.

It was fun because I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen for a long time.

KERRY LI'S MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY - TAKING IT ON

Albuquerque Journal-North

The funnest job I ever had was teaching karate. I had my very own army of loyal, five to fifteen year old kids, who taught me far more than I ever taught them. 

Kerry Li's Martial Arts Academy had a large but close-knit body of students of all ages; we practiced Shotokan style karate with some Jiu-Jitsu techniques thrown in for a full curriculum.

Here is a video of Kerry Li in action!

Once students mastered the basics of punching, kicking and blocking, we would begin to teach them the "nine moving forces": Strikes, throws, applied pressure, joint-restraints, chokes, holds, breath-control, body-conditioning and counters to all of the above. These moving forces are applied to vital targets in the musculo-skeletal, nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, and internal organ systems.

I enjoyed my fifteen minutes of fame when I got written up in this article from The Albuquerque Journal North. It probably didn't hurt that the author was a friend of my mom's. I wish she hadn't quoted me quite so accurately; I am afraid I was spouting gibberish. Also, I hope people will forgive me for the quote appearing in large print which I had read previous to the interview in "The Way of The Peaceful Warrior", I can't really claim that it is my quote, even though I probably did word it slightly differently.
 Click to read the article:  

Albuquerque Journal-North

Albuquerque Journal-North

Shortly after I earned my first black belt, Sensei Kerry Li moved to California to pursue an acting career.  I am still looking for the second page of this article from the Santa Fe New Mexican which was published not long before he moved away. Click to enlarge:

It took me about five years to earn my first-degree black belt. I earned my second degree a little over a year after that. I found that teaching karate helped me to grow faster in my own journey as a martial artist.

David Settino Scott - 2013

THE GREAT SANTA FE FLOOD OF 2013

David Settino Scott

We finally got some rain in Santa Fe! In fact it has been raining pretty much everyday for about a week.
All my friends were freaking out on Facebook; you would have thought we were undergoing a biblical deluge! I decided to talk a walk down the arroyo we call the Santa Fe River and get a look at raging torrents of water.

Santa Fe River - September 15, 2013

Kind of anticlimactic, isn't it?

I decided to walk around and take pictures of whatever interested me in the field by the river...

Can With Cactus

I became fascinated by some ants who were busy at work. This one seemed annoyed but agreed to pose for just one shot...

Ant Man

This Desert Clover dazzled me with its bright green color:

Desert Clover

As I got closer to the road I started finding a lot of junk laying around.

Road Junk

I think I liked the ants best of all!

Ant Cam

Be sure to visit my website and see more of my writing, photography and posts! Click here: DAVENE

E.T. AUTOMOTIVE - BEST MECHANIC IN SANTA FE?

Big recommendation for E.T.'s Automotive! 

2907B San Isidro Court, Santa Fe, NM

Phone 505-471-3801

He gave me a big break on the labor and got me back on the road. If you need a good mechanic this is the guy to go see in Santa Fe!

RONNIE LAYDEN

RONNIE LAYDEN

One of my closest and best friends is Ronnie Layden.

I am amazed at Ronnie's artistic ability. Ronnie comes from a fairly affluent family, but instead of wasting his time torturing waiters at fine restaurants; hanging out at nightclubs feeding a hedonistic appetite or chasing expensive women, Ronnie Layden spends most of his time experiencing and capturing the beauty of nature, either with oil-paints and canvas or with his camera.

Ronnie runs an art gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico's famous Canyon Road art district. If you happen to find yourself in Santa Fe, I highly recommend checking out his work. I am sure you will find that Ronnie is a rather interesting character among the Santa Fe locals...

Ronnie Layden Fine Art - 901 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico

There was a time in my life when I felt envious of Ronnie's Gallery. I sort of felt like it was unfair that a wealthy kid could just buy a commercial art space and call himself an artist.

But after seeing Ronnie's paintings and photographs, the envy faded into admiration for his skill and dedication to his work; his works are truly beautiful and Ronnie worked hard to earn a degree in art, as well as one in architecture.

Oil on Canvas by Ronnie Layden

Having grown up in Santa Fe, I became numb to Southwestern style artwork; Santa Fe is saturated with it and after awhile it all starts to look the same to me, but Ronnie's work is different...I find his abstract-stylized landscape oil paintings to be refreshing and new. He also paints en plein air, but unlike other Southwestern plein air paintings, Ronnie Layden's have a certain timeless essence that I never get tired of looking at.

Ronnie's photographs are engaging and thought provoking. He seems to have a natural gift for choosing just the right moment to snap the shot. I always get a melancholy feeling when I view his photos and I feel they are somehow conveying more than just the visible image...there is a feeling that there is something else going on which isn't immediately apparent to the viewer. Here are some of his photos:

Photograph by Ronnie Layden

Ronnie Layden Fine Art Gallery - 901 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Order Prints at Ronnie Layden Fine Art

Click here to contact Ronnie Layden 

If you are planning a trip to Santa Fe, be sure to drop in on Ronnie Layden at 901 Canyon Road: be sure to tell him Dave sent you. He also offers private instruction in oil painting and photography (by appointment only, of course). Here is a link to Ronnie's website, which I help him with from time to time: Ronnie Layden Fine Art.