Hi there Lynn - you know who I am, right? GI -Deb-. Maybe you knew that but it seemed you hadn't made the connection - oh, well!

Anyhoo - living in Chicago I know nuthin' about adobe walls! But painting a wall with texture requires a roller with a longer nap and I'm sure it's the same with adobe. To tape or not to tape is personal preference but I find it a huge wast of time and $. You need a good angled sash or trim brush and practice. If you're right handed for instance, pull the brush left to right and use your right pinky as a guide on the wall to steady the brush. You'll get into corners wher you have to reverse it but slow and steady will usually do it. And always keep a damp terry towel in your left hand for the oops. I drip, too and I use 4'tarps around the perimeter of the room. If I'm rolling and can't get the furniture out of the room it gets covered in plastic - some paints really spray, others don't. As for clumsy, when you step down off a ladder into a bucket of faux glaze mix up to your ankle, let me know! Never never never keep you paint tray BEHIND your ladder, always off to the side. I haven't done a search here for paint tips but I'm sure there are threads on that. And you know, Jan has a lot of experience and opinions on the paint process, too. She had great tips for your kitchen - she may even know specifics about adobe from living in CO. Hope that helps get you started

OMG Deb, I'd forgotten DLM was you!!! Too funny! I remember that a while back, you gave some great painting tips over there. Unfortunately, there isn't a good search tool to find them on GI.
As for clumsy, yes I have stepped right into a pan of paint . . . and right in front of the newspaper reporter and photographer who were there to do a story on me and the school staff lounge that I was doing a huge makeover on. Were you part of GI when I posted those before and after pics of it? Anyhoo, talk about embarrassing! Thankfully, they never printed that pic! Thanks!
Lynn