1) This is a black and white of the Sandia Mountains as seen from the road coming down from La Luz trail.
2) Here we are in the Sandia Mountains looking out eastward toward Moriarity and Edgewood. The rocky terrain of these mountains is so different from what I experienced in the Ozarks, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and other eastern and southern mountain ranges. The Rocky Mountain range has a personality that begs to be discovered and dares you to delve deeply into her deepest secret places.
3) Santa Fe is a wonderful mix of old and new, traditional and contemporary. Sometimes walking down the sidewalk I feel like I am in some old western movie.
4) Windows and walls say so much about this part of the country. Adobe is prolific here, and comes in colors that you'd have to see to believe. Some of these buildings have walls that are a foot thick, and some even still have dirt floors. It is a walk backwards in time, reminding you that while New Mexico is hip and modern in every sense of the word, it has roots and tradition as solid as the ground we walk on.
5) Life struggles and refuses to be held in check no matter where you look. Even in the rocky terrain of lava fields, yucca, cactus, and sage lay claim to every crack and crevasse, growing abundant and strong.
6) Albuquerque is home to the International Balloon Fiesta, and at almost all times of the year you can catch glimpses of these graceful hot air balloons drifting across clear blue skies.
7) The sunsets are spectacular. Sometimes fire, sometimes ice. Streaks of every color imaginable paint the horizon each evening, never the same twice, creating a canvas that soothes the weary soul.