new mexico report It's wonderful to be home after 20+ hours of driving, though re-entry into "normal" life always has its challenges. I'm taking time out from sorting through piles of mail and laundry to post a few photos from my trip--not necessarily the most scenic, but perhaps most expressive of my trip. This one was taken of my son as we wandered around the deserted plaza surrounding the old adobe church of San Francisco de Asis in Taos. He and I drove to Taos from Albuquerque on the mountain road (as opposed to the more straightforward highway that runs along the Rio Grande) and had an excellent day checking out galleries and the fascinating Melissa Zink retrospective at the Harwood Museum.

These two photos I shot in the foothill trails on Albuquerque's east side, near the home of my friend and web designer Pamela Grimm, whom I was visiting. The left one is a self-portrait (obvious perhaps!) taken as I hiked to top of a small mountain. The right one I shot after noticing a shadow moving on a rock...it was quite some time before I glimpsed the person making it, hidden from my view by the boulder in the foreground. I think there's something rather mystical and timeless about this shadow man's appearance in the landscape.

I'm so pleased with the trip, though to be honest I wasn't sure I could afford to take ten days to satisfy what seems to be an annual urge to be in NM. But it was an energizing trip, including the chance to spend time with my college student son, touch base with other family and friends, feast on great food, and have plenty of time to explore area galleries and museums. Some signigficant art business was conducted, too--sometimes you just have to go places in person. The landscape was very compelling no matter where I was--even in urban settings it seems present in the form of warm adobe walls, and flowers blooming. Now I'm back home in the land of frozen gardens and leafless trees--I think I'll be feeding off my SW experience for quite some time.  ¶ 12:20 PM