~o:> Being there: Santa Fe pt. 1

First of all, this is the self portrait I favored.  Not so white now, are they???

In the mountains of Colorado, we ran into this.

And M shot this.  Then we came to my favorite place in the entire western US:

I want to live here.  A BLUE BARN, nestled (literally) into this high mountain valley.  Look at that land.  Look at that sky.  Imagine me flying across these folds of green on the back of my beautiful Zion –

Heaven.  I know this is what it looks like.

Then we got to New Mexico.  And after four days (only felt that way), we hit St. Francis Street and after another four days, we found our way to Gin’s.

I didn’t take a shot of her whole house.  Why didn’t I?  But then, all the houses you see from Gin’s windows look just like hers, except different.  These houses are set here and there, scattered among the hills of the high desert, subtle houses that don’t disturb the natural vista.

This is the first sight that greeted us – the boys on bikes, headed down their driveway just to look for us.

Isn’t this face WAY worth the drive?

The front porch (portico, really) and the drive – which is dirt.

This is the actual sky you should have seen in the shot above.  But I’m going to be writing about that effusively in the next few days.

Two silly people in the kitchen.  See that brick?  The whole rest of the house is floored with this brick.

Gin, blooming and telling me not to take pictures of that fact (resistance is futile), standing in that wonderful kitchen.  It needs an island, I think.

Look just to your left, and here is the table – French doors and two flanking full length windows open into what passes in New Mexico for a back yard.  Lovely, but no grass.

And who is himself when he’s at home?  The dentist, Dr. K.

The back walk to the patio, lined with what I think is sage.  Fruit trees behind.

Living room – all three of these rooms stuck together in one long, wide open hallway.

My two darling kids.

My guest room.  The quilt was made by Dr. K’s

Gin’s room – or at least that half of it.  She’ll hate this shot, but I think she just looks pregnant sleepy.

And where did that dentist go?  This is the single question around which Sully’s world revolves.

The gorgeous Sully.

When the blinds are closed over the French doors.

Back porch.

Gin’s yard.  Also other people’s – but who can tell where one starts and another ends?

Gin’s sky.

The world, filtered thorugh sage.

I don’t know what these pink flowers are, but they are amazing against the wall and the light.

The back gate.

Standing outside, looking in.  The place glows inside.  But then, so do the people.

to be continued . . .