Starting Out

I've been promising for months now that I would send photos to everyone. I want everyone to see how much Sam has grown, the places I've been, the things we do, and the incredible land I live in. I've determined that this is truly the best way to do that. And so I'm setting out to do just that.

I currently live in Rio Rancho, just North of Albuquerque, NM. Unlike Maine, where I was born and raised, there is very little water here, and likewise, very little humidity. I don't get to go swimming unless I'm staying at a hotel or we go on a day trip to one of the few lakes in the state or, better yet, to the hot springs.
People often ask if I miss the ocean. It's a funny thing... I don't really. Sure, I miss ocean breezes and sea glass. I miss taking a picture of my feet on the waters edge to mark the beginning of summer each year. But I don't miss the ocean per se. I often joke that being in the desert is just like being back at Old Orchard Beach... you're hot, you can smell sunblock, you can hear expensive radios booming out of junk cars, people are walking around scantily dressed, you can see the sand, but you never get close enough to see the water.

My impression of "desert" has changed drastically since moving out here. I always pictured monotone sand dunes for eons with the occasional run down little town or sticky hot city.
My first visit here was in June, 2004. Summer in the desert was not at all what I expected. First off, the heat was tolerable, mainly due to the lack of humidity. Secondly, there was soooo much color - millions of colors in the layers of rock that make up the mesa and canyons, tiny blooms on cactus everywhere, hot-air balloons taking to the sky almost every morning, and art... explosions of expression everywhere in jewelry, clothing, paintings, pottery, architecture, rock gardens, gates, fences, rock sculpture, music, food and on and on and on! Since moving out permanently, I've only discovered more.