Cutest Dog Competition

Tent rocks

On our drive towards the airport on the last day of our vacation, we stopped by 'Tent rocks' for a short hike. These peculiar rocks were formed after volcanic activity many thousands of years ago, and then eroded into their current shapes between then and now.

It was a muggy and hot day in the high desert, thunder clouds brewed over the mountains ready for the daily afternoon pour. The rocky canyon looked like a city of tepees, colored pink and beige - stripped with each strata of ash and gravel, spewed from such violent beginnings.

Only hardy plants and cactus survive here. I was surprised to see the yellow green shiny skin of a cactus, and even more surprised to see the lean body of a jack rabbit beneath it - nibbling at an unknown and scarce food source. As the thunder rumbled closer, we walked faster. When we finally got back to the car and continued on our way, I took the picture of the angry sky through the windshield of our car, as the clouds opened their arms and drenched the parched earth - probably enough to darken the soil colors a hue or two, but not enough to quench.

Do you know the way to Sante Fe?

OK - so I know those aren't really the words to the song, but it fits!

We are back from our latest adventure to Sante Fe, and it was a most enjoyable one!

We stayed in a little Cassita three miles or so out of town, and spent the days wandering galleries, museums and shops, and spent the evenings listening to heavenly groans - as the dense black clouds swept over the rolling pink mountains like waves, and the thunder cracked and rumbled until the town was sprayed with rain.

Thanks for the suggestion Laurie - I did get to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum, although was sadly impaired with a migraine, so I have somewhat abstract memories of it.

Little Peanut did great with all the travel, and we were able to introduce her to the joys of art. I took her to see an exhibition of American Impressionism (she mostly slept - perhaps the pictures were to idyllic?) But she enjoyed the work of O'Keeffe, and was carried around by my husband to see all the works at eye level, and he tells me they discussed the merits of each image.

One day we took the high road to Taos, and enjoyed the scenery and many galleries along the way. We took a wrong turn at one point, and ended up having a micro adventure onto an unpaved road, which wound around the mountain side and led us through the silvery skinned aspen trees, that I had seen portrayed in so many artworks around Sante Fe.

I would love to go back in the fall, to see the leaves turn from green to gold - maybe another year!

Here are a couple pictures from our travels! I may post a few more soon.

This little pig

Here they are - All ten of them. And on her ankle you can just about see the bluish gray coloration of her mongolian spots. Interesting thing - mongolian spots. I didn't know about them until Peanut came to us. She has several: on her ankles and wrists, but the most amazing ones are on her back and bottom. Those are completely blue in color! She could be Veruca Salt from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Either that or she's been wearing new jeans, and the denim blue dye has stained her behind!

A good friend Kim took this picture. She takes wonderful photos, and has a great lens on her camera.