This month brought sadness to our little family as we had to say goodbye to our 14 year old cat, Pez. We've known him since he was only 8 days old. We held him before his eyes opened and visited him regularly until he was old enough to leave his mother and live with us. Pez had so much personality. He would talk and sing with us. He played fetch and loved to be the center of attention. A couple of years ago he was diagnosed with cancer. He lived two years longer than the vet expected and for that we are so grateful. We loved him so much. He was our companion through our many moves and adventures. Our family is smaller and quieter now and we miss him so much, but we are so glad that we were able to be his forever family.
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We moved (again)! This adventure sent us to Nevada, a place that never entered my mind as a potential home, but here we are, starting over in Nevada. Moving can be stressful, chaotic, and exciting. So far, I am happy in our new home state. The Mojave desert is gorgeous. The mountains seem to possess ever changing personalities (depending on the weather and sun) and the people here are nice (nearly as nice as people from the Midwest). So for now, I'll take it, I'm willing to embrace this new home and the adventures that come along with moving to a new place. My house may still have unpacked boxes laying around, but I have made time to visit the mountains and they have rewarded me with snow (on Christmas) and gorgeous ever changing scenery. The snow was an unexpected surprise, much like our move to Nevada. Since we have moved to the Southwest, my husband and I always take a hike on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's free, fun, and a relaxing way to spend time together when we have to be so far away from our loved ones. This year, on Christmas, we decided to wear our antlers on our hike. The other hikers loved this silly gesture and it made our hike a little more joyful as well. Perhaps dressing up on holiday hikes will be a new tradition. Happy Holidays!
Tara Victoria and Latrina from Of Trees and Hues opened up another great photo challenge. This month's theme is urban. When I first started thinking of this theme, I thought about the amazing street art and murals in Albuquerque, then I considered taking more photos at The Yards (a local market transformed from an old railyard), then I thought about the artistic neon lights which brighten up some of the overpasses in town. My photo location and photo were not pre-planned. It just happened. I'm teaching a unit on paleontology and I recently found out that there is an arroyo in town that has fossil art embedded into the sides of the arroyo. So, I had to take a very short drive over to the Calabacillas Arroyo, on the west side of Albuquerque. The public art is incredible, yet the vastness of the arroyo in the middle of a city, stopped me in my tracks. This picture really represents urban, everyday Albuquerque to me. Below is a picture that my husband took while I was taking photos of the art in the area. It was a very hot day, but it was nice to explore a new area that was so close to my home.
Every day I look out at the Albuquerque Volcanoes, otherwise known as the Three Sisters and I've wondered what they would look like if I changed my perspective. This morning I had to check it out. This view of the volcanoes was beautiful and very different from the view that I normally see from my neighborhood or driving around town. The air was crisp and cool as the sun rose in the sky. The barren landscape offered a beauty that is best found in the calm and still moments of the day.
Autumn is in full swing in New Mexico and I've been taking every opportunity to get outside to take in as much of the beauty as I can before the leaves fall and the landscape is stark and barren once more. I hope that you enjoy these photos as much I enjoyed taking them.
Every month I look forward to seeing what the new theme will be for Between Lenses. Between Lenses is a photography-based collaboration between Of Trees and Hues and Tara Victoria. Stop by their websites to see their theme photographs, as well as the work of other participants. This month's theme was mornings. Truth be told, I am not much of a morning person. My brain wakes up at 10:00pm and races through the night. Evenings are when my creativity is the strongest. Mornings for me are best when they are slow. A trip to the local growers' market, road trips, or the promise of a good walk are all viable reasons for me to get up early and attempt to be a morning person. This weekend, my husband and I got up early and drove into the mountains near Santa Fe to enjoy the cool Autumn air and the beautiful fall colors. This morning drove away my stress and fears and nature worked its healing wonders on my mind, body, and soul.
Today marked the first official day of Albuquerque's annual Balloon Fiesta. Balloon pilots and hot air balloon enthusiasts will be taking over the town for the next two weeks. I was sucked into the balloon world when I was 16. My boyfriend was a privately licensed pilot, so most of my summers were filled with balloon related events in the midwest. Fast forward eighteen years and my current husband (yes, we were high school sweethearts) is a commercially licensed pilot who still loves ballooning. We moved west and are currently residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This time of year always makes me think of our first balloon fiesta together (in 2005) and our first fiesta as New Mexicans (in 2010), and my husband's first fiesta as a lead commercial pilot (in 2013). Enjoy! It's time for another photo challenge from Of Trees and Hues and Tara Victoria. The theme for this month's photo challenge was silence. I have loved checking out the photos that people have chosen to represent this theme.
There have been many places where I have experienced silence, yet none were as silent as Arches National Park in Utah. During this hike the absolute lack of noise took my breath away. We couldn't hear our footsteps in the sand, we couldn't hear any animals or birds, or even the sound of wind during this hike. Everything was silent. As the sun began to set, my husband took my hand and we took in the gorgeous light show that can only be seen in nature. True silence can be unsettling, unless you are with someone you love, then the silence seems to enhance the beauty of being in that moment. Trina from Of Trees and Hues and Tara from Tara Victoria put together another great photo challenge theme. This month's theme is symmetry. This photo is from a trip to the Albuquerque Bio Park, where I had thought that my inspiration for this month's theme would be found in the butterfly pavilion. On a walk through the gardens, this beautiful mosaic bench caught my eye. The patterns on the bench are symmetrical and also very New Mexico. It was a gorgeous day to be in Albuquerque! Check out Trina's stunning architecture photo at Of Trees and Hues and Tara's breathtaking photo at Tara Victoria. Also, feel free to join the fun by clicking on the link on either of their pages. Have a great week!
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Hi! Welcome to A Year of Sunshine! This blog is a way to reflect on the beauty found in everyday life. Archives
October 2017
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