"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies" :)

"Let it snow!"

I never thought that my stay in this part of the world would be this short...........I did not come down with plans to settle down here but this has to be the shortest-lived home for me ever.........About a year back we came to the snow-laden, bone-chilling Midwest, to an unassuming town that I had not heard of before. My biggest excitement was that it was close enough to Chicago to be able to visit my childhood friend on weekends, and the fact that our brand new jobs would enable us to afford small luxuries that our student pay-checks could not. On the professional front, I was ready to enjoy any work that came my way.......I had my initial share of hiccups and disappointments but eventually I think I can say that it all came around. I did learn some, if not as much as I wanted to.........Life outside work was even more fun :) Every little flicker of change that changing seasons brought lifted my spirits.......some of the friendships I forged here will last me a lifetime, if not longer........and the trips we made to some far-flung corners and others next door are still fresh in my mind.........I just went through the entire gamut of images I have amassed here.......am sharing a precious few......before I move on to the new place for newer adventures in a coupla weeks.

"March into spring"

"Wild Summer"

"A taste of summer"

"The evening air was warm, the northeast wind soft"

"Catch a whiff of fall in the air"

"Nature’s own fireworks"

"Back to where it all started from" :)

Santa Fe Unlimited :)

Anyone who has been there, will agree that Santa Fe is a unique and a very, very charming city. We took a rather long winded route to reach there but as we drove into the city, the late afternoon sun became an artist, bathing the ochre-colored mud adobe buildings in its golden, luminous light...........even the commercial establishments like Target, CVS, Super 8 etc. housed in (fake) adobe structures, that they say is synonymous with Santa Fe style, glowed beautifully in that waning light........and since we were visiting during the festive season, most of the buildings were crowned with "farolitos" - the paper lamps with a votive candle in the center and filled with little sand for stability - in fact they were everywhere- thousands of them adorning driveways, both sides of thoroughfares, rooftops, atop churchyard walls...........I do sound like I was enchanted, don't I ......it isn't hard to fall in love with that city :)

Santa Fe 1

While revisiting the images from our trip to New Mexico, I realized I never got around to sharing some of my favorites from Santa Fe. These are from the Palace of the Governors where Native American vendors gather everyday on the front porch to sell handcrafted objects. They can only sell artwork that is crafted either by them or their household member. I enjoyed admiring their work, but more than that - conversing with them about their craft.

The Moo Crew ;D

As Saturday was drawing close to an end, I went on a barn hunt. Instead, came back with a few pairs of "udderly" curious eyes staring back at moi.