Jodi, lah...

Food Court, Singapore

I had lunch today with one of my favorite people in the world, Jodi Chia.

Jodi and I have known each other for many years, from my time living in Singapore.

She's in California this week, so I took her for lunch to Taco Del Oro -the best 1.00 tacos in San Jose. If you're ever in Alviso, you owe it to yourself to stop there for food.

Native American Cliff Dwelling

Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

Flower, Color, Water

Bandalier National Monument, New Mexico

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

Approximately 1,000 years old, this World Heritage site should be on everyones' 'must-see' list.

Yes, many of the homes are now occupied by shops, but that's actually good for us, as we get to set foot inside and look around.

The Taos people were uniformly friendly and talkative. We had some excellent conversations about the culture and history of the people and pueblo.

While there, we saw also saw sun, clouds, rain, wind, and hail - quite a day from a meteorological point of view...

Taos Pueblo Ladder

Detail of Ladder and Sky, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

Church at Taos

Angie and St. Jerome Church

Built in 1850, St. Jerome is 'just another' beautiful church in New Mexico.

This one resides in Taos Pueblo.

Taos Pueblo Memorial:

Native American Chant in Honor of Fallen Soldiers

We visited Taos Pueblo on Memorial Day and found a simple, but powerful ceremony underway.

There were speeches, of course. There were also chants and a beautiful Native American flute solo.

New Mexico Living:

Our room at the Historic Taos Inn

We were in a full hotel, on Memorial Day weekend, on the busiest street in Taos - and we didn't hear a thing. We've never had a quieter hotel stay in our life...

That's all you need to know about an adobe structure.

As a bonus, it's pretty cool looking too, huh?

Under a Georgia O'Keefe Sky

 San Jose de Gracia, Las Trampas, New Mexico

No state in America contains more beautiful churches and missions than New Mexico.

The red clay of earth reaches from the ground towards the blue skies of heaven - that's a pretty good metaphor for the construction of any building.

Petroglyphs, New Mexico:

I'm squatting in front of a panel of petroglyphs in the Rio Grande style, in Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico.

I'm a collector of iconic images, and these certainly qualify.

Millepede in the Desert:

Before I picked this up, I had to remember - are millipedes poisonous? or is it centipedes that are poisonous?

Well, I found out that is isn't millipedes, when I picked up this one.

Unless of course it's a delayed effect.... arghhh... ackkk.... 

Cactus Flowers:

In front of San Felipe Church, in Old Town Albuquerque, these flowers bloom on a prickly pear cactus.

As I was taking this photo, a woman surprised me. I spun to answer her question and ran my hand through the cactus, filling my fingers with tiny thorns that I spent the rest of the afternoon picking out (with my teeth).

Such is the pleasure and pain of desert beauty...

Native American Dancer:

This dancer was performing at the Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The contrast between the red dress and turquoise jewelry is particularly striking.

After the Rain:

It rained for our first few days in New Mexico. 

As a result, I got to hang out with this guy in the courtyard of Los Poblanos Inn.

It might be odd, but I kinda like these guys. 

The eyes of a snail fascinate me.

Kiss The Lizard

Angie and a Horned Lizard

While we were hiking in Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico, Angie spotted this Horned Lizard. 

I caught him so we could become acquainted.

He was quite docile and very cool. One of the highlights of our trip...