Creepy Crawly Tarantula

A large hairy spider creeps and crawls over the sand at Ghost Ranch (Happy Halloween!).

Halloween Witch

A hot air balloon, in the shape of a witch, flies through the sky.

Ghost Ranch Reflections

A pond at Ghost Ranch reflects Kitchen Mesa and the surrounding vegetation.

Tularosa Bell Tower

A bell tower at the St. Francis Church in Tularosa (this is one of my all-time favorite New Mexican churches).

White Sands Reflections

A pool of water at White Sands National Monument, as clear and smooth as glass. There was more water there last week than I've ever seen. I kept sinking into mushy sand, wondering all the while if quicksand was real, and if I should be scared.

Corona Library

A room in the Corona town library, which is in a beautiful old house there.

Windmill and Blowing Grass

A windmill and small shack, framed by blowing grass in the foreground, and the snow-covered Sacramento Mountains in the background.

Mexican Furniture (Up Close and Personal)

Brightly-colored furniture piled high on a trailer from Chihuahua (you can see the whole enchilada here).

Mexican Furniture Truck

A truck and trailer, full of furniture from Chihuahua, Mexico, on its way to Ruidoso.

Hot Air Balloon and Moon

A colorful hot air balloon passes beneath a half moon.

Balloons Overhead

Hot air balloons directly overhead combine with an ultra-blue sky to create a blast of bright colors.

Church in Carnuel

The balcony of a small church in Tijeras Canyon, east of Albuquerque.

Balloon Fiesta Smooch

The little bees balloons pull off a big ol' smooch in mid-air.

Balloons and Skyline

Hot air balloons at the Balloon Fiesta with a backdrop of Albuquerque's distinctive western skyline, including several dormant volcanoes.

Butterfly and Asters

I woke up the other morning dreaming that I'd been on the most wonderful walk with my camera -- a walk on which there were many different types of beautiful butterflies, and they all sat still and let me photograph them! Back in the real world, it's been a great fall for purple asters (and the butterflies aren't too shabby either).

Clouds and Rain

There've been plenty of clouds and rain lately -- just in time for the Balloon Fiesta.

Tricentennial Lights

Someone came up with the bright idea (so to speak) of lining up 200 lights along the crest of the Sandia mountains to commemorate Albuquerque's tricentennial. If the point was to show exactly how vast the Sandias are, I'd say it was a great success. The photo above is a slow exposure of the event.

Kitchen Mesa

The wash leading to Kitchen Mesa (at Ghost Ranch), flanked by colorful fall trees.

Ghost Ranch Reflections

Reflections of fall trees in the water, as viewed from the suspension bridge at Ghost Ranch.