I'm a crazy cameraphone picture taker. I love the immediacy of being able to capture anything that strikes my fancy, and I do it more often than I probably should.
So, I've decided to post a picture every day. I'm sure no one will be interested except my friends. But, if you want to know what I've been noticing lately, then go here.
One pattern I've noticed (particularly in the pics that don't make the cut): I'm endlessly fascinated by New Mexico skies.
There's now a Web site that rates any address for walkability. It's fun to put in addresses of people you know and see how they're property rates. My parents' house rated higher than I expected. One of my friends really, really needs to keep her car.
I knew our town's downtown was good, but I was surprised how high The Kumquat's location rated:
One of the things I love about hiking in the southwest is the use of cairns. Cairns are piles of rocks that help mark the trails, and in this rocky terrain they're often the only way to know you're on the right path. I can't count the number of times I've stood at a cairn, straining to see the next one, or taken tentative steps forward hoping to see a cairn up ahead.
For me, cairns make trail hiking in the southwest more like real life than following easy, well-worn trails in other parts of the country. Most of the time, my life is one of looking for the next marker that I'm on the right path, and trusting that future markers will be there.
Cairns are also a chance to add a rock (and a prayer if you wish) of your own. That way, you can signal the people behind you that they're on the right path too.
What do you do with the plastic American Flag handed to you by a sincere little Boy Scout at the July 4th Parade?
When he offered it, you couldn't very well say, "No, thank you." But, now that the festivities are over, you don't want that cheap thing collecting dust in your house. You can't burn it, because it's plastic. So . . . you toss it in the landfill.
Boy did that feel patriotic.